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PostPosted: October 23, 2016, 3:13 pm 
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It has fully bled and functional brakes and clutch!
Attachment:
IMG-20161022-WA0001.jpg

The excitement is building; I had to have a few vroom vroom moments.


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PostPosted: October 25, 2016, 9:03 am 
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Brakes and clutch are great to have. Their contribution to the driving experience can not be denied.

That must have been satisfying to check those off the list.


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PostPosted: November 3, 2016, 9:24 pm 
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I've been finishing up a lot of unphotographable stuff. Fuel lines are in! I've painted the tops and sides of the rails on one side (stuff I can't reach with the floor in) and cardboarded up a floor, then cut it. Here's how it stands now:
Attachment:
WP_20161103_18_32_11_Pro.jpg

Lots of shaping, bead rolling, and welding to get it all worked into place nicely. I'm really hoping to get the floor done and seats in before snow hits. It'll be much easier to give back my wife's garage space if all that stuff isn't in it :mrgreen:


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PostPosted: November 4, 2016, 9:28 pm 
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Got as much sheet metal roughed in as possible tonight. Tomorrow my dad is coming up to help me roll beads and fit it in!
Attachment:
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PostPosted: November 7, 2016, 12:18 am 
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Excitement was high this weekend. I feel like massive progress was made!
Attachment:
WP_20161106_21_02_56_Pro.jpg

The rear wheel wells are done! all seam sealed and then painted with 3M rubberized undercoat. The floor is still in progress.

Where should I put the battery? Some options:
Attachment:
WP_20161106_20_57_56_Pro.jpg

Under the floor with an access hatch? Should I fully enclose the battery, or could it hang out under the car unprotected? I think this is the cleanest, but requires the most fabrication, and more sheet metal than I have on hand.
Attachment:
WP_20161106_20_57_24_Pro.jpg

Build a little enclosure here?
Attachment:
WP_20161106_20_56_58_Pro.jpg

Or put it next to the wheel well?


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PostPosted: November 7, 2016, 9:20 am 
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Yo Evan-
If you buy a marine battery box, you can bolt it to the floor or to the side of a wheelwell or whatever and you've got your battery enclosure with no fabbing required. I'd put a piece of flat steel or ally inside to spread the load where it's attached, or use big washers, etc.

MGBs had the batteries in open frames under the car. I drove one for years, never had a problem, but looking back on it, it does seem rather unprotected, doesn't it? The battery holders were under the "shelf" behind the seats, so they didn't hang down below the bottom of the car, but they were not inside a box by any means.

Meanwhile, back at marine battery boxes, here's an example:
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Attwood-Power-Guard-27-Battery-Box/16351062?wmlspartner=wlpa&selectedSellerId=2132&adid=22222222227009797571&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40968516272&wl4=pla-78911309912&wl5=9011575&wl6=&wl7=9011572&wl8=&wl9=pla&wl10=113146354&wl11=online&wl12=16351062&wl13=&veh=sem (Dayumm, that's a LLLOOONNNNGGG url!)

Just my .02, IMHO, etc..

:cheers:
JDK

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Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: November 7, 2016, 9:20 pm 
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Those seem pretty bulky, but you can't argue with the price.

If I've got solid metal between the trunk and the cabin, can I have the battery just in the trunk with a tie down? as long as the terminals are protected sufficiently so nothing could be accidentally shorted?


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PostPosted: November 8, 2016, 8:45 am 
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Dude! It's your car, you can do any damn thing you want with it... :mrgreen:

Seriously, folks, I'm not aware of any rules/laws that would prevent that. You might want to check with the local DMV, maybe? Or ask an inspection station manager, or some such. It would have to be protected from "stuff" in the trunk shorting across the terminals.

Some angle welded or riveted in place and some all thread and angle on top and you should be good to go. I'll look for pics of the rig I built for the Slotus, maybe it'll help. (Bad example?)

:cheers:
JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: November 8, 2016, 9:13 am 
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I used to run those battery boxes in my VWs. They fit pretty perfectly between the wheel well and the tailgate. Convenient, just needed longer cables, and easy to install. Would use again.

Protect the terminals and vent the battery some how. Some authorities get hung up on the hydrogen gas that can be generated by a lead-acid battery.


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PostPosted: November 12, 2016, 1:44 am 
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Thanks for the input guys. I'm going to build a panel to safely isolate it. The marine boxes are just too bulky for my liking.

I've made some progress:
Battery mounted to a plate attached to the floor. Used the toe from the vette to keep things neat and tidy
Attachment:
WP_20161111_21_33_36_Pro.jpg

As you can see the trunk floor is rapidly coming together!
Attachment:
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I painted the underside before welding it in so there should be no large expanses of raw, unpainted metal under the car. 4 smallish (5/16") bolts going through rubber down to the frame rails, anchoring it all in. None of it is very aesthetic, but it's all getting covered up so I'm not going to slave over it to make it a work of art. It's a driver (and hopefully a seriously enjoyable one), not a show-car.


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PostPosted: November 12, 2016, 8:14 am 
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I'm not going to slave over it to make it a work of art. It's a driver (and hopefully a seriously enjoyable one), not a show-car.
Hooray for that sentiment! I went to a Studebaker car show last weekend, and had a great conversation with a guy that had a '63 Avanti in the show. He said he DROVE IT to the show from down in Central Florida. His comment was "These are cars, designed to be driven, and fun to drive. If I put it in an enclosed trailer and tow it here, I wouldn't get the waves and thumbs-up signals. I wouldn't get to talk to car guys at the gas stations, I'd miss half the fun!" I had to agree...

Is that little toe clip gonna hold that big ol' battery in place? I know it will in a crowded engine compartment where the battery can't move anyway. But sitting there in the trunk, will it keep the battery from rocking back and forth and bumping into the fender? I don't know that it will/won't work, just lookin' at a picture and askin' dumb questions... What you tink??? 8)

Nice progress, I'm enjoying watching things come together.
:cheers:
JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom


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PostPosted: November 12, 2016, 11:09 am 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
Quote:
.......
Is that little toe clip gonna hold that big ol' battery in place? I know it will in a crowded engine compartment where the battery can't move anyway. But sitting there in the trunk, will it keep the battery from rocking back and forth and bumping into the fender? I don't know that it will/won't work, just lookin' at a picture and askin' dumb questions... What you tink??? 8)

Nice progress, I'm enjoying watching things come together.
:cheers:
JDK


I agree with the "nice progress" JD wrote. I would never take on such a project. My hats off to you for doing this. Keep us updated. You inspire me.

That being said, the battery location/mount also worries me on several notes. 1) it appears that the battery overhangs a recess near the fender. The battery should be supported 360 degrees around the perimeter of the base. That is where the battery case is the strongest. 2) in case of a small fender-bender accident, there should be some reasonable space ( a few inches?) before the fender can penetrate the battery. 3) in a modern car, the metal under the battery is normally stronger than trunk floor metal. The thin floor metal securing the heavy battery worries me, and 4) the battery terminals are not protected. What if something in the trunk should slide up against the battery, and that something were metal?

A lot of this could be "fixed" by adding an angle iron square base under the battery. It then could be located inboard of the fender wall a few inches, It would support the battery 360, It can become the device the hold down wedge would screw into. and.... if you were to rotate the battery 180, the exposed terminals would be outboard of any loose trunk items. Cars that I have worked on have such a battery base designed to be bolted to the sheet metal of the car. Perhaps you could just pick one up at the junk yard (I mean recycle yard?) and bolt it down in 4 places with large fender washers and be done.

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PostPosted: November 12, 2016, 11:58 am 
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I'll take some more pictures and post them up so you guys can see what I've done. I cut the flange at the edge of the floor and folded it over flat into the empty space, then I made a reinforced plate with a lip on the outboard side that is screwed down to the floor. The battery sits on this plate, pushed under the lip. The toe pushes the battery into this lip and down onto the plate. The lip fits the battery tightly, so it prevents motion. In a more serious event, the wheel well keeps the battery from moving forward, the unfolded flange keeps the battery from moving back. The whole battery is about 1/2" from the fender and I cant make it flex far enough to touch.

The battery won't sit exposed like that in the final application. I'm planning to put a panel across that section to isolate the battery from the rest of the trunk.

I'm not sure about crash worthiness, from a crush/puncture perspective. It seems like if that is a serious concern, that I should locate the battery inside the frame rails. Lots of cars put the batteries in crash-compromised positions, so I'm not sure how concerned to be. What do you guys think?


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PostPosted: November 13, 2016, 5:24 pm 
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Alright, here is the battery mount:
Attachment:
WP_20161113_10_24_33_Pro.jpg

It looks all mangled, but it has a vertical piece going down to keep it rigid. The lip grabs the edge of the battery tightly, mimicking the vette mounting provisions.
Attachment:
WP_20161113_10_23_44_Pro.jpg

Here is the progress of the day:
Attachment:
WP_20161113_13_53_47_Pro.jpg

Attachment:
WP_20161113_13_53_56_Pro.jpg

Generous front and back seat space
Attachment:
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Plenty of room to reach down and adjust the seat with the door closed
Attachment:
WP_20161113_13_54_06_Pro.jpg

Floor is all tacked in, but not quite finished. The seat is bolted down.
Attachment:
WP_20161113_13_57_01_Pro.jpg

Wife thumbs up of approval. Really rewarding work today, getting the floor in and the seat bolted down! A lot of room in the garage suddenly. Seats take up way more room that you expect them to.


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PostPosted: November 19, 2016, 7:07 pm 
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Got the driver side floor welded and the seat bolted in:
Attachment:
WP_20161119_13_12_35_Pro.jpg

Few rosette welds to the supports underneath
Attachment:
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Here the seat is in my position, all the way back.
Attachment:
WP_20161119_15_11_01_Pro.jpg

Tipped forward, there is a lot of access to the back seat.
Attachment:
WP_20161119_15_07_02_Pro.jpg

Here is my shift lever extension. It's a bolt welded to a nut, with an angle to allow me to move the shifter a little forward and toward the center of the car. I'll finish weld, grind, and try to clean it up some. Ultimately, I want it hidden in a nice leather shift boot.

A not so willing participant in this picture, but that's what he gets for hopping in to check it out
Attachment:
WP_20161119_14_56_57_Pro.jpg

And me:
Attachment:
WP_20161119_14_59_37_Pro.jpg


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