LocostUSA.com

September 2018

In dealing with getting the position of the steering rack right, it is necessary to use tie rod height adapters.. this will help me get the rack right where I want it, ideally eliminating/minimizing bump steer..

The outer tie rod ends will be 5/8" hiem joints, and in order to get them to work I've got to heat and twist the Miata upright steering arms to be perpendicular to the ground.. I did this with no ill effects or issues on the N600 build, so shouldn't be an issue here..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

September 2018

Motor mounts..

I have thought about solid mounting this engine for this project, but once she's sorted I plan to drive her, sometimes hours at a time to get where I'm going, so I've opted for not solid mounts, not for rubber mounts, but ideally for "just right" with poly mounts..

The easiest pickup points on the passenger side are where the bike's swing arm once mounted.. I need to turn the poly inserts down to 1.34" (they come at 1.39 OD for this part #), then they'll slip into the motor's OEM former pivot points.. The driver's side of the engine is not as easy, and will require some removable frame bridges, but it's not insurmountable either.. The mounting arm/bridge on the firewall side (back of the engine) will be mostly out of sight, and the one I must build across the front of the motor will also serve to strengthen the shock bell-crank mounts..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

I am so impressed with the amazing work you're doing here.
I doubt I could emulate it... but such an inspiration.
Best wishes, MangPong.

I'm talking about a separate frame, just suggesting a little more crossection where it would flex from the uca loads. Basic idea is to raise the engine one inch to double the crossection while increasing the wall thickness where the flex is most likely to occur. No response needed, just something to think about if you have not already.

Bottom drawing is overhead view.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

October 2, 2018

I'm getting back on the Berk build in earnest, and as I come back to it, I'm gathering parts and generally trying to stay one or two steps in front of what I'll need next..

The pics of the dash/steering wheel are for me to reference as I kick around ideas for the interior.. I'm tall and this car is tiny, so it's already been decided for me that I'll be running a 13 (or even 12 inch) steering wheel-- I think I'm going to ditch this stock wheel and run something else altogether..

This car will be built as a (somewhat) street legal performance toy, so there will be no creature comforts-- no sound deadening, no radio, nothing that's not essential to it's running (read differently, there will be a conscious effort to keep the weight off and keep the look as bare-bones as possible).. Having said that, I'm thinking of shrinking the the dash and having just one massive tach, and nothing else.. no speedo, no switches, no key, nothing.. When driving a 100hp Berkeley, what else does one need to know except how close one is to the 12k redline

It will be a cheater look though, as surely I'll have to have a 'hidden' sub panel for needed switches/gauges and such, but I like the idea of just one massive tach being the only thing living in this tiny dash..

The shocks are from an R6 donor, and I've gathered them as I should be linking up at least the front suspension over the next few months..


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

October 2, 2018

More parts- in this case the beginnings of the driveshaft.. On the N600 project, I ended up spending too much time and effort on the driveshaft because of poor planning (and a really poopy local driveshaft shop), requiring several redesigns.. it is my hope to avoid that this time..

To start with, I've sourced a coupling adapter from Hawk to convert from a sprocket drive to a driveshaft (I didn't know this part existed and would fit my uncommon VFR lump (30mm-13 spline) when I built the Honda- would have saved some time, money, and fab work!).. From there, I'm copying what some of the "Legends Car" guys are using as seen in the pics.. These bits are tiny and fragile looking, but they're running 160hp (bike-sourced engine) through this setup without failure, so I figure my 110-ish hp out of the VFR ought to be ok.. I've included part numbers for future reference for Berk #2..

Eventually this will be a 2 piece driveshaft that will include a giubo (mandatory on a BEC in my opinion) at the differential- but I'll get to that later..


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Option # 478!
You could add a small raised dash semi-circular area with enough room for a tach and speedo?
I would think you would need a speedo to be street legal.
Will you be required to have a state inspection?

Sorry officer, I can't tell how fast I'm going, might be a hard sell
DaveW

Hey Dave..

It is my sincere hope that the officer will be so enamored with the car that he/she chooses to overlook little things like no speedo, no wipers, etc

The poorly photoshopped pic is of a different style Berk OEM dash that is what I have in mind to do to mine, with the red outline representing the stock VFR instrument cluster that I could flip up or down; Down and in sight while driving and I need to see it's data, and folded up under the dash and out of sight while the car is static and the data isn't needed.. (the OEM Honda bits are very light and of course easy to plug in as-is..) It's a vanity thing, as I don't want the big, plastic, 'modern' VFR dash molded in and on permanent display in the Berk dash, but I also don't want to lose all of the information that the Honda cluster can so easily provide, right down to ambient temp, time of day, and somewhat accurate fuel level..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

CC

What about something like this? Has speedo and other items all in one.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SPEEDOMETER-FI ... -1&vxp=mtr

Red

CCRunner,

Are you going to have a little windscreen on the car? If so, maybe you can hide a little HUD projector in the top of the dash.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l731KCsW-uE

_________________
Bill H
Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Some of the acewell units may suit your need in a single unit.

That car is going to sound great. Does your driveshaft adapter need further machining?

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build log http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2142

Early October, 2018

Thanks guys for the ideas on how to deal with instrumentation.. Like so much of the build, I'm going to stew over it for awhile, and set to work on bits that are a bit more firmed up in concept..

This is almost a photo dump of sorts... most of it dealing with the "Hawk" sprocket-to-driveshaft adaptor, and where the driveshaft will end up poking through the firewall.. Notice it's over on the passenger side by quite a bit (about 7" off of centerline).. Also note the red poly bush 'motor mounts' have made there way onto the scene..

Here are the first of several pics..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

TMI on the Hawk adapter.. (the driveshaft slip joint pic is here so I can document it's dimensions for later use)

**airframefixer: This little gem from Hawk has been an absolute time saver, and it came fully machined.. it is a press fit by design (where the sprocket it replaces was not), so I was a bit concerned about damaging it at installation (it's aluminum).. I had no cause to worry though, as I put it in the oven @ 400 degrees for 1.5 hours (don't tell my wife ), and I was able to gently tap it on to start, then I used a stud/nut to suck it down into place.. it's a very nice piece..

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

A few more shots without the body in the way..

I'm going to try and use the Honda OEM clutch slave cylinder (not pictured) out around the Hawk adapter, but at this point I'm not sure if that will be possible, as the clearances may simply be too tight.. more detail on this problem later as I chase it..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Ah.. i have a hawk machine part aswell.. it requires approx .125 to be milled from the backside for full spline engagement.. they are qualities pieces.

Otherwise, looks like quite tight packaging of components for the clutch slave.. at least its down low and drain back shouldnt be an issue. Lots of puzzles to solve there.

Andrew

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build log http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=2142