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It's looking good, Tom. I'm glad my suggestion was helpful.

Cheers,

Large gaps of time with small steps of progress, but at least it's (mostly) forward.

Finally got the hubs, rotor and calipers mounted to the front spindles:
Had to try a front wheel on for size (and looks)
Looks like the innards should clear those 17 inchers:
Starting to approximate the nose cone fit so I can work-up the radiator mounts:
A little chopping and channeling of the nose cone and it should work out:
Going for the low, wide "Watson Roadster" look

That car is starting to look like business Tom! I need to take a break from the ECU and do some recreational car building on my own project.

wow. Tom that looks bitchen the watson roadster vibe is an exellent direction.

That adrenalin pump is coming together nicely.

Bob

Tom, your car is coming together very nicely. I hope to someday get over to see it before it's all done.

Looking very nice Tom! Those brakes are huge!!

Yes indeed, it does look terrific, Tom. I keep marveling at how you keep everything so shiny all the time. Wow, do you a secret, personal wiper/shiner up there?

Cheers,

Thanks for the encouragement, guys. It keeps me pointed in the right direction

Marcus, you need to get back to building before your garage gets too cold and you have to go out and shovel snow again.

Lonnie, the secret to shiny is to use a halogen light when taking pictures--even the rust reflects

Briggs, the rotors are 12.2" x 0.81" on all four corners. Calipers are 4-pots with different sized pistons front to rear. The calcs show a good inherent balance in the brake system

Bob, I need to finish the car while the old bod can still tolerate all that adrenalin. Hope I still have time.

Larry, come visit. You know how to find me. Bring your Locost

Robbovius, yeah, that "Watson roadster" look is cool In the pics, the nosecone's leading edge is ahead of the forward edge of the front tires by about 4". The snub nose should help balance the hood line which includes a long scuttle. The snub nose should also work with the bobbed tail in the back. The long Trailing Arm's should add to the illusion. We'll see...

While I really like the basic shape of KV's nosecone, it will take some work for it to achieve the "Watson" look. It will get widened about 6.5" and tapered to match the lines of the upper rail. The lower side will be sectioned about 1" and the under curve flattened for height reduction. A small chin spoiler will probably be added for radiator clearance (and enhanced aero )

With a low cut nose, radiator fit becomes more interesting. My Griffin radiator is 16" x 22" x 3". Here's a look the rough fit process using a foam-block dummy radiator:
The fan is a Spal 14" unit:
It should all be able to fit in, including a pressure cap. I'll make-up a mounting system in steel and then do a final fit with the real thing.

Sorry about all the emoticons, I got a bit carried away...

You don't want a pressure cap on the radiator if your radiator is not at the high point.

The cap should be at the high point or make a high point off one of the heater lines that comes off the intake manifold.
A small tank with a rad cap on it 2 heater hoses 1 in 1 out and maybe a little burp line to the top of the radiator.
Add a 1 liter coolant recovery bottle so air is kept out of the system.

Even if you don't have a heater, you need a heater loop to circulate water when the thermostat is closed.

Loop the heater hose through one of these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ctr-80-200

Bent Wrench wrote:You don't want a pressure cap on the radiator if your radiator is not at the high point.

The cap should be at the high point or make a high point off one of the heater lines that comes off the intake manifold.
A small tank with a rad cap on it 2 heater hoses 1 in 1 out and maybe a little burp line to the top of the radiator.
Add a 1 liter coolant recovery bottle so air is kept out of the system.

Even if you don't have a heater, you need a heater loop to circulate water when the thermostat is closed.

Loop the heater hose through one of these http://www.summitracing.com/parts/ctr-80-200

Thanks, Bent. You're right, I do need to design my cooling system plumbing. Once the engine and rad are mounted I'll have to work out the levels and the plumbing.

My radiator has a 1" tall flange for a cap. Rather than cut and shut, perhaps I can use a higher pressure cap there and relocate the filler/overflow as you suggest. I might be able to use the "lower" rad cap location as a burp valve. There is also provision for an LS steam line on the other rad tank. Not sure if I will use that or put the steam line into the "remote" cap/tank.

I plan to run an electric water pump which will allow the alternator to be low mounted and simplify the belt/accessory arrangement. Some of the e-pumps have provision for a heater bypass, I'll need to figure out if those require a circulation loop, too.

Thanks again for your thoughts. This whole cooling plumbing thing has me scratchin' my head a lot. I'll need lots of help with it.

Yo Tom!
I have that "top of the rad isn't the high point of the system" thing in the Slotus. What I did is install a 30 psi cap on the radiator and a 16 psi cap on an in-line fitting on the upper hose -the actual high point- with a line for the overflow that goes to a catch can. (The one that isn't an Ensure bottle, remember?) You can get the high-pressure caps and the in-line fittings from Speedway, amongst others.

I'll root around and find ya a picture shortly... maybe... if I have one... if I don't go to sleep first and forget I said any of this...


JDK

OK, found a picture...You can't actually see the cap on the radiator, but it looks like any other cap. The in-line bit and the "normal" pressure cap is in the upper left of the shot and you can just see one corner of the catch can behind the black bodywork (we call him "Art").

Do any of dat actually help??? Hope so...

JDK

seattletom wrote:I plan to run an electric water pump which will allow the alternator to be low mounted and simplify the belt/accessory arrangement. Some of the e-pumps have provision for a heater bypass, I'll need to figure out if those require a circulation loop, too.

Does such an electric pump bolt on in place of your existing mechanical one? That's an interesting concept. I've been looking at my own build wondering how I could fit in a supercharger (one possible means of getting my Phase II, 300HP engine), but space is very tight. Getting rid of the water pump housing and its pulley might allow me to put the alternator up high, making space for a supercharger down low. Do you have an Internet reference I could look at?

Cheers,

GonzoRacer wrote:I have that "top of the rad isn't the high point of the system" thing in the Slotus. What I did is install a 30 psi cap on the radiator and a 16 psi cap on an in-line fitting on the upper hose -the actual high point- with a line for the overflow that goes to a catch can. (The one that isn't an Ensure bottle, remember?) You can get the high-pressure caps and the in-line fittings from Speedway, amongst others.

JD, it makes me proud for my build to have something in common with the Slotus. I found a nice Stant 30 psi radiator cap at Summit for the "low point" on the radiator. When I put in the "high point" cap I'll see if I can find an Ensure bottle to re-purpose

Lonnie-S wrote:Does such an electric pump bolt on in place of your existing mechanical one? That's an interesting concept. I've been looking at my own build wondering how I could fit in a supercharger (one possible means of getting my Phase II, 300HP engine), but space is very tight. Getting rid of the water pump housing and its pulley might allow me to put the alternator up high, making space for a supercharger down low. Do you have an Internet reference I could look at?

Lonnie, two ways to go on an electric water pump: either on the block replacing the mechanical pump, or remote frame or radiator mounted with only inlet/outlet flanges on the block. Meziere, Stewart and Moroso make both varieties, and there is a remote-mount Australian-based product from Davies Craig that looks very interesting. A search for "Electric water pumps" on Summit Racing or Speedway should turn up a number or options. Also the above manufacturer's websites.

An electric water pump can help clean up accessory drive issue, reduce parasitic power loss from the mechanical pump and shave a little weight. It may require a beefier alternator, though.