v8teenhundred

[jiminy14]

so...i have been a lazy member the past year, and haven't posted much other than to say that i finished some aspect of my v8 1800 swap. this time i have a digital camera ( christmas gift) and i WILL document the latest project. extensive rear end swap/ tubbing.

i wrecked the rear end (stock dana 27) which necessitates the latest project. i could do a dana 30 and it would hold up for a while but i want the cheap parts and easy gear swapping of a ford 9". that is what i am doing.

i am installing a whole new rear frame from competition engineering ( their standard 4 link setup with 150lb spring coil overs with 3 way adjustable shocks).

the stuff i got isn't prewelded but here is a link to all of the components as they will be assembled. its the yellow set up (2nd down from top of page)
http://www.competitionengineering.com/catalog/CategoryDisplay.asp?CatCode=23002

this means i need more rubber in the rear so i am going to mini-tub it, and i will be recieving some 275/35/18 azenis 615 tires tomorrow afternoon along with all the frame rails, coil overs, 4 link stuff, cross members, etc. etc.

the wheels will be konig beyond wheels 18x9.5 +25mm
17x8 on the frontwith something like 215 or 225/45/17 azenis
http://www.konigwheels.com/catalog_product_details.cfm?CategoryID=1&ss_id=431
its hard enough to steer the car around town with 205/40/17 on the front so i don't really want very much rubber on the front.

i hope to get the rear window out and interior stripped tonight or tomorrow and start cutting the fender wells and floor out tomorrow or sunday. this weekend should see a lot of progress.

a local shop can do a shortened 9" with disc brakes within 2 days notice. i just need to give them the measurements next week.

it has taken 5 times longer to do any part of this car than i planned but this should go smoother than any of it so far. the trickiest part will be tying the frame into the body so that it is rigid enough. it has become a body on frame car but heavily tied into the uni-body structure still.... the best of both worlds.

i will have pictures tomorrow when everything arrives and before i start cutting/ removing gas tank, window, interior etc.
stay tuned.

james

[Gene_GaTech]

those wheels ARE SICK@!!!! what bolt pattern does your 1800 have? the latrer ones has 5x 108 the earlier ones same as thunderbird(not sure what that is)

can't wait for the pics!!!

[jiminy14]

those wheels ARE SICK@!!!! what bolt pattern does your 1800 have? the latrer ones has 5x 108 the earlier ones same as thunderbird(not sure what that is)

can't wait for the pics!!!
its 5x114.3

[jiminy14]

I ordered the rear wheels today, but they are going to take at least 3-4 weeks to arrive from konig, which means i will be strictly tubbing for now. no suspension work until i get the rear end shortened first, which i can't do until i get the wheels of course, which means no welding any frame rails either. what a tangled web-we-weave.

The rear of the car is 90% stripped now, and i am drawing up a plan of attack for bracing the chassis to prevent shifting when i cut basically the whole back floor/ axle tunnel out.

turns out the gas tank is going to have to go. looks like i will have to go with a fuel cell, and mount it in the trunk. i am not satisfied with that option due to the poor effects it would have on handling being that high up. still trying to find another option.

here are the first "BEFORE" pictures.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/54963590.jpg

the tires, old and new.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/54968206.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/54968639.jpg
ignore the rust bubbles on the lower quarter panel they will go soon enough. the top of the tire is flush with the outside of the lip, and is touching the inside of the fender well. needs at least a good 5 inches of widening inward.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/54963629.jpg
from the inside ->back; ( still lots of tar paper and glue to clean off the wheel wells etc).
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/54963601.jpg


here are the frame rails i will be using. my shoe is pointing to the front of the rails. the backs will be trimmed at least 10" so they don't hit the back of the car.
http://www.pbase.com/image/54969425.jpg


i have all day off school/work tomorrow so i should be able to do another update with more pictures. hopefully with some actual work done.

james

[jiminy14]

i didn't get as far as i had hoped today.
frame rails are set in place to get an idea of how much width i have to play with...turns out there isn't much. 28" for the coil overs to mount between as opposed to the original 40" where the stock springs mount to the body.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/55004093.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/55004088.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/55004213.jpg

the rails have to move about 3 inches further back. as they sit now they would hit the back of the seats!!
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/55004239.jpg

that's it for tonight.

james

[jiminy14]

i have had some major issues going on the past month so i hvaen't gotten much further on the car, until today. a lot of the work so far has been planning and measuring so nothign to talk about really. i wasn't sure anyone was still interested but if there is anyone this is for you.
here are the new pictures.

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/rear_halving&page=3


here are the highlights;

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/55615969.jpg
wheels arrived about a month ago. and yes i slept with them. they are the nicest finished wheels i have ever seen. the painted part of the spokes is textured like teflon. it sounds bad but i like it.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/57184702.jpg
the floor is removed!!!! its scary how fast it was cut out ( took maybe 5 minutes of actual cutting).
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/57184724.jpg
rear end is removed obviously. after chipping off the factory undercoating everythign looked good. jsut some minor surface rust on a couple spots. it is all getting cut out eventually anyway. hahaha but its nice to see clean metal that is forty years old.


the weather got warm here and i have been so antzy to get the car done that i think i should get lots done in the next 4 weeks. i kinda have to get it done fast since i am moving in 6 weeks.

james

[klr142]

the weather got warm here and i have been so antzy to get the car done that i think i should get lots done in the next 4 weeks. i kinda have to get it done fast since i am moving in 6 weeks.

james
DAMN! You've definitely got some work cut out for ya... Missed this thread the first time around... That thing's gonna be insane! I already thought it was insane back in the days of just a turbo'd b20... But oye! Those wheels are SWEET though for the car, can't wait to see it finished!

And yeah, just a little bit of tire there... BAM! :twisted:

[jiminy14]

DAMN! You've definitely got some work cut out for ya... Missed this thread the first time around... That thing's gonna be insane! I already thought it was insane back in the days of just a turbo'd b20... But oye! Those wheels are SWEET though for the car, can't wait to see it finished!

And yeah, just a little bit of tire there... BAM! :twisted:
thanks!!! i think insanity is a good hting hahhaaa.
my work has literally been cut out for me ....ROFL


i liked the wheels. i wish my stupid garage was bigger. i can't even set the wheels in the wheel well and get to step back enough to get a look. i think they will look ok. i am happy with tthe 275's but i figured that if i was goign to this uch effort to make it handle and get some traction i wanted to go way over teh top....just make it rediculous. so the 275's are almost conservative. i do want it to handle though...no just a drag car.

james

[jiminy14]

ok it doesn't look as dramatic as last night but i cleaned up my cuts to the floor along the original crossmember so i could put the new one flush to it as a reference point before welding it in.

i made 1/4" thick plates to reinforce the inner rockers at the points where i am going to weld the new crossmember. most of the metal on this car is only 16gauge so i want to make sure this will last, and be strong as hell. i cleaned up the inner rockers and tacked the plates in place. this doesn't seem like a lot of work for a night but believe me it sure is when you discover your car wasn't even perfectly straight from the factory. i used the crossmember as my reference point for most measurements to make sure the car was semetrical, but i triple checked using the lower seat belt bolt hole and the front subframe.
turns out the car is not semetrical. teh old crossmember is straight and good, but the driver's side seat belt hole is 1/2" further forward, and many other parts of the car are slightly crooked by a few 16ths of an inch. this surprised me but luckily i have a coupel good reference points to stick by.

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/57242125.jpg
the plates!
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/57242168.jpg
where they will be used to reinforce the rockers.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/57242183.jpg
and this is the new crossmember that i roughly whacked sorta into place. nothing is welded yet. i live in a townhouse and i am not allowed to make noise after 11pm so i had to leave it here but really wanted to see the crossmember in there ..sorta.
this crossmember is a critical part to get in. once i hve this in i can remove most of the stock sheet metal and weld in the new frame rails.

should get somemore work done tomorrow night.

james

[Bigbegum69]

damn thats gunna be sexy

[Vee_Que]

I wouldn't expect the body to be straight once you remove the floor...

[Super1800GTR]

Looks great!!

How strait does it really need to be? If you're not taking it over 150mph around a track you should be ok with it being a LITTLE off. The only real way to fix the problem, if it is off a lot, is to put the car on a surface plate and use hightech equip. to get precise measurements and straighten it.

Keep up the work.

Rob

[jiminy14]

Well, not necessarily, it does have 40 years of wear and tear and flex into it, so it might've been better when it was first made, but who knows.

Are you going to try to straighten it out at all?(dunno how you would, but maybe) Or just make your stuff work with how it is now?

i need to take pictures to explain myself i think. i can' t really do it with words. the lower seat belt hole in teh inside of teh rocker on teh driver's side is 1/2" further forward. if it had moved 1/2" frutehr forward there would be a tear in teh sheet metal at the back of the inner rocker where the crossmember/ inner fender well are welded to it. does that make any sense? i think i still need to show pictures. its more that the hole was drilled in a different spot i think.

for all i know teh subframe was tack welded in crooked so. since everything else seems perfectly straight i am going to assume the body is straight and that the subframe has either shifted over time and rust or it was not installed right origianlly.

i finished welding in the plates last night. i have to make sure the new crossmember is stragith and then weld that tonight.
hope to get more pics up tonight.


james

[jiminy14]

I wouldn't expect the body to be straight once you remove the floor...
well removing what i have DID NOT cause any movement...trust me. that was my primary goal when working out the procedure to remove what i have. everything was carefully measured before and after and the order of operations was well htought out. the sections of teh car that are un-symmetrical have not moved adn were as is from the factory.
the floor pan that i cut out was a section between two of teh sturdiest parts of teh frame. keep in mind that there is already extensive frame that i fabricated from the seats forward. furthermore a hole drilled in the rocekr panel can not move forward without everything shifting...trust me it did not shift.
i had a meeting at work tonight that lasted 5 hours so i didn't get anything done. should get the new crossmember welded in tomorrow. after that i should be able to get the rear frame rails in place relatively quickly. then measure the width of the rear end i will have made and then its the home stretch to getting it drivable again.

the rest of the work will be smaller things like plumbing a new fuel line and mounting the fuel cell which still need to figure out dimensions for.

james

[klr142]

the sections of teh car that are un-symmetrical have not moved adn were as is from the factory.
Well, not necessarily, it does have 40 years of wear and tear and flex into it, so it might've been better when it was first made, but who knows.

Are you going to try to straighten it out at all?(dunno how you would, but maybe) Or just make your stuff work with how it is now?

[jiminy14]

OK . its been a while since i have posted any update. there was a death in the family recently and a bunch girl drama ( as always).

i can' twait to get home to post pictures...i have to post. i got my rear end today. its all shortened. all that is left to do is finish welding the housing to the axle tubes but i first have to tack and weld my 4 link brackets on the tubes. it the heat will warp it and then it will be re-aligned before finally weldign the tubes. my frame is almost done. i have to get a cage installed to get the stiffness i require. the frame rails i am using are sorta thin and flexing. i called comp engineering today and they sid 99% of people using the frame rails use them in race cars only with a full cage. so i have to do at least a 4 point cage now. sinc ethe rear end is done sooner the project deadline has sped up a fair bit now. hopefully a few more weeks and it'll be driving.


i have made progress since the last time i posted.
www.pbase.com/jiminy1414
pics to come tomorrow.

james

[jiminy14]

just picked up the 9" yesterday;

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58605475.jpg

the frame is coming along nicely. i have to do a 4 point cage still though. i am goign to make templates with cardboard or something like that and have a shop bend the tubing for me. then i can save money and weld them in myself.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58605449.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58605453.jpg

james

[klr142]

Schweet! Can't wait for it to be finished!

[hudson]

Looks great James! As per your seat belt bolt hole being off by 1/2 an inch, that doesn't surprise me at all. While it's a Volvo it's still 40 odd years old and acceptable tolerances were a lot different back than as I'm sure you know. Speaking of which my buddy rearended a car in his ~90 integra a few weeks back and shortened the front end by a couple inches at the middle of the rad support.. I had to make elongated holes to get his "re-shaped" hood far enough back so that it would latch again.. apparently tolerances on hondas are so tight they don't allow for alignment/adjustment on many pieces..

If you ever need/want a hand with something let me know. I'm super busy with school at the moment, but that's done on the 28th and after that it's just work and major/not so major house chores.

[jiminy14]

Looks great James! As per your seat belt bolt hole being off by 1/2 an inch, that doesn't surprise me at all. While it's a Volvo it's still 40 odd years old and acceptable tolerances were a lot different back than as I'm sure you know. Speaking of which my buddy rearended a car in his ~90 integra a few weeks back and shortened the front end by a couple inches at the middle of the rad support.. I had to make elongated holes to get his "re-shaped" hood far enough back so that it would latch again.. apparently tolerances on hondas are so tight they don't allow for alignment/adjustment on many pieces..

If you ever need/want a hand with something let me know. I'm super busy with school at the moment, but that's done on the 28th and after that it's just work and major/not so major house chores.
thanks a lot for the help offer. i can usually use at least one other set of hands. today for example i need help lifting the 9"out of the back seat of my sunfire and into a packed garage.

if all goes well today i should have the car rolling around. it will be nice to get it outside and maybe wash the metal dust off of it, but i don't think i want to get water anywhere near the bare metal.

the plan was to use POR-15 to paint the frame. the por-15 rep told me i should hose the bare metal down and let it sit outside fora day or two to rust. that woudl draw the oils out of the new metal and give the POR-15 something to adhere to. that is nuts sounding and i am not sure i am goign to do it. i might sand blast it first to get a textured surface.


i haven't seen the car with the new wheels set in place really. my garage is too tiny to even stand beside the car. i haven't gotten a look at the new tiers from teh rear either so i am realyl hoping to get it rolled out of the garage today to get some pictures of the new stance.

more pictures tonight!!!

james

[jiminy14]

got the four link stuff welded in last night.

the rear end turned out a little too wide, adn my tires are rubbing.....not good since i don't have the rotors on yet. i will have ot roll the lips i guess.
this picture is with the rear end jacked up about 2" and the tire is touching on the outside in jsut one spot of the lip.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58800067.jpg
this is how the car sits right now. i have to measure for the coils and get them ordered. i am veyr broke right now so that is the only thing that is going to slow down my progress.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58800009.jpg

the rest of the new pics are
www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/inbox

james

[jiminy14]

ok i cut out the remainder of the trunk today to clean behind the panels. i knew tehre was some rust and other issues but i never expected what i found. the previous owner fricking stuffed holes on the lower rear fender well with paper and expanding foam and then slathered on a couple pints of body filler.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58853771.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58853811.jpg
this picture shows the rear panel. i did a body job 6 years ago and this was brand new galvanized metal. aparently when iw as 17 i was a horrible welder, cause after removing the inner panel and trunk floor the seams popped.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58853764.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58853862.jpg
i rolled the ca rout last nigth and tried to take some pictures but it was too dark to get any good ones of teh tires adn wheel on the car, but it was nice to have teh garaeg empty to sweep up;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58853892.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy1414/image/58853919.jpg

that is all for now. i am going to try to fix the crack in the rear panel this after noon with as little destruction as possible.

james

[TurboBrickMan]

OOO I didn't realize the motor was in the car....teh hotness...

[mavawreck]

I dream of undertaking a project like this someday. I like what you are doing.

[jiminy14]

OK big revival here..... i took the last year off of the car since i was pretty much broke and moved away for college. the car was left behind in a garage that i rented for the year and it never once got touched.

now i got another student line of credit and have pretty much blown it again on the car. i moved back to guelph where the car is. so i spend about 8 hours a day on the car and work at night.

current progress.....
hacked out the rest of the floor. i decided to make a serious frame. i was going to leave the 2x3 rails upp the middle of the car, but couldn't sleep at night thinking about it that way....sooo i added some 4x4 rails up the rocker panels and joined it all together to make one heavy overkill frame. weight was nota concern. i feel better now knowing i wont get smushed as badly if i crash.


http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103674.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103676.jpg

had to repair the inside of the rocker panel after tearing into it.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103677.jpg

after cleaning it up and reinforcing the rocker with 1/4" thick tabs from weld seem to weld seam i notched the new rail and welded it in.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103682.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103685.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103689.jpg


tranny tunnel frame
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103691.jpg

passenger floor ( galvanized 18 gauge steel)
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103690.jpg

had to install the brake master cylinder and associated hardware before i could weld in the driver's side frame connection because the linkage for brake pedal had to pass through it.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103695.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103692.jpg
to make matters more complicated the linkage and whole brake master cyl. are angled slightly for ground clearance reasons.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103696.jpg
after grinding the weld.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103698.jpg


after a week of sheet metal work. it doesn't look like i have accomplished much but the sheet metal work takes an unbelievable amount of tedious measuring and re measuring.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103701.jpg


i also got most of teh fire wall done today but haven't up loaded the pics yet. hopefully tomorrow i can get it welded in and then onto the rear suspension. my coil overs were back ordered for a week or so but i recieved the hardware and springs yesterday. that will at least allow me to weld the brackets on to the rear end so i can send it back to the shop to have them tig all the brackets and press in the new bearings etc. going to go with a disc brake conversion kit for the rear. the coil overs are strange single adjustable with 130lb springs. i couldn't get the qa1 stuff i wanted for even close to the price of the strange equipment.

[740ATL]

holy crap, where'd this thread come from?

[Josepilove]

holy crap, where'd this thread come from?

heaven

[klr142]

Daaaaaaaaaaamn man... :)

[Biesey]

dang thats pretty sweet, i was wondering why there were no updates in the longest time... I think i might have to make a trip to the G-spot to see it.

[242GTMD]

Lou Santiago would be proud!

Keep it up.

[Hank Scorpio]

looking sweet. Pretty much how I plan to do the rear suspension in the 245 :-D (though I can't tub it and keep it under the local PD's radar like I'd like to).

[jiminy14]

thanks for the kind words guys.... its good to be back.

got most of the firewall bent and fitted before running out of sheet metal for the last piece of the firewall.

before with the aluminum ripped out.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80103702.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80190944.jpg
the header come sreally close to the passenger side of teh firewall so i left a lot of room around it with the 90* bend. it means a bit less leg room for the passenger but fewer melted shoes and carpet fires hahahha
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80190947.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80190949.jpg


OK GOTTA RUN AT WORK and getting yelled at ..... update tomorrow hahahhaa

[jiminy14]

jeeez customers wouldn' tstop bugging me last night at work... so here i am at work again trying to finish this post.


this is basically where it sits now. i ran out of sheet metal bu thave some now for the weekend.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80190953.jpg

the garage i am renting has no door. the owners jsut framed in a wall where the door was so its no treally easy to take the car out but two nights ago i got a friend to help me pull it out ..... so now there is nothing to stop anyone from robbing me blind but i can roll the car out. i cleaned up the shop a bit and rolled the car out ...washed it yesterday morning....needs some buffing to get the metal shavings out of the paint LOL.

going to pull the motor this weekend i think inorder to get at the firewall to weld it properly.

i am seriously considering continuing the frame all the way to the front of the car and using the stock crossmember but widening it. this would allow me to cut out the innder fenders and get some proper headers designed for it. this would probably be stupid since the car probably wouldn't see the road this year if i did this.

james

[WheyDey]

james,

take the wheels off and put them in your bedroom.

that way the car isnt a rolling chassis, and the attention-getting part of the car (for thieves) is safely tucked away, and theyll think your just another old geezer with a volvo.

but seriously, remove the temptation.

[jiminy14]

hahhahaha... well luckily the driveway is blocked in and there is no way to get a whole truck in .....i dont' think they want the car the way it is now anyway.....but you are right the wheels cost me ....i get about 50% off retail pricing on tires and wheels through my work and i paid $1400 for the two rear wheels and tires alone. those azenis 615's are a fortune and don't last too long and are not good in the rain....wait why did i buy them again??? ohh yeah they have a cool tread pattern.

[RedFridge]

"now i got another student line of credit and have pretty much blown it again on the car. i moved back to guelph where the car is. so i spend about 8 hours a day on the car and work at night."

Alright...now that is pretty sweet right there.
Great project, great car and bravo for using a student line of credit. That is dedication right there.

[jiminy14]

hahahaha yeah don't tell my parents!! at this rate i wont even be able to go back to school in the fall hahaha

[BrickLove]

i got another student line of credit and have pretty much blown it again on the car.

Thats pretty much what my plan is. I'm gonna take out a huge student loan nad live on pasta and High Life while I spend every last penny on something fun and fast.:oogle:

[jiminy14]

it was a wildly unproductive weekend but finally got around to pulling the motor last night. the roof of the garage was so low the hoist wasn't going to be able to lift high enough so we did it out side on the gravel. got the motor up but the whole hoist sunk about 3" into the ground so we had some issues pulling it. after some failed solutions involving shopping carts, 2x4 pry bars and a couple sheets of plywood, and nearly tipping the hoist 3 times we got it in the garage......and rode it

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80342843.jpg

[Hank Scorpio]

Thats pretty much what my plan is. I'm gonna take out a huge student loan nad live on pasta and High Life while I spend every last penny on something fun and fast.:oogle:

Just have them make the check out to CASH and bring it and a car to me. :cool:

[BrickLove]

Just have them make the check out to CASH and bring it and a car to me. :cool:

Where's the fun in that? I will however be living pretty dang close to you so I will be looking for some of your expertise over the next year or so. :)

[Hank Scorpio]

Where's the fun in that? I will however be living pretty dang close to you so I will be looking for some of your expertise over the next year or so. :)

thats kind of what I was thinking ;-)

[jiminy14]

OK big update..... kinda ahahahaa...well its better than a bracket or the typical sheet metal pics i have been posting. got my rear suspension in the car today. i am going to change it from how it is designed now but it wont look too much differently.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80579663.jpg
i had to modify the brackets included because i mounted them right against the four link brackets. i had to notch one side to make room for the four link upper bolt and nut to clear.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80579602.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80579637.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80579739.jpg

i put a major angle on the coil over to help with mounting and after ordering the 130lb springs i had some second guesses about the springs being too stiff. changing the angle of the spring seriously effects "spring rate". its not really chagning the spring rate so much as its changing the leverage on the spring.
I am going to flip the lower bracket to give myself more room to lower the car. as it sits in those pictures the coils are as low as they can possibly go
i want to tuck a few inches at least hahahaha if i feel the need to.


oh yeah and i got the firewall done
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80578818.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80578820.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/80578871.jpg

[CFL940]

That tight. Keep up the good work. Cant wait to see more and it finished.

[jiminy14]

a picture for fun. this is a year old now moving from old house/garage.


http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81278378.jpg

i have been trying to figure out an improved and extremely affordable big( er) vented brake upgrade for the car. once i get brackets made i can put a kti together for a very cheap price. if enough people are interested i will have the brackets laser cut in bulk. if no one is interested i will just machine a one-off set for myself.

so far it looks like the whole brake upgrade is going to cost me $200 or so ;

$20 for arp wheel studs.
$44 for rotors
$45 for calipers
brackets will be free if i make them
no idea if i don't....probably hundreds to have them laser cut.

[jiminy14]

ok so i slacked on posting and then actually slacked on working on the car about 4 weeks ago i stopped completely.

here are new pics.
putting together fender tubbs...which have turned out to be an ugly dissaster. since ia m keeping the half of the stock fender i had to trim the new fender to match the contour which is not actually a semi circle. its slightly ob-long toward the back. had to re cut the nwe piece and weld the seam and then grind back down to fit in the groove of the second new piece.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81380603.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81380612.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81380614.jpg
after grinding the edge down
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81380623.jpg

firewall is done and painted...and the motor is actually back in with the new mounts but i have no pics tonight of the motor in.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81654566.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/81654575.jpg


today i modified my lower control arms to be able to really slam the fron tof the car without spending anymore money. i dropped a "hat" in that is 2" deeper then the original spring seat. i plan to use shims to gain the desired ride height. i still ahve to figure out if this will clear with rim itself. kind of an after thought but i think it's ok.
stock unmodified.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84180433.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84180443.jpg
after cutting out the spring seat.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84180452.jpg
and the finished product ahha i jsut realized i didn't have a lto of inbetween shots. i used flat 2"x.125" bar. cut it to 18.125 inches. bent close to round welded the ends together, then hammered it round 9 this took a long time to get round as you can imagine).
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84180469.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84180477.jpg
the last shot makes the lower control arm look rediculous but will give me the depth to drop the car a total of 4"-5" from stock height with john parkers 2" drop progressive springs i already had.


wow this turned into a big post. thanks for going through it all

james

[Vol242vo]

Nice progress! One of the best threads on the board imo.

[jiminy14]

thanks Derek!!!! that is all the motivation i need.

[Biesey]

Hey the car looks sweet!!! Pretty ingenious way to slam the front end. Are you painting the car yourself? Also, any word on the brake adapters?

[jiminy14]

hey thanks but i can't take credit for the lowering thing...i saw this done a long time ago to a vintage race car. i forget why they did it this way but probably for rule reasons ie. not able to convert to modern coil overs...and they probably still wanted more travel that the taller spring could offer....not really sure why.....john parker doesn't do this mod to his race car....just uses a short really really stiff spring...something like 800-1000lbs iirc.

jstu finished up the second control arm tonight and used por 15 on them....the stuff is magic but christ its a long process ....three coats of stuff and washing and then drying time in between the prep stages. takes like an hour before you get to actually use the por15 coating.

as for brake adapters i do still need some made but i haven't drawn up a diagram yet. i think tomorrow i will have the wheels on teh car and the spindles and everythign assembled so i can measure more easily for the brackets tomorrow ...i really appreciate the offer to make me a set.
i'll get back to you asap on those.... i will actually need them relatively soon now.


james

[jiminy14]

ohh yeah and i wont be painting it myself....i wont even be painting it before i drive it...the engine bay i did with these super expensive spray bombs they were amazing d-pol or something they is the brand.

i jsut want to get the car togther then drive th crap out of it and see what need to be cut up and re done ....jsut want to see what breaks before setting everything in nice fresh paint.

its goign to be ugly but functional for a while ....maybe next year i will do the body job

james

[jiminy14]

coated the control arms and began installing front suspension.

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84331671.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84331691.jpg

and current engine bay pics. still have to put in steering box/ column. rad hoses....and then connect wiring and drill hoels in firewall for clutch cable. should end up pretty clean ....nto much more cluttter than in this picture. wiring will be easily hidden. have to figure out what i am goign to do to mount the hood....its either 4 hood pins, or some trick hinges. i'll probably go with hood pins for now.
opinions???


http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84331817.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84331818.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84331863.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84331872.jpg


hopefully tonight i'll get the rest of the front suspension together and maybe lower it onto the wheels to see what it looks like.

james

[jiminy14]

i am so excited i had to post without pictures.... just lowered the car down with wheels on after the control arm modification. its nice and low now....not quite as low as i expected, but low enough. i wont have to use any spacers to shim it up at least.

its not quite tucking rim but jstu about
i think when i get the rest of the stuff in the front it'll slightly tuck rim....the best part is that i don't rub at all now and i don't have the problem i did before. the tire was actually rubbing on the front facia a bit but now that contact point on the tire is higher up in the fender well so no rubbing....i can turn the wheel lock to lock and not rub.... funny how lowering it more solved my rubbing issue hahhaha that must be a first.


pictures to come later tonight. i'll post them when i get to work.

james

[jiminy14]

here are the pictures..... pretty bad pictures as it turned out. the car looks a lot lower in the front than the pictures show.

the car didn't sit as low as i thought it would as i said in the previous post....i went back out and looked and realized it was because the bump stops were bottomed out. this is after cutting them out.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84372316.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84372358.jpg
again another funny looking shot. there is no rotor on this side yet. the wheel will be another 1/4-3/8" further out.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84372392.jpg
in this one you can see the buckle in the front fender that occurred the day i dropped the car off teh jack stands and it crashed down on the nose.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/84372395.jpg

that's all for now....steering will go in tonight, and i have yet to fit the sway bar in which will be the stock sway bar for now. the frame was rotten in the mounting points for the sway bar. the lower rad hose also goes right through the end of the frame rail which is cut open. its going to be a tight fit.

james

[hudson]

Looks good James! Keep at it!

[Volvoteen]

This is an AWESOME project...one of the best ive seen, ever!...cant wait to see the finished project...i absolutely LOVE the car

[klr142]

Freaking sweet man!!! It's so low it reminds me of some Type 3 VW action... If you put the stock wheels on it it'd look like it even more, lol. Kickass.

[jiminy14]

Looks good James! Keep at it!

142 on the BACK BURNER!!!!! i guess you have a lot more cars to work on than me....but man i would love a 142 also.

thanks for the comments

you'll have to come to guelph some time this fall....either to give me a hand or see the car running ( fingers crossed)

james

[jiminy14]

This is an AWESOME project...one of the best ive seen, ever!...cant wait to see the finished project...i absolutely LOVE the car


thanks a lot.....its you guys who keep me focused and trudging forward.

Freaking sweet man!!! It's so low it reminds me of some Type 3 VW action... If you put the stock wheels on it it'd look like it even more, lol. Kickass.

yeah i think i am about at the maxiumum for lowering it. i only have about 2.5" travel now in the front and no bump stop.........= some bent control arms in my future hahahaha i dont 'really care...there isn't tha tmuch travel required anyway with these springs they are 500lbs on the heaviest coils.


more to come tomorrow.
james

[Volvoteen]

thanks a lot.....its you guys who keep me focused and trudging forward.


more to come tomorrow.
james

you are more than welcome, you deserve it...you know...it almost looks like some sick hotwheels concept car or something...that stance in that pic from behind is effin sexy!

[valvesprung]

Those wheels look f-ing amazing

[jiminy14]

Those wheels look f-ing amazing

i really liked the wheels....made the decision to go with them a year and a half ago...ahhahah i hope they are still in style when the car is done. they are konig beyonds. mostly mustang sizes but kinda retro/mod style i think so i went with them. fronts look funny with less lip than the backs but ohh well.
.

james

[Vol242vo]

Those Konig's are meant for P1800s...WOW what a beauty!!!

[hudson]

142 on the BACK BURNER!!!!!

Yeah I'll definitely have to head up to Guelph in the fall with some brown pops. Would be awesome to see that project in person.

All my toy cars are a no go zone until next summer at the earliest. Unfortunately, I'm only one man with limited money :)

Oh, and clear out your PM mailbox! :)

[klr142]

Only 500lb front springs? You might want to step them up a bit... Stocks are like 300, at least in 140s anyway. IPD's old lowering springs for 140s had 500 fronts, but they weren't carrying a V8, and they definitely weren't that low...

[jiminy14]

Only 500lb front springs? You might want to step them up a bit... Stocks are like 300, at least in 140s anyway. IPD's old lowering springs for 140s had 500 fronts, but they weren't carrying a V8, and they definitely weren't that low...

yeah we'll see how it goes....it was fine to drive before with the v8 but you're right i only have about 2.5" travel now....with no sway bar on the front...hopefully the sway bar helps a bit ....in the future i'll do a tubular front end and control arms, coil overs etc.


james

[klr142]

The stock swaybar is going to make basically no difference. I'll be surprised if you notice it at all. They're insanely tiny. And coupled with stiffer springs, they'll make even less of a difference.

[Tick]

Awesome project.

[jiminy14]

The stock swaybar is going to make basically no difference. I'll be surprised if you notice it at all. They're insanely tiny. And coupled with stiffer springs, they'll make even less of a difference.

they are not that tiny compared to even current aftermarket sways for a lot of cars. i will go measure now but i think they are 3/4 "

john parker does not recommend people go with a bigger front bar for street use as it becomes way too stiff from his customers feed back.

that being said my car is as far from a stock 1800 as you can get.

i don't forsee a major problem. the car handled well before and i can barely make the front end move with my body weight on one corner. i would have to go with a custom spring or get a set of race springs from john parker to go stiffer. definitely an option if it turns out badly as is.

james

[jiminy14]

The stock swaybar is going to make basically no difference. I'll be surprised if you notice it at all. They're insanely tiny. And coupled with stiffer springs, they'll make even less of a difference.

ohh hey i jsut thought ....maybe you were thinking the 140's had the same size front bar?? i know they have super tiny bars like 1/2" or so. at least on some i have worked on.

i am just confused since i didnt' think it was that tiny. i mean its stock yes but 3/4 isn't super tiny....most aftermarket ones i sell are 3/4-1" for fronts on modern fwd and rear drive f-bodies.
i am going to go take some measurements and pictures.

james

[Hank Scorpio]

AWESOME wheel choice. I've seen those for a while and always liked them.

Looks sweet!

[jiminy14]

ok i just measured the bar....stock one is 7/8" or slightly bigger.

[klr142]

I don't think that's a stock bar then... And yeah, I was referring to the 140's super tiny one, thinking the 1800 one would be the same. If that's a stock bar, I'm surprised.

[jiminy14]

AWESOME wheel choice. I've seen those for a while and always liked them.

Looks sweet!

thanks a lot.... i wa spumped when i bought them but i would've liked a wider wheel in teh back. i am sorta limited to a 275 tire. dont' get me wrong i think that is wide enough but i would've liked to go a bit wider. not that it would even matter since i am so light inthe back end and probably don't have enough weight per square inch on teh tires as is.

there are some nice new american racing shelby series nostalgia wheels i like. ohh well i am glad i am getting approval for this choice.


james

[YLD244]

That is probably the most badass 1800 on this board.
Very nice work man. That thing is going to rock!! I love it.

What a head turner!!
Love the wheels, and awesome work with the rear end.
Good to see you are doing most of it yourself.

So whats the info on the motor??

[Biesey]

dude... that looks wicked, I love how low the front end is so low. The steering looks like it'll be a super tight fit.

[jiminy14]

That is probably the most badass 1800 on this board.
Very nice work man. That thing is going to rock!! I love it.

What a head turner!!
Love the wheels, and awesome work with the rear end.
Good to see you are doing most of it yourself.

So whats the info on the motor??

motor has about 300km on it after rebuild.
motor is a '93 HO 5.0L
edelbrock performer intake
650 speed demon carb
arp hardware ( except main studs)
centerforce stage 1 clutch ( very streetable)
edelbrock timing cover
stock cam 4 degrees advanced
cloyes timing gears
stock bore
msd pro billet distributor
msd 6a

that's about it..... it would've been much easier for me to say STOCK but yeah i didn't think that was as exciting.

i get mocked at work here for building a whole chassis, 4-link, tubbed, ford 9", bare bones car with a stock ford 5.0L
haahah and rightly so i suppose!!

my thinking is that i am sick and tired of breaking. so i am building a rock solid reliable fast car....not sure fast yet but i will run a super high 12 with things the way they are....actually i shouldn't jump the gun on 1/4 mile times since i think i added about 3-4 lbs.

james

[jiminy14]

dude... that looks wicked, I love how low the front end is so low. The steering looks like it'll be a super tight fit.

yeah the steering is rediculously tight. jsut put it in last two nights ago. last night decided to see how the sway bar would fit. i didn't think it would but it does with about 3mm clearance between it and the fron tof the crank pulley.

i'll have ot get some pics up tomorrow

james

[YLD244]

i get mocked at work here for building a whole chassis, 4-link, tubbed, ford 9", bare bones car with a stock ford 5.0L
haahah and rightly so i suppose!!

my thinking is that i am sick and tired of breaking. so i am building a rock solid reliable fast car....not sure fast yet but i will run a super high 12 with things the way they are....actually i shouldn't jump the gun on 1/4 mile times since i think i added about 3-4 lbs.

james

Yeah cool.
I guess if you find its not quick enough later, you can always pull the heads off and do something about it then.

[jiminy14]

ok update time again.
i am so bad at consistently updating.

i got the rear end back $2700 for a plain jane 9" (motive 3.70 gears, 9+ lsd, ford racing disk converstion) its all set up and just needs oil now. going to use royal purple which doesn't require additives.
the car sits high in teh back and really low in the front right now. i need to get a lighter spring for the rear i think. however the fuel cell and bettery and glass isnt in the back yet. that might make the difference. the installed height is supposed to be 12-13.5" . i am at 13.5 right now with a 130lb spring.
we will have to see.

still need;

to get a drive shaft made
make a new radiator work (money being the limiting factor here)
install fuel cell/fuel pump
battery tray needs to be finished
need to make a clutch pedal
plumb the car
wire the whole car
the rest is basically sheet metal work and a lot of it.

the car wont be on the road this year, but is now a sure thing for next year. i might even paint it this winter. i kind of have to now.

pics to follow in next reply ( have to reboot the computer)

[jiminy14]

ok here are the pics...

front is tucking quite a bit now. it will have to go higher i think. it doesn't rubb anywhere but i think it would if i hit a bump around a corner.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205027.jpg
shot of the rotten rocker. its cut out now and will get some attention this winter.

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205037.jpg
things do'nt look so pretty now after sitting outside in the rain. its all probably going to get por15 anyway and por15 actually told me to hose down bare metal and let it rust to give it somethign to adhere to.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205051.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205054.jpg
the shop who did my rear end did a great job tig'ing all my brackets
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205076.jpg

its not pretty but all the seams are welded and new panels tack welded in to the back of the rear panel

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205093.jpg
nasty floor is sealed up but not pretty. the last pieces of sheet metal are always the hardest since i have to tie in a few different lines and intersecting pieces. none of these welds are ground yet....it'll be nicer in the end.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205098.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205111.jpg


not much ground clearance under the front crossmember. that's about 4". i should've put something in for scale
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205121.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205152.jpg


battery tray behind rear passenger wheel. its not finished yet. the sheetmetal to enclose this side is bent and cut but has to be sliced to accomodate the two bars from the battery tray.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205160.jpg
the passenger side is almost finished. fuel pump will go inside this enclosed area. passenger side will be the same as this.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205165.jpg
inside this fenderwell
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205188.jpg
rear end shot
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205204.jpg

ford racing disk conversion kit. iirc 11" rotors and jsut a single piston caliper.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205228.jpg

my favortire shot of them all.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205247.jpg

rust repair....kinda crappy looking but whatever its never going to be a show car.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205311.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205385.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205425.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205527.jpg


and i thought this was sad.....the old turbo motor sitting... motor is find other than it was bored to 2130cc and the cylinder walls didn't like the boost.....bad ballooning. i might sleeve it some day if i get another 1800. i would still love to finish a turbo b20 1800. i still believe it has potential to be a low 14 second car with a turbo b20.



i am moving the shop back to my family's barn so i wont be doing anymore work on the car until january. but the car should see some paint this spring.

that's all for now.

[Chris_R]

Bad ass - and those rims were BORN to star on an 1800. :rockon:

[Volvoteen]

I WANT!!!!!! That car is the sex....can't wait till its done!

[volvoluvin]

Very very nice...I'm sure you will love whatever you end up with...great work.

[Biesey]

dude its looking good! i love how low the front is.

I be heading to Guelph to visit some friends and would love to come see the car if thats good with you, I'll shoot you a pm when i better know the time.

[stylngle2003]

a turbo B20 1800 has much more than 14s in it i think :badboy:

[klr142]

and i thought this was sad.....the old turbo motor sitting... motor is find other than it was bored to 2130cc and the cylinder walls didn't like the boost.....bad ballooning. i might sleeve it some day if i get another 1800. i would still love to finish a turbo b20 1800. i still believe it has potential to be a low 14 second car with a turbo b20.
Lol, if people get 140s into the 14s on an NA b20, I'm SURE that you'd be able to get a turbo one into the 14s... There are 140s with turbo b20s running 10s, if I remember correctly. One of the guys has a thread on here about his car, can't remember his name off the top of my head though.

[drturbo]

What are you worried about? You can grind the welds on the body repairs down so they look pretty. Just add a little mud and a lot of sanding and yer done!

It'll be a show car in my book, fo sho!

[Gene_GaTech]

came in here to say, that is probably the SEXIEST 1800 i've ever seen. Seriously. ****ING AWESOME!

[jiminy14]

Lol, if people get 140s into the 14s on an NA b20, I'm SURE that you'd be able to get a turbo one into the 14s... There are 140s with turbo b20s running 10s, if I remember correctly. One of the guys has a thread on here about his car, can't remember his name off the top of my head though.

yeah i spoke with him a couple times......quite a wild motor... i think he poured concrete in the block. 14's would be modest i suppose. i hit 15.2 at 104mph g-tech'd with the clutch really really slipping. this was at 8lbs of boost on a 8.2:1 b20 with a isky/ipd cam. lots more to be had.....so fine lets say low 13's hahahahha

[jiminy14]

dude its looking good! i love how low the front is.

I be heading to Guelph to visit some friends and would love to come see the car if thats good with you, I'll shoot you a pm when i better know the time.

dammit...man i am towing the car and all shop stuff home to collingwood in a few hours. couldn't stay past the end of this month. i would love to stop by your shop too....actually i could tomorrow if it worked for you. i am heading to peterborough. if i leave a little earlier i can easly keep my schedule.

let me know if you have time to show me the car via e-mail or PM.

[jiminy14]

ok finally....thanks for all of the comments. next year i'll get out to some ontario meets and get to the track.

[driven sydeways]

beautiful, the exact way to do any larger scale project, get it together, driving, drive it for a summer, beat the **** out of it, fix what breaks so it doesnt, tidy everything up so it is reliable and happy, then get it painted. great job!

[jiminy14]

beautiful, the exact way to do any larger scale project, get it together, driving, drive it for a summer, beat the **** out of it, fix what breaks so it doesnt, tidy everything up so it is reliable and happy, then get it painted. great job!

thanks. i am glad you agree with me.....last night for instance i was loaing it onto the tow truck. ran into a few problems..... with all the parts and tools from the garage loaded up it sat about 1" lower which gave me very little steering angle. we had to lift and yank the rear sideways to shimmy the car in line with the trailer cracked the back of the car badly. glad i didn't have paint on there in finished form.

i also almost cut into one of the rear tires with the fender lip.

other than that the car is gone for now until i move home in january.

[jiminy14]

ITS BEEN TOO LONG.... i have no more work done but jsut found some pictures of the car itself after it was towed back home. ( its been sitting in garges i have rented for the past 4 years or more. its good to be home!!!!

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/93291888.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/93291916.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/93291956.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/93291961.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/93291985.jpg

i wish the lawn mower wasn't in the last pic but its not exactly like the car was looking too good either.

the rear wheels stick out on the drivers side now since i haven't yet trimmed the diagonal link which centers the rearend.
this is WAY more raked out that i want it to be in the end.... with the 400lbs of tools and metal in the car it sits about .5" lower than normal and makes steering impossible. its too bad it has to go higher.

[YLD244]

man that thing is looking tough.
so whats next on the cards??

[jiminy14]

ah next is to get my tools back from guelph where i am working on another swap. its my friend's datsun 240z putting an s13 sr20 into it....fuel cell, FMI, etc etc. a bit of fab but all in all its a clean swap to do.
once i get my tools home i can start work again but it is looking like the car wont be out this summer either. it depends on work and where i end up living.
BUT when i do begin its more sheet metal work in the trunk to finish that/ enclose it.
install the fuel cell.
drive shaft tunnel fabrication,
and tons more little things that will take forever like routing the brake/fuel lines. i hope to pass all the lines through the 4"x4" rails from front to back to keep them protected and hidden. with it being so low i dont want to have to worry about bottoming out and grinding off a fuel/brake line.

i have to complete the front brake setup too which shouldn't be too hard to finish with the machining of brackets.
james

[norcal505]

that is insaneley cool

[klr142]

Looking sooper sweet James! So adding a bit more ride height up front then?

[Biesey]

thats looking awesome bro!!! you just game me a new background!!!

if you want that low look you could possibly do air ride, but probably won't have the same ride characteristics.

Man i can't wait to see it, Its making me wish i took more time off school to finish mine.

[Tom Wiley]

Didn't read the whole thread. What color are you Planing on going with? I got me an idear. Check your pm.

[jiminy14]

sorry guys i have been crazy busy with school and forgot to check this thread.

i am going to keep the suspension in the front the same as it was ( progressive John Parker springs 2" drop + new 2" hat)
i will use poly urethane spacers/spring isolators to raise it up 3/4". that shoudl give me clearance for steering... with the radius of a full size truck, which i will accept.

as for colour. i think it will stay white. everyone tells me to keep[ it white and i tend to agree although i would love to have it black or red, but red is kinda overplayed on european sports cars no?

JAMES

[hudson]

James looks good man! Yeah i think white looks pretty bad ass on your 1800. Black would be killer, but the body has to be so ****ing perfect (aka **** that noise). A darker red might be nice too.

You could modify your front cross member for an extra inch or so of clearance if you're worried about leaving it behind on something. At any rate some kind of plate to give the front a bit of a ramping wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Are you on facebook? I'm in Hamilton and also an old volvo guy.

Cheers!

[262 grand national]

So how hard was the setup on the rear, as in instruction wise? Nice set up I hope to do my bertone some day with full rails ect too. I need to get into the 10s or so. :P way down the road. I think though you would beable to do just about any hp level. Have you thought about a blow through turbo set up?

[jiminy14]

James looks good man! Yeah i think white looks pretty bad ass on your 1800. Black would be killer, but the body has to be so ****ing perfect (aka **** that noise). A darker red might be nice too.

You could modify your front cross member for an extra inch or so of clearance if you're worried about leaving it behind on something. At any rate some kind of plate to give the front a bit of a ramping wouldn't be a terrible idea.

Are you on facebook? I'm in Hamilton and also an old volvo guy.

Cheers!


yeah a ramp is a good idea. that thing is jsut thick sheetmetal. one rock or racoon could get caught there and do some damage. i was thinking about doing a tubular crossmember when i had it out but i had so many things being modified and on the go that i had to draw the line jsut to get it back together.
the front sump sbf oil pan hangs pretty low too to a skid plate is a must in the future. yeah white hides the many imprefections i have in the body. i dont think black is ever in its future.

[jiminy14]

So how hard was the setup on the rear, as in instruction wise? Nice set up I hope to do my bertone some day with full rails ect too. I need to get into the 10s or so. :P way down the road. I think though you would beable to do just about any hp level. Have you thought about a blow through turbo set up?

well i am not sure what you mean by instructions, but i assume you mean if i had to give them to someone else to follow a similar approach. haha ai would almost say DONT DO IT hahahaaaa but its wasn't that bad. jsut for me it cause a year of down time and a crap load of money. my rear end cost me $2700 in the end and it is not anything fancy at all. i kidna got hosed on it but ohh well live and learn. the rails that are mandrel bent are from competition engineering. they are 1.5x3" but the thing is i would not use them if i were to do it again. they are only .083" thick. so they are intended for use on a full caged/chassis car. anyway they'll be strong enough with a four or 6 point cage i think. i also used 18 gauge sheet metal so that helps the strength.

measuring the width of rear end was easy.
find a donor rear end and get your four link brackets on the tubes before you have the rear shortened then measure where you want th ebrackets to be ( this means that the chassis brackets haev to be on the car welded in place is easiest. then jsut make sure the reaer end brackets are centered and the right width apart.

its good to roughyl estimate the pinion angle as well when you tack the brackets to the rear end, and try to estimate what nagle you will want your four link arms on in order to have the right range of adjustment for your instant center etc.

one hard part was makeing the fender wells. i decided to leave the outside of the stock tub in place since it was the onyl thing holding the fender and ther strcutral support areas. again i used competition enngineering wheel tubs but if i were to do it again i would just have re used the old half of the tub and added a strip in there since i really only did a mini tub.


james

[jiminy14]

So how hard was the setup on the rear, as in instruction wise? Nice set up I hope to do my bertone some day with full rails ect too. I need to get into the 10s or so. :P way down the road. I think though you would beable to do just about any hp level. Have you thought about a blow through turbo set up?
ohh yeah and a blow through set up is all i think about LOL i would love to have a turbo 302 in that car. how expensive do you thin kit would be to go with a really simple low boost set up? i would grab a used turbo or two and mount them behind the motor. i left room here on purpose so i would have space for a turbo. a blow-through carb is goign to run me what $800+ ?? exhaust i can do myself... i will need a decent sized turbo though. might be hard to find second hand and in good shape.

[262 grand national]

I think thats what they call it. bolts on top of your carb. There is a kit I will have to find it though. you could do some shorty block huggers fliped backwards and run the turbo in the front. I think on the cheap side you could do it for under 1k, it would depend on how much you do your self though. :)

Good site..

http://www.theturboforums.com/smf/index.php?PHPSESSID=670863f4a9abe3ba17a685cfa4ee97 7a&topic=51153.0

[hudson]

yeah a ramp is a good idea. that thing is jsut thick sheetmetal. one rock or racoon could get caught there and do some damage. i was thinking about doing a tubular crossmember when i had it out but i had so many things being modified and on the go that i had to draw the line jsut to get it back together.
the front sump sbf oil pan hangs pretty low too to a skid plate is a must in the future. yeah white hides the many imprefections i have in the body. i dont think black is ever in its future.

Yeah I hear you. Eventually you have to stop saying no to the "might as wells" and just get it done. When the cars on the bump stops how close is the cross member to the ground? (just curious)

The white looks good man, no need to mess with that.

[YLD244]

Im just curious as to how much it will weigh when finished.
As you have added a lot of extra steel to the body.
Very interesting and Hot project.

[hudson]

Im just curious as to how much it will weigh when finished.
As you have added a lot of extra steel to the body.
Very interesting and Hot project.

I don't think it will really matter that much.. this car looks like it'll scoot as fast as you'd care to have it scoot on public roads :)

[jiminy14]

Yeah I hear you. Eventually you have to stop saying no to the "might as wells" and just get it done. When the cars on the bump stops how close is the cross member to the ground? (just curious)

The white looks good man, no need to mess with that.

LOL its about 4" off the ground while sitting close toride height.... maybe 5" but luckily i don't have that much suspension travel anyway. i onyl have about 2-3" travel right now but something will have to be done to increase that i think.

[jiminy14]

Im just curious as to how much it will weigh when finished.
As you have added a lot of extra steel to the body.
Very interesting and Hot project.

i am not sure what it will weigh but i am optimistic at 2500lbs or so. it was 2300lbs before with the turbo b20. the current t5 tranny is aluminum instead of cast iron with a big overdrive hanging off it so that saves soem weight. the motor itself ( longblock) isonly about 100lbs heavier if you take into consideration the turbo hanging off the old b20. as for the sheetmetal it is thick stuff at 18 gauge but the frame rails are only .083" thick in the rear. the big ass 4"x4" rails are about 20lbs each so tha tadded weight to the middle of the car. way less weight on the back end of the car though ( behind the axle that is). fuel cell saved me about 10+lbs. there are a lot of other weight savings but overall i think the car will be under 3000lbs very realistically.... if its not i will shoot myself or fall into depression. then turbo it. LOL

as for interior there will be none the rollcage will add a lot of extra mass though.

i guess the answer is i have no idea what it will weigh but i think between 2500 and 2700 lbs. wihtout the motor i could easily lift the car 12" off the ground with one hand from the back.

[YLD244]

yeah that is sweet man. cant wait to see this thing completed.

[jiminy14]

Once again it has taken me months and months to report any progress.
i was in a bad car accident in june ( rolled a buick park ave. 6 times but walked away). spent the rest of the summer working my ass off and stressing about life.... compared to last summer i got nothing done on the car. however i am closer than ever to getting it on the road next year.


I fired up the motor last night for fun/inspiration. with the open headers it was a glorious sound and fun light show with a couple back fires out the carb and headers. the electric choke is not even close to tuned and i was a little too liberal with the throttle while it warmed up.

i have painted the interior with POR-15 which i am happy with so far... we'll see how it holds up.

this summer was mostly fabrication of small detailed sheet metal parts to enclose parts of the trunk and to eliminate spots water could pool and rust the car. its stupid annoying time consuming work but necessary.

i will post pics tomorrow hopefully.

still to do;
1.fabricate brackets, or adapt spindles in the front to make my front brake set up ( stock brakes are just not an option in my mind)

2. driveshaft needs to be made ( no big deal a couple hundred bucks and over night when i need it).

3. wire the car
4. last will be a half assed body job so its not too embarassing for the car to be seen in public ( hopefully next summer).

[4banged]

dude...you are a freakin bad ass mofo

LOVE THE BUILD!!

[2fast242gt]

wow awsome work and awsome car! keep it white IMO looks awsome and clean white.

[jiminy14]

sorry about posting an update with no pics ... i have been too consumed with my brother's car and trying to get it safetied.
i haven't gotten the necessary pictures yet but hopefully this weekend.

funny story;

last night i went to work at the restaurant where i am a server. i had POR15 on my hands and totally forgot about it before i went in. they wouldn't let me work. i scrubbed with steel wool until my hands bled but it wont come off... so i got thenight off.

at least i know what to do next time i need the night off.

[Volvoteen]

Hello fellow server :cheers:...Next time, why not ask a co-worker to pick up your shift? Sounds easier and far less gory :)

[jiminy14]

i'll keep this short. i keep the car in my family's barn now...where all the work began on the car when i was 16 years old ( 10 years ago). so its been a decade of changes almsot every year. first jsut got it running after a motor swap. then a complete overhaul on the motor/ body. shaved some chrome/bumpers etc., i drove the car for two years like that and it was so rugged and over all a rock solid car. i drove it on 12 hours road trips without having to pop the hood once.
in university i mega squirted it and turbo charged it. fun as hell, but had lots of bugs to work out. blew one motor and re-did the motor... then blew the transmission before it was really reliable.

and now on to this v8 swap... blew the rear end after a few weeks driving it. and now on to this major build.

to work on it this winter i bought a car tent and insulated it with "basement blanket" cost about $600 over all but its toasty warm in the tent now.

i have gotten a fair bit of sheetmetal work done since i last posted. in fact almost all the sheetmetal work is done.
the work space;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222772.jpg
the tent finished;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222785.jpg
the drive shaft tunnel is in now and i sprayed the interior floor with POR15 just to protect it from surface rust over the winter.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222814.jpg
the panel between the trunk and cabin is now completed.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222774.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222781.jpg
the rear quarters are boxed in now. the drivers side will house the fuel pump so its not exposed to ground/ rocks etc
the passenger side well will house the battery.
this is before with jsut the battery tray welded in;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205160.jpg
and after the sheetmetal is complete;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222829.jpg
the other side;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205219.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205165.jpg
the beginning of the end of enclosing the cabin. this is jstu right behind the driver's seat, where the fourlink arms hinge and the wheelwell come together.
the gusset is where i was going to weld a 1/4" plate and land the main hoop of my rool cage but for now i am going to drive it without a cage.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109222802.jpg


i have really begun work on the car again so i will post more soon.


james

[YLD244]

love your work mate/
whats that insulation on the barn made from? looks interesting. never seen anything like that before.

great work with all the fab. cant wait to see this thing completed.
would love to see some vids of it running.

[Jerd]

OMG i was hoping there would be an update post in this thread i found it just the other night.

So happy to see your still working on it! :D

Keep it up!!

[4banged]

what thickness of sheetmetal are you using?

[jiminy14]

love your work mate/
whats that insulation on the barn made from? looks interesting. never seen anything like that before.

great work with all the fab. cant wait to see this thing completed.
would love to see some vids of it running.

the insulation is r12 rating and its called "basement blanket" its already got vapour barrier on one side, which made it soo easy to just drape over the tent. its not super cheap. $100 per 50' x 4' wide so it took more than 3 rolls of it but it took about 30 minutes to insulate my "SHOP" hahahaa.

there is an old video of a burnout i did behind my old work with the v8 in it but i don't have a cop y of it.

[jiminy14]

what thickness of sheetmetal are you using?
its mostly 16 gauge .. quite heavy but i am not too worried about weight as much as strength.
there is some 20 gauge stuff used in non-critical areas.

[Biesey]

awesome work bro! its starting to shape up nice!

whos jeep willys?

[jiminy14]

awesome work bro! its starting to shape up nice!

whos jeep willys?
well hello!! how's school going?? still out west was it?? seattle?

the jeep is a '52 willy's . its my grandfather's .. he has two the one in the pic is the "work" one. he has a restored one in his garage taht doesn't get abused like the work one does.. LOL.... like getting sunk in a river this past summer by yours truly.

got some more work done on the car tonight..... crummy work like grinding welds for 2 hours and nothing new to show for it really.
maybe i'll get something done worth looking at this weekend.


Biesey what's the status of your car???

[Biesey]

Haha nice, that willy's is awesome.

I'm still out west in Walla Walla a bit east of Seattle. School is going good, i've been in school straight for over a year now.

My car is kinda how you last saw it, i've button up all the sheet metal work, and got it primed. So when i get time its just getting everything installed to where its going to fit and going from there. I'm not sure how much i am going to get done on it this summer, because my brother and i are going to be swapping some stuff on his 242 and that'll be a bit of work!

[jiminy14]

that's too bad you wont get the car done this year... i know how that is though. at least its primed... i hate body work and that's usually the most time consuming thing.

[jiminy14]

i decided to take pics today of things i just never got around to showing anyone and also things i have yet to complete... like a visual to do list.

i have yet to repair the front frame rails where the sway bar attaches. it was previously repaired years ago and it was not done well.
i am using energy suspension urethane bushings with grease fittings. end links are ENERGY as well. the bar is jsut sitting in place now while i mock it up.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652764.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652768.jpg
a bad picture of the new engine mounts... they are very small and concern me a bit. they use tiny poly bushings... when i fired up the motor it didn't budge. a comfortable ride is not my goal right now so i am happy with these mounts as long as they dont' break.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652770.jpg
this is the end result of enclosing the cabin behind the seats where the four link arms are hinged.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652774.jpg

the cabin before POR15;
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/86205051.jpg
after
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652804.jpg
driver's seat bracket
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652805.jpg
the brake master cyl/booster bracket
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652806.jpg
you can see a little gap between the transmission tunnel and drive shaft tunnel right behind the shift. i have to join the two pieces here still then the cabin is 100% enclosed. the black paint doesn't hide the dusk well hahaa.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652777.jpg

[jiminy14]

the grinding/ welding is done under the rear half of the car now. the wheel wells are complete aside from paint ( POR15).
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652782.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652787.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652793.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652795.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652797.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652799.jpg
the fuel cell is going to reside in this void.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652802.jpg
the flat bottom of the car. the exhaust will kinda ruin the flat bottom but it still excites me that its so simple looking and flat.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652784.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652789.jpg
transmission mount
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652812.jpg

the minorly rusted driver's side rocker panel. this is right infront of the rear wheel. i think the black rubber accent from the factory held water in against the outter panel.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652807.jpg
SCARY ehh???
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652808.jpg

CROWN VICTORIA brake rotor. part of my plan for an effective brake set up
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652809.jpg
the rotor barely clears the stock spindle.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652813.jpg

this picture makes the area i have to fit a rad huge, but it is actually really really tiny. it shouldn't be too hard to make a bracket to mount this.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652810.jpg


the driver's side wheel well where the brake pedal comes through. i have to enclose the brake pedal. i have this image of hitting a racoon and the raccoon hits the pedal while i'm braking and the pedal is forced back into my foot breaking it.
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652814.jpg
in this second picture i moved the pedal down to what i thought was the approximate range it could travel. i am not sure if the front tire will clear the pedal at this depth. this is probably going to be one of the last things i get around to finishing.
ohh yeah and my sexy header is showing itself off in this pic... so knarly looking
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/109652816.jpg

i hope to have more done soon

james

[jiminy14]

ok quick post here before i run to work.....
i decided to take the car right down to bare metal and replace anything rusted.... ordered new rockers and lower quarter panels from wolf steel ... and i got my parts back from the machine shop for my brake set up ...
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862224.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862231.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862230.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862232.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862236.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862239.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862245.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862246.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862248.jpg
http://www.pbase.com/jiminy14/image/112862254.jpg

so that's my brake setup... cheap as hell to do and very simple.... i think it will be quite effective though. an improvement over the stock brakes

[YLD244]

what car are those calipers + discs from??

[NotSoFresh]

look like they are from a school bus.

[jiminy14]

the rotors are from an early 90's crown vic... the caliper is a GM metric caliper ( was on everything full size GM made in the late 80's early 90's). for the rotor you could look up a '93 crown vic. there are a couple but only this one has the deep hat. i forget which cars used this rotor specifically. for the caliper i told the parts guy it was for an '88 monte carlo. wilwood does make a direct replacement aluminum caliper if i decide to leave this set up on the car.
the rotor is just over 11" and is a perfect fit over the stock spindle and hub. the depth of the hat is also near perfect.

i can't wait to test it all out and see how it works.