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Atom's Amazon Wagon Project Update Thread

Can you share more about assumptions for the runner length calculations - did it solve for peak torque rpm or did you input that number? Seems higher than I would imagine....of course I'm making up all of it....
 
Can you share more about assumptions for the runner length calculations - did it solve for peak torque rpm or did you input that number? Seems higher than I would imagine....of course I'm making up all of it....

It first has a formula to calculate peak RPM. I used the runner area where it enters the head as that seems to be a fairly consistent cross section. It probably is higher than actual value, but I figured if I use their calculator for each step the end result should be close. I know that other E30 ITB kits use around a 12" length valve to runner end

http://www.wallaceracing.com/runnertorquecalc.php
 
Been going to work early, and getting home late these days. That plus family weekend obligations, and I haven't gotten much sheet metal work done on the chassis. I did pick up some Amazon roof skin panels to help with some transitions last weekend. I did play around a little more with the ITBs though. Everything is getting closer. Relocating the battery to the trunk as well.

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Still need to make the throttle body mounts, the fuel rail mounts, the vacuum collector/chamber and blend the transitions a little.
 
I'm switching out the engine harness to upgrade to Motronic1.3. The factory loom gets brittle and cracks so I decided to recover it, but I wanted a vintage look. I buy a bunch of different diameter ropes because you can pull the middle out and just use the outside as loom.

First I mark the plug and take pictures of the wire positions

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Then I de-pin the plug, fold the wires back on themselves (in different levels to keep the diameter small) and tape them up to pull the boots off

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I get different sizes of rope in the same colorway (thanks Amazon) and cut the rope to length matching the runs of wire, pull the middle out and heat seal the ends

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Then simply slide the sleeve over the wire and use real Tesa Tape at the junction like OEM

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Then I tape the cut end of a ziptie in the end of the loom

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Dunk the boot in soapy water and pull it over the ziptie/sleeve

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I typically don't put the plugs back on until I'm completely done in case I need to change something or run them through another loom. When I'm all done I spray it with this goodness just to be sure

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Sorry some of my pictures are blurry, my phone has been doing that just recently and I forget to check each pic, then I get waaaaaay past that step and it's too late to retake it
 
Back to the ITBs. Using the calculator from before, I know the length of runner (velocity stack) I need, but after lots of searching, they're just too expensive to buy. I'm going to make my own from composite. I started building the plug to make a mold. I went longer than the calculations called for A) because that should bring peak torque a bit lower in the RPM range and B) because I figure it's a lot easier to shorten the stacks than it would be to lengthen them. I started by drawing the stacks in CAD, cutting some chunks on the router, gluing them together, marking the final radius and sanding the half down

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A while back I made myself a "Hot Work Station" that I use for vacu-forming and powdercoating. I used the old oven from my house when we remodeled, a clamp frame made of plywood, a shop vac triggered by a switch when you push the frame down and a board with vacuum channels in it
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Then I heated up some ABS and vacu-formed two halves for the plug

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(again with the blurry pics. Sorry)

Then I glued the two halves together and filled with casting urethane resin from TAP Plastics

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I split the halves of ABS off, drilled a hole through the middle and added some threaded rod to act as a "poor man's lathe" (since I'm broke and don't have a lathe)

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Then I added some filler, sanded and primered. I probably will start the mold process next week, so that's it for now

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Still doing boring stuff. Got the fuel filler completely modded, painted and in place. Been working on filler panels still. You can make some decent filler panels with just a few tools from Harbor Freight.

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Also powder coated the ITBs chrome with a copper candy topcoat (it just looks orange LOL).
 
This week/weekend's accomplishments include getting the fuel filler modified/installed (no decent pictures), smoothing the driver's side sill/transition and spraying satin black, getting the back half of the car (including both wheel wells) stuck together and Raptor lined. I use the Raptor in the back and in the wheel wells like undercoat. Only more durable and "encapsulating".

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If you know what an Amazon door sill should look like, it makes you look hard to see the differences. Incredibly clean work as always, this is awesome.
 
I need to make a decision on interior color. Originally I really wanted to do like a blood red-burgundy type color, but I realized that maybe why I like that combo so much is that it would basically wind up like the Voxx Amazon

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Not that it's a bad thing, but I don't want to completely rip him off. So now I'm leaning towards a Volvo OEM color like Atacama or something

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Of course the dash and other parts will be black/charcoal, but I'm not a fan of tan and full black/charcoal

Oh, made myself some front coilovers this weekend too.

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Still need to make some upper spring perches and top plates. That's it for now besides incremental progress on stitching together and metal prep
 
You can make some decent filler panels with just a few tools from Harbor Freight..

I'm building a Ute and it has involved making a ton of pieces, my favorite new tool is the $49 electric shears. Work really damn well and will actually cut 14gauge steel! Also bought their flanging tool which has been handy.
 
Since the taillight is on a hinged panel now I started making my own LED taillights. Middle and top red lens will be 50% rows for parking light and all rows for brake light. Bottom clear lens will be two rows white LEDs for reverse and three rows red LEDs for turn signal.

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