Landracing Forum
Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => Build Diaries => Topic started by: tauruck on November 28, 2012, 12:56:00 PM
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I'm building a vehicle for LSR here in South Africa. It's called Tauruck because I modelled the nose on a Winston Cup Taurus (back in 02) and the rear is all truck. It started life as a 1974 Ford Ranchero which is better known as an XB Ute in Australia. It gathered dust for nigh on ten years and I resurrected the project in April this year. I originally typed a looong intro but I tried to post two pics that exceeded the 500kb limit and after some stupid moves I lost everything. I'm poked so enjoy the pics of the plug pre molding.
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I couldn't do much more with it.
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I changed the front end some. I only have one mold left to do but hopefully I'll get it done this weekend.
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Tile roof. Stucco siding and burglar bars. Double car garage with hot rod in the driveway. Looks like almost anywhere in California. A palm tree is the only thing missing. The truck looks good.
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nice one, although it doesn't look much lika an XB anymore
G
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Thanks guys. I met a guy over here from Ventura who settled in South Africa. He said the difference was we drove on the wrong side of the road. We were at the ocean on the east coast at the time. It was an XB before I got into it with the grinder. I've posted a pic of the hood in the mould before I laid up the outer Carbon layers and then what it looked like after vacuum. The parts are coming out of the moulds now and the hood needs no finishing other than a wash to get the release off. I know people are going to say lots about the weight being too light but this is what I do and I can't help myself.
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This is the 3lb result.
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You can always add weight later and put it exactly where you want it to go.
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I agree Bo. All this is new to me and it's going to be a steep learning curve but I'm having a great time on this build. My chassis is in three pieces at present. I've got the roll cage section inside the plug, the front and rear clips on the workshop floor and a million pieces all over the place. I'm hoping to get the molds for the front section of the body done this week. Hrer's the right side front suspension mocked up.
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Tailgate rear bumper mold done and trimmed.
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Left rear quarter mold done and trimmed.
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Left door area mold done.
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Do you have a monster size oven or vacuum former?
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I do the vacuum process with a vacuum bag to debulk and then we load the mold on the transport and race along the freeway at the dead of night to get to the autoclave which is about 15 miles away. It's a huge unit that's normally used for curing retread tires for big earthmoving equipment but does the job. It helps that I use the slowest hardener for the epoxy I use. 90 minute pot life. It's all cloak and dagger LSR stuff. :-D
Here's the custom seat sans the headrest. It wasn't an easy fabrication because I work alone. I used the old method of pouring 2 part PU foam into garbage bags. I built a former/box from chipboard and jumped in while the mix was rising. I don't have pics of the process because I did the mold years ago. This seat is a special. It's 15mm Aluminum honeycomb sheet with 4 layers of Carbon on each side. I'll get to the head protector part when I fit the seat and have the Hans device. I'll post pics of the finished seat when it's trimmed and had a coat of clear.
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More pics.
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Here's one with the peel ply while still uncured. I'll remove it and fix small imperfections on the back when I cut out out the seat belt holes.
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This is an off cut of the Honeycomb I used. I had a square yard in the shop and I contemplated throwing it away so many times. Glad I didn't. I used a roll of some very expensive 3M duct tape to get the honeycomb positioned on the mould so I could trim it to shape but it was easy to cut using a utility knife. I used an epoxy adhesive on the surface of the first cured side to get the honeycomb"down". It was a bitch to do but luckily most of the epoxy products cure slowly giving one time for banging your head against the wall asking why you always choose to do impossible stuff. I'd say I got lucky with this component.
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Fascinating work! I wish you lived down the street from me so I could just come down and give you a hand. Then we could re-make my bodywork in a much lighter material. My tail section alone weighs almost 20 lbs. It was custom made by a local boat builder, but then, he's a boat builder!
Tom
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Thanks man. No, I wish I lived down the street from you :-D. I'm stuck in Africa and it's a little lonely doing this kind of project here. I'm also a biker so I get on well with fellow riders. I guess your friend used chopped strand mat with Polyester resin. I call that glass the resin thief. It just swallows the stuff. Even using Poly you can make a nice part if you used woven glass fabric. Most times guys try use a piece of material that fits the mold and if you're a novice it tends to get away from you. Overlapped smaller pieces will work just as well in most cases. Here's another piece to my puzzle. Right side door section and roof mold. On the roof I have two mini molds for flap devices similar to the ones used in Sprint cup. The one over the driver's head is way bigger and will allow me a quick exit if need be.
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Amazing. That seat mold looks good. My windshield mold did not look nearly as uniform and smooth.
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Hey Bo, thanks man. A good palm sander, piles of water paper help but you have to switch off. If you think too hard about it you'll bolt and never look back. Sanity is not a requirement :-D. I try not spending too much time on a particular part. I jump around and then get back to it for a while. It's the only way. If I had the bucks I'd pay someone to do the sanding and polishing. I hate it. I have one major panel left to do, it's the left front fender. It's been difficult because when I build a plug I use anything at hand to build the shape and in the case of the front fenders I have steel, resin mixed with filler and two different types of Bondo both with different degrees of hardness. As luck would have it all these materials ended up on the surface. Try sanding that mix. I got into it with the grinder to get rid of the metal and then used about a hundred coats of spray filler. It's so bad that I convinced myself I'll polish the remaining imperfections out in the mold and then sand the final part as well. I use a spray filler as my Gel Coat. It saves on weight and makes final finishing much easier for the painter. I have a good bottle of Tequila sitting in the shop just waiting for the day I finish the final mold. Some good Rock music from the 70s, salt and a bunch of lemons will do it. I'll be styling and not sharing a drop with anyone, my Jack Russels don't drink!!! :cheers:
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I'll be running a twin turbo setup on my Ford so I had to come up with an inlet manifold. The idea is to use Aluminium plate for mounting it and have the runners, plenum and air box done in Carbon Fibre. The dummy block is mounted in the car so I took measurements, did a drawing and started scrounging around in my mold store for bits and pieces I could use to fabricate a plug. I never throw molds away even if they were for one off jobs. I found the mold for an air box I did for a guy called Dale. He had a Sonny Leonard 510 in his Comaro and they had a little 2" pipe T piece setup trying to feed air to the beast. I built him a proper air box and the mold looked like it had roughly the right dimensions so I put it on one side. Then I found a mold for a hood bulge that has a tear drop shape to it. Cool. I pulled out a mold for a 4" brake duct and I had more or less what I needed. I got to work prepping the molds and made some parts from Polyester and chopped strand. Some pics of how it came together.
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I made a few parts and started putting the puzzle together.
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Some test fitting and then more graft but it started looking like something.
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I paid big bucks for the MSD distributor I have but because it was bought a while back for a different application I could not change it locally or return it to the States due to documentation etc and the fact that the importer charges us 14 bucks in local currency to the Dollar. I had to work around the problem.
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Maybe you guys don't want to see a hundred images of the steps it took to get the shape and fit I wanted so I jumped to where the part is now. It has openings for the 101mm throttle bodies and it's primed with spray filler, the base is recessed for mounting to the plenum and I'll be making changes to the sides once I get the fuel rails positioned.
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Maybe you guys don't want to see a hundred images of the steps it took to get the shape and fit I wanted so I jumped to where the part is now. It has openings for the 101mm throttle bodies and it's primed with spray filler, the base is recessed for mounting to the plenum and I'll be making changes to the sides once I get the fuel rails positioned.
I can't speak for others, but I'm enjoying the hell out of your detailed posts. Food for thought for future projects!
Tom
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Thanks man. It's appreciated when a fellow biker enjoys the posts.
I had a Carbon trumpet left over from an old project so I decided to incorporate it into the plenum. I had to extend it and go from round to oval so that it will match the port. I made a new mold for it and it's currently curing.
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The body molds are all done. I had a small celebration and yesterday I cut the original body away from the chassis. Luckily the Plasma cutter lasted the distance and the good news is that a scrap dealer is going to come by on Tuesday to remove the body and I'll get a few hundred bucks out of the deal.
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I seperated the plug and chassis. My plasma cutter broke again for the fifth time. I never have trouble with my equipment but this tool is now classified as junk. It always breaks on a weekend. My supplier who is also a friend will replace it with another used one but the manufacturers in Italy are not big on backup and we can't even get them to respond to email. It sucks. I have the chassis on the jig table but I'm not happy with some of the tubing and replacing is in order. This chassis was built in 2002 and the material chosen at the time is not up to scratch. I'll have to hold off attaching the front and rear clips until the frame rails have been replaced. I tacked on a few plates just to make sure the block stays where it needs to be before cutting away the original section of the chassis. Two pics of the chassis.
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Do not feel alone when you redo things. That has been my experience and mode of operation, too. We learn and sometimes the rules change.
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Hey Bo, you're right. 10 years ago the welding wasn't great so I had other people do it for me. They weren't that good either :-o. Things have a weird way of working out and in 05 I got a chance to do a lot of welding using a good machine. That's key. I believe good equipment makes one a better welder. I was welding 8 hours a day and it just got better and better. Right now the welding is great but I have an ace up my sleeve in that my welding equipment supplier Guido looks after me big time. He's a Danish dude whose also into cars and bikes. He's a Moto Guzzi collector but has Nortons and a few collector Suzukis. We're buddies now and I have 24/7 backup in addition to the fact that I can use his lathe and milling machine when I want. This project is blessed. You won't believe the people I've met who have sponsored me with material and product. People like you inspire me even though we're a gazillion miles away. Thanks man.
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I hoisted my unfinished chassis onto the table to get the front clip fried on. I had the laser on it and everything turned out great. I was just about ready when a client/buddy arrived with his chopper project. He decided to chop and rake the frame but kinda jumped the gun by cutting every reference point off it. I had to help so all the clamps I had holding my project came off and stuff moved. I'll get back on it tomorrow. The guy is such a good friend I'm going to get his frame done before Christmas. My truck can wait a few days I guess. Some pics of the front clip with two plates designed for custom bike frames tacked on as a reference point for the motor plate.
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I never mentioned that I've been in contact with Prof. Joseph Katz for the last year discussing the aerodynamics of my pickup truck. He was interested in my design and what I wanted to achieve with the vehicle. To cut a long story short, Joe put my project to his students and three of them took it on. Aero on a pickup truck is a nightmare and no one has ever written a white paper on the subject so I think this is what interested the parties involved. Based where I am and taking finances into account this gesture by the guys at SDSU was like me winning the lotto. What are the chances that an esteemed Professor (who is a car guy) would even get my email let alone reply?. I got lucky and I believe there is help from above, no!, big input because everything I've touched on this project has turned to gold.
When Joe asked for my permission for his students to go ahead with the project I was shocked. A student called Hoang got in touch with me with a list of dimensions they needed. I cut cardboard profiles of the whole car on all the axis'. This covered the whole truck and luckily I have a fairly large profile gauge that made the task that much easier. I ended up with about 40 profiles and each one was numbered, taped together and explanations attached. It took a long time but I just put my head down and grafted. Eventually I had the package together and put the whole deal into a cardboard tube that originally came with a roll of Carbon fabric. It's a sturdy piece and after it was taped closed and the postal address afixed the wife took it to the Post Office. They wanted 200 bucks in our local currency to get the tube to San Diego. She figures that it's too expensive and she's being ripped off so she brings the thing back home. I lost it completely. Everyone wants to believe that there's harmony and level headedness in a long standing relationship but that's the TV/media version. Things flew, the Jack Russels ran and hid and for a whole day I was on a mission. Eventually we cut the excess fat away from the templates and put them in a lighter tube. The wife promptly goes on her monthly business trip so I now have to go to the post office. The kicker is that I lost 2 days and on the morning I'm going to the P O it comes across on the news that there's a transport strike. They have at least three a day before breakfast here. WE have a saying here TIA. This is Africa. I get to the Post Office and they quote me the same price for posting the package. It seems that there's a minimum charge for packages up to a certain weight so I pay the 200 bucks anyway. "Strange" that the person behind the counter failed to tell the wife that this was the case. You guys wouldn't last 5 minutes in this country without blowing all your gaskets. The package leaves but I'm not optimistic. The student is on my case but I'm holding back on telling him what really happened. I'm thinking that the package will never get there based on past experiences with deepest darkest Africa and the news from San Diego is that if the templates don't arrive in two days the project will be canned. I don't know if your Postal workers operate on a Sunday but the news I got is that the tube arrived on a Sunday!. It was as though the timing was perfect. The templates got to their final destination in the nick of time. The chances of that happening are a million to one but as I said there is Divine Intervention involved. Everything was back on track. The brief was to build a quarter scale model for wind tunnel testing which they did. It was cut on a 3 axis milling machine. I just received the final report which is 12 pages long. I'm now looking for a rocket scientist at NASA to decipher the "Enigma Code"!!! :-D. It's all good and it seems I was very close on my initial design. Some images of the work carried out at SDSU. I bless them all for what they've done and I promise one thing. When I break this record I'm going to plant "Old Glory" in the salt when I get out of the truck. 100%.
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Images of the model in the wind tunnel.
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Two more pics.
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Seeing the words "aerodynamic" and "pickup truck" in the same sentence is a first for me. Are you going to cover the bed?
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Hi Tauruck
Your model looks pretty neat but did you add a bit to the rear of the cab as the your bed area looks a little on the short side.
Are you going to lay up your intake plenum in one piece so you will not split a seam from your boost perssure, just a thought?
I bought new a 69' SS El Camino and had for 11 yrs then got a 78' Ranchero in 80' that i still have and it is all tricked up, both are neat ride's !!
So i'am tuned in to your project big time.
Don
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(http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc28/grumm441/XB_zpsc10efd06.jpg)
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Guys, the bed will be covered. The model tested at SDSU was close but not 100% accurate. The truck is fairly long and there will be a lot going on under the vehicle. The under tray/diffuser is a special very trick component. Don't confuse this pickup with a standard version because it only resembles one by it's shape. When I get my truck done we'll shoot a few pics of it next to a standard Ranchero/XB Ute. Prof Katz and the crew did a battery of tests and the only area of concern is the trailing edge of the roof but there is a small fairing to be added. They added a fairing on the model and it's in one of the pics. I've got a 12 page document full of graphs showing optimal front splitter length versus rear spoiler angle along with all the variables. There are more tests being done in January so we'll have a very good picture by then. As for the plenum/airbox I'm good on design. I've been building composite custom gas tanks since 1992 and one test I do to every example is a pressure test. I'm not sure of the conversion to PSI but my tanks pass a 2 Bar test with no problem. One does not want to take chances with leaks and or integrity and I'd be lying if I said that the plenum was an "easy fix". It is a comlicated component and will be the most difficult lay up I've done so far but life is about challenges so I go into it with my eyes wide open. If I had a limited supply of Carbon fabric it might be a problem but I have access to an unlimited supply of all the different weaves available so the final construction will be a mix of unidirectional, twill and plain weave fibres. I'm certain we'll be OK on the part keeping it's shape. I went to collect my second shipment of Carbon on Tuesday and as I'd had a Tequila or two the night before I wouldn't drive so my buddy Guido did the honours. At the shipping depot the worker that carried the package was buckling at the knees under the weight. Guido says "I thought you said Carbon was light?" Yes sir it is, that dude is humping 40 grands worth. 80Lbs in fact.
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This is an accurate image of the truck.
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This is something I cannot figure out. We want our bike streamlining to taper back to a point or as close to it as we can get, with the truncated rear having as little area as possible. Cars get better aero with those little spoilers. It seems this would create a lot of turbulence and slow them down. What is it that those rear spoilers do that helps aero?
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Without the spoiler they create large amounts of lift. The spoiler doesn't make the vehicle more slippery. It actually makes the aero worse but it makes the vehicle much safer and helps plant the rear.
Pete
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I'm not sure of the conversion to PSI but my tanks pass a 2 Bar test with no problem. One does not want to take chances with leaks and or integrity and I'd be lying if I said that the plenum was an "easy fix".
Here is some help with the conversion math:
1 bar = 14.5037738 pounds per square inch. 2 bar = approx. 29.007psi
Cool looking project, hope all comes together the way you want it to.
:cheers:
Fordboy
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Thanks, Peter. We do not have lift on the back end of bikes. Only on the front.
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Thanks Fordboy, It's all working out OK. When I started out I actually cut the floor out of the truck and installed the roll cage from below and temporarily welded it to the front and rear clips. It kept it's shape luckily and after removing the original body all I had to do was cut loose the the bits I didn't want. I've replaced the front and rear clips with the new ones and the laser level came in very handy. Everything lined up perfectly and it's all welded now save for a few bars that need to go in. I'm hoping to have the chassis off the jig by new year. The only problem is the pedal box. A driver sits fairly high up in a stock pickup but in this case with having the roof chopped and the driver sitting on the floor things move forward drastically. The left frame rail that connects the roll cage section to the front clip runs at an angle so creating a pedal box becomes tricky but I dummied up the seat and pedals anyway. I'm comfortable even though the pedals are a floor mount setup. I bought them in 02 and trying to convert them looked like big work. The only thing I have in common with Jeff Gordon is my size and it's a good thing because if I was a six footer my feet would be in amongst the front wishbones.
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I've also built/designed a composite oil tank for my project. This tank holds a lot of oil and should help temperature wise being made from Carbon. It has three baffle plates with belled holes and when installed it's a snug fit. There's a holder that will be bolted and bonded to the chassis. The tank attaches via a large hose clamp. The tank including all the hardware with it tops the scales at exactly 1lb. I'm waiting for businesses to open next month so I can get the return fitting powder coated and buy some stainless bolts for the lid mounting. The lid was built with a recess for a 3mm O ring so when all bolted down there are no leaks.
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The recess in the lid and other images of the tank. I don't have the kind of equipment one would use to flare Aluminum and bell holes so I used wood as a jig to get the desired shape.
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More pics of the tank build. Excuse the plastic sheet over the window in the second pic, we had some hail and the insurance can only fit new glass next year.
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You sure make nice composite parts!! Looks like you have done this for a while. Love the tank, if you need a drawing for some "belling" dies for aluminum let me know and I can send.
Rex
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Thanks Rex. I've been into the "black art" since 1988. I really need to invest in a good camera though. Here's a pic of my Bobber tank taken with a real camera. I'll PM you my email address and I really appreciate the help.
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Just to make sure that Murphy does not get you , maybe 2 clamps to hold your very cool oil tank in place?
Neat bike tank too, do you have a pic of the whole bike, thanks
Fisrt class glass work!!
Don
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That clear fuel line to check the amount of liquid in the tank just got copied. One of those will be on the Triumph next year.
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Will you have to cover it with a fireproof cover? :?
Pete
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That clear fuel line to check the amount of liquid in the tank just got copied. One of those will be on the Triumph next year.
Bo,
I believe Tech will make you cover any exposed fuel line with firesleeve or equivalent. However, you can check fuel level at any time by disconnecting fuel line anywhere after the shutoff valve and connecting a clear fuel line which can be held up above the fuel level in the tank. Open the valve and you will see the fuel level.
Tom
Thanks Rex. I've been into the "black art" since 1988.
Nice work, Mikey. Oh to have an unlimited supply of carbon fiber and an artist who knows how to use it!
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Ha ha ha!. I was on another forum and there was a thread about what you got for Christmas. I said I never got a thing because the wife is in Scotland freezing her butt off. Damn, I lied. I got 50lbs of Carbon. :cheers: :cheers:
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I used an el cheapo oil pan as a starting point for my dry sump system. When I was happy that the shape fit the requirements I took a mold of it. This was in 2003 and the mold sat on the part for a few years. Some of what I write here may help some of you that don't have experience working with composites. This mold is for a one off item so I felt that using an expensive epoxy system was a waste. I used Polyester instead.This system shrinks between two and five percent as quoted by the manufacturer but experience will say different. If you're eyeballing the amount of catalyst(hardener) you're using you won't get a good result. The best thing to get for any type of fiberglass work is a digital scale. It's the most important tool for working with composites. Your ratios will be spot on and you won't have problems with exotherm which is the cause of shrinkage and warping of the finished product. When I built this mold I used woven glass fabric because it gives a stronger finished product at a reduced cost. Chopped strand is junk and I call it the resin thief because it just gobbles up product and due to it's thickness it does create more heat when curing. In my experience the cost is about one third by using the woven glass. If you're in a hurry composites are not for you, this takes patience and I leave Polyester parts in a mold for a minimum of three days but typically for a week or more and I build up the layers only a few at a time. I get no visible shrinkage. When I eventually pulled the mold off the pan it only needed a light polish so the gardener at the time volunteered due to the rain we had that day. He spent a few hours on it and it came out great. He was born to polish, a part of the process I hate more than death.
A few weeks ago I produced the finished product. It's about 8 layers of Carbon using my own blended resin that can handle 200c for 8 hours or 140 indefinitely. I went through all the usual steps and got it into a vacuum bag to consolidate the piece. The only tricky part is when you actually pull vacuum. This resin has a very short pot life but you can't go to soon either. Many years ago when I was young and dumb I panicked and pulled vacuum too soon. I ended up with resin in the connectors, the pipes and the vacuum pump. That clean up was horrendous. Never again. Now, I leave a little resin in the mixing bucket and as soon as I see the viscosity change I connect the pump. Another tip on cleaning brushes is that you don't need to soak them in Acetone. Use the edge of the mixing bucket to scrape off as much excess resin as you can followed by a pull through an old rag. You then soak the brush in a container full of a mix of washing powder and warm water making sure you stipple the brush vigorously. I leave the brush in the solution for an hour or so and then rinse off. This only works with Polyester resin though. In some cases you might want to use some Acetone to finish the job if the brush is a little hard after drying. The oil pan came out of the mold needing hardly any finishing but because the mold is a female the rough side is actually the surface that mates to the engine block. Easy fix, I layed up two strips of 4 layers of Carbon on a sheet of thick glass that had been pre released and placed the pan on that using some lead weights for added pressure. The pics are moblie phone examples so the quality is iffy but this is one strong part. I hope you got something out of this post.
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After post curing the pan to the required temperature I took it out of the mold. Next was the removal of the three neccessary layers of film used in the vacuum process.
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The finished product which still needed final trimming and drilling. It came out great. The release agent was washed off later. I've got a water pipe neck, accelerator pedal and a few other cool parts in the works but thats for next month.
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The cleaned up pan ready for drilling and fitting instalation. Most every part ends up on the kitchen table. :roll:
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Awesome skills and beautiful work.
Cheers
jon
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Very impressive, both parts & process!! I wish I had some of your talent for composites. Were you formerly in the aeronautics or aerospace industry?
Fordboy
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"... it only needed a light polish so the gardener at the time volunteered..."
Ah, yes, the gardener! The last time I asked the gardener to polish something for me, she said she had a headache and I could polish it myself!
P.S. It's the new year. I couldn't help myself.
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Ha ha ha, good one. Hey, I live in Africa and people need the work. I should try that one on my woman. She doesn't have a sense of humor. Fordboy, unfortunately not. I'm self taught but I did get a lot of help from some very jacked up people in the early years.
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That oil pan is down on the bottom where no one can see it. Do you do valve covers? Like for bikes?
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Bo, I do but haven't done any for bikes yet. So far only Ford Cleveland and Windsor. I was going to do some covers for a Panhead but it never happened. What bike were you thinking of? I watched the Rose Bowl game but they never showed the Marines. I guess we only get what ESPN puts on for us. I never thought Stanford would win but then I can never pick a winner.
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After a cleanup in the shop that's still ongoing I mocked up the front suspension. The suspensh is killing me and I have a few small problems. You'd think that by now I'd have acquired some patience but no I just put my head down and fried stuff together. The top shock mounting brackets are cocked at an angle. I suppose I could leave them like that but they aren't right and must come off. I have a lot of sponsors on this project and individually their input isn't that big but I'm trying to give them 100% and I'm rushing things. Note to self, slow down and concentrate. I took two days off, Christmas and New Years mainly for the neighbors benefit. He's entertaining and his pool is only a few yards from the wall. I didn't want to drive him nuts with air tools and grinders. The wife gets back from Scotland tomorrow and I can't wait for things to get back to normal. You don't realise what the girls do until they aren't around. i promised to water the plants but luckily I didn't have to. It's rained every day since she left. It's those summer afternoon thunderstorms that last an hour or so. Guys, I'm tired. This is a tough deal. It's lonely to boot so if any of you like cheap booze and scorching hot weather we have room for vistors. :cheers:
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The hot weather is nice. I miss it a lot. I was born and raised in Africa.
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I consider you lucky to have got out. Where in Africa?.
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Oakland, California
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Wobbly, Now that is funny.
Doug :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
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OK, you got me. You're a mean dude. :-D
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I'm still working on my project. Even though the truck is fairly big when the roof is chopped and the driver needs to sit on the floor things get real tight. I had to pull out all the stops to get my 5'7" frame comfortable. Big time mods and lots of head scratching but I managed to achieve the best possible compromise. I cut a few bars out of the roll cage and added some new ones but I gained 3". Before and after pics.
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The after mod in place.
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The seat I made was OK but a little wide for me so after point zero three of a second I decided to narrow it. I took 2" out of it and it's about as good as it will get. 3M is one of my sponsors and they supplied an adhesive that is the best I've ever used. When I first tried it I wasn't convinced. I checked the job after 24 hours and the product seemed to be a little "rubbery" so I thought there's nothing I can do. I left it another day and when I checked it had obviously fully cured. I'm used to other epoxy adhesives curing in 12 hours or less but the 3M takes longer. This stuff is unreal. I clecoed the two halves of the seat together after buttering the exposed areas and just left it alone. It's rock hard now and luckily I had the foresight to not use too many layers of Carbon on the initial build, so it will get another four on each side to finish.
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Really nice job on the roll cage modifications.
Pete
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Beautiful work throughout. :-o
I'll have to go back to the beginning to read the rules for classifying such a vehicle. That's going to be one very cool pickup truck.
Steve.
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I know what you are talking about to get the cage low. I am doing a new cage for a friends 914 Porsche and he wanted it low so I have had to cut out the floor and drop his butt down to make him fit.
Rex
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Thanks for the comments guys. It really motivates me. Rex, when I started building this truck I never gave seating position a second thought because it's a Ranchero and I'm short. How wrong I was. I forgot that it's a truck. I can see the amount of work you put in on that mod. It's no joke. The execution is great. Thanks for posting that pic. Getting the seat lower did cross my mind but unfortunately if I did drop it I'd be looking into the dash. One thing I've never done is bumped my head on a doorway :-D
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I was just reading Woblywalrus' thread on welding stainless steel exhausts. I remembered that I got a nice surprise last week. I started on my build ten years ago but it gathered dust for that long. When I resurrected it I decided that the only way I'd get it done was to find sponsors. If not I'd just leave it. I got lucky, very lucky in fact. 21 companies came on board. It started out with an initial contact email and from there it just progressed. You'd think that in these hard economic times finding sponsors would be tough. I had three refusals and one reneged but more on that one later. It's a good story. My stainless steel exhaust material arrived. A German company that produces stainless components for the food industry sent me 24 elbows and 2 x 6m lengths of tubing. The photos don't do the quality of the material justice. Perfect is the only way to describe these parts and although I'm a ways off making up the system I've got the right stuff. Each piece has the company logo etched into it to prevent come backs. Their experience has been that clients used inferior pieces made in the very far east that failed and then tried to claim from the German company. I researched what would be the best material to use for the exhaust system and then just gave the sponsor the specification and he matched it. I can't wait to get going on this part of the project.
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We have used a lot of the stainless salvaged from a dairy. Amazing stuff
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Thanks Tman, that's good to hear. This material looks great and I can't wait to start fabrication.
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Do you know what the stainless alloy is that they sent you? Much of the stuff used in the food processing industry is typically 302,303 and 304 none of which make for good exhaust headers if you are going to use a turbo. I have made headers for NA engines using 304 and they have worked alright but for turbo applications you need 321 and if you can in areas like the inlet to the turbo from the header 625 Inconel works well. An absolute "female dog" to work with.
Rex
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Thanks for the advice Rex. They gave me 304. I did some research on what the turbo guys were using and asked for the same. I've built quite a few pipes on the Sportsters I do and it's really something I love. This will be my first set of pipes on a V8 and I've built them in my head for the last four months. I've come this far so there's no turning back but if I'd tried to buy the turbos before I started the build this thread would be about a bike. That is 1000% for sure. South Africans are nothing like Americans. Service sucks and help is hard to find. I think it's because competition is limited. I'm still waiting for some guy to call me back after 4 months compared to a set of wheels I bought from Aero Race Wheels in Iowa a while back. These were Sprint cup wheels and one of them had a blemish on one of the robotic welds. I called and told them that there was a problem. I had a new wheel in five days and they said I didn't have to return the suspect one. All this sent to South Africa and it was pre email etc. I'm already building a bike frame, maybe to get my mind off the turbo debacle. :oops:
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I'll start a new thread on my bike build but here's a pic of the bunch of pipes and parts I'll be using.
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Tell us some of the parameters you ae working with on the eng size hp targets and some turbos that may be in your area---ie some of the trucks, farm tractors, and heavy equipment stuff that you may scrounge from ect ect
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Sparky, the turbos are here in spades. I just need to get a part number on this Holset HX55 and I'll be able to buy. The motor is based on a 351C that I've been collecting parts on for a while. It's the Australian block and I have a set of 4v heads modified to accept the high port plates. I'm also busy on a special manifold made up of an ally base that will be mated to Carbon runners into a Composite plenum airbox setup. It's early days on the motor side but the chassis is almost ready for paint and I would have liked to weld the mounting points on for the turbos. I decided to mount the turbos in the load box area behind the cab. All the pro mod twin turbo drag cars have long wheelbase setups and their units are mounted behind the front wheels but I based my chassis on a Camping World Truck so it's tight in the engine bay. I've never done a turbo installation so I'm a newbie going on whaty I've been told by the local experts who are going to set the whole thing up. Their numbers are big and I take everything with a pound of salt. They are talking 2000HP and the shopping list I have is endless and super expensive. Bosch injectors x 16@$250 each. 2 x 101mm billet throttle bodies and so on. I know my motor is good, the crank, rods, pistons and mains are 100%. The Cleveland is my thing and I know what makes them work. I have a mix of Titanium and Stainless valves, Crowers best SS rockers. Moly pushrods, ARP everything and a Weaver 5 stage oil pump. The current record holder used an American drag car with an estimated 1,300HP BBC built by Sonny Leonard I think. He ran 388Kph. After it did the run, Dunlop took it on the show circuit for a few months and then shipped it back to the US. I have faith in the motor I'm building but the stuff that needs to go on it that I have no experience with worries me. The only info on the Holset HX55 turbo I have is that it should have an 85mm turbine and the inlet should be 76mm. I came by the Holset via the machine shop that does my reboring and head skimming. I used to deal with the father but the son is running the show now. He has a drag car that he setup with this Holset HX55. It's a Mazda3 import as you would call it and he's getting 900hp with this unit. He showed me the slip. His advice was that the HX55 gave the best bang for the buck and he's never had trouble with it. The problem is his housing has been polished and the tag removed. I can spend 40 grand on two Garrett units or ten grand on the Holsets. Our exchange rate is 14 to the dollar with shipping. I don't have the forty. I'm a million miles away from the source and I have to make do with what I can get. A pic of the current South African record holder.
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The guy you got it off cant tell you the part number or what he borrowed it off?
It is going to be the best bet I think, even if you need to share a bottle of rum with him to help him remember where he got it from...
Sorry for the thread hijack but is it only streamliner bikes that legally hve to see where they are going?
See a lot of pictures of cars with a really good view of the back of an air intake.
Ill get back in my box now.
Cheers
jon
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I joined a turbo forum and the first reply I got was from a guy who has the same unit and he's giving me the part#. Rum gives me heartburn and I woudn't drink with the kid. I might get blamed for corrupting him. :cheers: Hey Jon, I've started building a streamliner. Put the first pipes in the jig today. HD powered. No worries about the hijack. I needed a laugh after the past three days I've had.
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How many of you "hide" things from yourselves?. I spend my life looking for stuff I think I put somewhere or did I?. This has been going on for a while. What am I hiding things for. I'm the only idiot in the workshop. My latest triumph concerns rod ends. I got them back in 2002 there must be 40 of them but 6 are left hand thread. I'm ready to put the chassis on wheels and see what it looks like but I'm short one standard thread end to connect the steering arm to the hub. I spent hours cursing and threatening to disembowl the damn gremlin that lives in the shop. Months ago I got some solid bar and gave it to my engineer Geraldo for him to make the adjusters that connect the steering to the hubs. The deal was to turn left hand threads on one end and standard on the other. He goofed and put standard thread on both ends but it's his first mistake so he's forgiven. I didn't give it a thought when I used standard thread ends on the right side. It's the age. I've become my grandfather. We'll have to remachine the adjustors. The only wheels I have for the truck are Aero Sprint car wheels with slicks on them so I figured I'd put an ad in the classifieds and just buy a set of standard Ford 5x114PCD rims and then source some old tyres from the tyre shop just to roll the chassis on. Some guys wanted a thousand bucks, some wanted two for old rusty stamped wheels. I was getting nowhere for weeks. I found out that some Toyota, Mazda and Isuzu models used the same so I tried that. Mags only at four times the price. I was hating myself for giving the wheels I had away all those years ago. A guy called the other day and asked what I needed the wheels for so I told him. He said he'd give me a mixed set free of charge if I collected. My wife was in the area today and she picked up the wheels. Two standard rims with tyres and two mags sporting BF Goodrich Radial T/As. Those T/As bring back memories. I did send him a wiper motor for his Ranchero because they're really hard to find here. It turns out the guy is a collector/rebuilder so it went to the right guy.
I'm going on the air at our local radio station on Wednesday to talk about a project i've wanted to tackle for a long time. I'm getting 7 youngsters from Boys Town to come help on the project. The call South Africans the Rainbow Nation so I've dubbed these dudes the "Rainbow Warriors". It can't be nice being stuck at Boys Town so I'll teach them how to work with composites, do welding and just get them involved. There's a lot to learn and hopefully it will uplift and give them confidence. I'm going to get a local Ford dealer to provide transportation so we can get going. Skills training has fallen off the map here and hopefully something good will come out of it.
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That lack of ability to remember where things are is not age related. Us older folks have perfect memories. It is simply that we have more things that we need to keep track of. It is good that you are working with the kids.
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I've always maintained that I have a great memory, It's just that it's so short. :-) I technically don't have kids but as a youngster I wanted to get into building Hot Rods and choppers but there was nobody I could go to. It was frustrating so I hope I can maybe do something meaningful by helping these guys and a gal. After all it's a long winded scheme to get someone to sweep the shop and tidy up hey?. I've been through the ringer on the turbo thing and haven't slept in two days trying to find answers. I figured what the heck, it's not life and death. There is no record for a truck like mine currently so if I just run it's done but it's not about records. The build is the journey and it's an interesting one. Africa is a hard place, you only have to look at the animals we have here so the destination is no biggie. I haven't had work in a while but a while back I collaborated on a custom truck build. I built a load box and other bits for a 1949 International pickup as a sub contractor. It turns out the original builder didn't do a good job so the client wants me to redo the truck. A few Dollars will alleviate the suffering and at least mommy will get a Valentines surprise. Bo, it's crazy here. One day I eat Turkey, the next day we eat feathers. This truck is nuts. It has a 572 BBC in it with a nitrous fogger system and the client was asking if it has enough Horse!!!! He hasn't driven it yet. :-D :-D :-D
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We can eat that turkey from tomorrow. I have to do a ton of work on this truck. The funds will buy a bunch more stuff for my project. Working on a Chevy to fund a Ford. You have to love it. :-D
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I kid you not. I bolted on the front wheels and lowered the chassis. When it hit the ground it rolled without being pushed and the floor is pretty level. I take that as a good omen. There are obviously a few tubes that still need to be welded in and it's not quite done but I'm excited. I'm off to get out of my mind on anything with more than 43% in it. This is a really BIG day in my life and I'm happy to share this with you all. You guys are the only friends I have and the motivation and encouragement I get here on the forum means more to me than you know. God Bless you all.
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Two more pics.
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I agree with what others have said.....Really beautiful craftsmanship! Congrats on the roller.
That's going to be one very, very cool truck!
Gregg
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Looking good Tauruck! Congratulations on reaching a significant milestone. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Pete
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WOW! That's progress. Take the day off and have one [or two] for me.
Doug :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
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Coming from you guys this means so much to me. Who knows, I might get to buy you all a drink one day. I've wanted to get over to the States forever. I really feel great right now even though it's early days. I've been a member on lure building forums and on bike forums and it's the same. I'm not knocking other countries but you Americans inspire and push people to be better. It's no surprise you went to the moon. I based the decision to finish this build on finding sponsors. That happened and then I found this forum. Life is good. Bless you all for the encouragement.
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Thanks for those kind words. We've been following your progress on your build and we're looking forward to seeing it run!
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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Life is good.
And that is probably one of the most important things. :cheers:
Gregg
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I kid you not. I bolted on the front wheels and lowered the chassis. When it hit the ground it rolled without being pushed and the floor is pretty level.
Was it by chance pointed toward magnetic North? :-D
Your craftsmanship is incredible, thanks for giving us a look.
Don
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That chassis sure looks to be safe with all of that tubing. Good job.
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Thanks Bo. I just added a few more tubes today. One more cross brace behind the cab to tie into the rear suspension and I'm done. Just when I thought I had the turbo thing beat someone took a Louisville Slugger to me and i'm sitting outside the park. Have you ever seen the amount of twine on a ball when the cover comes off??? :-D These guys are toying with me. I know why you built a bike now. A turbo manufacturer in the States said he would sponsor me with two units for next year as his budget had already been allocated for 2013. Nice guy, willing to help. He said he'd speak to the agent he has in South Africa to help me out. I never knew this guy existed because there is no info on Google. The guy gets in touch 15 minutes after the manufacturer. He says he can't sponsor the project but he'll sell me the units at his cost. I figure what the heck. At least it's backup of sorts. The email arrives and his cost is $1200 more than retail from a supplier in the US. Not even in stock as it's a special order. I've learned over the years that burning your bridges can be fatal so instead of telling him where to go and do what I wrote back and thanked him for his time. Another day in Paradise. :cheers:
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I kid you not. I bolted on the front wheels and lowered the chassis. When it hit the ground it rolled without being pushed and the floor is pretty level. I take that as a good omen. There are obviously a few tubes that still need to be welded in and it's not quite done but I'm excited. I'm off to get out of my mind on anything with more than 43% in it. This is a really BIG day in my life and I'm happy to share this with you all. You guys are the only friends I have and the motivation and encouragement I get here on the forum means more to me than you know. God Bless you all.
So this chassis is Cleve-land? Nice!
I had to get out my tape with metric & inches to see how short it is. That's only about 45" in American money!
What's the body & what's the class & do you have a name Mate? :roll:
Sid.
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Hi Sid, I'm Mike. The truck was a 1974 Ford XB Ute aka Ford Ranchero in South Africa. Motorsport South Africa will create a new class for it I'm told because of the "uniqueness". Chassis is tubing/Carbon on Aluminium honeycomb hybrid, Simply put it's a Carbon tub built into a Nascar style chassis. Body is all Carbon/Nomex honeycomb (although only the hood is made at this stage) and it will have all sorts of aerodynamic tweaks on it. Then there's the twin turbo Ford V8. Our LSR is small, probably as big as cricket is in the States. Not much going on really but it's starting to grow. It's a low car. I'm 5'7" and the roof is level with my chest. I did post pics earlier of the truck body before I molded it but here's a Photoshop example of what it should look like.
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Absolutely incredible build! Craftsmanship is amazing! Keep the pics coming, please.
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Mike, I am no turbo expert--but I have a good many hours on Match-Bot now---I will between all of us we can identify some turbos that be used, that you should be able to find used over there!! What displacment and target hp are you looing for and what do you plan on using for intercoolers
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Hi Sid, I'm Mike. The truck was a 1974 Ford XB Ute aka Ford Ranchero in South Africa. Motorsport South Africa will create a new class for it I'm told because of the "uniqueness". Chassis is tubing/Carbon on Aluminium honeycomb hybrid, Simply put it's a Carbon tub built into a Nascar style chassis. Body is all Carbon/Nomex honeycomb (although only the hood is made at this stage) and it will have all sorts of aerodynamic tweaks on it. Then there's the twin turbo Ford V8. Our LSR is small, probably as big as cricket is in the States. Not much going on really but it's starting to grow. It's a low car. I'm 5'7" and the roof is level with my chest. I did post pics earlier of the truck body before I molded it but here's a Photoshop example of what it should look like.
I think I can see an XB Ute there Mike, that's bad ar$e Mate. Lol on the cricket thing.
I've been doing turbo'd $hit on a lunch money budget for a while now, my latest build is a KB with a pair of 133mm Garrett's that came off a 16V-149 Detroit.
Let's see if we can help you get around some of the turbo mystery here.
The first thing you need is a good turbo calculator & I found one online a few years ago that is easy to use & also has a really good gearing calculator in the side bar too.
http://www.squirrelpf.com/turbocalc/
I like to work with Garrett stuff as a guide, they are easy for me to ID.
The turbos on my KB for example are GT5533's & to break that down,
GT=Garrett Turbo
55= series number
33= 133mm exducer, thats the OD of the compressor wheel.
At a "rough" guess a 351 would use a pair of GT3271's. 71mm wheel.
Now you basically have the size turbo you need X2 so you can junkyard hunt with a caliper or web search the Garrett number to find out what engine that was fitted to. Probably a diesel.
The A/R numbers on compressor & turbine housings are "area ratio", the bigger the number, the slower it will spool up. Garrett will have different A/R housings available for series number turbos if you need to fine tune once you're up & running.
This is a backyard method that works for me, so all you "Expert's" out there that know better, stick it in your ear!!
I just got called out on a breakdown so I've gotta go to work. I get back to you on cheap BOV's & wastegates that work.
Sid.
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Looking real good! Congrats on getting it as a roller. :cheers:
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This forum is unbelievable. All of you guys are like a big family. Where I come from guys won't share jack. Thanks for all the advice. I'll be hearing later today on the HX55 Holsets. If all goes well I'll be able to give accurate specs on them. My big concern is my engine block. Not coming from a turbo background I assumed the block I have being an Australian thick wall casting would hold up. The stresses of turbocharging will probably turn it into a pile of junk but I was determined to make it work so I checked with guys that "play" with these motors full time. It won't handle the strain. I checked block casting numbers and it got even worse. My original truck is Australian so the thought was that the motor would be as well. I have an American block (thin wall) but the heads are Australian. What I need is a Dart billet block so I contacted them and the answer is that it takes ten weeks and costs $10,300 plus shipping. That's around 150 grand where I live. My woman bought a new Chevy that cost R110,000. This is big bucks for a block. Years ago I would have said where do I pay but I haven't worked for a boss since 1988 and I don't own a company with staff. I kinda sit here and wait for miracles. They happen and work arrives but not regularly. One week I'll get a job to build a wrought iron gate then nothing. A month later I travel a few hundred miles and do fibreglass work and some skinning on a farmer's plane. A few Carbon bits here and there. It's not great but it beats sitting in traffic wearing a suit. I did that deal. Things will work out I guess. I'll find that money somehow, anybody got a ski mask I can borrow?. :-D
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Mike what kind of power adders are they using?
Turbos are much, much easier on "parts" than others. The revs. are usually much less and the pistons are never completely unloaded..
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Turbos. Sparky, I'm building the pipes and all the parts that go with it but Mo is the guy who'll setup the system. I did see that Dart had blocks for Ford that were half the price of what they recommended.
I had a short discussion with Peter Jack on LSR and he's given some great advice. Pete, here are the pics of the roof flap mountings etc. When I did the roof mold I built in the flap molds as seperate items. I'll remove the blue ones and produce the flaps using Carbon/Ally honeycomb but leave about 1/2" around the perimeter where it will only be Carbon. After curing I cleco the finished parts to their molds and reinsert those molds in the main one. After release agent I lay up the rest of the roof. When it's ready I have a roof section with a recess 1/2" wide and the depth of the thickness around both flaps with no gaps. Well, that's the plan anyway. The surface will keep it's shape with no protrusions, the flaps will fit perfectly and before paint a light sand will remove a small amount of material. The big flap doubles as an escape hatch as well.
Since deciding/being told a light car isn't the right way to go I added a few more pipes to the chassis. Some 2" cross braces. I'm not done, I'm ordering more material today. They say if you throw a chicken into the chassis and it gets out you need more tubing. :-D I built in the tow hook that slides through a bushing and is kept in place by an R clip. I'll punch a hole through the roof when the time comes and get a plastic chair leg plug to seal it when not in use. A few more bracket must be added for body mountings etc and she's ready for that NASCAR white paint. I could probably spray it here but I always seem to get "orange peel" on tubing. It could be my thinner to paint ratio but I can never get it right. My mate Jacques has a body shop up the road and he needs something from me so the barter system is in effect. A while back a customer owed me about $200 and said he didn't have it but maybe I'd accept a few gauges instead. It was a big plastic shopping bag full of Autometer Ultra light. 8 in total including a tach with the reset/electronic telltale, manual water, oil etc. I "GRUDGINGLY" accepted the package. :-D
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More poics.
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Last one.
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With all the Ozzy Falcons down there you should be able to come up with one of the thick blocks right?
If you get one of those, I wouldn't worry about hanging boost on it. Main studs & a girdle would be desirable so you don't run over the crank. I used to build my own step girdles out of 3/8 plate & never dropped a crank.
Sid.
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Thanks Sid, I'm going to put an ad in the classifieds right now. I have the material for the girdle and My ARP inventory is vast. I got some bad news today. My mentor passed away. Jaapie Ludick. He was one of the best weldors ever (even Titanium), machinist and car guy. He was so good that when Ferarri used to come here in the 70s and 80s for the Grand Prix they used him as their away from home engineer. I went to him in the early 90s to do some welding for me and when he asked what I did and heard I built Carbon fiber parts he got me work from clients he was doing work for. I wouldn't be where I am if I hadn't met him. There are a number of parts he welded for me going on my car. I'm pleased I kept them. He was a special dude. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
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Concerning motors now. I just got an email from Jeff Gapp, son of Wayne who gave me the horsepower figures on what Wayne Gapp and Jack Roush got out of the 351C. 2.6HP per cubic inch @9000rpm. Stock factory block. That's incredible power for a normally aspirated motor from the early 70s. I thought I'd share that with my new mate, Sid.
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Sorry to hear about your friend/mentor...
Regarding Jack Roush: It was always a treat to drive by one of his shops in Livonia, MI and hear a high rpm Ford V8 screaming out a dyno run from blocks away. It was very loud even at blocks away!
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Yes, Jack's a real Patriot as well. A client of mine from about 10 years ago spent time at Jack's opreation having motors built. The story he told me was that one of Roush's guys on the race team bought a Japanese truck and when pay day rolled around Jack paid him in Japanese Yen. The guy was told if you want to drive a Jap truck you get paid Jap money. It's a funny story I think is true because the source doesn't have time to BS. :-)
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It's no good trying to work over here right now. We humans are never satisfied, it's either too hot or too cold. I've got 33*C (91*F) in the workshop. Taken a few days off. I'm watching the NASCAR races at Daytona. Pity about the fans that got hurt yesterday and if any of you know someone that did we hope for a full recovery. :-(
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That 91 degrees reminds me of Bakersfield. My best friend down there had a garage and we put a lawn sprinkler on the roof and turned it on just enough to keep it wet. The evaporation kept the garage cool enough so we could work, sort of. A lot of our friends came over to enjoy it and nothing got done.
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The weather report says 34*C for today but I checked and it's 4 more but I can't sit around so I got into making the head restrain't that's part of the seat setup. I used some Aluminum sheet I had here to make a plug. Marked it and used the plasma cutter. It goes through 2mm like nothing. I cleaned the edge and hand formed it over a big tube "Argon" bottle. On to some release agent and then used 3M spray 77 adhesive to tack on a piece of peel ply. Peel Ply leaves a surface on composites already prepped so there's no sanding involved. I had a nice piece of heavy duty Carbon leftover so I got two layers out of that. After the two layers had been laid up I followed that with one more peel ply. After cure I pulled the Ally and the peel out. I found some 20mm Balsa that has a glass fabric backing much like mosaic tiles. It was cut to shape and bonded into the Carbon shell with Epoxy treated to some thixotropic agent. The result is what we call Gorilla Snot. It set up nicely and tomorrow I'll shape and radius for the final layers.
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A few more of the part.
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I've never seen Epoxy go off this quick even though it's my "summer" blend with a 60 minute hardener. Any thickened resin will cure faster no matter what but this was insane.
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My exhaust flanges. These were waterjet cut for my Sportster projects from a steel called Roc? maybe Rock. It's harder than mild steel. I checked and the bolt pattern suits my exhaust ports on the Ford head. There is a step in the flange that accepts the 2" Stainless pipe. Bonus of note. I have 8 flanges just waiting. My welding supplier says I can use the Stainless 304 rod I have to weld the flange to the pipe. I'm a fair weldor but I just need some input on the subject. Is his assesment correct?. Thanks.
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No turning back now. The final bridge has been burned. Two of these puppies arrived. Holset HX55s. They came at a cost of my design skills and labour. Sometimes this barter system works great especially here in Africa. :cheers:
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Are they for the bike or the truck?
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Bo, for the truck :-D That bike is on hold. I've been blessed with more work than I can handle so both projects are idling.
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Fantastic work as always. It's great to see the various skill sets and backgrounds that individuals bring to the table.
For years, I was "into" hot rod jet boats. That balsa core material was very popular in the custom boat world, particularly for flooring over a bare hull, and to reinforce some thin sections of lightweight drag boats. Once that balsa has been flow-coated with clear or tinted resin, the results just screamed of craftsmanship and high-end custom work.
I have seen more than one guy who did that balsa core work in his boat, then laid a $100 bill on top of the balsa before flow-coating. The $100 bill is then permanently set in the resin, for all to see. It's a testament to the amount of time, money and dedication needed to build anything at that level.
The level of work you are doing is very high-end, and it's great to see the type of skills you bring to the game. It helps open everyone's eyes to what is possible.
Steve.
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Thanks Steve. The cool thing about the work I do is that there are always leftover materials. The 1" Balsa is one of those. I could have used it to produce a plug but I figured why waste time. I did a repair on a Porsche GT3 floor tray a while back and it was made from the same Balsa core between layers of Carbon. My pedal box is about done. It too is a Carbon/Ally honeycomb construction. Inspection lid needs to be matched to the opening and fixing hardware installed. The steering shaft goes through the the angled opening at front. It's a tight fit inside and after much debate I cut the Tilton floor mount assembly and removed around an inch of material between the clutch and brake pedals.
The Carbon gas pedal needs to bonded to the base it works off and was made off a template of my race boot. Height to steering shaft is also limited and anyone with feet bigger than a size 7 shoe won't be driving. You'd think a truck this size would accomodate a much taller driver but his feet would be in amongst the wishbones. The box has tophat bushings that need to be bonded in. The box will be bolted and bonded to the chassis once it's been painted. I won't be clear coating the box because it will get some heat shield material to protect it from the header. One good thing is that there is very little heat transfer between the outer and inner skins.
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The box will be tidied up next week in between the other work going on and the mounting plate for the pedals will go to powder coat with some other trick pieces I made. I just carried the two turbos back to the house. Damn, I want to get the mountings right first time. They should come with a Gold's Gym vest and some roids. :-D
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That pedal box looks good. Tony
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Beautiful work as always, want a working holiday in Aus?
jon
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Thanks guys. Jon, how would I get past border security?. Those guys are tough :-D I'd love a working holiday there. Have tools, will travel.
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Very nice work. Love that balsa core stuff!
Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ
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This is a really nice build and very well thought out. Good work, love the updates. :cheers:
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Thanks guys. Jon, how would I get past border security?. Those guys are tough :-D I'd love a working holiday there. Have tools, will travel.
They're only tough on TV
The ones not on TV are almost normal
G
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I'll keep that in mind. Sorry you won't be getting Biltong (the real Beef Jerky) when I do get there :-D
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I picked up the post this morning. There was a cardboard tube from Tulsa and in it were two calendars from Bobby Moore (Maro Special) and Peggy Vaught (Peggy's Pickup) that they'd signed saying they were waiting for me to get over to Bonneville. I thought it was a nice gesture and helps with the motivation. Thanks Peggy and Bobby. :cheers:
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Not much happening on the build due to the shop being full of other work. Weird weather though. Hail in mid March????. The roof leaked right where my chassis was standing so I'll get that fixed today.
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Mike. I lookied at the pics you sent of the other work you had done- :cheers:FANTASTIC!
Hopefully you get the water out of your garage, so that you can get back on this one!
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Thanks man. Water wasn't as big a problem as I thought. I found a few pics of the "Speed Week" held at Hakskeen Pan last year. Don't laugh guys, this isn't what you're used to but the passion is there. There aren't pics of the race cars or maybe these are the race cars. I don't know the people that ran but apparently they had a good time. :-D
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Some pics of the scenery.
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More enthusiasts.
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Sweet pictures Mike! Love the "scenery stuff". Being an outdoorsy type of guy that stuff really gets me going! Thanks! :cheers:
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Mike, Really cool pics. Tell us more about the Hakskeen Pan.
Gregg
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Gregg, I'm having second thoughts about the place. Some guys set up a thing called Speedweeksa and all manner of cars and bikes turned up for the event. I guess you could call it a "run what you brung" event. I watched a program on TV and a guy on a Kawasaki did 330Kph but he said it was hairy due to the slippery conditions. The organizers got some scientists to formulate a chemical to stop the surface from breaking up and it didn't work. It's in it's infancy I'd say and there are a group of people just having fun on the pan. There were Porsches, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, muscle cars and a bunch of hot rods out there. The pan has a lot in common with Bonneville as far as flooding goes.
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Looks more like El Mirage -- is it dirt or salt?
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Aero tweaks were present as well. The caption said they never worked. :-D
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It's Alkali but I could be wrong. I've got to find more info here and I'll get back to you on the exact composition.
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That looks like great fun. Is it GPS timed?
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Surface besides cutting up is probably not all that much different to the salt or El Mirage, just a matter of experiance to get the best out of it
new guys here or in the USA can learn quickly from watching the more experianced run and there setup
your all starting from the very beginning
lack of traction is one of the first big hurdles to cross, that and reducing your resistance
Now you have an event, there will probably be a few with enough interest to travel to other meetings and step up the learning curve
Your pages here will put you well ahead of the crowd both for setup to go fast and safety
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Thanks maj, Bo it is GPS timed but I'm not sure about the fun part. I need to get out to the pan for a recce before I do anything else. The guys that went out there were just having a good time with their road cars and hot rods. What I'm busy on is a different animal and it's not a weekend warrior type deal. It's tough enough building the thing over here and every move I make is a first. I think I should be talking to the guys that run at El Mirage for advice. If it wasn't for this forum and all the members I think I'd be up a creek with no paddle. Maj, the event the guys had is not a sanctioned one. I have to pay Motorsport SA 52 grand a day for timing, marshals, emergency rescue and all the other stuff that goes with breaking the record. If we had ten or twenty guys with the same idea it wouldn't be too bad but I'm the only one I know of building a vehicle right now. The sensible move would be to get to Bonneville but I doubt my car would fit any category.
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The sensible move would be to get to Bonneville but I doubt my car would fit any category.
Mike,
I think you would have to run T.O. like the NASCAR cars do.
Shipping would be tough (expensive) for you but at least you would have a place to run and be around a lot of REALLY nice and friendly gearheads.
If you were to ship to the US middle Atlantic states (NC,SC,VA), I would be willing to help you with the logistics the best I can. :cheers:
Gregg
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Thanks Gregg, My neighbour is chief of pilots for the national carrier. Just maybe one flying concern might sponsor another. I'm actually afraid of asking him in case he gets a positive response. As exciting as it would be it's a scary thought. Right now I have no real pressure. :-) Going to Bonneville would up the ante big time. That's like going to the BIGS.
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Thanks Gregg, My neighbour is chief of pilots for the national carrier. Just maybe one flying concern might sponsor another. I'm actually afraid of asking him in case he gets a positive response. As exciting as it would be it's a scary thought. Right now I have no real pressure. :-) Going to Bonneville would up the ante big time. That's like going to the BIGS.
LOL and how true on the BIGS!
Just keep it in mind that if there is anything I can do just let me know.
Gregg
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Bring you sportster to BUB. It will cost a lot less and there is no pressure.
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Gregg, you're a good guy and I know the offer is genuine, thanks. Bo, just when I started working on the Sporty a bunch of work came in so it's not getting any attention either. I'm doing a one piece front end for a FWD Mazda drag car. I don't like fwd and have never owned one. It just goes against the grain having the big tires on the front but the young guys grew up with this weird stuff and it pays good money. There are lots of possibilities and I'm not ruling anything out. It may be a good having a break from the LSR project for a while because I've been at it day and night for almost a year now. I'm not typical of guys my age and even with all the old broken bones and injuries I'm always up early, good to go and ready for work but right now I'm tired.
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It is like that here. A couple of weeks ago I told the boss "you are giving me far more work than I can do. What are the priorities here?" He said "Everything is top priority. Do it all. There are 24 hours in a day and weekends." The extra work is helping to pay for the trip to AUS, but I am tired, too.
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I'm doing a one piece front end for a FWD Mazda drag car. I don't like fwd and have never owned one. It just goes against the grain having the big tires on the front but the young guys grew up with this weird stuff and it pays good money.
Mike, please make an exception for Steve and myself as our Rampages are remaining FWD......LOL! :-D :-D :-D
Gregg
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I'm always up early, good to go and ready for work but right now I'm tired.
And this is precisely why I retired at the end of June last year. I liked the work I was doing in I.T. but I was just tried!
Since about age 57, I started noticing that when I got home on Wednesday I was tired, Thursday a little more so and by Friday I was exhausted.
For me now, as the expensive T-shirts say, Life is Good! :cheers:
Gregg
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I'm doing a one piece front end for a FWD Mazda drag car. I don't like fwd and have never owned one. It just goes against the grain having the big tires on the front but the young guys grew up with this weird stuff and it pays good money.
Mike, please make an exception for Steve and myself as our Rampages are remaining FWD......LOL! :-D :-D :-D
Gregg
:-D :-D :-D Gregg, picture this. The 15 x 10" wheel combos are on the front with drag slicks. It reminds me of the dude on the beach with a 60" chest and 25" arms wearing Levis because he's got no legs. Your trucks are cool believe me.
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It's getting bad here. The Mazda 3 drag car is kicking my Butt 40 ways from Sunday. I'm getting all kinds of looks from family members. What's going on Pops?, you need to finish the ride!. :-D I need this sort of thing or I'll lose it completely.
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I know that feeling all too well Mike! :cheers:
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It sure looks like a challenge. It will be extra fun for you to get back to working on the Sportster after that adventure.
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Sometimes I think getting wasted on booze is the answer before starting work because you still know what you're doing but just don't care. This sucker is playing me. Getting one side right is straight forward but to mirror the opposite one is problematic. So many curves. You're dealing with optical illusion and what's perfect doesn't always look right. I won't be complaining about the truck project one bit after this. It's funding the fever and I know it will be a winner when it hits the track. I think there's a bondo shortage in the country now. There's even some 50s Ford truck in the fender flares. :-D
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Mike, Take a deep breath, they can only look at one side at a time. :-D
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Yup, you're right. My buddy Clive came around unexpectedly which was a good thing. Having someone to chat to for a change was cool. The dogs are all ears but they can't answer. :-) He's going to crew for me and he knows the V8s, electrical etc. He was trained in Dallas at UTI. He likes the same cars I do and must be the best troubleshooter I know. He had this F150 with a faulty distributor and he was kinda stuck at my place so I gave him a spare one and he fitted it in the dark, started the motor and it ran fine. Checked the timing the next day and it was as close as you'll get. One down, six to go. You have to have seven crew or you don't look pro!!! The Mazda is sitting there whimpering. It's beaten. All it took was a few pizzas and a Coke. Go figure. Molding this weekend starting on Saturday. Good Friday is one day I don't work. It's a day for reflection.
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Tauruck:
I like that front end. Looks great even in bondo!
BR
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Mike, how is the dragster coming along? It looked good in the last post.
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Hey Bo, It's been interesting. I'm not used to workin on a creeper under a car while laminating. I normally get to set things up on stands but this is a complete car. I should have the five part mold done by Wednesday latest. I have redone the right side mod 3 times. I just couldn't get the symmetry right. It fought me even with the aid of the profile gauge but I think it's as close as I'll ever get it. I needed to put a nice lip on the wheel arch so I cut a piece off mommy's garden hose. I split it and pushed it over the fiberglass. Bingo. Some pics of the project. Mold splitter board (ABS) and release agent applied.
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Gel coat applied to the back half and glass.
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I'm done with the glass work on the left side but haven't taken pics. I'll post some later for you.
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Mike, thought you fell off the planet for a while. I see you've been up to your elbows in glass, Looks awsome.
Frank.
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Frank, :lol: Elbows, knees and even eyelashes. Don't make me do the Chopped Strand shuffle. :lol:
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Tauruck
Check out Allmetalshaping.com. Search for info on "FSP" flexible shape pattern. It is used to duplicate shapes. We use it on metal but there is no reason the procedure couldn't be used on glass. If the fsp is done properly, you can tell very small variances between the two shapes. For mirror images just turn the pattern inside out, same shape reversed.
edit: Google, flexible shape pattern, shows much.
Ron
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That 'glass work looks fantastic! :-o , like how I imagine automobile prototyping looks. Very "Pro".
Keep up the fine work. It's amazing how other people's projects can lend inspiration and drive to our own projects.
Steve
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Awesome man! Looks great! :cheers:
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Mike, your work is first class! Car looks bad azz! :cheers:
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That looks good and you are pretty fast at doing it. That would be an all-winter project for the normal guy.
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Mike, can you whip out a '91 camaro one piece front end by the end of May. :-D :-D
sure would help my areo....
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I love that frontend. It is sculptured art.
Thanks for the post.
Bill
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Thanks guys. I really appreciate all the comments. I've only ever got positive feedback on this forum and coming from all you guys based where real hot rodding lives means a great deal to me. I'd do anything to be over there with you doing this stuff on LSR projects. I know the Mazda is not my project but my mission is to make it a winner. It's a 9 second car at 6000Ft and the dude that runs it is cool. He's a second generation motor engineer that does reboring, cranks, heads etc and to top it all he comes from the same area I grew up in. The South of Johannesburg. We are supposed to be the poorer, working class people. Miners, artisans and mechanics. The saying goes that the best thing that ever came out of the north is the M1 freeway going south. Kyle doesn't know it yet but I built a rear wing for the car. I technically don't have kids and this guy is what I'd imagine a son would be. He's a grafter and as honest as the day is long.
The community radio station I listen to has a daily competition with a prize attached and yesterday the topic was American sports. They asked about Lake Placid 1980 and what was so significant. :-D I made my first goalie mask in 1970 and that's how I got into fiberglass. I was 14. My brother was our goalie. I'm going to the station to collect my prize this morning. He he he. This station is cool. No Justin "Beaver", all the good stuff from the 60s, 70s and 80s.
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Oddball trivia to tie into Lake Placid and the 1932 Olympics. Did you know it was a warm winter that year and they could not hold all the events in NY? They held them by Canton South Dakota! The local Sons Of Norway had a huge ski club and there was a bobsled run and ski jumps built already, plus we had SNOW :cheers:
This shows it as the US trial but I have seen other info stating the actual events.
http://www.waymarking.com/gallery/image.aspx?f=1&guid=76751aaa-8059-452d-a990-d19da1f09320
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Thanks Trent. The Russians are also having problems for the upcoming games. They're collecting snow and stockpiling it. :-D
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That front end is Bad A$$ Mike! :cheers:
Capt, I was wondering the same thing about a nose for Hank!
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Thanks Joe. It's a distraction at the moment but will be gone by Friday so I can get back to Blue Oval related tasks. :cheers: :cheers:
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I was sidetracked by the Mazda but I now have a mold and the car is gone. It turned out quite nicely. I'll be back on my truck from Monday.
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Glad to hear that Mike, Truck on...
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Loving the build thread, great work with the CF. :cheers: That has been an area I would like to get into, but time moves too fast!! :|
I just wanted to throw a word of caution out there with your intake plenum, be sure to test the plenum in vacuum and pressured applications. We had a carbon manifold delamination on our Formula SAE car due to the extremely high vacuum created from using gapless piston rings. If you can bond in a support bar in the middle of the plenum, that should take care of any issues. It looks like your plenum has a fairly large surface area which creates a large amount of bending stress withing the 'side wall' of the plenum. I wouldn't want to see so much of your hard work end up broken!
Keep up the good work!!! :cheers:
Tristan
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Thanks for the advice and compliment Tristan. The box has changed slightly but we'll definitely do what it takes to make sure it holds together. :cheers:
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY.....MIKE!
I hope this birthday is a good one and also hope you have many more! :cheers:
Gregg
The above was done especially for you in Ford blue..... :-D
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Ya Mike, What Gregg said. Happy B day. :cheers: :cheers:
Frank
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Yea! Having another birthday Mike? Good job! Don't stop any time soon! :cheers:
Geo
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Mike, have a happy birthday, too. Best wishes from here in Oregun.
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Thank you very much guys. I really appreciate the wishes. :cheers: Everybody here in SA ignored or forgot about me. It's a public holiday over here called workers day :-D :-D :-D and I've never stopped.
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See ya on the Salt in August. [about 98 days away]
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One piece Mazda front end came out of the mold this morning. 18Lbs including the honeycomb undertray. The original hood weighed more. I'm going to have a few Scotches tonight for sure and clean the workshop tomorrow. Then it's back to normal. :cheers:
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I've been wondering where yopu've been hiding. congrats on the completeing the front end. You do some awsome work. Make them a double :cheers:
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Thanks Frank. I'm going to start the wheel discs on Monday. How many Dzuz fasteners do you use to attach them?.
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Now I see the advantages are great. That is much, much, less weight than a hand laid fiberglas piece.
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Thanks Frank. I'm going to start the wheel discs on Monday. How many Dzuz fasteners do you use to attach them?.
6 screws or 3 Dzus fasteners.
Don
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Don, I was hoping for four. :-D Sure makes life easier using the laser to get the balance right. I'm on it. Pic to come.
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3 per Don. Are you using a Moon disc template to layout the hole location?
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Only if I get meaurements. I haven't seen a moon disc here in SA. Frank, maybe you should measure one for me. Thanks man.
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The three Dzus is the minimum, you can do four if you like.
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Only if I get meaurements. I haven't seen a moon disc here in SA. Frank, maybe you should measure one for me. Thanks man.
I'll get the measurements for you this afternoon. Tman, four would be bad as I already have three tabs welded to my wheels.
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Only if I get meaurements. I haven't seen a moon disc here in SA. Frank, maybe you should measure one for me. Thanks man.
I'll get the measurements for you this afternoon. Tman, four would be bad as I already have three tabs welded to my wheels.
I didn't read that part where they were for yours. I made that statement in general.
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I don't know that they are. I was just throwing that out there. Most sets I seen have 3 but what do I know I haven't been to the salt or dirt,,,,,yet :-D
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Frank, I haven't fallen off the world but I'm snowed under with work so that's why I've been scarce. :-D I've had a look at the Dzuz thing. I used a panel that was dimpled for a fastener and used that as a mold. IMHO just using a countersink tool to get the correct angle will work on Carbon. If I put the three tabs I made into the mold and they are off by even just a little, enlarging the hole will render the part useless. I'm doing a test a little later and I'll let you know.
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Mike, I was getting concerned about your wellfare. So I'm guessing no progress on the truck as well. Gotta pay the bills. Work=good,Pay=better. I'll PM you this evening.
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I'm waiting.
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It's not evening here yet. :-D
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:-D :-D I tried holding my breath.
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Has anyone hear anything from Mike? I hope he is OK.
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Has anyone hear anything from Mike? I hope he is OK.
Wobbly, been thinking the same thing.
Paging Mike Tauruck, Paging Mr.Mike Tauruck!
Gregg
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I "speak" to him about once a week. He is fine and has gotten busy making parts for folks cars over there. It's winter where he is so everone is getting thier body work made/replaced. I think he is changing directions on his speed effort. I'll let him break the news when he is ready.
Frank.
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I "speak" to him about once a week. He is fine and has gotten busy making parts for folks cars over there. It's winter where he is so everone is getting thier body work made/replaced. I think he is changing directions on his speed effort. I'll let him break the news when he is ready.
Frank.
Thanks for the update Frank. Completely forgot about the seasons being bass ackwards down there! :-D
Looking forward to seeing what his "New" direction.
Gregg
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I'm back "kinda". Had computer problems caused by power surges. 5 blown power packs= about 5 weeks offline. The workload was huge so I never really missed the machine. Then I got sick. I thought I was a goner for sure. Ten days of hell I won't discuss here but thank God I dodged a .50 cal round. I'm not working yet but I'll start on Monday. I'm building a new car is maybe the good news. It's a long one and the upside is that 2 corporates are going to inject a fair amount of cash into it. The same people turned me down on sponsorship for the truck. A local wheel manufacturer that was going to machine a set of custom wheels for my custom bike (to take to Sturgis a few years ago) is busy doing a set of billet 18" wheels to match the M/T tyres I've ordered.
Most of the components I had for the truck will work on the long car. With the local currency sitting at 10/$ sponsors are the only way I'm going to get the project completed and I start welding on Monday. The cool thing is that the guy we bought our house from built a yacht in the garge, well the garage grew to accomodate the boat so space won't be a problem. The wife has three cars, one with a blown clutch. She found a buyer for it and wanted me to replace the clutch. I hate FWD like you won't believe and really didn't want to do the job but I got lucky. I met an old friend that owns a workshop and he did the job "on the house". She sold the car and gave me the proceeds towards the long car. How's that?. :lol: What a girl!!! She's put up with all my Dodge for years and this is my reward. I'm blessed. I'll post pics of the new project as it emerges.
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Good to hear things are going ok Mike! Can't wait to see how this "long" car turns out. Glad yer back man! :cheers:
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Mike, that's a great plan.
Glad to hear you're back up and running. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
I'll follow the project with great interest.
Pete
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It's really good to hear from you and that you are doing OK. :cheers:
I'm sure the "long car" will be as meticulous as the truck.
Already looking forward to updates!
Gregg
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When we don't hear from you for a while the entire group gets to wondering.
Our imagination ranges from illness, froze to death to a change in interests.
It's great that sponsorship has been forced on you.
I am certain that you will be able to accommodate the change.
Just like writing or calling home, keep us in the loop.
FREUD
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Sounds like some good fortune after a bout of bad luck.
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Glad to see that you are still alive all that. Good luck with the long car. It should be interesting.
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Thanks all. I don't get any inspiration locally, actually the opposite. I'm 100% genuine when I say that you guys are the only reason I'm still getting on with the project as far as motivation, help and backup are concerned. I'm busy getting the workshop sorted and took the time to actually measure the space I have to get the liner out once it's built. It will be tight turning the corner but I'm optimistic. I'll have pics of some of the parts being made during the week.
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Right on Mike! :cheers: Glad to see ya on here again! Can't wait to see how things start to shape up with your new project.
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Mike, inspirartion comes from within. Little support locally here as well. Few understand the need for speed. Keep us informed and keep well.
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Mike, inspirartion comes from within. Little support locally here as well. Few understand the need for speed. Keep us informed and keep well.
What he said
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Mike:
You are right. Most of us get little inspiration other than a burning desire to do something that only 1% of people ever do. Don't ever add up the hours or the money, just know the time on the salt is too short. It does not matter if the record you are after is 60 mph or 600 mph. Keep up the good work.
BR
Thanks all. I don't get any inspiration locally, actually the opposite. I'm 100% genuine when I say that you guys are the only reason I'm still getting on with the project as far as motivation, help and backup are concerned. I'm busy getting the workshop sorted and took the time to actually measure the space I have to get the liner out once it's built. It will be tight turning the corner but I'm optimistic. I'll have pics of some of the parts being made during the week.
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Guys, I advertised the project for sale and I'm getting a lot of interest.
It hurts to have to sell but I need the workshop space and there is no way
i'm parking it out in the yard to rust and deteriorate.
I hope it goes to the right home. :cheers:
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Hate to see you let it go but I understand the need for space. I work in the driveway the garage is not bige enough to do much except store tools and parts :-D
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Frank, There's a lot of stuff one wants to throw out but as soon as you do,
you might need it. I threw out a pile of wood and now I need some to back up a mold.
Maybe a small garage isn't so bad. At least it prevents you from getting into
projects that are way over your head. Look at ME!!!!!! :-D :-D :-D :-D
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Mike,
I remember a story about a guy that saved string. He had two balls of string. One marked "String to save", and one marked "String too short to save". In a way, we are all sort of that way. Saving things with no use, until they have a use.
Doug :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
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Mike, let me recap, all driveway work. '91 camaro LSR car, '71 mustang convertable, '75 MG midget. I work on one till I run out of parts then I work on another. Keeps me out of drink'n money :-D. when I got no parts or money, we got to the shooting range :cheers:
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On the last shooting range I went to, the targets tried shooting back. :wink: :-D :-D :-D