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Bonneville Salt Flats Discussion => Build Diaries => Topic started by: LittleLiner on November 19, 2009, 04:18:43 PM

Title: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 19, 2009, 04:18:43 PM
Build Diary - Car 495 - J/Gas Coupe

I have looked at every build diary on this website and continue to be in awe.  The ingenuity and craftsmanship going into the cars and bikes people are building for LSR is very impressive. 

This project will NOT be known for ingenuity or craftsmanship.  While no racecar project is cheap this one is about as cheap as I can make it.

My ‘shop’ consists of half of our two car garage in my condo.  My ‘team’ is myself.  I don’t have a trailer and if I did, I don’t have a heavy enough vehicle to pull one.  My sponsor is my wallet and although we live comfortably I am not in any danger of being hit by a tax on the rich.  I have no welder which makes sense since I don’t know how to weld.   My ‘lathe’ consists of a collection of flat and round files.  When the car is complete I will probably put a “Driver Has No Cash” sticker on it.

Way back about 8 years ago when I got the bug to go LSR the dream was to build a very small streamliner with a small (250cc) engine and try to set the world record in the FIA class for 250cc unblown engines.  I had engines left over from my dirt track microsprint days.  How hard could it be?  I started to follow this website and set up an account under the name “LittleLiner”.  That is why a guy building a Gas Coupe is called Littleliner.  The more I looked at the sport, the more reality set in.  No way was I going to be able to build a streamliner. . . . I sold all the 250cc stuff I had and I went to plan B – build a Gas Coupe.

Step 1:  Pick a class:   The record for J/GC at Bonneville, El Mirage, Texas, Maxton and Loring is Zero.  The minimum at El Mirage is 90mph.  Everywhere else the record is within reach if I can complete a run (two at Bonneville with the backup pass).  Zero MPH is within the reach of my building and driving skills.  I want a record.  I do hold a record at Maxton with a different car
(see http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,4642.0.html ) but I really want to go to Bonneville and hopefully get a record.  So I sought a class with an open record. Near as I can tell, at this time (November 2009) no one has built a J/GC. 

Now all I needed was a car and an engine . . . how hard could it be?

I'll be posting some photos and words to bring the project up to date
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Geo on November 19, 2009, 05:00:33 PM
 remember the Beltway Bandit story.  Very cool!  Looking forward to the new car!

Good luck with the build.  Post many photos and ask questions.

Geo
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 20, 2009, 12:37:29 PM
Step 2:  Get an engine:  J Class is for engines 31 to 45 cubic inches (approximately 501cc to 750cc).  I wanted a stock production engine for reliability. 

I decided to go with a motorcycle engine because they have a high power per pound ratio.  Motorcycle junk yards didn't have what I wanted at the price I wanted to pay.  So I turned to ebay. 
When looking for a motorcycle engine on ebay you run across the term “Car Kit”.  A Car Kit engine is one that is all together and includes the complete intake system, starter, wiring harness and sometimes even includes the radiator and/or the exhaust system.
I wanted a Suzuki GSXR750 engine but was getting outbid on the ones I liked.  So I decided to look for something almost as good as a GSXR750 and settled on a Honda CBR600RR.  

These engines redline at 15000rpm and produce stock horspower in the 110 to 118 range depending on the year.  Torque is around 45 to 50 ft lbs.
The transmission is a six speed.  If my back were not so messed up I could lift the entire engine without help.  These engines are light and very compact which really helps when performing a swap into a car. 

I bid on and won the engine shown in the photo above.  It is a 2003 CBR600RR with less than 2000 miles.  It was pulled from a crashed but running bike.  I've had the engine since 2004.  It came as a complete car kit including radiator and exhaust.  Since then I have acquired a complete spare engine car kit from a 2004 (interchangable with the 2003) .  That engine only cost $250 (it has a problem jumping out of second gear) and I got it without spending any money for shipping (thanks to apair of Maxton racers that shuttled it from Florida to me as a favor..)  

Next step - get a car.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: DallasV on November 20, 2009, 01:07:31 PM
This has me interested so I started looking on our local classifieds here in SLC. If I were in your boat I kind of like the Honda Del Sol. Looks pretty sleak, light, and there where quite a few for sale cheap. Just a thought.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 20, 2009, 01:44:04 PM
The Del Sol is a two passenger car which puts you into GT or Modified Sports.  There have been posts in the past here about wether a Honda Motorcycle engine would be legal in a Honda car (Del Sol, Insight, S600 etc) in GT.  I think the conclusion was that it would not be considered a car engine and not be allowed in GT.  Now there is Modified Sports (MS) available but the "lowest" SCTA engine class in MS is class I for engines between 751cc and 1000cc.   

I am running Gas Coupe but intend to change the car over time to run in Altered and eventually in Competition Coupe.  With a sports car you are stuck with only Modified Sports. 

Also the Del Sol is front wheel drive.  That creates some issues when running a bike engine.  Wait for my posting about how I am mounting the engine and I will reveal some details that might help someone with putting a bike engine in a FWD car.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Dreamweaver on November 20, 2009, 01:58:45 PM
Cool stuff, seems Ive been planning near the same setup  :cheers:

I'm looking at the Metro/Sprint line for a GC, you are way ahead of me in that you have th eparts and have participated at Maxton....mine is prolly just a dream.

Oh , these guys, Team Metro-Gnomes Geo Metro, have been having some success in road racing theirs. Lots of build photos of their Geo is you scour the net. http://psiman.net/index.php/finished_projects/geo/

Good luck.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 20, 2009, 02:27:01 PM
I am very familiar with the Metro Gnome team.  I have spoken with the owner/driver.  I have also been in contact with the guy that helped build the car originally (PSI man).  He profided me with the bearing hangers we are using to hold the diff in place.  But we are getting way ahead of the story . . .

You see before the Geo there was a Chevette . . . .

Step 3: Find a car that fits the class.  In 2004 I bought a 76 Chevette.  It met my two criteria - It was small and cheap.  But it had one major challenge and that was fitting a motorcycle engine up front in a rear wheel drive car.   I had removed the unneeded stuff like engine, trans, interior and I was moving along (slowly).  By the end of the Summer 2004 I had made very little progress other than stripping the Chevette.  At that time we sold our house and I had to put the car in storage while our new place was being built.

Then I met Tom Bruch.  Everybody knows Tom.  It was the October 2004 meet at Maxton.  At that time he was running a Geo Metro 3 cylinder with a Turbo and was setting several records including one pass just short of 131 mph.  I began to think that perhaps I could fit my Honda engine to a Geo transmission and run a Metro instead of the Chevette.

By April 2005 I was settled in the new Condo and the Chevette was occupying the left side of our new two car garage. I built an engine hoist frame out of 2x4s and got back to work.  After struggling with the issues presented by the Chevette/Honda swap I was beginning to think that this was a major mistake.  Progress slowed to a standstill.  The header would not clear the steering box and the engine had to be offset to the right which created all sorts of problems with the driveline design.  Seemed like a Metro would be a better foundation for my gas coupe so I scrapped the Chevette.  Back to ebay . . .
   
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 20, 2009, 02:39:20 PM
Ebay can be a strange experience.  I’ve bought and sold a bunch of stuff there.  My rating approaches 170 so there have been that many transactions at a minimum.  I’ve bought and sold cars, motorcycles, engines, all kinds of stuff.  So I went to ebay to find the “Perfect Geo Metro”.   I live in Pennsylvania.  We get snow here.  We cover our roads with salt to get around in snow.  This really does a job on our cars.  Geo’s are made of metal, . .  not much metal, but none the less . . metal.  Metal rusts.  When a Geo Metro rusts the problem is that the mounts for the front suspension rot out and the car is worthless.  It costs more to fix them than they are worth.  So there are a good number of worthless Geo Metros for sale around here.  Many are on ebay. 

I probably bid on a dozen Metros.  Some never reached the reserve price.  Some got too expensive for me.  Some got snatched away through a last second sniper bid and I got aced out.  I hate it when that happens.
Then . . . there was this Geo Metro, a 1990 with a bazillion miles and no title, it was not running (“ran when parked”) - it was only about an hour drive from here - it was only a 5 day auction and only two days were left, - the bidding had started at $50 and there was only one bid – no reserve -  the high bid would win.  I figured it was probably rusted out.  I email the seller to ask about some details.  Never got an answer – so I bid $51.  What the heck?  Maybe there were a few good parts I could use when I found the right car. 

I won the auction.  The guy wanted cash in one week.  I figured out where he lived and took the money.  That was a mistake.  He was ticked.  Didn’t like people just dropping in unannounced.  Wanted to cancel the sale.  After some groveling on my part he backed off, took the money and we walked back through some fields to where it was sitting, . . . up to the door sills in mud.  See photo
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/metroebayadphoto.jpg)
It was actually in better shape than I expected.  As best as I could tell there was little to no rust. The body had almost no damage, only a few very small dents, all the glass was good– It would be five weeks before the field dried out enough to get the car out.  Part of the negotiation included me waiting till it was dry so his fields would not get all tore up pulling the Geo out.

I eventually flat towed it home with a tow bar, washed it and put it in the garage.  Not bad for $51.00.

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Rightsideaspurchased.jpg)

If you look close you can see the stash of acorns that field mice had put in the air cleaner housing . . . .

So . . all I have to do is swap engines and go racing.  How hard could that be?
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 23, 2009, 12:35:38 PM
Gas Coupe rules restrict the design and modifications for this project.  Two key gas coupe rule items that have driven the way I approach this are (1) “FWD cars that have been converted to rear wheel drive are not permitted in this class” and (2) the requirement for at least one of the following modifications to be used: - a non-stock supercharger, a quick change rear, or an engine swap.  

How hard could it be?  Retain Front Wheel Drive and swap in the Honda engine.  All I have to do is order up an adapter to mate the Honda to the Geo Transaxle.   . . OK, . . bad idea.  

The initial plan was to fabricate a short (very short) coupler to join the Honda output shaft to the input shaft on the Geo Transaxle.  The Honda clutch would be retained and the shifting would be applied to the Honda 6 speed.  The Geo 5 speed and reverse would be retained but be set on one gear and not shifted during the running of the car.  Think of the transaxle as a “quick change” with 5 speed and reverse.

So I pulled the geo engine.  Lowered the Honda into position and realize that . . .well . . it didn’t fit.   The Geo transaxle sits on the left side of the engine bay with the engine on the right.  The Honda was just a little too wide.  To clear the bell housing would require cutting into the “frame rails” in the uni-body.  Decided not to go that way.  Which left the option of cutting away some of the bell housing to allow the Honda to drop in.  The photo shows the cut bell housing and the critical components that all had to fit.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/markupofcouplerarea.jpg)
Also with the engine in this position it was lower than I wanted it to be.  So for ground clearance I would have to get the oil sump modified.  There was also limited ground clearance for using the Honda exhaust header which runs under the engine on either side of the oil sump.

Interference caused by the water pump and cooling hoses prevents installing any sort of universal in the coupler making engine to the transaxle alignment very important. 

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/metroengineswap2lowcompression.jpg)

Early ‘test fit’ of engine next to transaxle . . .

. . . .So in review. . . A) the engine will barely fit. B) I need a very special one-off coupler. C) There is no room for a universal joint.  D) So I will have to build some sort of mounts that hold the engine and transaxle in perfect alignment. E) The engine is too low in the car and will require custom headers and an oil pan sectioning job to get anything reasonable in ground clearance. 

At this point I decided to come up with an alternative plan . . .
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: McRat on November 23, 2009, 12:54:16 PM
Interesting.

Did you consider ditching the factory transaxle, and making a center shaft with a sprocket on it to connect the stub axles?  This way you'd be a spool, incur only one transmission loss, and have more ground clearance.  The motorcycle engine probably wants closer gear ratios than the Sprint has in it, and you'll be able to change top gear ratios easy by changing countershaft sprockets.

Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: floydjer on November 23, 2009, 01:36:18 PM
Pat types faster than I do. Agree 100%. Looks like it would be less machining too. J.B.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: floydjer on November 23, 2009, 02:37:09 PM
How about taking the rear live axle from a quad and re-drill the wheel flanges to match the bolt pattern of the c/v joints? Already has a sprocket, You`d just have to mount it w/ carrier bearings and there are,no doubt,all sorts of after market ratios available. :cheers:
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Dreamweaver on November 23, 2009, 03:30:27 PM
This is like watching the movie after reading the book.  :-D

Methinks he has it figured out already and is just showing us his timeline of attempts gone awry.

Gooo Littleliner....J/GC look out  :-)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 23, 2009, 04:31:56 PM
May I assume you guys are suggesting something like this in place of the transaxle?

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1530.jpg)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: McRat on November 23, 2009, 04:55:15 PM
Probably.   :cheers:
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: floydjer on November 23, 2009, 06:28:43 PM
Sorta :-)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Dr Goggles on November 23, 2009, 07:41:35 PM
he's playing with us......best writer on the board...and nearly as funny as you Floydjer.......

btw not all the cars on this board are exemplary examples.... :wink:
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: floydjer on November 23, 2009, 09:09:47 PM
I don`t try to be funny....But when your parents named you "Jerry Berry" it comes along as a package. :cheers:
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 25, 2009, 04:24:53 PM
Figuring out the drive train is important but in the end the same engine will be used. 

Going fast (or faster) is affected by many factors but boils down to three things:  Power, aero and traction. 

I don’t want this thread to swerve off the topic and turn into an aero discussion.  Fact is that there is very little that can be done in Gas Coupe to improve the aero package.  An air dam is allowed as long as the original grill opening is not blocked.  You can also play with ride height, remove mirrors, remove wipers and remove minor trim items.  All these help some but selecting the right body is the best thing you can do for aero. 

The Geo Metro is a small car and the frontal area is small.  I’ve seen a few figures on the net for Metro frontal area (Fa) and the numbers are generally all around 18.84 square feet.  Coefficient of drag (Cd) numbers I’ve found are around 0.360 for a 92 metro (the 92 is virtually the same as the 90 model I am using)

The factor that drives the aero consideration is the product of  Cd x Fa.   The smaller that number the less the horsepower needed to reach a certain speed.  All other things remaining equal, the smaller the frontal area the greater the changes in aero with improvements in Cd. 

So how could I improve Cd within the rules?  The Geo from 89 through 94 was offered in a few different “trim” packages including an LSI model and a (for some years) convertible.  There was also a Suzuki version (Swift and Swift GT) as well as a Pontiac model offered in Canada called the Firefly.  Mixing and matching trim from all these models is allowed within the rules.  (Example – you can run the production air dam from a Vega GT on any model Vega).  The Geo trim differences include two headlight configurations.  Changing from one type headlight to the other is a bolt in conversion.  The photos below show the standard base Geo Metro Headlight configuration on the left with the LSI model headlight on the right.  Mine came with the inset, cheapo, standard models.  I wanted the 'streamlined' LSI models.

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/geosquarelite.png)      (http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/lsiheadlight.png)

I scored a pair of LSI lights on ebay.  They cost me twice what I had paid for the car.  (about $100)

These are the lights that also come on the Suzuki GT.  The Cd for the Swift GT is 0.320.  Some of that improvement in Cd can be attributed to the headlights. 
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 11, 2009, 12:25:52 PM
Lowering the front –

Pulling the metro engine, trans, battery, air conditioning system and a bunch of other un-needed stuff from the front of the car has taken away weight that won’t be replaced.  So I need to ‘lower’ the nose on this turkey at least enough to get it out of a nose-high attitude.  I could just put some lead up there but think that adding weight to this LSR car will hurt performance.  Two reasons I say this are, first this car will primarily be a Maxton and Loring car.  Those venues are more like a long drag strip than a short Salt Flats.  Second, I barely have 50 ft pounds of torque in this little engine and the lighter this turkey is the less ‘work’ this little engine needs to put out.  For now – on pavement at least – traction will not be a problem.  And of course if I am wrong I can then add lead as needed.

Researched the web and find that the least expensive way to drop the front end on a Swift/Metro/Firefly is to cut the springs.  Plenty of info on this at www.teamswift.net. 

For me I try to follow a rule of to never modify any part unless I always have a spare, unaltered, part to use when and if I screw it up.  So I just picked up a pair of front struts with springs (thank you ebay) for $31.00.  I have decided to hold off cutting anything until after the engine is mounted to see just how high the front end is setting. 

The build list includes replacing all the struts, mounts, and suspension hardware with new parts prior to hitting the track.

Photo from ebay of the Swift GT struts and springs I just picked up . . .

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/struts.jpg)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 23, 2009, 12:09:52 PM
Driving the front wheels with a chain.  This isn't rocket science but it is a challenge because there is not very much room (fore and aft) to place the engine.  Remember this is a gas coupe that will also run as an altered.  So I can't move the engine any farther forward than the body panels will allow. Otherwise I will be only able to run competition coupe. 

This all mandates using a very short chain which brings a set of problems to play and especially the critical issue of chain alignment.  Plus I want to run this setup at Maxton (1 mile), Loring (1.5 miles) and Bonneville (short course -3 miles) so I have to plan of being able to change ratios without disassembling half the darn car. 

This has been done before.  A Geo very much like mine was put together on the West Coast a few years back using an earlier CBR600.  The critical component was the fabrication of bearing blocks to carry the Geo differential.  See http://psiman.net/index.php/finished_projects/geo/

I contacted the people that had fabricated that swap and was able to get their remaining bearing blocks for the cost of shipping.  I also found out that the original car was later sold to a racer that swapped the CBR600 for a CBR900 and used it to win a 24 hour road race – 24hours of Lemons.  That was a good test to show the open, non-lubricated diff can survive.

Here is a photo of the west coast car with the original chain drive conversion.

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/g6.jpg)

After some time running the original conversion the current owner decided to redesign the chain set up.  He chose to use two chains.  The newer setup is shown below;
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/gnome2.jpg)

I don't feel need to go with a double chain.  For one reason I don't have as much clearance around the engine sprocket.  My cbr600RR has a different water pump design and location which it inhibits what I can use as a drive sprocket. 
After running several spread sheets with ratios, speeds etc I decided to use a driven sprocket with 45 teeth and if that one is too difficult to pull I also ordered one with 48 teeth.  I ordered the custom sprockets from Sprocket Specialties.  They are split sprockets so I can remove/change them without removing anything accept for the chain.  Sprocket Specialties also provided me with the drive sprocket to adapt a 530 chain (original equipment is 525) for the Honda.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1515-1.jpg)
 I am using a 530 chain – which is wider than a 520 or 525 chain.  I decided to do this because it allows for thicker sprockets.  I don't want to be tearing up sprockets.  However with the thicker sprocket and chain I have almost no room to mount the driven sprocket on the right side of the ring gear mount.  So I am moving it to the left side.  This provided a small clearance problem for center opening of the driven sprocket. I realized that I would either have to remove a little metal from the diff or from the sprocket to get a good fit.  Before I did that I loosely mounted half of the sprocket to test fit the engine, diff, etc in the car to see how everything lined up.  Here is a photo of my diff with half sprocket mounted on left side of ring gear flange.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1512.jpg)
 Here is the engine propped up in the car with the diff attached to the half shafts and hanging from a strap in the position where it will be when the car is finished.  The camera angle is a bit deceiving.  There is actually more clearance between the steering rack and the sprocket then it appears.  The wooden block is covering part of the drive sprocket but you can see some of it to the left and below the block.  As you can see this will not be a very long chain.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1503-1.jpg)
The good news is that everything lines up.  I also was able to discover that the engine will need to be tilted a few degrees nose up to prevent the chain from hitting the engine case below the sprocket. 

Now I can proceed to modify the differential and mount the sprocket, bearings and bearing carriers.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: fredvance on December 23, 2009, 12:15:25 PM
What size drive sprocket are you useing?
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: floydjer on December 23, 2009, 12:51:01 PM
Quick question. Did you re-drill the gear carrier, or was that good old fashioned luck? J.B.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 23, 2009, 12:54:36 PM
What size drive sprocket are you useing?

15

Quick question. Did you re-drill the gear carrier, or was that good old fashioned luck? J.B.

Neither - I had the sprocket made to fit the gear carrier
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Peter Jack on December 23, 2009, 04:37:08 PM
Why couldn't you just turn the carrier 180 degrees so it was facing the other way? Then you'd be able to mount the sprocket on the fully machined surface. That might even give you a little more room.

Pete
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: 1212FBGS on December 23, 2009, 09:14:30 PM
a split sprocket will work on a go cart but will break on a 1200 lb+ car.....  bad idea!!!!!!.... oh 15 tooth is way 2 small for the front it will destroy your chain....
Kent
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: fredvance on December 23, 2009, 09:48:35 PM
Thats kinda what I thought too. 

  Fred
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 24, 2009, 10:00:10 AM
I had considered going with a custom spool to replace the metro diff.  Maybe even have some custom halfshafts.  This would allow for mounting of a one piece sprocket instead of a split one.
 
Why couldn't you just turn the carrier 180 degrees so it was facing the other way? Then you'd be able to mount the sprocket on the fully machined surface. That might even give you a little more room.
Pete

The carrier could easily be flopped 180 degrees but the clearance problem would still be there.  The bearing holder on that side is a very tight fit.   Picture a sprocket and the heads of mounting bolts fitting where my finger is in the photo.  To fix this I could come up with a different bearing carrier design that would leave some space. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1534.jpg) 

a split sprocket will work on a go cart but will break on a 1200 lb+ car.....  bad idea!!!!!!.... oh 15 tooth is way 2 small for the front it will destroy your chain....
Kent 
   From experience on this forum I have learned to pay attention and to take advice offered by Kent.   I would rather go with a un-split sprocket.  Again the bearing holders are the problem.  With the 4x4 inch bearing holders the sprocket cannot be mounted unless the bearing are removed from the diff.  Again a change in bearing block design might solve this.  I do have some experience with running split sprockets on Microsprints and mini Sprints.  Those cars aren't as heavy as the metro but were much larger/heavier than go karts.  The 15 tooth front sprocket could be replaced with a 16 or 17 and , maybe even an 18 tooth.  The issue is clearance between the chain and the engine case below the chain.  So a 19 or larger is too big.  The 15 gives the ratios I am looking for.  To get those ratios with a 16 or larger sprocket would require even larger driven sprockets and I don't have any more space for larger driven sprockets  (ground cleanance, clearance from the firewall and clearance from the steering and the fore/aft space for the engine would be so tight the two larger sprockets would hit each other)

Maxton is the test bed for this car.  I can use the mile to see what problems come up with the compromises I have made with this design.  I expect to be using up a lot of chains.

I wonder what sprockets (size/ratio) Johnny is running in his Modified Sports Fiat?
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: floydjer on December 24, 2009, 10:11:09 AM
How about cutting the carrier blocks in half and grafting the stock bearing caps to them? You could flip the carrier 180, then remove the cap on that side ( leave the other in place) and have enough room for a sprocket change. :cheers:J.B.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 30, 2009, 12:39:26 PM
How about cutting the carrier blocks in half and grafting the stock bearing caps to them? You could flip the carrier 180, then remove the cap on that side ( leave the other in place) and have enough room for a sprocket change. :cheers:J.B.

Hummmmm . . . . Cutting the blocks in half is not really an option.  The original metro setup does not have bearing caps and I am not using the original bearings anyway.  But after reading floydjer's suggestion, taking a few measurements, and some scratching of my head and a few other parts of the old anatomy I am rethinking my sprocket mount.    It will work on the machined (right) side if 1) I find fasteners with smaller heads, 2) I machine a small notch across the top of the bearing block to allow a path for installing and removing the sprocket fasteners, and 3) if required I can cut reliefs on the inside of the carrier to give a bit more clearance for the sprocket fastener heads.  Here is a rough markup of a photo to show where material will be removed from the top of the right-side bearing block.  It would be centered on the block (the sketch is a little off set - user error!)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/notchedblock.jpg)

If needed I would file down the inside of the block (roughly where marked up in red) for clearance of the sprocket fastener heads
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/blockplane.jpg)

I've also been thinking about the split sprocket.  After a little research I found that Radical - the sports racing car people - use split sprockets on some of their sports racers.  Here is a copy of a photo of one of their setups.  If you look closely you can see the split sprocket.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Radicaldiffview.jpg)
For now I'll stay with the split design.

Next - engine and drivetrain mounts . . .   only 100 days until tech for the first Maxton 2010 event.    
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 22, 2010, 10:15:01 AM
Progress (or lack there of) report.

I've done the math and there is no way I will be ready for the April Maxton event.  The goal is now (hopefully) to make the May meet.

I have taken a piece of advice offered here and moved the driven sprocket to the machined side of the carrier.  (will post photos later tonight or tomorrow).  To do this I initially tried to file down a 1/4 inch relief on the inside face of the bearing carrier.   The result was pure crap.  So I went to my sponsor (my wallet) and took one of the spare bearing holders to a speed shop and had it professionally machined.  This change had some unexpected benefits. 

The position of the driven sprocket is now about 1 inch farther to the right.  Which means I need to move the engine 1 inch to the right.  This slight change has solved a clearance problem I had with the radiator and has given an additional inch lateral clearance for the exhaust header.  The cost of machining the bearing hanger saved me big bucks that were planned for a custom radiator (have to run a radiator in Gas Coupe) and for modifications to the header (now not required).  Although I will have to enlarge the hole in the hood to clear the air box.  Not a problem.  Fortunately I had not yet fabricated a hood scoop.

Last weekend I started to test fit some brackets to mount the drive train.  My Harbor Freight chop saw is finally coming into play.  I suspect I'll be hitting up my brother in law to tack weld the pieces together then I'll remove the drive train mounts and take them to a professional welder to finish the job.

Since my last post I have acquired some missing Honda pieces including throttle cables, kickstand safety switch, kill/start switch and a spare airbox.  Along with the key/ignition switch acquired earlier, I now have a complete bike electrical system to modify for use in the car.  This includes the tip over switch which is now a required item for LSR.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 22, 2010, 07:44:28 PM
photo of before and after  . . .

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/LSR%20Swift%20GT/100_1579.jpg)

To save you going back and reading every post I'll explain what this photo shows.  The photo shows how I had a bearing hanger machined to give cleanance to the sprocket mounting bolts.  Prior to this there was not enough room the mount the sprocket on the right side of the ring gear mount - that's the side with the proper machined surface.  To adjust for that problem I had monuted the sprocket on the 'wrong side' of the mount and it was a problem just waiting to happen.  So I spent some bucks and had a machine shop properly cut away the needed space  . . now you know
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on March 15, 2010, 12:33:38 PM
Engine and ‘axle’ mounts – After considerable scratching of my head (and other parts of the anatomy) I finally cut some metal.

Engine closeup of both sides  (http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1701.jpg)

 Mounting the engine is no big deal until you consider that there has to be room for a radiator, there has to be room for the fuel tank, there has to be perfect alignment of the sprockets, there has to be adequate ground clearance, there has to be a way to pull the engine without disassembling half the car, there has to be a path for the exhaust while using the stock headers, there has to be access to see the oil level sight gauge thing, there has to be a way to either move the engine or the differential fore/aft to adjust chain tension or switch sprockets, there has to be ample clearance for impound to get to the sparkplug holes (it could happen!),there has to be a chain guard (life is so much more enjoyable if you have two feet), there has to be a way to activate the shifter, etc, etc, etc. . . .Plus the longer the chain the less the likelihood that we will burn it up.

Another problem is that I really have a bare minimum of fabrication equipment and even less fabrication skill.  This will be a ‘bolt-in’ because I don’t have the ability to weld in my ‘shop’.  After it is fully assembled and has run we may consider redoing the mounts with some more professionally fabricated mounts.  But for now this is the prototype that will hopefully get the car down the track at Maxton.

To get around many problems I removed the front cross member.  I also cut out the center of the hood latch holder/radiator mount/cross brace that runs from headlight to headlight.  To replace the lost structural strength I have decided to run a square tube across to each side just above where the original cross member used to be.  This will be the front mount for the engine.

To attach the cross bar to the unibody frame I used two pieces of 2 by 2 steel angle cut to about 8 inches in length.  Here is the left side mocked-up to test fit. 

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1692.jpg)
Holes will be drilled to fit two bolts through the bulkhead.  A third bolt will go through the cross bar and attach to the bulkhead support.

Here is the other side of the bulkhead where the bolts will come through.  The bolts will be held in place by a flat steel plate to spread the load
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1699.jpg)

When everything is in place I will make some tabs to attach the engine moiunting bolts to the cross bar.   Here are photos of the two mounting points.
Engine Right Mount closeup 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1695.jpg)

Engine Left Mount closeup
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_1694.jpg)

Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on March 17, 2010, 09:34:33 AM
Last night completed the installation of the front mount (less the tabs for the engine mounting bolts).  Then spent about an hour under the car trying different ideas for the engine rear mounts/drive axle mounts.  Think I have it figured out. 

Tonight will start on the side plates that will tie the bearing carriers to the crossmember and align the driven sprocket with the engine.  Have to decide if I will use 1/4 inch steel or 3/16 inch Aluminum . . . (How hard could it be?)

Here is a very rough sketch of what a plate will look like.  The adjustable rod will allow me to pivot the sprocket closer to the engine for chain removal.  Extending the adjustable rod will push the axle back into position and set the chain tension.

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Bearingplates.jpg)

Bolts will go through the pivot holes and through a crossmember I am fabricating.  The pivot bolts will be tightened when the axle is in the proper position.  . . . . . And it's just that easy (yeah right)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on September 28, 2011, 12:46:14 AM
Over 18 months since I posted to this build . . . .  so sue me.   
What has changed?  What has happened?

A lot has changed.  The primary change was moving from Pennsylvania to Colorado.  My wife thinks we moved here for the great weather, clear sky, the mountains, nice people and a more laid back life style.  Boy or boy did I fool her.  This place is only one days drive (tow) to Bonneville.

Another change was the new SCTA rule wording for radiator size and location in Gas Coupe.  I could not get my engine car combination to fit in Gas Coupe with the new radiator rules.

In April I sold both CBR600RR engines.  Then I towed the Metro to Colorado.  And started to search for a better engine (750cc)

The new (used) 07 Suzuki GSX-R750 engine has been purchased and delivered. 

Now that most of the effort to buy the new place, sell the old place, move 1700 miles and get the new place in order, (paint, landscape, etc., etc.) is mostly behind us I can FINALLY get serious about finishing this car. 

So . . . . I'll be putting together new build postings to show mounting the new engine, changing the front axles to offset the engine enough to fit the stock radiator, rollcage design and installation, installing fire bottle, belts, net, push bar, seat, fuel cell, wiring, dash and and a thousand other things I have to do to make Bonneville in 2012.

The Hudson Boys set the record in J/GC to 129.998 mph so there is something to shoot for.  Don't bet on me appearing in impound but I'll have a good time trying . . .

But first,  next week I finally (for the first time) go to the Salt
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: landsendlynda on September 28, 2011, 05:07:33 PM
LL

When you get to Land's End be sure I get a chance to meet and greet you!  It's great being able to put a face to a name that is synonymous with friend!  There's no telling where at Land's End I'll be, so be sure and ask for me.

I'll be reading your diary as you prepare your new ride for your " Ride of a Lifetime" so keep those updates coming.

Also, welcome to the West, your wife is gonna love it and I hope you do too!

See you next week!

Stay Safe,
Stay Upright,
Lynda
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 01, 2012, 03:03:26 AM
Don’t pay the ransom, I got away.  
We didn’t make it into impound at Bonneville in 2012.  The primary problem was the fact that the car wasn’t done and we didn’t go to Bonneville.  
Yeah, yeah, I know . . . . the car is taking way, way, to long  . . . but I am still working on it and, yes, I am still going to finish this car.

Plans for 2013 are to run the car in Wilmington, OH with ECTA and (time and funds permitting) maybe run the July meet with LTA in Maine.  Full SCTA safety requirements will not be installed for 2013 (full cage, fire system, etc)

To bring this build diary up to date. . . .  

The rule change in 2012 for gas coupes requires using the stock radiator or a replacement radiator at least the same size as the stock radiator mounted in the original, as produced, location.   With this car/engine combination this presents quite a challenge while retaining front wheel drive (a gas coupe requirement)
I considered swapping the axles left to right and right to left (they are different lengths) to offset the differential to the right.  But this still did not leave enough space to mount the radiator.  So I abandoned the axle swapping plan and went to a drive shaft set up like a power takeoff shaft.  
Here is the engine and shaft mounted.  The cross members and mounts are in place but everything is finger tight until all the alignment issues are finalized.  
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_3337.jpg)             (http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_3334.jpg)
With the PTO shaft I was able to move the engine as far to the right as possible.  This leaves exactly enough room to put the original Metro radiator in the original location
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_3339.jpg)
Here is what the shaft looks like with coupler, bearings, sprocket the spicer flanges/universal joint.  The final install will not have as much shaft sticking out to the left (driver’s) side.  One advantage to using this setup is that I can fine tune sprocket alignment without moving the engine or the driven sprocket.  All I have to do is slide the drive sprocket along the shaft to achieve perfect alignment.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_3342.jpg)
I’ll also add a few locking collars to prevent the shaft from walking away from the engine . . . .
The coupler is from a dwarf car. . (http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/100_3343.jpg)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Stan Back on December 01, 2012, 04:00:03 PM
Sneezy's?
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 02, 2012, 12:59:31 AM
Sneezy's?

No.  Not Sneezy.  I think it was Doc's
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: robfrey on December 03, 2012, 10:00:42 AM
Cool build! Can't wait to see ya in 2013!
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: BHR301 on August 21, 2014, 04:25:26 PM
I may of overlooked something, but what ever happened to this project?  :?

Bill
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on August 21, 2014, 06:34:20 PM
I may of overlooked something, but what ever happened to this project?  :?

Bill

It still exists.  I've been slowly working down the 2-do list.  Very slowly.
Nothing exciting to report.  Just nickel and dime stuff.  The car will be strictly an Ohio Mile ECTA car. 
I've given up on predicting when it will be done .  .  .  .  But life is good.   
Art
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: BHR301 on August 21, 2014, 10:52:59 PM
Thanks for the update Art..See you at Wilmington one of these days.

Bill
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on August 21, 2015, 10:28:02 PM
"Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated"

Seeing that I have not posted to this build for a year, I suspect that some may have written me off.  Oh contraire.  Suffice it to say that I have been greatly enjoying being retired.  And since I expect to be around forever there hasn’t been much incentive to get-err-done. 

To put things in perspective please remember that this is NOT a car that is intended to run SCTA or USFRA events (at least, not for now, but maybe later).  Speed is unlikely to exceed 135mph.  It will comply with the ECTA and LTA rules for cars running under 135mph.  The intended class remains J/GC. 

To bring the build diary up to date this is where I am. 

The engine, power-take-off shaft, sprockets, third member, axles, and radiator/cooling system are all in.  The hood is now complete with a very ugly hood bulge to clear the Suzuki air box. Racing seat is installed.
Brackets for attaching the ends of the Metro and Suzuki throttle cables have been fabricated and mounted.  The cables are mounted. 
 
Clutch adaptor/linkage that attaches the Metro clutch cable to the Suzuki Clutch Lever is fabricated and installed.   

The one gallon fuel cell has been modified to fit the stock Suzuki fuel pump.   I installed the fuel line and ran overflow lines to contain spill incase of rollover.

Currently I am modifying the stock motorcycle wiring harness to adapt it to the car.
Once finished with the wiring I’ll be installing a new master cylinder and all new brake lines to the Metro rear drum brakes. 

Over the next few months I'll post a few photos to show the work described above.   Goal is to have the car move under it's own power before the end of the year (Yes, this year . . ) 
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on August 22, 2015, 12:54:26 AM
To get the clutch activated from the Metro clutch pedal I had considered having a custom cable fabricated but instead of that I  decided to use the Geo Metro clutch cable and the Suzuki motorcycle cutch cable and lever assembly.  I fabricated a pretty simple adapter to have the Metro Cable "pull" the bike clutch lever. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0003_3_zpsld9hndpa.jpg)
This allows me to use the clutch lever switch from the GSXR wiring harness and I don't have to mess with problems that occur when you bypass the clutch switch. 
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 11, 2015, 09:28:20 PM
Brakes.     The metro comes with front disk and rear drum power brakes.   I have removed the front brakes and will only use the drum rear brakes.  The Metro brake booster and master cylinder have been discarded.  I will be using manual brakes.  The master cylinder I have decided to use is from a VW Karmon Ghia.  To fit the VW Master I had to modify the brake push rod and fabricate an adapter to mate the M/C to the Metro brake pedal assembly.

The Metro brake push rod was too short.  A VW Push rod was closer to the correct length but the VW clevis was not compatible with the Metro brake pedal.  So I took the Metro clevis, re-threaded it to accept a long bolt, and then filed down the bolt to fit into the VW master cylinder. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0002_zpsm0gigje6.jpg)
The bolt pattern for the VW master cylinder differs from the Metro Brake Booster bolt pattern so I had to fabricate an adapter from plate aluminum.  (via . . . drill press, hacksaw and files).  Here is the rough adapter test fitted on the pedal assembly before the holes for the master cylinder bolts were drilled.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0004_zpsemmpvx6q.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0004_zpsemmpvx6q.jpg.html)
Here is what it looks like when assembled.  Imagine that the adapter and master cylinder are in the engine compartment and bolted to the pedal assembly through the firewall.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0007_zpsvhfvizgl.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0007_zpsvhfvizgl.jpg.html)
After this gets mounted I will start to run new brake lines to the rear brakes which will be rebuilt.  Also have to mount the brake fluid reservoir.


Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: kiwi belly tank on November 12, 2015, 11:19:38 AM
With that shooort WB & weight bias you might find yourself going backwards if you stomp on the rear brakes at speed. Are you losing the front brakes for weight reduction? Or are you planning to stop on chutes?
  Sid.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: manta22 on November 12, 2015, 05:29:03 PM
I'd keep the front disk brakes and convert the rear drums to disks, then add a proportioning valve in the rear brake line. Stopping from high speed puts a lot of energy into the brakes as heat. Four disks are better than only two front ones.

You don't want to run off the end of the course with your azz clipping buttonholes in your shorts!

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on November 12, 2015, 06:06:15 PM
With that shooort WB & weight bias you might find yourself going backwards if you stomp on the rear brakes at speed. Are you losing the front brakes for weight reduction? Or are you planning to stop on chutes?
  Sid.
I'd keep the front disk brakes and convert the rear drums to disks, then add a proportioning valve in the rear brake line. Stopping from high speed puts a lot of energy into the brakes as heat. Four disks are better than only two front ones. . . . .
Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ 

Good points guys . . . . I removed the front brakes because they were total junk, worn out rusty clumps.  And at the time I thought it would reduce rotational mass and weight.  If the brakes are a problem I'll consider reinstalling new front disks.   I have no plan (or need) to run a chute.   . . .  remember. . . this car might go maybe 105 to 115mph max  . . . probably a little less.  The engine only puts out about 55 lbft of torque..     In any case the shake-down runs will be around 80mph or less.   If the brakes are lacking at that time I'll attend to it then.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: gas pumper on November 12, 2015, 08:22:52 PM
We run a slightly heavier car at LTA, it's a 57 Chevy, and run only stock rear drum brakes.  We have been to 122 mph and have to keep driving to get to the turn off. We use more brakes driving in the pits than stopping on the track. It's a different world for us low speed racers....  :-D 
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: gkabbt on November 13, 2015, 07:19:20 AM
We run a slightly heavier car at LTA, it's a 57 Chevy, and run only stock rear drum brakes.  We have been to 122 mph and have to keep driving to get to the turn off. We use more brakes driving in the pits than stopping on the track. It's a different world for us low speed racers....  :-D 

And a fine looking XO/GCT '57 at that.....From the July meet:

(https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-TCJHIklkkqo/VbQrWtJoPKI/AAAAAAAAF_I/5oUo0FwPvG0/w947-h710-no/IMG_1080.JPG)

Gregg
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 03, 2015, 10:26:40 PM
The mounting bolts for the master cylinder do not clear the original opening in the firewall so material had to be removed from the firewall. (Before and after photos)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0001_3_zpsbo6ynul3.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0001_3_zpsbo6ynul3.jpg.html)(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0004_4_zpscoqbjiwp.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0004_4_zpscoqbjiwp.jpg.html)
Reinstalled the pedal assembly and the VW Master Cylinder.  This illustrates the joys of working totally alone.  It would be easier if one of my arms were about 8 feet long and had at least three elbows.  Since that won't happen here is a way to hold the master cylinder and adaptor plate in place and prevent the bolt from turning while I attach the nuts holding the pedal assembly inside the car.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0005_4_zpsn4leoklh.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0005_4_zpsn4leoklh.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0006_3_zps7eav21et.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0006_3_zps7eav21et.jpg.html)
Obtained brake lines from NAPA and Advanced Auto Parts.  The lines are Poly Armour products, 3/16 inch tubes with SAE 3/8th fittings.  Adaptor fittings are used to mate the line to the master cylinder M10 1.0 Bubble port and to mate the lines to the M10 1.0 Japaneese Flare flexible lines in the rear.  The poly armor lines bend by hand.  All the required tube end flares are already made so no flare tool needed.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0001_4_zpsl2amezpp.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0001_4_zpsl2amezpp.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 03, 2015, 10:40:13 PM
Battery Cutoff switch . . . . The battery will be mounted in the engine compartment behind the headlight assembly so it seems the best place for a cutoff switch is in the right front headlight.  Fortunately the Geo lights are plastic.  Drill holes and mount switch.  Will install cables after the battery is mounted.  (Note to self - buy battery)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0009_zpsakad3lu6.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0009_zpsakad3lu6.jpg.html)(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0010_zpsj9nbu8kf.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0010_zpsj9nbu8kf.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: lmfoley79 on December 03, 2015, 10:48:25 PM
What's your WB and weight bias? We run rear discs only on our Subaru 101WB 70%rear bias and have had no tendency for it to get crossed up after the lights. I've leaned on the brakes pretty hard in the loose stuff and it won't even lock the wheels.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on December 03, 2015, 11:24:07 PM
What's your WB and weight bias? We run rear discs only on our Subaru 101WB 70%rear bias and have had no tendency for it to get crossed up after the lights. I've leaned on the brakes pretty hard in the loose stuff and it won't even lock the wheels.

WB is 89 inches.  (that's the stock WB for the Geo)  Weight bias is to be determined. 
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 17, 2016, 02:20:12 PM
I received a PM awhile back asking me about the shift linkage.  I had already installed the parts  and I didn’t take any photos of the parts before they were installed.  Here are the after installed photos. . . .
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Slide2_zpseogum3dg.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/Slide2_zpseogum3dg.jpg.html)
Like the clutch, brakes and gas pedal I have tried to use the Metro shifter to shift the Suzuki bike trans. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Slide4_zpswrosfu6l.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/Slide4_zpswrosfu6l.jpg.html)
The shifter is connected to a fabricated bell crank mounted below the right rear side of the engine.   This photo shows the assembly viewed from the right front.  The bell crank (C) is a piece of aluminum plate bolted (D) to a part of the shift linkage from a 2003 Honda CBR600RR (A and B) that was attached to the Honda engine shift shaft.  That is threaded into the lower end of the Suzuki shift rod (E) (the threads matched).  This is all activated by an old spare tie rod (F) running forward from the original stock Metro shifter lever.  It all pivots on a bolt run between a pair of salvage 3/8 inch rod ends.  A few short pieces of 3/8” id tube are used as spacers to prevent the bell crank from walking on the pivot bolt.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Slide5_zps5dsv08vo.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/Slide5_zps5dsv08vo.jpg.html)
Another view from the left side.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Slide1_zpsmizbgfca.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/Slide1_zpsmizbgfca.jpg.html)
Closeup from above.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/Slide3_zpsumwqz1tk.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/Slide3_zpsumwqz1tk.jpg.html)
This photo shows the metro shifter rod (G) and the old microsprint tie rod (H).  Cut off the forward end of the metro shifter rod.  Slid the old tie rod into it (perfect fit, dumb luck), cross drilled two holes and inserted bolts to prevent the tie rod from moving.
Not exactly an engineering masterpiece. But the thing works really well without the need to weld or buy anything.  All done with spare parts and bits from old projects.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 17, 2016, 02:38:15 PM
Hood pins. . .   All the original hood latch parts had to be discarded because I needed that room to fit the engine.  So this left me needing hood pins.  Found a set of pins on ebay for less than 10 bucks,  picked up a piece of all thread rod and two coupler nuts and installed them.  I ran the mounts up from the wheel wells because the upper cross brace under the hood has been cut and weakened while installing the engine.  Therefore I needed the longer mounts to reach down to the wheel well sheetmetal.(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0003_3_zpsxxuzjpxp.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0003_3_zpsxxuzjpxp.jpg.html)

(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0005_2_zps8lrijsg2.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0005_2_zps8lrijsg2.jpg.html)

Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Milwaukee Midget on January 17, 2016, 06:19:43 PM
Getting back to the brakes, I like losing discs.  Drums can be backed off to where you have zero contact, whereas discs seem to always hang up a little bit. 

I ditched my fronts on the Midget - 80" wheelbase.  Just applied the rears g e n t l y and cautiously.

With driver, I'm probably at 45/55 f/r weight bias, given the cage and battery relocation.




Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 27, 2016, 01:18:52 AM
Knocking off items from the to-do list.  A lot of ten minute jobs that end up taking three or four hours each .  Such is life . . .  However slow -  it is getting done.   Today mounted the battery.  Per the rules  "All batteries shall be properly secured with metal framework and fasteners."  While I am not sure what constitutes "properly secured" I think this will do the job.  The key component is a small aluminum loaf pan secured to the fender well with all thread, wing nuts and some flat steel.  The battery is a new GEL cell from a GSXR 750. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0004_zpstcalxohp.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0004_zpstcalxohp.jpg.html)
There is a steel bracket attached to the bottom of the pan (not visible in photo) and fastened to the fender well.

Also have most of the exhaust system fitted up.  Will post photos after the brackets are fabricated and installed.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: tauruck on January 27, 2016, 07:56:45 AM
Looking good man.

Lots of innovation and creativity.

All the best. Mike. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Polyhead on January 27, 2016, 07:59:48 AM
Knocking off items from the to-do list.  A lot of ten minute jobs that end up taking three or four hours each .  Such is life . . .  However slow -  it is getting done.   Today mounted the battery.  Per the rules  "All batteries shall be properly secured with metal framework and fasteners."  While I am not sure what constitutes "properly secured" I think this will do the job.  The key component is a small aluminum loaf pan secured to the fender well with all thread, wing nuts and some flat steel.  The battery is a new GEL cell from a GSXR 750. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0004_zpstcalxohp.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0004_zpstcalxohp.jpg.html)
There is a steel bracket attached to the bottom of the pan (not visible in photo) and fastened to the fender well.

Also have most of the exhaust system fitted up.  Will post photos after the brackets are fabricated and installed.

Love the mounting buuuuuut... You do know that gel cells have different charging characteristics from an AGM or flooded cell battery right?
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 28, 2016, 12:05:03 PM
Love the mounting buuuuuut... You do know that gel cells have different charging characteristics from an AGM or flooded cell battery right?

Different charging characteristics??  No.  I did not know that.  Time to do some googling.  Thanks for the heads up. . . . .
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Polyhead on January 28, 2016, 02:55:42 PM
Love the mounting buuuuuut... You do know that gel cells have different charging characteristics from an AGM or flooded cell battery right?

Different charging characteristics??  No.  I did not know that.  Time to do some googling.  Thanks for the heads up. . . . .

Yeah, gel cell batteries run a lower voltage because boiling the electrolyte or producing hydrogen leaves bubbles in the gel.  12.7 volts is peak voltage on a gel cell vs. 13.2 on an agm or flooded cell.

If it were me, I wouldn't touch gel cell.  Agm is superior in every aspect.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: wobblywalrus on January 28, 2016, 08:26:02 PM
Some of the concern about differ battery types depends on the vehicle.  Both of my modern 2003 and 2007 Triumphs have used gell cell lead acid, conventional lead acid, or lithium ion batteries with no problems.  The charging system self adjusts to their very different needs.  As I am told, older bikes with mechanical regulators need to be updated to give the charging system these abilities and the parts are available.  Maybe some of this applies to the car world.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Polyhead on January 28, 2016, 09:27:57 PM
Some of the concern about differ battery types depends on the vehicle.  Both of my modern 2003 and 2007 Triumphs have used gell cell lead acid, conventional lead acid, or lithium ion batteries with no problems.  The charging system self adjusts to their very different needs.  As I am told, older bikes with mechanical regulators need to be updated to give the charging system these abilities and the parts are available.  Maybe some of this applies to the car world.

Oh it certainly could but would be kind of complicated.  But really all you need between the battery and the charging system is some sort of Gel Cell charging circuit.  Basically it just needs to limit charging current and cut the voltage off a bit sooner.  That's pretty easy to do.  Going up in voltage, kind of complicated, going down, not a big deal.

Because I am a ham the links i have available on the subject are all ham radio related.  They use to be really popular in the hobby but have given way to AGM.  AGM is tougher and can be treated more carelessly during charge and discharge.

https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/articles/battery-articles/gel-vs-agm.html

I think using a gel cell for a staring battery is just plain dumb.  I can't believe any motorcycle would choose them over AGM.  AGM has higher power density, higher discharge rate, higher charge rate, more vibration resistent and like a gel won't leak.  The only thing gel cells accel in is cycle life, but not by much when deep discharged.  We are talking 10 to 15% longer cycle life for gel compared to AGM. (Gel has more electrolyte in it than an agm does and that's why)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 30, 2016, 12:42:02 AM
As far as the battery goes, worst case, I'll get another.  They are all the same size so the mounting, wiring etc will not be a problem.

Today I finished the instrument panel and will post that tomorrow.  I would post it now but photobucket web site is down and I can't upload pictures.  Hopefully it will be up tomorrow . . . . .
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Polyhead on January 30, 2016, 01:30:38 AM
As far as the battery goes, worst case, I'll get another.  They are all the same size so the mounting, wiring etc will not be a problem.

Today I finished the instrument panel and will post that tomorrow.  I would post it now but photobucket web site is down and I can't upload pictures.  Hopefully it will be up tomorrow . . . . .

Well you can run what you have, just, you know, take a spare just in case.  It would likely survive a month of that kind of abuse in daily use.  It's not going to burst into flames, it's just going to suddenly not work one day.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 30, 2016, 10:54:07 AM
Instrument Panel and Switch gear:
 While assembling this car I have tried to use the original Geo Metro driver inputs.  Gas pedal, Brake pedal, Clutch pedal, shifter and steering wheel are all original Geo Metro.  For the gas pedal the Geo throttle cable mates with the motorcycle cable with a simple connector.  A similar approach was taken with the clutch cable and the shifter linkage.  
For the gauges and ignition I have taken a different approach.  These are not Geo Metro parts.  All the Geo gauges and switches were tossed and I have mounted the motorcycle parts in the driver compartment.  
Also I have followed the “bake-ware as hardware” approach.  This time I used a 16 inch pizza pan as the instrument panel.
The first photo shows the components from the Suzuki GSXR750 which are the tach/instrument piece and the switch module from the right hand end of the handlebar.  Also shown is the uncut pizza pan.  I think it cost about $7 on sale at the local supermarket.  
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0003_zpsh0zi4aou.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0003_zpsh0zi4aou.jpg.html)
The tricky part was mounting the switch module.  I created a stub handle bar piece from a short section of aluminum tube left over from a busted panhard bar.  The fit was not tight so I added a bolt to prevent the module from rotating on the bar.  The bolt in the photo was replaced with one that was the correct size.  Two ¼ inch bolts through the bar ends secure the module to the pizza pan.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0001_2_zpswiyburza.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0001_2_zpswiyburza.jpg.html)
 (http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0005_zps4qmer8jm.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0005_zps4qmer8jm.jpg.html)
I added some light aluminum angle stock to stiffen the panel.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0003_zps3ztedizi.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0003_zps3ztedizi.jpg.html)
I like this approach because it is simple, cheap, and puts the on off switch near my right hand while holding the steering wheel.  I may add a toggle switch to kill power to the fuel pump.  Hitting the kill switch should will also shut down the fuel pump so the toggle switch for fuel pump will only be needed if the main switch fails.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0005_zpskelsvd4z.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0005_zpskelsvd4z.jpg.html)
The panel attaches to the steering column with a u bolt.  

I am using an Woodcraft Keyswitch Eliminator harness to directly wire the right bar switch module to serve as the sole on/off control.
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0006_zpshx1wsq8c.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0006_zpshx1wsq8c.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: manta22 on January 30, 2016, 11:13:51 AM
LL;

Very clever!  :cheers:

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: tauruck on January 30, 2016, 03:43:14 PM
LL, can any part of your legs get up near the pizza pan?.
The sharp bottom edge worries me and we don't want you getting cut
if things get dodgy. I hope they don't but........

Great innovation brother and I love the way make us of what's available. :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 30, 2016, 04:40:48 PM
Fuel pump and Fuel Cell:
I removed the stock gas tank and all the pump gear and fuel lines.  A one gallon aluminum fuel cell will be used.    The Suzuki bike fuel pump is mounted in the fuel cell.  To attach the fuel pump an opening was made in the bottom of the fuel cell and a section of the bottom of the bike fuel tank (the blue thing) was bonded to the fuel cell. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0001_24_zpsyj9bczjc.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0001_24_zpsyj9bczjc.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0008_19_zps6eowll8s.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0008_19_zps6eowll8s.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0009_13_zpsgh680n1k.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0009_13_zpsgh680n1k.jpg.html)
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0016_8_zpsxit2kbc8.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0016_8_zpsxit2kbc8.jpg.html)
This allows for a direct bolt in attachment of the Suzuki pump.  For this to work I had to find a fuel cell with a flat bottom surface.  One with a sump shaped bottom would not have enough surface area to fit the pump mount. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0017_8_zps9ra377l2.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0017_8_zps9ra377l2.jpg.html)


I disassembled the fuel pump, removed the fuel level sensor hardware (it did not fit in a 1 gallon tank) and cleaned the fuel strainer.   I put the pump back together and installed it in the fuel cell.  I fabricated a second steel strap to hold the cell and fit a filter to the end of the overflow tube. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0009_zpsqm14m14g.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0009_zpsqm14m14g.jpg.html)
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 30, 2016, 04:48:41 PM
Mirrors . . . or the lack there of . . .

Made a template for a block off that covers the opening left when removing mirrors.  Was going to use some thin aluminum plate but after looking at the template I just decided to rivet the templates on the door. 
(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0007_zpshxaxsiqc.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0007_zpshxaxsiqc.jpg.html)

Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on January 30, 2016, 04:55:21 PM
LL, can any part of your legs get up near the pizza pan?.
The sharp bottom edge worries me and we don't want you getting cut
if things get dodgy. I hope they don't but........

Good point . . .I'll deal with the sharp edges to prevent any chance of injury. . . .thanks
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: typo41 on March 16, 2016, 07:43:27 PM
Ummm great build, lots of brain work.

But I don't see a roll cage,,,, did I miss something. Around our parts, we build the cage first cause there is always a fit problem with seat and fire systems and everything else   
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on March 17, 2016, 05:34:35 PM
Ummm great build, lots of brain work.
But I don't see a roll cage,,,, did I miss something. Around our parts, we build the cage first cause there is always a fit problem with seat and fire systems and everything else   

This car is being built to run in Ohio with the ECTA (1.0 mile) and maybe also with the LTA in Maine (1.5 mile).  Under those rules roll bars and roll cages are not required for cars running slower than 135mph. 

That said . . . . I do have a roll bar kit with the main hoop and supporting bars that could be installed if I do decide to use one.

At this time there is no plan to run El Mirage or Bonneville with this car.  If the car were to run with the SCTA it would require a full cage, upgraded seat with head retention and a fire system. 
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on March 18, 2016, 06:09:29 PM
Roll Bar

To follow up on the roll cage discussion   .  .  . I received a very logical PM from another racer concerning my decision not to run a cage.  .  .  Based on that input I have decided that.  .  YES I WILL NOW BE INSTALLING A ROLL BAR. 

What it comes down to is that it seems a bit stupid to be running a racecar and leaving a roll bar in the garage. 

A few years ago I bought a BD Racing 8-point roll bar kit.  They did not have a kit for a Geo Metro.  This is a pre-bent and notched kit that is designed to fit a Chevrolet Chevette.  Before I ordered it I found a Chevette and took a few measurements.  It appeared to be a close enough fit for the Metro.   I have test fitted the main hoop and all that was required was to trim a small amount off the base of the main hoop. 

.                    .(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0001_zpsjh3enfyg.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0001_zpsjh3enfyg.jpg.html)
.                    .(http://i254.photobucket.com/albums/hh99/Arto_x04/IMG_0001_zpsijfuqcoj.jpg) (http://s254.photobucket.com/user/Arto_x04/media/IMG_0001_zpsijfuqcoj.jpg.html)

The tubing is 1 5/8 “ diameter .134 wall Mild Steel.  An additional kit is available to add the bars for a full cage.  There is also a kit to install a funny car style driver cage.   
Just now I tried to go to BDRacing web site (BrokeDickRacing) but it goes directly to www.rhodesracecars.com for Rhodes Race Cars.  Rhodes seems to have everything I would need (extra mounting plates, gussets, etc.).  Now I need to find someone to do all the fitting and welding.   If I still lived in Pennsylvania I would take the car to Delaware Chassis Works and have Joe do it. 


Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on May 26, 2016, 06:23:57 PM
Just got back from four weeks in Spain.  The plan was that when I returned from this trip to finish up remaining items to get the car ready for September ECTA event.  But there is a little set back.  The Spain trip included two weeks of bicycle touring.  The second week (Friday the 13th) I crashed hard and separated my left shoulder.  Was still a nice vacation (food, friends, sightseeing, etc) but for the short term  I have limited use of the left arm.  It will heal but not sure how soon I can be turning wrenches.  Shoulder specialist in Boulder, Colorado will evaluate the injury next Tuesday.  Still hopeful that I can be ready for September.
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: gkabbt on May 26, 2016, 07:50:26 PM

Art, Don't know if you've seen this this thread about the future of the ECTA @ Wilmington that was discussed at the last meet:

http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,15834.0.html

Hopefully, we'll find out at the June meet if the September meet will happen or if we're done there.  :cry:

Gregg
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on May 26, 2016, 09:15:56 PM
Art, Don't know if you've seen this this thread about the future of the ECTA @ Wilmington that was discussed at the last meet:
http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,15834.0.html
Hopefully, we'll find out at the June meet if the September meet will happen or if we're done there.  :cry:
Gregg

Gregg,  Yes I am aware of that.  Hopefully ECTA will still run a Sept event in Wilmington.  If not I'll re-evaluate the best move for racing this little car.  The Colorado mile is held about two hours from home.  El Mirage is about 300 miles closer to home than Wilmington.  But running with SCTA will require adding the full cage, fire system and a few other items.  I'll just wait and see . . .
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on July 22, 2017, 01:53:29 PM
Hello there.   I haven't made much progress this year.  And I am currently recovering from prostrate surgery.  The good news is that all is well and I am healing quickly and completely.

HOWEVER - I see that all my photos in this diary have gone down the photo bucket drain!   

I hate it when that happens.   

I don't intend to pay the Photobucket $399/yr rate.   So I'll probably go back and repost most of this diary in a new diary and I have the original photos and all the narrative.  It will just take some time . . . . . stay tuned
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on July 22, 2017, 02:37:14 PM
Test page to see if I can add a photo without using a 3rd party hosting site like    Photobucket

According to the forum help  - 
"Attachments
If enabled, this feature allows you to attach files to your posts in much the same way as most email clients, so you simply have to browse to the relevant file(s) on your computer before clicking Post. You can delete your attachment(s) or add more by modifying your post, but please note that:

The permitted file types and sizes are set by the forum administrator(s).
Although most forums are likely be configured to display attached images as part of the post, it's not possible to preview attachments so you should always browse to and attach your files just before you finally post your message."


So  . . . I have attached a file called test image and now I will hit Post and see what happens.  Hopefully the image will appear . . . .
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: Peter Jack on July 22, 2017, 06:53:01 PM
Looks like it worked perfectly LL.  :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

Pete
Title: Re: Car 495 - Small Gas Coupe
Post by: LittleLiner on June 01, 2018, 11:27:22 PM
So I go to post something and the system provides the following gentle reminder . . .

"Warning: this topic has not been posted in for at least 120 days.
Unless you're sure you want to reply, please consider starting a new topic."


120 days . . . .  hmmm . . . .  More like 10 months!! 

Anyway, I've been worse than lazy and haven't done jack on the car.  I tell people I am in the 15th year of a two year project . . .

Since the ECTA found a new place to run I am getting back into the mood to continue on the car.  So I came back to the build thread and what do you know.  Nearly all the photos are showing.  I had posted all but one of the photos using Photobucket.  Then Photobucket changed their 3rd party hosting rules and wanted something like 400 bucks a year to continue.  I sent them a less than polite email basically accusing them of extorting us to pay or lose our posted photos.  I never did pay anything.  So I really have no idea how the photos re-appeared . . . must be a result of all my good living . . . .

ECTA is running again after a year off in 2017.  With the new year came a few minor rule changes for ECTA including the requirement to have dual circuit brakes or some sort of backup braking if a single circuit failed.  I had originally discarded the front brakes on the Geo and installed a single circuit master cylinder.  I emailed ECTA for a exception.  Got a nice email back that said they felt it would be better if I upgraded my brakes.  They suggested I install front brakes with a separate m/c for the fronts. 

Went to the internet to find parts. . . . . All items have arrived including rotors, calipers, pads, hoses.  Just need to get hard lines to connect the m/c to the hoses.  I will be using a hand operated master cylinder that is usually installed in drift cars.  It will be a backup system if the rear brakes need some help.  Hopefully I can get the brake parts installed before I leave for vacation in a few weeks.

I'll post some photos in a few days.

All the car needs is to hook up the wiring, secure the exhaust and finish the brakes.  How hard can it be?