Milwaukee Midget

[Rob]

Looking good although bakelite may have been more appropriate 

Slowly, slowly, catchy monkey!

Cheers,
Rob

[Geo]

My big concern is that the engine is going to tend to torque toward the slave cylinder.

Getting rid of the Metalastic will end that worry. 

Geo

[Dr Goggles]

My big concern is that the engine is going to tend to torque toward the slave cylinder.

Getting rid of the Metalastic will end that worry. 
Geo

put a chain on it to limit the excursion.....or even a rubber band ...nah just joshing....hey, what are you doing at the computer anyway big guy.....git thee to the workshop!

[Milwaukee Midget]

Good news - Got a welder coming over Thursday night with his mobile shop to stitch up the blow shield.  I'm gonna get this damned thing knocked out if it kills me.

Off to finish brake lines and fit the harness.  Electricals this weekend.  35 days 'til paint, 43 days 'til WOS.

Received my membership and entry in the mail.  Wow - there's something about a piece of paper that makes all of this seem a bit more . . . well, . . . real.  Ya know?

Still looking for a brain bucket -

http://www.landracing.com/forum/index.php/topic,8237.0.html

[Milwaukee Midget]

34 days -

Fenders - on
Brakes - done
Blow shield - Welder's phone not taking messages   
Back - sore
Head - aching
Replacement glass - in

Much to do . . .

But I WILL see you on the salt.

[Milwaukee Midget]

We interrupt this thrash for a 30 second update –
   
Fuel tank, lines, pump, inertia switch – in.
Front valance – repaired – and I’ll probably be selling my welder after this – some people simply haven’t got the chops, and I’m one of them.
Small leak on right rear brake line into the wheel cylinder – off to investigate.
Committed to buy 2005 Hemi Magnum Wagon for tow vehicle – searching out a hitch.

A safe event to all of you on the salt this week.  Save some for me next month.

Back to the garage.

[Peter Jack]

Don't sell the welder! A little coaching will get you up to speed.

Pete

[Milwaukee Midget]

Peter Jack, I have found that when you give me advice, it’s usually pretty sound.  I think I’ll be keeping the welder.  But if I were to get rid of it, it would be for the same reason I got rid of my golf clubs – you have to use ‘em regularly in order to be any good at the game.

And I put it to use today.

I had clearance problems with the inside wheel well – the tire was rubbing at hard right and hard left.  Seems the remanufactured kingpins had been generously reground at the stop where the swivel axel meets it.  I needed to come up with some way of providing a positive stop, and the only thing at my disposal was my little spitfire.  A little puddle weld goes a long way.  It ain’t pretty, but it worked, and most importantly, it still steers.



Lotsa room, baby, even for my big, fat hands!



Also got the fire system in –



And the front end on.



30 days.

[Peter Jack]

Welding's more like riding a bicycle. Once you know how all you do is make a few passes on a piece of scrap plate and it all comes back!

Pete

[Dr Goggles]

Welding's more like riding a bicycle. Pete

yeah it is, It's at the moments when you're showing off to mates that you come the biggest croppers....

I reckon you're ahead of schedule Chris....when you start to say " I'm not going to make it but I'm acting like I will and I'm gonna keep going" we'll know you're ONschedule.

Do you have a scrutineers check list so that you can tick items off the list?

[Milwaukee Midget]

I reckon you're ahead of schedule Chris....when you start to say " I'm not going to make it but I'm acting like I will and I'm gonna keep going" we'll know you're ONschedule.

Do you have a scrutineers check list so that you can tick items off the list?

I'm on task - I dare not say I'm on schedule.  If I were on schedule, I'd be waking up in sunny, warm Wendover this morning, and drinking coffee with the Colonel - probably nursing a hangover. 

So Doc, I heard you had to break out the parka in Sunshine this week.  The bitter irony of it all - we just got through 2 weeks of 90 + heat and dewpoints in the high '70's.  Be glad you didn't have to learn the operational procedures of snow shovels.

Scrutineers Checklist?  I'll have to put that on my checklist checklist.  Thanks for the reminder, and the encouragement.  

[Milwaukee Midget]

2 minute run-down.

Battery hold down – built and in.

Clutch line – done.

Hood pins – done.

Moon discs – here (finally).

Steering wheel – very close – cheers to Bill Alexander Sr. for jumping in on this.  Probably among the best finish carpenters you’ll ever meet.  50 year old oak for the rim – hey, ya gotta have something pretty in the cockpit – God knows I ain't.

Purchased – oil gauge, temp gauge, tach – that will be enough to keep me informed without distracting me.

Welder with my blowshield model – the Masonite model I spent a full weekend on –

AWOL

Not answering phone calls, and it’s all I can do to not be steamed.  Last I talked to him, there was a death in the family.  I understand – family first.  I can give him another couple of days, but the ignition is coming in tomorrow, and I still don’t know if this tractor engine runs.  The problem is, I need the blowshield fitted before I install the engine, although I could go without it as I’m running the 130 club this year.  Still, I’d like it in place – I don’t want to suffer from Don Garlits disease.

27 days

[Milwaukee Midget]

Still no return call from my welder guy.  It doesn’t make sense – he has no money down, but he’s got my Masonite blowshield model, which is virtually useless to everyone except for the fewer-than-half-dozen of us in the WORLD building production-based LSR Spridgets.  Fricken’ maddening.  I know of no competition sanctioning body that still allows these cars to compete that requires a scatter shield except SCTA-BNI, and this guy wants to play hide-and-go-seek with a Masonite mock-up?

Got the distributor finished – Hall Effect sensor came in, along with the cap.  Just a few pics from yesterday –

Hood pins in place -



Emergency shut-off for the electrical –



Inertia switch – a bone yard find out of a ’93 escort - $20.00



And just so ya’ll don’t start thinkin’ I went and lost my sense of humor – my Lucas Sport Coil!




I mentioned the steering wheel yesterday – the rim is being CNC machined out of oak to fit around a modified MGB wheel I started about three years ago.  The spokes were cut, the rim salvaged and shortened, and inserted into a circular cut-out of ¾ ply, which gave me my circle, and held it in place while I welded up it all up.  As to the paint color, I believe it’s called Jarmen-Stewart red or something to that effect.

 

[Dr Goggles]

Channel the anger, a hold up in the "at last minute" parts line can be a disaster ....but in a one off assembly it can also be a circuit breaker....you are currently assembling as you would expect to .....in having to wait for the scattershield you might be forced to divert time to items that you were going to leave until AFTER you'd put the motor in. This will cause you to do things in a slightly different order, or maybe to dummy installs that you wouldn't have bothered with otherwise..

Don't falter because there's someone to blame, adapt and prosper. I'm thinking you'll get the scattershield, late but at a reduced price....in the meantime ten bucks says you find something in your rejigged assembly routine that you wouldn't have found until the lake otherwise...................

[Milwaukee Midget]

Channel the anger, a hold up in the "at last minute" parts line can be a disaster ....but in a one off assembly it can also be a circuit breaker....you are currently assembling as you would expect to .....in having to wait for the scattershield you might be forced to divert time to items that you were going to leave until AFTER you'd put the motor in. This will cause you to do things in a slightly different order, or maybe to dummy installs that you wouldn't have bothered with otherwise..

Don't falter because there's someone to blame, adapt and prosper. I'm thinking you'll get the scattershield, late but at a reduced price....in the meantime ten bucks says you find something in your rejigged assembly routine that you wouldn't have found until the lake otherwise...................

Sound advice, Doc.  I moved forward on electricals tonight - plenty to do there - and I've come to the conclusion that if I have to pull the engine once more between now and next month, it's not going to kill me.  It's two hours.  Priority right now is get it running.  If it doesn't run - and quite honestly, I don't know if it does - the most beautiful blowshield in the world is of no use to me.

The State of Wisconsin has a motto - "Forward".  It also has a state dance - the Polka.  I can dance around this one and still move forward.

Roll out the barrel, baby.