Mid- Engine Modified Sports

[manta22]

I just finished riveting the last internal aluminum side panel on. About a quarter of the way through the last panel-- the right side one--my PT-100 air/hydraulic rivet gun blew a seal and quit working.    For the remaining rivets I was forced to fall back on my manual tool, a G-36 with a Huck nosepiece.

These blind rivets are 1/8" diameter made of A286 or Monel; it is all I can do to install these, even squeezing with both hands. It would take someone with forearms like Popeye to pull all of these rivets so I'm glad the seal blew close to the end of this job.

Next I need to mark the locations on the side pods to cut for installing removable inspection plates so that I can access the fire bottles and the inspectors can see the stickers on them. I haven't decided whether to hinge the plates like a small door or make them fully removable.

Onward into the gloom............

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[wobblywalrus]

Neil, a lot of pop rivets are used in my build.  Sometimes before big jobs I fill a plastic bag with the rivets, spray silicon lube into the bag, seal it, shake it up, open it, and use the oily rivets.  It makes them a little bit easier to use.

[wheelrdealer]

Really nice work Neil. Like always.

BR

[manta22]

Neil, a lot of pop rivets are used in my build.  Sometimes before big jobs I fill a plastic bag with the rivets, spray silicon lube into the bag, seal it, shake it up, open it, and use the oily rivets.  It makes them a little bit easier to use.

WW;

I'll try that next time. I can use every advantage I can get with these super rivets!

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Peter Jack]

Neil, watch out using a silicone based lubricant around the car if you're planning on painting it. You'll drive the painter nuts and the paint job may feature a lot of fisheyes.

Pete

[manta22]

Thanks-- that's for sure, Peter. I'll try something like WD-40.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Peter Jack]

Neil, WD40 will cause fisheyes. Don't ever walk into a body shop carrying a can of WD40 unless you want to make a very fast exit. The one lubricant I do know will not, and it's a very effective lubricant, is Gibbs. You can spray it on a piece of metal, wipe it off with a dry rag and paint away. I used to sell the stuff but don't anymore. I still use it in my shop all the time.

Pete

[manta22]

Pete;

I had never heard of that stuff before-- thanks!

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[wobblywalrus]

That paint peeling problem is something I never thought about.  The metal work I do is bare and wiped down with an oily rag twice a year.  It might be a good idea to rivet and paint a piece as a trial sample before using the lubed rivets extensively.       

[manta22]

It's been a week of wiring. Most of the wiring is done, at least on the switch/breaker panel and some of the indicators. I checked out the operation with an old HP current- limited power supply. I like to do this so if there are any circuit errors, it shows up as putting the supply into current limiting (2A) rather than by smoke from burning wires.   

The big master power relay works nicely-- slamming the red switch cover down turns the relay off and that shuts down the 12V power to everything. I'll put the panel back into position and fasten it with the 4 thumb screws. The lead dress is such that the panel can be unfastened and tilted down for access to the rear of the switches & circuit breakers.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

One more thing-- I've used mil-spec wire for everything I've done so far. I've collected rolls of the stuff over the years from local aircraft salvage yards, it came mostly from Hughes missile division (now Raytheon) but some I salvaged from an old scrap missile (Corporal) cable during the time I was in the army in Germany. The #4 missile wire serves as my battery and starter cables. Most of the wiring is either #10 or #16 depending on the current and length of the wire. A few light ga #22 are used for low- current applications.

The difference between mil spec wire and "automotive" wire is like night and day. Automotive wire consists of relatively few strands of slightly twisted copper wire while mil-spec wire has lots of fine silver plated copper wire strands with a tight twist. It is far more flexible and withstands vibration better than automotive wire. On the surplus market you can sometimes find it at very reasonable prices.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Milwaukee Midget]

I've found the mil spec to be easier to solder, giving more secure solder connection to terminals.
 
Quality components, as usual, Neil.

I'll be rewiring the Midget for an EFI box - one would be hard pressed to find a better example of doing it right than your post-up.

Smart insulating the non-used terminals on the starter switch. 

[tauruck]

Great stuff Neil and as Chris pointed out, you use quality components.
BTW, my March F2 race cars also used Mil Spec wiring etc.
Big difference from the auto variety.

[sofadriver]

FWIW - there's a place close to my shop called Electronics Dimensions. Tons & tons of surplus mil electronic stuff. Mostly really old but high quality and cheap. Example; micro toggle switches rated for 25 amps at 24 volts - $4 each! You can google the name.

[manta22]

More wiring has resulted in having functional indicator lights now. I'll need to change the legends , though-- no need for "Fil Bypass", "Pump Out", "Press Low", etc. The main power relay and starter relay both function and the impact switch shuts off 12V power to everything. I have some 14V #382 lamps to replace the 28V #327 ones now in the vertical stack.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ