Mid- Engine Modified Sports

[tauruck]

I cut out a panel to seal the air flow out of my radiator so that the hot air goes up out of the vent above the nose instead of out the bottom, disrupting the under-car flow. The plastic is what the circle track guys use, a high density polyethylene (HDPE). It is 1/8" thick and pretty tough but reasonably flexible. Cheap, too!

The strange brass-colored things are "cylindrical Clecos" which screw up to make a tight fit but still have a long reach. They will all be replaced with 3/16" Avex rivets.

Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ

Neil. your standard of construction is right up there.
I always look forward to seeing your latest images.

I have a bunch of Clecos in different sizes and believe it or not
I use them mainly for composites. They live in Coffee jars filled with thinner.
I lunched quite a few when I first started out. They got clogged with resin.

These are my larger less common Clecos that get pulled up using a wrench.
Zina's brother is a sheet metal aviation guy and I buy stuff from him from time to time.

[fordboy628]

I wish I had your patience - the attention to detail - again - second to none. 

Actually Chris, I was looking for something else when I found a roll of braided nylon sleeving that I had forgotten about. The idea to put it over the hard line just popped into my head and I cut off a length of the stuff with scissors and it fit over the aluminum tubing just fine. The ends of the sleeve always look frayed unless they are tied with lacing cord or retained by a short length of shrink tubing.

Things like this only take a minute or so but, like de-burring holes, rounding off sharp edges, etc., make the finished product look better. I've sliced enough skin off to appreciate the time it takes to break sharp edges and corners- so it isn't just a cosmetic effort.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Neil,

It is always the "little", time consuming details that make the difference.    And separate "true Craftsmen" from all the rest.

At this stage of the game, it's easy to identify the Craftsmen.   They still have all ten fingers, intact.    Maybe a few scars, but intact.

 
Fordboy

[manta22]

Chris;

Yours are called "Hex Clecos"; there is a pneumatic tool that looks like a nut driver that is used to install & remove them. A wrench works just as well. These are similar in principle to cylindrical Clecos. Aviation guys have lots of neat little tools that race car guys can take advantage of.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

Today I cut out part of the fiberglass body just behind the radiator air outlet to give access to the pedals, etc. without having to remove the entire front body. A little air-operated HF body saw did a decent job of it. A 1/4" starting hole was drilled on the cut line for the saw blade. I put #5 self-ejecting Dzus fasteners in the panel; I'll install matching Dzus spring panels in the body next.


I sprayed semi-gloss black paint on the Dzus fasteners, a roof rail, and on two windshield hold-down tabs.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[manta22]

Here are two of the windshield tabs. I used Hyloks instead of bolts to attach the tabs to the body since they have a very low profile head. They are designed to be tightened without access to both sides-- there is a hex socket indented in the threaded end so the nut can be tightened without the Hylok twisting around. Maybe you can see this in the photo. I'll use some soft sealant under the tab so that it doesn't stress the windshield. They are hard to come by. 

 Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[tauruck]

I'm happy you never used a grinder and cutting disc.

Pat Nolan was a neighbor in the early 90s. He was a Mickey Rooney lookalike.
He was 60ish back then. He was on vacation at the coast and went to visit
his friend who was outfitting his new yacht. Pat wanted to help so they gave him a grinder
and let him cut a hole in the galley while they sat on the dock and drank beer. The guy was in shorts
and sandals without a shirt.
He spent the rest of his time on vacation in the hospital.

Those Hyloks look cool. Never seen them but they must be great. Thanks for educating me.
The next time I see Theo I'll ask him if he has any.

Your build is awesome Neil.
Thanks for the pics.

[manta22]

I got the side windows installed today. I bonded them in place with black RTV and made hold-down safety tabs to keep them from blowing out due to air pressure. Unlikely, but since the rule book requires them on windshields, I wasn't sure if side windows needed tabs too so I decided that even if they weren't required they are a good thing to have. I'll paint them black tomorrow. To hide the bond line underneath, I painted a black border around each window with artists' acrylic paint.

I was able to install the mounting tabs for the front access panel Dzus fasteners. I misjudged the distance from the edge and almost drilled a #30 hole in my finger.  In the picture, the front body is lying on its side against the shop door.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[Elmo Rodge]

Neil, when I was a Composites Toolbuilder at MDHC in the early 90s I took a composites course courtesy of the company. In one of the classes the question was asked "Why do you want to back up a panel with something like wood when drilling a hole?". My answer (verbal, I might add). "Because it's not as bloody as using your hand." You couldn't take me anywhere then, either.    Wayno

[jdincau]

I resemble that remark Wayno, back at the old lazy L, I being a user expert, they sent me to Northrop to demo a cad program we had for wiring diagrams. In the Q and A period I was pointing out it's shortcomings for their application. IT sales never asked me along again.

[Milwaukee Midget]

I was able to install the mounting tabs for the front access panel Dzus fasteners. I misjudged the distance from the edge and almost drilled a #30 hole in my finger.  In the picture, the front body is lying on its side against the shop door.

My dad once told me, "That's why God gave you ten of 'em".

Conversely, his dad once slammed his thumb with a sledge, which caused a painful blood build up under his nail - which he relieved with a 1/16 drill bit and a Dremel.

Given my family history and propensity to wounding myself, it's a wonder I can still play guitar.

[RichFox]

When I was at UAL we had monthly safety meetings. There would be a movie, this month it was finger safety. Fingers laying on the table or in the chip tray sort of thing. In my group I had Phillip Wu. Phil had worked in a machine shop in China before coming here. Phil needed both hands to order 4 beers. He had three fingers off one hand and two off the other. So after the movie I said "Phil, you know more about this than any of us. Do you have anything to add?" Phillip looked me in the eye and said "Any man who wok ten year, and have ten finger, F**king off." Shut me up.

[manta22]

Chris;

I know how his dad felt. In Basic Training at Ft. Knox, I slammed my M1 down on a concrete wall and caught a sharp rock between it and my fingernail. It formed a big blood blister, too. The medic looked at it and said it looked bad- then took a pair of pliers and pulled the fingernail off....  aarrrggghhhhh.  

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

[tauruck]

Where I come from if you dropped your rifle you got to do 200 push ups.
Nothing hurts like fingers and toes!!!!.

[SPARKY]

a reminder to be careful with 'em 

[manta22]

I'm working on installing my throttle cable right now. After looking at the setup, I realized that I should put in an adjustable stop on the pedal for the throttle return. I fabbed one out of some scrap aluminum I had and riveted on a prevailing torque nut plate for a 10-32 socket head cap screw. This provides a stop against the front of the pedal; it won't see much force- only the pull of the throttle return springs on the other end of the cable. Tomorrow I'll put it in the tub and put in more Adel clamps for routing the cable out of the way of my big feet getting in & out of the car.

Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ