[Sabertooth^2]

And the other 2 braces are done, with each side looking like this. Those braces will take the tension force from the spring.

Tomorrow's goal, mock up the engine/trans, figure out placement of a couple reinforcements for the upper/lower rails (I have a general idea, but there are a few inches of play depending if I need them for easier access to something), cut and weld those braces in, bolt the engine/trans in place.

 

[Sabertooth^2]

I think this one is self explanatory

 

[Sabertooth^2]

In is in, even if the mount isn't painted yet.

So to make myself feel better and keep breaking things down into a list so it's not as intimidating
No particular order:

Fuel rails on
Block off plates for the manifold
Axles on
Brakes on
Make a brake line to the passenger rear
Steering rack simulator
The missing bellhousing bolts
Starter motor
A couple more braces (upper to lower side rails)
Firewall (probably rivet on some aluminum)
Firewall window (polycarbonate or plexi)
Fuel lines
Fuel pump
Fuel pump wiring
Fuel pressure regulator
Engine harness on
Extend the engine harness to the ECU
Sway bar end links on
Tie rod ends on
Shifter assembly bolted in (already customized)
Shifter cables onto the trans (they reach)
Custom exhaust
Side intake pods
Tail lights
Bumper
Hatch
Wheels on
Seats in
Fix the clock grounding (dash structure is coated and nothing can ground to it)
Make a base map tune


And then I guess test drive? It looks like a huge list. But it's all just normal car stuff, for the most part. Almost no trickery.

 

[Charging Badger]

In is in, even if the mount isn't painted yet.

View attachment 102918


So to make myself feel better and keep breaking things down into a list so it's not as intimidating
No particular order:

Fuel rails on
Block off plates for the manifold
Axles on
Brakes on
Make a brake line to the passenger rear
Steering rack simulator
The missing bellhousing bolts
Starter motor
A couple more braces (upper to lower side rails)
Firewall (probably rivet on some aluminum)
Firewall window (polycarbonate or plexi)
Fuel lines
Fuel pump
Fuel pump wiring
Fuel pressure regulator
Engine harness on
Extend the engine harness to the ECU
Sway bar end links on
Tie rod ends on
Shifter assembly bolted in (already customized)
Shifter cables onto the trans (they reach)
Custom exhaust
Side intake pods
Tail lights
Bumper
Hatch
Wheels on
Seats in
Fix the clock grounding (dash structure is coated and nothing can ground to it)
Make a base map tune


And then I guess test drive? It looks like a huge list. But it's all just normal car stuff, for the most part. Almost no trickery.

It's looking sweet so far! I know nothing about this sort of modifications so I am just wondering. Is there a reason to still keep it transverse rather than pointing forward?

 

[Sabertooth^2]

It's looking sweet so far! I know nothing about this sort of modifications so I am just wondering. Is there a reason to still keep it transverse rather than pointing forward?

Because I can't afford a $10,000 Porsche trans. Otherwise I'd have gone with that option, and used a longitudinal setup with a Chevy V8 most likely.

There are some advantages in weight distribution to transverse in this case, but only because the engine leans forward. It may also help a bit with cross balancing the suspension setup, but thats not why I did it.

Longitudinal would make for a nicer presentation and easier exhaust routing. But wouldn't give any handling advantages. It would also allow for larger engines to be used, as width isn't such a constraint.

 

[Charging Badger]

I see. That makes sense.

 

[Sabertooth^2]

Bellhousing bolts are in, starter is on, tie rods are on, non-steering rack is built and on, manifold blockoffs are on, motor mounts are all on, fuel lines are semi run but fittings are mostly on (waiting on rail still).... Progress is slower right now than it had been. And also I hate my camera for making everything look warped and distorted.

There's still a bunch to do, but it's quickly becoming electrical work more than metal work

 

[Sabertooth^2]

It rolls. Most of my focus is on shop cleanup, but the car rolls now.

It also sits super high lol. A lot of weight is out, and it has stiffer overall springs than before (rears are 2k rate not 1k like factory). Not a big deal, BC Racing coilovers will solve that

 

[Sabertooth^2]

The fuel rails have AN fittings now

Fuel lines are run under the car (no picture)

My old MIG welder died, so I bought a new one, plus gas

And I started the side braces on the chassis. They'll tie the firewall rails into the main structure at both the upper and lower points. Not being a full cage or full tube frame, a compromise had to be made in their design at the front. I did leave extra there though should I build my own dash structure later on

 

[Sabertooth^2]

This seemed a sensible stopping point for the day. Tar paper kept catching fire, and smoked me out of the car and work bay. I'd have liked to get that last bar cut and on there, but it's nearly done.

 

[TwilsonD7]

If you change the firing order can you make the engine turn the opposite direction and flip the engine around? Probably look better and give you better clearances for a few things?

 

[Sabertooth^2]

Yes, if I redesign the heads and have custom ones built that's possible. But it's a racecar, so aesthetics take a back seat.

If I turned the engine around the other way, I'd lose all the weight advantages as it would hang back instead of hanging forwards.

Overall, it would give a loss of cornering ability, as well as make it more difficult to keep straight on a launch. Though it would launch harder, should the front wheels stay down.

 

[Sabertooth^2]

Fuel feed lines and pressure regulator are mounted

Custom intake pipe made from a chopped up Injen intake is made

And for fun, I added a vacuum gauge to the manifold because I had it and could

 

[Sabertooth^2]

Started harness wiring. Used 110' of wire, didn't even finish the first plug

And yes, I'm fucking myself overly using yellow. I had 100' of it on a spool, most wires were yellow or had a yellow stripe. Tomorrow (?) if I can get up early enough, I'll either get steel for custom strut tower bars to sell, or nearly a quarter mile of wire.

 

[Sabertooth^2]

I ended up buying 925' of wire. We'll see how far that gets me, some of the runs will be other gauges I have sitting around anyway (16, 14, 8)

 

[Sabertooth^2]

I finished the first plug lead today. I pulled this blob of wiring spaghetti off the floor...

And turned it into this!

Oh, also bought 44' more wire lol. 2 gauge and 6 gauge, starter, grounds, and alternator

 

[Sabertooth^2]

1/2 done the wiring. It's on track to run next weekend. Not drive, but turn on. That's still huge. It'll need brakes bled, clutch line extended, shifter mounted, and a chair before it'll move under its own power.

 

[Sabertooth^2]

The wiring harness is done, mounted, and plugged into the ECU
Clutch line is run and bled, but will be moved
Power/ground wires are run and mounted
Fuel pump wiring is done
Fuel level sending unit wiring is done
Fuel cell bracket is revised
Starter wiring is on
Chairs are ready to go, but would be in the way
Shifter did NOT get mounted, as it's also just in the way if it's not yet needed.

Trouble is, I prepped for 4 gauge power/ground and 8 gauge alternator wires, but ended up stepping to 2 and 6 last minute. I had no way to connect the wiring. It'll be about a week to week and a half before I have the connectors, as nobody stocks them locally. Nobody local sold the oils I wanted to use either, so that puts a second damper on things. That should be here by Friday.

Cooling wise, I'm looking for hoses that'll work for where I need them to reach. Cutting and extending stock with hard line is likely to work, however, and will be tried.

 

[Sabertooth^2]

 

[Sabertooth^2]