Roland. Looks like you have american tail lenses with red turn signals insead of orange. Will they pass inspection in Switzerland?

Depends on the controller. Cars with oem red ones (like american cars, Mustang etc..) are allowed, but cars like mine are not. The thing is does he know?;)

Had no problems yet, but if so I have the orange ones somewhere

LOL... I own a grey market car , I personally like the orange ones . Have not had problems yet with mine here ..... just like the euro look :cool:

Kozmo

Tiny little progress
 

A month ago I wanted to mount the oil tank, but it did not fit!:confused:

Some little checking gave me the answer. One of the previous owners hat an accident (or two:D) however, the tank was deformed, but only the latch. If you don't know you don't see, bent to a Z. Tried to straithen, but no chance without damage the tank, too thin the material and only spot welded. As the rear upper corner was heavy deformated anyway regardless it was still seal, I wanted a new tank.

Said and done. Thanks to tadman here who sold me one for a reasonable price. Powdercoated and here it is:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404557675.jpg


Further I got back some parts from nickelplating. Most are fine, some like the hinge axxis and little parts of door lock were that bad (looked like heavy corrosion) I have to made new...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404557816.jpg


And finally the highlight of the week:

Homemade front hood lock. Only the two levers and springs stayed stock (besides the drilling, you know me;)) Rest is aluminum, anodized of course and POM for the bushes:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404557954.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404558015.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404558071.jpg

PS: You may notice on the second pic, that bedstop for the latch RH is slightly deformated. This happend after ten times release due the hammering force of the latch. Will replace this with a SS one for more strength compared to the aluminum...

Roland, can you post a picture of your machine shop?

So many really well fabricated parts. I'd really like to see the set up.

Thanks!

Yes I can, but there is not much to show. I have a small lathe with milling crosstable etc...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404750435.jpg


I have probably the smallest workshop here:D

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404750476.jpg

To be honest, some work I made I did in the workshop of my latest occupation, mostly milling on a big drill machine with crosstabel (no CNC) because of easier to do than at home due the smaller tools.

Here is my anodizing station on the balcony, where I do also the sawing:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404750724.jpg

All in all not much, most made with handtools and time, but this way it's low price and I am indipendent.

That is amazing the variety of shapes and the precision that you are getting with just a lathe.

Really impressive.

Thanks Roland!

As said before, some parts were damaged/useless by plating. Parts were mostly for the door lock mechanism:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404755845.jpg


So I made them out of high strength aluminum (what else). This way I save some more weight too! Further I used Plastidip (not the spraycan) for the first time (red circles). Went out really nice so far, if it's durable, then perfect.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1404755881.jpg

Totally amazed at your work , takes a lot of thought to come up with what you have accomplished . Waiting patiently to see this thing rolling ...

Kozmo SmileWavy

Well, little time since I posted some news here... Not that much done, at least nothing worth to show.

Anyway, started to reassemble the doors. New covers look nice and fit well. The Aluminum door hinges look nice too. To save some more weight, I made the linkage for the door opener out of aluminum. The leather door stop is same as earlier, only the nut and shims are alu now.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1409764128.jpg


And a little pre-view of my work on the seat rails (sliders?)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1409764184.jpg

Good lord man, at what point is structural integrity compromised? The first time you get on boost the car may wrap around the flywheel, ha!

I do not make compromise in structural strength in general. I only do where it does not lead to danger to my health. In fact, sometimes I increase strength, with the cage for example. The only real lost of safety I have due the FG bumpers without anything behind...

Concerning the seat rails, I made my thoughts about. Finally I had to say, the weakest point here are even after add the slots still the two M6 (factory size) Bolts each side to bolt it down to the chassis and the FIA approved aluminum lateral consoles. Further most of the force will be taken by the four-point harness.

Just yankin' your chain, I was visioning project creep turning your car into a turbocharged cheese grader, ha! If a floppy fiberglass bodied outlaw class stock car is safe then yours should be a tank.

Good Lord man, don't tell him that!!! He'll get a complex, followed by visits to the Shrink, and then no updates! No!!!!

When i was 15 the kid down the street and I put a small block chevy out of his brothers' vette in a Chevy Vega. After we got it running we took it out on the street and punched it. The torque twisted the body enough to break the windshield. We had cut a big chunk out of the firewall to make room for the bell housing on the tranny. I've been wondering if something like that will happen to this car with all the extra power along with the swiss cheese body. hope not it's an awesome build.

Look at the thread. I did not cut anything off the body that is structural. IN fact I made the opposite:

- Made some welding seams on several areas where only spots have been.
- Fit some Rear strut tower re-inforcements
- Additional sheets around the rear articulation point (outside where TB's are)
- Fit cage, strut bar
- removed rain gutter and welded through (some say it makes the roof area stiffer)
- Wevo rear swaybar consoles

I did not made any weight saving on the body shell, cut only things away that are not used anymore and are not structural like heating tubes in the rockers, brackets for rear seats, etc...

The only structural thing I removed are the lateral impact bars in the doors and fit some aluminum hinges, what I compensate with the cage.

Sometimes it's just arghh...

Bought some RS door handles for a reasonable price from a fellow pelican. So far so good. Then I thought, ok let's replace the steel profil inside with an aluminum one. Therefore I removed the leather, rubber clamping section thing and made one out of alu as planed:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1409997465.jpg


But now the trouble began. I was not aible to refit the cover because of it's weird concept. It's a leather sheet, clamped between the rubber part, once turned around and then clamped on the metal bar. Sounds easy, but I just did not could, always loose or slipped out, tried glue, no success. After an evening trying and cursing I went a different way, very simple and the result looks better than expected. I only fitted the two clamping pieces and slipped a transparent shrinking hose over it. Heated and tada, a nice handle is born:)

How do you like?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1409997761.jpg

Of course the bolts and nuts are aluminum as well...

Those guys clearly haven't been paying attention to the thread. :) Drill on, Roland! :D

I've been paying attention just would hate see anything bad happen to such a beautiful build. like a latch failing and a hood sailing off any way it's a beautiful car looking forward to you first trip around the track. When I found out that a stock targa top will only live at speeds below 150mph that was a butt puckering ride. That was an expensive ride had to get the shredded top rebuilt and then go find a hard top lol.

+1 Roland .... DRILL ON !
Love the handles by the way
Kozmo SmileWavy

Thanks guys

My drill is ready for action:D
I am on vacantion from 11th until 20th of September, so you have to be patient for updates here... Maybe if I got a little time before, let's seeSmileWavy

Finally some news
 

After my vacation I did not made much, at least not to show, so here the first worth to. To save some more weight, I worked on the doors / window frames:

Drilled, shorten and tappered all bolts:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414624757.jpg


Lighter version of the glass base, this time all aluminum and Tubtaras:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414624884.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414624912.jpg


Window frame assembled, little triangle drilled as well:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414625062.jpg


Installed with belt (Aluminum nut and bolt hollow drilled:D ) Aluminum bolt as lower stop:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414625231.jpg

I love it. :)

Even a little save is a save... I replaced the steel bolts of the front flasher housing by aluminum bolts. Just drilled out the old ones until the head break, removed the threaded rest and the new ones fitted perfect:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414691927.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414691955.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1414691976.jpg

70's BMW 2002's and the E21 chassis 320i that followed it used plastic thumbscrew nuts on the tail light lense studs that should fit your aluminum bolts. They may be a hair lighter than steel nuts and don't corrode.

I gotta say Roland, your build is amazing. The sheer amount of fabrication work and the level of detail is astonishing.
I'm sure this has been asked but if so I don't recall. Do you have a target weight your shooting for ? If not any idea on the finished weight ?
Keep up the fine work.

I will use aluminum nuts here as everytime where not that much strength is needed. But plastic nuts are good as well, will check this as wellSmileWavy

Thank you for the nice words!

Yes this has been asked before but no problem, long time ago since and goals can change... But as there was none there is still none. I just want to follow my principles and see what I get at the end.
I guess it will be below 1000kg.

Finally I found time to finish the weight reduction on the seat rails. As they are that beefy, especially compared to the FIA aluminum lateral seat brackets, I had no fear to remove some material here. They still are quite massive:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1415369840.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1415369861.jpg

Long time ago,but still nothing worth to show... be patient fellows;)

However, does anyone bought or had contact with Patrick Motorsports?

Want to buy an oil cooler from them and asked something using the form on their website, no answer since almost two months now. So I wrote again, but this time an email, no answer either since a couple of weeks... I do not expect immediately answer from small companies and one man shows, but this?

Other here, Brian is quick as hell and is alone too...

Talked to them about a month ago, good guys just busy.

Best is to call them. James is a good dude. I've visited their shop and have purchased from them.

Hi Roland,

any news?

Yes indeed, but not big ones. Made some spacers for the rear swaybar for two reasons:

- My engine is 10mm lower than stock, so tranny was really close to the bar.
- After I made my tranny beam Mark II out of aluminum, it was slightly wider than Mark I steelmade,
so I have to move the bar for that reason too.


And that's the way the spacers look:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1422098644.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1422098680.jpg


Present beam, not anodized yet. I am not sure if I should leave it colorless or go black (tend to black for now):

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1422098836.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1422098866.jpg

I'd go black.
Still a pleasure to watch your progress.

While I still struggle with the finish of my tranny beam, I spent some time on the starter and anodized the raw aluminum flange to avoid contact corrosion. Further the grey stator housing looked so old I painted in black too:

Short said, only some different color;)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1422997853.jpg

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1422997874.jpg

Hi Roland, nice work as always....what brand starter is that? Looks trick

been awhile
 

Hi Roland had to check in ,been awhile ...busy with life in general

But as usual your car just amazes me :eek: had to go back through some pages to catch up , but "WAY BACK" seen your front coil overs mounted. Wondering how much room you have between your brake line and tie rod arm ? could a 3" hoes fit :rolleyes: ??? I almost have the mock up done in fiberglass for the brake ducs . With my raised spindles I'm running my intake hose under the tie rod arm , but hoping I can find someone here to trial fit some on stock spindle height struts . Made some good mods to them to tuck them in real close and wrap around tube very nicely (not to long not to short) final products will be in carbon :cool:

Keep it in mind , I see you still have some time before you hit the road . I need the swiss watch approval :D
Kozmo

Hi Roland,

Looks great as always! I like following your thread and check in for updates. I admire your dedication to reducing weigth, it will be exiting when you put it on the scales once finished.

Just a suggestion about the starter bracket, remember that the starter grounds through the bracket and the anodizing isolates the starter from the gearbox. So you need to ground the starter in some other way or remove some of the anodizing to create contact. Saves a lot of tears when trying to find out why the starter does not work :).

Kozmo

May you post a pic what measurement exactly you want, so I will check for you