ST Project update: Hooking it all up.

jpnovak · 03:41 AM

Its been a while since I posted an update. Over the Thanksgiving holiday my dad and I installed the longblock into the tub. I didn't even have to jack up the car. The 4x4 rear height I temporarily set to paint worked great. The drivetrain slid right in on the ATV jack. A few bolts and 20 min later...

I realized how stiff a 28mm torsion bar is when the car did not move as it supported the weight of the drivetrain.

Over the past few nights I have installed the alt/fan assembly, fan shroud and carbs. This weekend I was able to modify the two rear most sections of engine tin for the back date. It will be nice to have heat with these SSI's. The left side needed to be pushed in to clear one plug wire. The right side needed to be bumped underneat to clear the Oil pressure sender. The wiring is all done and just needs to be connected. Carbs look nice on top of the engine. Its all coming together. I have to admit my homemade R style hinges work great and really make working on the engine easy. I can't hit my head. This is important when you are tall.

Next step was to install the oil lines and cooler from my SC donor. Here you can see the lower bracket I fab'd to mount up the Carrera cooler. I had to make custom brackets to ensure clearance on the fiberglass fenders. Still plenty of wheel clearance. I don't think this would work if I still had a batterybox. Everything is set after tightening up the lines.

I also constructed the oven for my home powder coating adventures.

Typical Fish · Typical Fish's Garage

Looks like excellent work; I am curious, though, why not assemble the engine before install?

Just a question, not a criticism.

stinkpot · 12-07-2003, 08:08 PM

Can you give some more info on your homemade oven setup? I've been thinking of ways to do that myself.....

jpnovak · 12-08-2003, 03:49 AM

The engine went in as a long block since it was taken apart for cleaning. I found some critters had built a nest on the #3 cylinder while in barn storage. Funny story. There was an obvious rodents nest and also a snake skin. I guess rodents go in but they don't come out. Since I am using carbs it is easy to assemble in the car. Plus I did not need the extra foot of clearance to put the engine in.

The homemade oven is simple. I bought two 4x8 sheets of roofing insulation foam at the local home improvement store. This is they type with the aluminum backer bonded to it. Highly insulating and cheap. I cut into 2 4x4 and 4 2x4 sections and assembled a box. The corners are held with dowels pressed into the foam and then all corners taped with Al foil tape. on the roof was attached 3 rails of perferated angle iron to hang parts from. There is hole cut in one end the size of the reflector for my propane catalytic heater. This heats fast without a true open flame. Simple grill thermometer goes in the top. I have test fired it a few times and learned something. It heats very quick. The box needs to be assembled a bit loose. It expaned on heating and pulled the tape from corners allowing the heat to hit and melt foam on the edges. These problems started about 375 F, right before my 400 deg cure temp. Phase 2 of the build is in progress to correct these problems. The oven is large enough to do just about anything including wheels. I know all you NoVA members will be reading this. Patience. The system will up and running soon.

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

It's lookin' good jamie. I kept hearing reports but no pics. It really looks like progress.

I have the same model cooler and I still have the battery box so I know they're fit together but I highly doubt it will actually get any sort of cooling flow. The box just blocks it.

The powercoating setup looks really nice. Maybe I should have sent up some tinware with jim

. (I didn't have that trim peice, just the window.)

A 911 engine is definitly a one way ticket for rodents. I found 3-4 dead ones in mine along with a couple babies.

jpnovak · 12-08-2003, 04:32 AM

Tim, I don't know if the cooler will fit with the batt. box. In the pic you can see the seam behind the cooler where I cut mine out. it was a really tight fit to get the two soft lines between the cooler and hard lines. I almost didn't make it. Maybe if you plumbed with AN lines to make them a bit shorter it would work. Of couse, we can always cut out the box in a matter of minutes.

Thanks for looking on the trim.

Jamie

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

Jamie,
I think your cooler is mounted about 2-3 inches forward compared to mine. It's installed and works well but I have to pull it all out and clean it since metal was introduced into the oil system last time it was ran.

jpnovak · 12-08-2003, 05:40 AM

I guess the hard lines may be different. Mine came from the 78 donor. It would have much more room in the fender well compared to the early chassis. I guess its a good thing I did the delete. I suppose I could cut the hard lines and rebraze them in a shorter position.

Yes, best to clean or replace that cooler. I have a Setrab cooler you can have. Its setup for AN lines. Its a finned coil setup not a full radiator style.

Tim Walsh · Tim Walsh's Garage

Jamie,
I'm no expert on cooler lines but it definitly sounds like either they are different or your lines are a few inches more forward than mine (I doubt it since that would mess up the alignment of the jack tube notch)

The cooler would be really nice if it's ready to be just cleaned externally and bolted up. Do you know if it will bolt up to the stock lines or will I need to have some custom softlines made? Otherwise I'm going to have to send my cooler to CA to have it ultrasonicly cleaned.

Shuie · 12-08-2003, 07:52 AM

Great work Jamie!

Chuck Moreland · 12-08-2003, 09:29 AM

Jamie

The hard oil lines from the 78 fit your car perfectly. You should line them up for/aft by positioning the bend that wraps around the jack receiver. That give you a few inches of adustment range.

If they still were too far forward, they may be bent in the front fender. The metal is pretty soft and can be pushed back into shape.

Your cooler is indeed a few inches forward. But it is in and will work fine. No harm, no foul.

jpnovak · 12-08-2003, 10:54 AM

Chuck thanks for the vote of confidence. The bend around the jack tube fits but is pushed forward realative to the recepticle. The lines themselves are butted tight against the vertical fender support. I suppose I could just bend them out just a bit to gain a little more clearance. You are right, they are in and should function fine.

A few inches of clearance with those meaty wheels is a good thing. They already rub slightly on the inside rear when at full lock. I still have to set alignment so this may go away when caster/camber are set. That won't come until the car is running and on the road.

Jamie