I've been meaning to do this for a while and am finally getting around to it. I'm going to start at the arrival of the kit and hit the highlights as it has been progressing. Hope ya'll enjoy seeing it go together.
Mike
A lot of boxes of parts come with it.
Getting the frame and other parts ready for paint
Frame Painted
Rear Suspension Finished
Front Suspension Finished
Next was the fuel tank
Ryan had a great idea of using Herculiner on the underside of the body tub and trunk liner. Thanks Ryan!
Somewhere between the front and rear suspension the fuel lines, brake lines and battery cables where added. Tires and wheels were ordered and I now have a rolling chassis.
Finished Front Suspension
Finished Rear Suspension
Another Overall View
Aluminum Firewall Installed on Body Tub
Body Tub Mounted to Frame. Steering shafts and Pedals installed
Engine is a 351W based 418 stroker.
TKO 600 transmission and Lakewood scatter shield being mounted to engine
Had to fabricate a slave cylinder bracket for the push style slave cylinder I'm using. Nice spring eh?
Engine and trans ready to install
Engine finally installed.
One More
And Another
Radiator and Ineer Fenders Installed
Fan Installed
Next was the dash and wiring.
The wiring and dash took some time to do. Then it was on to a lot of little things and some added details. Here the dash braces that are seen on original cars are added.
Girling master cylinder resevoirs. Thanks to Larry for pointing out that the Girling cans are the same as PVC cement cans. I was able to make these rather inexpensively. Thanks Larry!
Driveshaft and safety loop
The headers are very close to the master cylinders. Steve came up with the idea to wrap them with Kool Mat to keep the heat off of them. I expanded on that idea by taking a piece of aluminum with Kool Mat attached to it and making a shield to protect the cylinders from heat. I am thinking about shielding the lines going down the firewall also. Thanks Steve!
The brakes and clutch have been bled and the engine has been fired. I am currently working on the seats, seat belts, battery mount and other misc. items. I will post more pics as I move along.
Mike
Looking great!!!
Mike,
Nice job,... on the build, and the pics!!
[smiley=thumbsup.gif][smiley=beer.gif]
Very nice work Mike!
Larry
Thanks for the compliments guys. I appreciate it.
How about getting a few more builds posted? Not only is it great to follow everyones progress, but its also a way to share ideas. Someone may see something that would help them in thier build. You know what they say, a pictures worth a thousand words. Plus its a great way for any potential Hurricane customers to see how the kits go together.
Mike
Where did you get your motor and trans, how much was it and how much power you think you will be putting out?
Thanks,
Dan
Hey Dan,
I got my engine from a local engine builder in the Charlotte, NC area. They do a lot of race engines for various Nascar series teams. I asked them for a torque monster and boy did I get one. It made 496 HP and 565 Ft lbs on thier dyno! It has a forged crank, H-beam rods and forged pistons along with a custom ground roller cam and roller rockers. The heads are Dart Pro 1's that have had some tweeking done by the engine shop. I added the valve covers, turkey pan, expansion tank etc myself to dress it up. I got the transmission from D&D Performance. It was the best deal around at the time. The rest of the clutch setup was bought from various sources. I can send you an email with more specifics if you would like.
Mike
Mike the car looks great! Very nice attention to detail. I can't wait to place my order and I'm still a few months away from that. So for now I'll just oogle ;D.
Nice work you do....
G.
Heres a couple more of the latest stuff.
Mike
Seats and seat belts
Battery Tray
Battery Mounted
Looks good Mike!
I have a piece of the foam seal missing on the rear bulkhead in exactly the same place you do! How funny!
Larry
Mike,
Did you have any problems getting your measurements for your drive shaft?
I have been reluctant to send mine to Denny's, I don't feel really comfortable with
them.
They are great pictures a really neat looking build.
Thanks Zeb
Hey Zeb,
I had no problems with the measurements. I used their form and wrote it all down. I then called them and they went over everything with me to make sure I did it all correctly. All the measurements are pretty easy to get and are explained well on the form. It really is a nice looking driveshaft. A lot better quality than some I've gotten from a local drive shaft shop. I like the fact that its speed balanced at 6000 rpm or what ever your max rpm would be. Very few shops do this. And it was only $45 more than getting one locally. Heres a pic.
Mike
Heres a few more. Go-kart pretty much completed. I took it for a drive that day. Man was that fun!!!
I took a video but somethings wrong. I can watch on the camera, hook the camera to the TV and watch it on TV but can't transfer it from the camera to the computer. Other pics/video's etc. transfer to the computer so I'm at a loss. I guess I'll have to make another.
Mike
Go Kart
Another
And another one
One More
And Again
Even though I can't get the video to work, you can see that I did take it for a "spin".
The next day I set the body on.
Different Angle
I'll need to set the ride height a little lower. I can't go much more, but I'll get it as low as I can within the confines of the suspension/springs.
I was going to ask why I could see lettering on the front tread but none on the rear!
But I see the answer on the asphalt! ;D
Looks good Mike.
Larry
HaHa! Yeah, I was hav'in a little fun. The neighbors thought the redneck from hell moved in next door.
Hopefully I can get going on the body work soon.
Mike
Man that looks good....Great Job
Phil
Mike,
That looks completely AWESOME!!!!! It's a real clean build. I also noticed the lack of lettering on the rear tires... A big grin came across my face. :-)
BTW why did you opt for the PCV valve going to the carb as opposed to a filter for a crankcase vent?
Cheers,
Thanks guys. Its hard to keep it in the garage to start on the body work. I just can't help myself. I keep taking it out for rides around the neighborhood.
Hey Ryan,
Yes I did go to the carb with the PCV valve. Its just the way I've always done it, but theres no particular reason for it. I don't know if there's any advantage either way. If anyone else has any thoughts on this, I sure wouldn't mind hearing them. I'm sure not opposed to changing it if I'd be better off doing something else.
Mike
Mike,
I wasn't sure... It was on mine when I got it, but I now have a filter there. I have a leak at WOT on the front of the intake manifold and it could be because there is too much pressure (IE those vents aren't venting enough). I was told to consider putting the PCV valve back on as when hooked up to the carb it will pull air out as opposed to just venting like those vents do.
Of course it is a cork gasket up front, and it was sitting dry for 6 months so that could be the issue.
But it REALLY looks good Mike. Take pictures if you wouldn't mind while your doing the body work.
I'm hoping to focus 100% on the body sat/sun of this week. I'm SOOOO tempted to put it on the car to see how she looks though. It's a daily battle I fight. ;D
Cheers,
Ryan,
That makes sense. It would seem that with the pcv pulling additional air through the engine there would be less pressure to build up in the crankcase. The intake ends are prone to leaks when using the cork or rubber gaskets. If you ever decide to replace the intake gasket, toss the cork gaskets that come in the gasket set and use a thick bead of silicone gasket sealer. Let it set for about 10 minutes and install the intake. This usually does the trick for preventing leaks.
I plan on taking a lot of pics while doing the body work. I'll be sure to post them.
My current plan is to get the body bolted down good, fit and gap each panel, do whatever mods that I can while the body is on (ie rear of the rocker panels, move louvers etc) do the initial blocking on the body itself as Mike suggested, fill low areas that require it and fit all the latches and other exterior components. Then I'll disassemble it and remove the body, do any other mods such as the door sills and start priming and blocking. Then finally paint.
Mike
Build pics look great. I am also planning to use fe 427 with top loader. Any problems with fit. Also, your headers look great. Ceramic or chrome? Where did you get them done? Hurricane doesn't offer that option...do they? Color of body? Thanks for info.
Hi herman,
Thanks. Actually my engine is a small block "418" dressed up to look like a big block. The small block fits great. There are a bunch of the guys running big blocks in their cars and there are no problems with the fit that I'm aware of. Hurricane uses a different foot box with the big block engine to increase the space in the engine compartment. Brad, Tom or one of the other guys running the big block could probably give you more specifics on the fit etc. Just post any questions about it in the general topics forum and I'm sure they'll chime in. My headers have been ceramic coated. I had them done by a local specialty coating company. Although not listed on the web site, I believe the guys at Hurricane will get them coated for you, if you would like then too. As for color, well, right now I'm leaning toward guardsman blue with white stripes.
Mike
QuoteBuild pics look great.
After taking most of the summer off because the heat and other obligations, I'm finally able to get back to work on the car. The body is on and I've started the body work. I'm doing the heavy rough work now and when I take the body back off the frame I'll do the final sanding and touch up before primer.
I've taken a different approach to leveling the panels with the body. When you do your body work you will notice that the swinging panels have some areas that are not completely level with the body. For example the trunk corners can be a little low, the sides of the hood can be low, places on the doors, etc. Most guys will add some filler to these areas to bring them level with the body. This is fine and it doesn't require much filling.
What I did was cut the inner panel so I could raise the low area to the level of the body and reglass it in position. It was pretty simple to do, but does take some time. I don't recommend this method for everyone unless your picky or you don't mind the extra time this method takes. Most guys will be perfectly happy just filling the low areas.
Heres a shot of one of the doors that I cut and pasted. I opened the gap until the panel was level with the body and reglassed it. I ended up doing this on all panels in various places.
I raised the corners on the trunk lid slightly. I was able to get it pretty flush all the way around. This is before I started adding any bondo.
Heres the trunk now that its nearly done. I still had to add a little filler but very little and its extremely thin. I don't know if it was just my trunk handle or all of them, but the dimple where the hole is to be drilled was slightly off center. I decided to center it for better looks. I had to bend the opposite end of the catch (from whats shown in the manual) inside the trunk once it was centered.
I didn't care for the bolt thing the the trunk latch catches on so I came up with a better one. I also didn't care for the wire for the license light running in those plastic things so I drilled a hole near the hinge, added a grommet and ran the wire inside the trunk between the two panels.
For some reason I didn't get any good pics of the doors after my cut and paste method but you can get an idea of the fit in the pics of the rockers. Here are a couple of the hood after fitting to the body.
Another of the hood
My roll bar holes were a little off - maybe a 1/4" or so. I haven't decided if I want to use grommets or what kind if I do so I moved them so the bar is pefectly centered. That way I'm covered no matter what I do.
I added door sills. It was a lot of work but I think it was worth the time spent on it.
I decided to extend the rocker panels in front of the rear tires. The early cars, like mine, had the rockers cut in a way that it exposed part of the frame in front of the rear tire (see previous pic). The guys at Hurricane made this change on the newer cars. This was a big job. Not too difficult but it did take a lot of time.
First I removed the bolt from the body and glassed a nut to the out side of the body so the bolt could be used from the inside of the car. Then I started on the polyurethane foam. I tried to make the form one piece but that didn't work so I glued strips of foam to the body and the frame (I had painters tape on the frame). This stuff sands extremely easy. In a matter of minutes I had the rough form to put the glass over.
I decided to put a coat of fiberglass filler over the foam before adding the fiberglass mat. I thought this would fill the gaps between the foam and create a bit of a bridge between the body and the fiberglass mat to give it extra strength.
Then I added the glass. Its 6 plys thick at the bottom and tapers to 2 plys just under the door.
I had to cut the bottom off of the flare. I used the piece I cut off and glassed it further down on the body so the flare would extend to the new bottom edge of the body. I then filled the gap between the two pieces with fiberglass mat and resin.
Next I hit it with a grinder, then the DA and finally a coat of Rage and a little bit of blocking. The toughest part was keeping the curve or contour thats at the bottom edge of the rocker at the front of the car the same all the way back to the flare. Here its almost finished.
Heres a shot of the flare. Again, almost finished. I still have a little touch up to do.
Another thing I did was add some polyurethane (construction adhesive) to the doors. I noticed they just didn't sound solid when you closed them. If that makes sense. I guess just being thin, light and hollow didn't give them a solid feel. I filled the area between the panels with the polyurethane, about 1 tube in each door. Now they have a slightly heavier, more solid feel to them and they close with a solid "thunk" instead of a wimpy "clink".
Well, thats all for now. I'll try to post some more and some better pics as things progress.
Mike
Your are doing a lot of work on the body Mike !!!
It is looking really great, it looks a lot better with the back bottom of the body at the same level of the front.
Alfredo
Wow Mike, that's really impressive! The way you added the skirt is very cool!. I will be doing the same thing, so I'm learning from your work.
I like your idea for the trunk latch too.
What happened to the hood scoop? Is that a new hood from Hurricane or did you cut off the scoop.
Larry
Hey Alfredo,
Thanks. It has been a lot of work so far but I think I'm past the toughest part. I still have to move the holes for the louvers forward but other than that its mainly just blocking the rest of the car before primer.
Hey Larry,
Thanks for the compliments. I'm a cheater too!!! I took so much time off this summer and spending so much time on the sills and skirt on the body I decided to order a new hood from Hurricane to speed things up a bit. I think the molded scoop could be cut off of the original hood and filled in, but like the skirt, it wouldn't be too difficult, just time consuming.
The trunk catch is just a u-bolt that I got at the local farm supply store in the trailer parts section. Its supposed to be used to hold the trailer axle to the leaf spring. I had to weld a piece of 1/4" steel to the rear cross member of the frame to use it. One leg of the u-bolt goes through the rear crossmember on the frame and the rear most leg goes through the 1/4" steel plate I added.
Mike
Wow!!! That's looking GREAT Mike!! The added sills look really good!!
Cheers,
Thanks Ryan. The door sills and the rocker extension/skirts were both pretty big jobs but I think the end result is worth it.
Mike
Well, I spent a lot of time in the shop this weekend. Here's a few more progress pics.
The first thing I did was fix the hood hole and then gap the doors and hood. The doors had already been blocked and filled and the hood was in place and ready for blocking/filling. Heres a pic of the hood. The gap is done and the hole cut and I've just started the initial blocking.
I also re-installed the turkey pan so I could cut the hole in the hood to match. I found that part of the original hole in the hood was in front of where the new hole would be so I had to glass in a small portion of the old hole.
I also found that the rear of the turkey pan is far enough back that I had to cut part of the inner structure on the hood and fill it. I could have made the hole a little shorter in the rear as it was above the rear of the pan but I didn't think it would look right.
Next was the initial blocking on the front half of the car.
And then filler was applied and sanded.
And another of the front end with filler. It looks like I still have to do the front flares/wheel wells, move the vents and cut the hood corners and then some light finishing work in a few places before primer. Man, does the body work ever end?
Ok, well its been a month since the last update so I guess its time for one. First thing I did was build a bit of a body buck and removed the body from the chassis for the rest of the body work.
Moved the vents forward to a more original location.
I had to fill the headlight holes so the Wipac type buckets I'm using have a little better fit.
I then cut the hood corners for a more original look also.
Another pic of the hood corners
I then spent a fair bit of time working on the inner lip of the wheel wells. I wanted them smooth, straight, an even width lip all the way around and a nice taper at the ends. Some of my friends think I'm nuts for doing all this, but for me its one of those things that grab my eye when I see a car and they're not finished well.
And last weekend I finally got a coat of primer on the body. It all looks nice and straight, very few pins holes etc. Looks are one thing, the next round of blocking will tell how straight it really is. Next step is to finish the swinging panels. Outer surface is ready for primer, just need to finish the inside surface, then prime them. Here are of few pics of the body in primer.
Another
And Another
One more
Ok, last one for now.
Wow Mike, that looks fantastic! You're a perfectionist!
What did you do about the mounting bolts on the side, below the doors?
Larry
Hey Larry,
Thanks for the compliment, but I don't know about being a perfectionist, although I do try to do a good job on it.
For the body mounting at the rear I glassed a 3/8 nut to the outside of the body before I added the skirts. I'll use the bolt to fasten the body from the inside. Here's a bad pic but you'll get the idea.
As for the front two bolts I just decided to eliminate them. I glassed the holes in and will glass the body to the interior tub once its to be permanently mounted. Hopefully the body won't ever have to come off. If it does, it will be easy enough to cut through the glass with a cut off wheel for body removal.
Mike
Here's another with the body off.
Mike, very nice work. Man it looks great in the primer!
Matt
Thank you Matt. I do appreciate it.
It is amazing what just getting it all one color will do. I can only imagine what is will look like with real paint on it. Thanks again.
Mike
Wow.. That looks great!!! It's nice to see it all in one color. I like the attention to detail. The hood opening, side vents, extending the side panels and the door sills look great! Not to mention I like how you did the headlight openings.
Are you going to paint it or send it off?
How did the swining panels turn out? Did you shoot them yet?
Keep up the great work!!
Cheers,
Hi Ryan,
Thanks!! Its been a lot of work as you well know. I haven't shot the swinging panels yet. The outside of the panels are ready but I still had a little to do on the inner parts. Hopefully, I'll get them shot this weekend.
I plan on shooting the paint myself. Hopefully it will turn out nicely. My last two were pretty darn good so I have high hopes on this one. Its amazing how forgiving these new paints are. Heres a pic of my Chevelle that I painted. If I get these same results on the Cobra I'll be happy.
I'm shopping for a new spray gun. Maybe it will up my odds for success. Only problem is if I get a new gun I can't use that as an excuse for crappy paint ;) ;) ;)
Mike
Wow Mike, that looks great!
For guns, I have a a Binks gravity feed but if I had to do it over again, I'd look into some of these newer guns I see on eBay. Look really nice and the same or more features as my gun at 1/4 the price. That's for a finish gun.
I have a Binks #7 I use for primer.
Larry
Thank you Larry,
I was really pleased how it came out. Especially with the limited experience I have. I shot a half dozen cars or so back in the late 70's, mostly lacquer and acrylic enamel, and haven't touched a gun since. I did my 31 back in 2004 and this one in 2005. Both with bc/cc. I can't believe how well these new paints spray.
I shot the Chevelle with a Devilbiss Finishline III gun. Its kind of an inexpensive HVLP model. I'm currently looking at the Devilbiss GFG670 and the Iwata LPH400-LV. Both are highly regarded for their ability to lay down a super slick paint job. The Iwata is known to virtually eliminate the overspray or fogging that is common, with even the HVLP guns. I think this is important, especially when spraying in a garage instead of a booth. The Iwata is about $125.00 more than the Devilbiss so I'm still mulling over which way to go.
Mike
Hi All,
After a few rounds of blocking primer etc etc. I've finally made some progress. I put in a long weekend and finally got some paint on her. I wrestled with colors for a long time. I ended up deciding to go with black. I also wanted it to be a little more subtle (if theres such a thing with a Cobra) so I went without stripes. Anyhow, here we go.
First I had to get a sealer on it. I used epoxy reduced 25% for my sealer. Here it is in the sealer.
And another with the epoxy sealer.
Next thing was to shoot the base coat.
And another shot of the base.
And then on to the clear. Heres a few shots of it with the clear coat.
And another
And again
Only a couple more
Yep, one more
Finally, the last one for now.
Now that its painted I need to cut and buff it to really bring out the shine. More sanding.........Aghhhh.
I'm starting to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Mike
Looks great. You did a fantastic job on the bodywork. It's really paying off now. I can't wait until I'm at this stage.
Again, great job, looks awesome. It's gonna look mean >:( >:(.....
Dan
WOW Mike, nice job!
You're brave with going with the black, and doing it yourself, but it looks like you did the prep work you needed to pull it off. Very nicely done!
Brad
Agreed. Looks Great Mike!!
I don't envy you with the sanding. Glad that's all done and behind me :-)
I think its great you are undertaking it all yourself!! Keep up the great work!
Cheers,
Mike, you're an artist!
It looks super and the body work on the lower skirt is awesome!
So when you finish, I'll send you my body and you can do it all over again! ;)
Larry
Thanks guys, I appreciate it.
When the paint goes on it makes all that hard work getting to that point seem worth while. I'm thrilled that it came out so well, especially since I'm such a novice when it comes to paint and body work. I just wish it wasn't such a cloudy, dreary day for the pics.
I think once I cut and buff it, it should look even better. So, I guess I have one more round of sanding ahead of me. I can't wait to get that behind me and get the body back on the chassis. I can almost see the light at the end of the tunnel now. ;) ;) ;)
Thanks again,
Mike
BTW- I'd do it Larry, but I've single handedly depleted the supply of sandpaper in the southeast on this project. It might be years before the supply is back to normal and even then I might still be banned from purchasing any.
Really nice work, the reflections are awesome !!!!
It looks perfect.
Alfredo
Thank you Alfredo. I appreciate the compliment.
Mike
Mike,
That is really nice!
Steve
Mike, Your paint looks fantastic! I love the color...Black...it gives the car that high fashion quality, and high value look. It will always " stand-out " in the lot full of other Cobra's. You've done an excellent job of preparation and your painting skills are obviously pretty darn good.
"Be Proud my man, You done it!" ;)
I plan on painting my car black pearl with white stripes and maybe some red pin stripping. I will have to have a real painter do it because I would most likely screw it up if I did it. I painted a few cars back in my younger days with a Sears spray gun, out in my Dad's garage....I thought it looked Cool but it really was pretty bad.
Anyway, Best to You on the rest of your build!
Bill ;D
Thanks Steve,
Hopefully it won't be much longer before I have it on the road. We'll have to get together for a cruise this spring.
Mike
Thanks Bill,
The black was a last minute decision for me. I was set on blue and a couple days before picking up the paint I changed my mind. Going without stripes was kind of a last minute deal too. For some reason I wanted a slightly under-stated kind of look. :-? ::) The whole time I was hoping the body work was going to be straight enough for it.
Hmmm......Black Pearl and White stripes. Sounds like a pretty awesome combo to me. I can't wait to see it.
Thanks again,
Mike
Mike,
If you want to keep it understated, how about some of the ghost stripes, one that are just a shade off from what you used? Would look cool for someone looking at it while it's parked but on the street, most of cars you roll up next to won't see them.
ken
Hey Ken,
The ghost stripes are a cool idea. I've seen a few cars with them and they look awesome. I had thought about them also, when I was mulling over the color scheme, but in the end decided to go stripeless. My thought is that if later on I decide to add the stripes they'll probably be something like you suggested. Thanks for the suggestion.
Mike
QuoteI didn't care for the bolt thing the the trunk latch catches on so I came up with a better one. I also didn't care for the wire for the license light running in those plastic things so I drilled a hole near the hinge, added a grommet and ran the wire inside the trunk between the two panels.
Where did you get the new trunk latch and what were it's dimensions? I can't find one anywhere that will work.
Hey Dan,
The trunk catch bracket is a u-bolt that holds the axle to the leaf spring on a small utility trailer. I got it at a local farm supply store. I had to weld a piece of 1/4" steel plate to the back of the frame to accomidate it. One leg of it, the one seen in the pic, goes through the frame in nearly the same place as the original bolt and the other goes through the piece of steel plate that I welded onto the back of the frame. I don't have the dimensions, I think these are a standard/universal size for small trailers, but I can get them if you'd like. I hope that helps. If you need more info, just let me know.
Mike
Mike,
I like your mod with the U-Bolt. These are readily available from W.W. Grainger for a couple bucks. I welded a bracket on the back of my frame to accept the other leg. I did some rough measurements to figure out how long the bracket could be. I figured out 2 1/2" would give me about 1/2" clearance to the body.
But then I got concerned about if the body would move aft enough to clear it. May we impose on you for a dimension? The rear cross tube is 2" square. How much is it from the back edge of that tube to the approx. center of the rear leg of the U-bolt. With that info, I can estimate the edge of the bracket and cut off any excess.
I've kept pictures of my bracket and will post it shortly.
Paul
Hi Paul,
I'd be glad to get that dimension for you. I'll post it this evening when I get home from work.
Just for reference, the bracket I welded to the 2x2 doesn't go beyond the rear edge of the fiberglass trunk liner so there is no problem clearing the body, etc.
Mike
Mike,
The last time I was at Hurricane, I noted the trunk-liner on current production cars did not follow the contour of the inner rear body - you needed to add some aluminum to get a good seal. My body is on the buck so I can't tell how well it fits. I do know the liner is going to take some work so I don't trust what I have. I could make the bracket the same as the liner but don't know if that would be enough to accomodate the u-bolt's second leg.
Hoping to learn from someone else's experiences. I assume you are using a std. 3/8-16 x 2" ID square u-bolt.
Getting ready to paint my frame and hoping to have all mod's done before painting, not after :-/
Thanks, in advance
Paul
Hi Paul,
The measurement from the rear 2" tube to the center of the rear leg of the u-bolt is approx. 1-3/4" . The u-bolt I used was 2" ID (between the legs) and has 7/16 threads. The 3/8 should be fine, I see no problem there. One thing I should note is that the latch on the trunk engages the u-bolt very close to the rear leg of the u-bolt, about 3/8" inward from the inside of the rear leg. So you will need to mount the u-bolt as far rearward as possible. On mine the leg of the u-bolt that goes into the 2" square tube is about as far toward the rear of the tube as possible and still be able to start a nut on the threads. I determined exacly where to mount it with the trunk pan installed and the body in place.
I hope that helps. If you need additional info let me know.
Mike
Mike,
Thanks for the info. With a quick layout, I see it gets real tight. Using a 3/8" U-Bolt, for wrench clearance inside the tube, the center of the hole can't be any closer than 1/2" from the outside edge. Any closer and you won't be able to get a socket on the nut.
Using that as a given, the rear leg centerline then lays out 1 13/16" behind the square tube. Pretty close to what you measured. It will be slightly different since you used a 7/16" bolt.
Comparing that to the bracket I calculated, the bracket needs to stick out behind the tube 2 1/4" Any more than that and you won't be able to get the front leg of the U-Bolt into the frame. I made my bracket 2 1/2".
From what you've seen on your car, should I cut the extra 1/4" off or is there adequate clearance to the body. My concern is when I put the finished body down over the rear frame, it hangs up on the bracket. The alternative is to cut the entire bracket off and make it a bolt-on piece.
??
Hi Paul,
I wasn't able to get a socket on the nut thats on the front leg of the u-bolt thats inside the 2" square tube. Its that close to the side of the tube. I was able to get an open end wrench up in there and hold it enough to tighten the topside nut.
As for the 1/4". I'm not sure, I'll look at it this evening. My bracket goes all the way to the edge of the fiberglass trunk liner. I'll get a measurement tonight and see how far it sticks out from the square tube. I had the body on and off several times with the bracket installed and had no problems with the body hanging on it or it being in the way. I'll post that measurement this evening and let you know what I see.
Mike
BTW - the bracket you made looks great, you did a nice job on it.
Hi Paul,
I got a little more info. The end of my bracket is 2-3/8" from the 2x2 tube. I have about 5/8" from the end of the bracket to the inside of the body. I told you wrong earlier, is does stick out beyond the edge of the fiberglass trunk pan by about 1/4 - 3/8". For some reason I thought it was flush to the edge of the trunk pan. Hope that helps.
Mike
Thanks for your help and input, Mike.
I guess my search now widens for a square u-bolt that is 2 1/2" ID instead of the normal 2".
I am close to farm country and will check out the local farm supply stores. McMaster and Grainger do not have one, that I can find.
What does one do for entertainment when you're car's done? Have the build work is finding solutions to the days problem.
Thanks. If you're ever around Saint Louis, I owe you a cold one
Paul
Hey Your build is looking "Super" .... ;D
Your correct the body does not fit perfectly tight aganist the rear of the trunk liner. I fit my trunk liner where I thought it should be, but when I installed the body there was a small "gap" between the rear of the liner and the rear of the body. I guess I will make a alum. fill- in for that problem.
As for the trunk latch from Hurricane (very bad), I just made a new one from a piece of alum. angle ..shaped it and polished it, came out great. It was easy to position and drill the frame for installation when I installed the trunk. :D
Keep on build-in...it's so much fun!
Best Regards, Bill ;)
Your welcome Paul,
I haven't seen one in 2-1/2", but if you can't find one it should be easy enough to make one.
Thanks Bill,
I'd love to see a pic of your trunk latch. It sounds nice and would be another option for the other builders.
I noticed Alfredo used an eye bolt for his latch. It looks nice, and I think it too, would be easy enough to mount.
Here's a pic from Alfredo's finished kit pictures. I hope you don't mind Alfredo.
Mike
P.S. Maybe Mike or Rich could move this exchange to the owners forum as its a bit off topic for the build pics section and would probably help more owners over there.
Mike,
Think I solved the problem. McMaster-Carr has a 3/8-16 Square U-Bolt (#3060T45) that has legs long enough to go all the way thru the 2" tube so it is nutted on each side. On the bracket, you won't need as much thread so it can just be cut off. Makes a U-bolt with unequal legs.
Solves the wrench clearance problems. Now the U-Bolt can be moved closer to the edge of the tube and get more clearance to the trunk latch.
Thanks for your help
Paul
ps: Mike, Rich & Ron: if you want to add this as an improvement to the kit, the u-bolt is also available from Fastenal as part No. 0156431. The bracket is easily made from a scrap piece of 2" tubing.
Great find Paul. The u-bolt I used wasn't long enough to go all the way through the 2x2. The longer legs on the one you found should make installation a whole lot easier and overall should work much better. [smiley=thumbup.gif] [smiley=thumbup.gif] [smiley=thumbup.gif]
Mike
hey mike eric here, just saying that trunk carpet is nice because the stuff that came with it is well
i would not let my dog sleep on it it's bad i mean real bad to matty kinda of nappy headed but mike told me a awhile ago for around $450 there's an upgrade.
your build is tuff im tring to put as much time in as possible and reading, shopping, and keeping clean and orginzed take alot of our time robert has been helpful but ive been the body man and his machine
swirl clockworks came out really cool so we keep pressn'.
anyways have a Great day. BYAO (build your arss off). ;D
the spit in your eye the the wind in your hair a bug in your tooth it will be a find day for a ride.
eric\ems