Added a parts page, suppliers page and two links page.
Parts page, generic links page and suppliers page is a bit bare at the moment but I’ll fill it up.
Comment if you want your build log or page linked.
View them by clicking the relevant link on the menu under the title bar or just here Links or here Parts or here GT40 Links.
This is going to be a nice sunny day car so IMO A/C is essential, more so than heating (although I’m including heating for those brisk nice mornings etc).
On a trip out to the USA I picked up an ID-255 “In dash” combined heater and A/C evaporator from Nostalgic AC Parts – http://nostalgicac.com/evaporator-units/indash-evaporators/id-255-heat-air-in-dash-evaporator-unit.html
This needed somewhere to mount it so more welding.
I’ve changed my mind slightly about how I’m going to mount it though, I was going to bolt it in from both sides but that then means it’ll be impossible to remove/replace without un-riveting the end panel. So I’m going to make one end captive pins into rubber grommets and the other end will bolt in place.
As per my previous update from 2011 I managed to pick up a CAV or SPF pedal box, it’s very very nice but unlike the originals which were cast magnesium alloy this is a fabricated steel one. It’s heavy and it doesn’t really fit.
It was substantially cheaper than an ‘after market’ pedal box, tbh it’s cheaper even than just a set of master cylinders so I didn’t feel too bad about modifying it…
So here is the pedal box as I got it
It’s very offset to the left, the throttle pedal is almost central to the steering column so the first thing was to cut the right side off so it could be moved right.
Before
And afterwards
Much better now
So now the brake pedal is pretty much central to the steering column.
Next was how to actually mount it. I’m trying really hard to have a totally flat floor so no bolts out of the bottom of the car. The pivot for the pedals is also below the level of the base so it has to be raised up slightly. This means I had to make up two pieces like this and then weld them in (they are of course different heights).
But I want to be able to properly stamp on the brakes without losing anything to the chassis flexing so welded in a brace.
It is total and utter overkill. 🙂
So now that the pedal box is very firmly attached time to look at the drop link again
Hmmm, solution looks pretty easy to me…
With the completion of the steering shaft it was time to look at the downlink…
Wonderfully I found a place that did universal joints to join the GM “D” shaft on the column to the Ford splined shaft. The same place did splined to splined and I picked up a section of double splined rod which just happened to be the *perfect* length!
Only one problem, seems there is a slight issue with my chassis and I needed to make an alteration…
And then weld in a brace so that the rack doesn’t move about.
Which then means the downlink fits!
Er, ish… it hits the pedal box.
So next thing is the pedal box.
Fresh from lots of chassis welding I felt rather happier about tackling safety critical welding. In this case the steering shaft.
First off machine a section of CDS tubing to the right dimensions as well as the remains of the steering shaft from the Corsa and the quick release adapter.
The CDS tube is a press fit onto the remains of the Corsa shaft, it’s then been drilled twice (at 90degrees), seam welded at the end and puddle welded in both holes.
I’m confident it’s not going to break 🙂
Now the steering wheel was in place it was time to think about how to get electrics into the wheel, ie for the horn etc.
As I’d like to retain the option of more than one button I wanted more than one wire…
In the end I decided on a mini DIN plug, identical to the common “PS/2” keyboard/mouse plugs/sockets except with more pins. This is a perfect fit to go down the centre of the steering shaft.
The wire will run down the inside of the shaft, out and then use a clockspring.
So in my last steering update I’d fitted the Corsa EPAS column.
Since then I bought a nice steering wheel
As well as a not so nice one and a quick-release boss.
Of course need to fit the wheel to the boss and the mountings are totally different. So bolt a fat chunk of aluminium plate to the boss and enter lathe stage right…
To end up with
Along with a wheel centre (I think I may be making my own later though)
and fitted to the crappy wheel
Buoyed by the success of the previous chassis modifications I kept going, modifying the parts I felt were sub-optimal. Mostly trying to remove any mid-beam loads or when unavoidable to add support as close to the load as possible.
So braced the front radius arm mounts
Then added two new uprights and a diagonal into the bulkhead.
Then more bracing
I need to take lots more photos. Seems I’m missing out on pictures of a loads of bits.
Originally I was trying to keep the chassis unmodified and create engine mounts to fit to the 302 mount points. With the chassis modifications I’d totally given up on that idea. I had purposely made the chassis easy to change engines however with just a braced flat 3mm plate to bolt the engine mounts to.
So in the bin for the previous engine mounts
and create some new ones. The idea of these ones is all they do is move the rubber mount vertical. So a very simple 45 degree mount
They’ll sit something like this
I of course had to make two (technically both are in that last photo)
So after planning it out it was with great trepidation I took the angle grinder to my chassis….
First section to get the chop
Oh my
Then time to put some steel back in the gap
Onto the other side…
Then in with the new sections
I didn’t model it but I have space for a chassis member in the middle of the engine bay so I put that in too, along with upright sections.
Sections for mounting the engine welded in (3mm steel)
Then the other side (also note the new diagonal bracing at the back both sides)
Then in with the cross diagonals
Then the outside bracing, this brings the rear silhouette of the chassis to looking very similar to a genuine GT40 (except of course a real GT40 is a monocoque not a space frame)
And of course the other side
And to finish up a coat of paint.
