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Post by 500hp406 on Jun 6, 2009 18:35:45 GMT -7
I know you are going to have bolts and stuff left over.
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Post by tachout on Jun 6, 2009 19:18:55 GMT -7
I know I am too! A lot of that is because I think I might just leave a few things out of the car when I put it back together. Things like the DERM I sold, and the Air Bag Column, and stuff like that. I just tossed all the bolts in the parts cleaner, and plan on cleaning them and then laying them out once clean and dry, on the work bench when I got to re-assemble it, and just use what I need, and not worry about the left over crap. It is just added weight to slow me down ;D
Mostly when I put it back together I am guessing I will put in what I need, and then do my best to clean it up as I go. Way to many wires and crap.... Time to go back to what I know, and then worry about all that fancy computer stuff till the end.
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Post by highpockets on Jun 7, 2009 10:29:50 GMT -7
OK,NOW you are committed ! You have crossed the threshhold,its all downhill(or uphill,depends how you look at it) from here ! Sorry I ouldnt stay longer yesterday,my boy had plans and when he got done,my wife took over ! Never even looked at my car ! Let me know when you get it all mocked up,we can roll it around a little and make sure you dont need to move/modify/change anything before you start welding. Looking good !
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Post by tachout on Jun 7, 2009 18:03:49 GMT -7
Well I do appreciate you stopping buy, and also for the phone call today. I managed to go over the line, and I am really feeling good about my progress.
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Post by tachout on Jun 7, 2009 18:10:00 GMT -7
Thanks for checking in on the build off and on. Kinda cool getting to share what I am doing each time I work on it. I have actually considered taking off a couple days from work and just working on it each day to get the Cage in, but then I would not have those days for later in the summer. Well for the next update I will say I did not get near as far as I wanted to. Now lets talk about the Rear Sub Frame. First remember to measure twice, and cut once..... Well here are the measure twice pictures. Then I measured and marked the outriggers on the sub frame assembly. Just so everyone knows I do have one major recommedation for you. If you are going to attempt to do all this cutting, get a Sawzall. I have been using a die grinder with a cut off wheel. Cuts the fiberglass like butter, and is perfect for cleanup and all. For the steel cuts my compressor cannot keep up with the die grinder so it takes some time. By the time all is said and done, I am going to have the tools of a small body shop, as well as a major mechanics shop! Yes on payday I will probably go buy a sawsall too. If I use a tool more than twice I probably should buy it, so I do. Makes things easier down the road. After I cut the subframe it was time to take a break. I did not get back out there till today, and let me tell you, no matter how we twisted it, that frame still would not go in. After some thinking, and looking I called upon someone who has already cut up a couple of these..... Thanks Vince, when I gut the rear crossmember nothing moved! Matter of fact it still hasnt. Anyway as you can imagine, I cut a section out of the rear crossmember so I could slide it in there. A little twisting and pushing and it got in there today.... Well part the way anyway. I cut just outside my lines, and wanted it to be a grind to fit kind of thing. Well it is! I have done some of the grinding, but it was getting late so this is where it is being left for tonight. I think beyond the Sawzall, I am also going to get a couple of other body tools to grind all the fiberglass out where I need to (As it is glued in with fiberglass resin to the sheet metal I need to weld.) Besides it would make it so much easier to clean up the weld joints of the paint, and all the crap before I weld anyplace. Now the space in my garage is really really limited, so I just shoved stuff back under there and YES I do have a major case of the fiberglass itch. No worries as sooner or later it will all wash out. Anyway The outriggers you see in the pictures will drop down over a 16" and be all the way down to the bottom of the seat pan. I am going to need to do a lot more cleaning in there, as well as grinding out the fiberglass, but as you can see, the outriggers are just a hair too big! That is a good thing. I can just hit them with the grinder and grind them to fit. Not that it is going to be easy, but I would rather it be tight as it can be rather than loose and have to use weld to fill it and hope that it holds with a hard as hell launch. Not me! Anyway once I get the outriggers to fit inbetween the frame rails I will need to level it and square it with the cars frame. Then with a jack on the back end, I need to get the angle set. I can then tack it if I want.... (Which I am not going to do as I do not want it in the way for the next step. From there I need to take my main hoop for my cage, and make a couple bends in the down legs to make it more of a custom fit, and I need to size it to the correct height. I plan on making it really really tight. Then I am going to size and cut to length the rear bars coming down to the shock towers and frame from the hoop. Then I am going to size the halo. I am still not planing on even tacking a thing. From there you will see an art project to end all art projects. I am going to be out there with all of it removed except the rear frame rails and I am going to be cutting and taping posterboard to be pretend wheel wheels (Yep I am tubbing this pig too!) In the coming weeks, I hope that everyone gets the chance to follow along, and if you want to come check it out, and see the progress at any point, or pick my brain as to how I did something, or share with me your insights on a better way, please feel free. Everytime the garage door is open it seems someone driving buy stops to check it out. I really do enjoy it.
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Post by tachout on Jun 11, 2009 20:54:22 GMT -7
Well I had a light day today, and wanted to unwind some so I slept good tonight, so I decided I would go out after dinner and work on the stuff. Well to my surprise my garage door had leaked a small puddle about a 1/4 in deep into my garage under my car, and around all the stuff I left layed out. Had to clean up all of the stuff in the puddle, and then clean up the puddle. Then I put a space heater blowing on the floor and went to let it dry while I had dinner. Very enjoyable, as I got done with dinner, I changed out of my work clothes, and went out to see how bad it was going to be to work in it... IT WAS DRY! Well atleast where I was going to work. I got in there under the car, and ground out what I wanted out, and cleaned up a bit in there. Then I decided to go grind on the ends of that frame to get it into the hole, and read to size and fit for welding. Got it droped in the hole and it is now sitting on the rear cross member that will eventually come out. I can tell that at the end of working on it tonight, that I needed to grind on a couple more spots. Once that is completed, I can push it in to where I need to mark so I can cut out a place for the frame rails to come into the car. Should happen pretty fast, but I have set a 9:00PM Curfue on grinding, and cutting and loud noises because of the neighbors. So far no one has complained and I do not want them to. Slow I know, and I am glad I am not doing this for a living anymore. But then again I am having fun now, so all the more reason not to do it for a living. I can actually enjoy it now. I would say by the end of the weekend depending on how the running, and errands, and breakfast, and all go, I should be out there bending the main hoop, and sizing the halo, and rear shock to hoop bars. Once they are sized, I should be close to ready to remove the rear rails all the way, and start some serious welding. I am going to first cut out what I do not need, and then fill in the wound. From there I am going to tack the rear frame in, and start sizing the sheet metal for the wheel wells. Much easier to size before it is all welded up. Once it has been sized to some extent. Watch for more details as it starts to come together the photos should become more interesting, and rather than just shooting a few shots when I am done, I will shoot some shots during as well. Now for a few pictures of the progress.
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Post by tachout on Jun 16, 2009 18:10:23 GMT -7
First off the pictures might look a little different tonight. Over the weekend I went out and got a new camera, as my old one was a real POS and I found the one I have been looking for on sale. Now for an update on the car. Well after a couple of days of grinding and cutting and fitting, I finally have that backhalf where I want it pretty much. I am about a 1/8" from where I want it, which is fine until I go to weld it, and then I can tweak it in. Anyway this is pretty close and then I need to go in and set the angles. From here I am going to start to size the hoop, halo and front and rear down tubes. Then I am going to cut out most of the rear frame of the Vette, and start sizing tubs. I hope to get to a point this weekend of sizing tubs. Once that is done, I can tack everything, remove the main assembly and start the finish welds on them. Then I will finish off the cutting of the rear frame, weld the new rear frame in place, and plate over the wounds. Then I will install the main part of the cage, and the wheel wells. Once that is done, I can finish the cage, and be ready for its first Chassis inspection. Once that is complete, I still have a ton of work before I can assemble the interior back in, including some fabrication of the trans cross member, as well as some rear tub interior parts, and the chute mount. Before that is done, I will also need to get a fuel cell, relocate the battery, and make some rear struts to connect the rear facia. I am also planning a belly pan of sorts in the rear to keep the wind out of it that will not be formed or put in until the end, when I got to do the exhaust. I have decided to put the meth tank up front, along with the overflow and the oil tank.
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Post by 500hp406 on Jun 16, 2009 18:45:55 GMT -7
WOW, you have done some work since Sat.. It hurts my eyes to see the carnage on that sweet little Corvette. It will change from Little Red, to the Big Bad Wolf!!
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Post by tachout on Jun 17, 2009 19:49:02 GMT -7
Well since the activities were canceled tonight at the track, I worked about an hour late, and then came home and made dinner. After dinner I could see that the weather was nice for a tiny bit, and I had a window so I decided to go out and get the bends in my main hoop that I wanted to do. Now all I have to do is trim it to size and it will be ready to go in the car. It will drop down when I size it and that will put it under and behind the main targa bar of the car. Just need to leave room to get the interior trim panels in place, as well as Dynomat, and carpet down on the floor area. Also want to make sure there is room for padding on the cage, as well as a padding cover to make it look nice. I want it to be tight and hard to tell is in the car, but still meet the IHRA and NHRA Rules. Another piece close. Next after the cutting of the main hoop (Hopefully tomorrow) will be to size the down pipes from the main hoop to the shock towers. Would love to have that and the halo done before the end of the day sunday, and maybe a tack or two on those parts to the hoop. Then on sunday if we can buy some sunshine, I want to do the halo to front down tube connection, and the front downtubes sized. If I can get that far, I will need to do a ton of cutting on the rear frame, and then patch the frame holes this weekend.
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Post by 500hp406 on Jun 17, 2009 21:37:18 GMT -7
If you get all of those wires back in place, I will call you the car GOWD
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Post by tachout on Jun 20, 2009 8:39:23 GMT -7
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Post by tachout on Jul 5, 2009 15:50:52 GMT -7
Well today I have done some grinding to get rid of some old welds.... I have also got the rear bars from the hoop to the back half cut and sized. I put the door parts in, but will need to cut them once I size the front of the cage. I need to start on the halo, and front bars next, and that will be in just a little bit. It is hot and I decided tot take a drink break, shoot some pictures and post them. I plan on sizing the front bars, and the Halo tonight, and then want to do a little more in the next few days leading up to the weekend. This weekend I hope to weld in most of the cage, other than the front two bars that connect the cage with the front frame under the hood that go through the firewall. First I need to address the firewall, and then once the engine and trans are in, I will put these two bars in around the turbo's. Maybe if all goes well, by the end of next weekend around all that is going on I will be able to cut the actual Vette frame out of my way, and start patching the scars in the body with some sheet metal before I start rolling the tubs, and sizing them and all. Either way here are some pics so far today. I still have some fitting and sizing, and I want to grind a bit off of the bottom of the main hoop so that I can put plates between the roll cage, and the frame. I am fairly happy with the fit, and I think it will be a fair match between body and cage. For anyone who has ever put a cage in, getting a good fit to the body makes a world of difference and I am glad I am taking the time to grind it tight. So many cages you see in C4's the main hoop is straight, and not bent to contour the body, and after that the seats fit bad, and you can see the cage just does not look right. Mind you it takes a lot more work to get it right, but I think it is worth it. Putting in the other door bars, the front bars, dash bar and halo should complete a very tight cage.
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Post by tachout on Jul 5, 2009 21:07:56 GMT -7
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Post by tachout on Jul 25, 2009 21:29:47 GMT -7
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cheffy
New Member
I hope its not wrong to name my car Debby after a certain red head I knew with great nobs
Posts: 35
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Post by cheffy on Aug 3, 2009 17:07:11 GMT -7
woa............
that looks awsome mark
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