Got some good stripping done today as well. Far nicer to work on things when they're degreased. I've been tempted to strip the thing entirely and send it to get blasted, but the local place isn't "Essential." Hand sand it is!
Removing the dash and cowl was a bear. The metal was far from straight and in general it wasn't well fabricated. A lot of parts were made of 1/8" aluminum, which is massive overkill. I'll be replacing the firewall with some fresh metal, but everything else is getting redone in carbon.
I have so much sanding ahead of me...
A lot of that paint looks like it'll just scrape off with a decent razor scraper. Looks tenuous at best.
TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to DaveEstey :
Clecos ftw!
I don't know why I don't have these in my toolbox - they could have come in handy many times...
I just youtubed these - I am slow...
In reply to fidelity101 (Forum Supporter) :
I always feel very cool when I use mine. Though I admit it's not very often.
Dave, what kind of coil-overs are on that? I'm shopping for my TVR...
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
They should be AFCO shocks with a coilover sleeve. I can double check.
DaveEstey said:
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
They should be AFCO shocks with a coilover sleeve. I can double check.
Summit sells AFCO shocks for Circle Track. Are they appropriate for autocross / road course / street driving?
a shock's job is to control wheel motion, it doesn't know what discipline it's working under. These Afco's aren't expensive, but I've seen a number of quick hillclimb cars with them.
There are more expensive versions as well, depending on your appetite. I already did the incredibly expensive coilover thing on my RX7 (More than twice what I paid for the Busa Grand), so I'm happy with the cheap thing for now.
Had a great consultation with Mark at R&D Motorsports in Clearwater, FL yesterday. These guys specialize in motorcycle transmissions and Mark shared way more information than I deserved.
Based on his recommendations and with an eye on legevity, we agreed the following would happen to the gearset.
Magnaflux all the gubbins, including the shift drum and shift forks. It's not unusual for the shift forks to have some microcracks.
5 degree undercut on the 1-2 gears
3 degree undercut on all gears on the decel side
Billet output shaft
Upgraded circlips
Given the weight of the car (roughly 1,200lbs) and rear tires (10" wide road race slicks) this should hold up to the abuse and make a little room for more power as well.
Excited to have the gears back in a couple weeks and start in on putting the engine back together!
TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) said:
DaveEstey said:
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
They should be AFCO shocks with a coilover sleeve. I can double check.
Summit sells AFCO shocks for Circle Track. Are they appropriate for autocross / road course / street driving?
I run AFCOs on my Camaro. They're fully adjustable and rebuildable. I like them.
APEowner said:
TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) said:
DaveEstey said:
In reply to TVR Scott (Forum Supporter) :
They should be AFCO shocks with a coilover sleeve. I can double check.
Summit sells AFCO shocks for Circle Track. Are they appropriate for autocross / road course / street driving?
I run AFCOs on my Camaro. They're fully adjustable and rebuildable. I like them.
Thanks! That's valuable info.
Another 4 hours poured into the chassis today. Making good progress though.
A little welding and I'll be just about ready to respray. I was thinking of going with a color, but black is the smart money on this job.
There was more bare metal than I was comfortable with, so I shot some primer on to ease my paranoia. If I have to sand some back off later I'm OK with it.
Are those ridiculously thick plates with all the holes and no triangulation the upper control arm mounts? Circle track stuff is wild.
In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :
They are, but that V piece of 2" square stock rides up them farther than you think. Given the weight of the car I'm not sure it needs more than that.
In reply to DaveEstey :
I'm not suggesting that they're in any way insufficient, I just don't think I've seen steel plate that thick on a suspension outside of desert racing and military vehicles!
yea these chassis were built to take a beating. I've never seen a car this small using so much box steel this big. I think the idea was force the cheap suspension to fold and let the chassis be an anvil.
How about light gray like the primer on the frame?
In reply to java230 :
I do have some leftover implement paint from spraying the interior of the LeMons RX7 that is "Slightly less flat than primer" gray.
I love charcoal grey for frames and cages. Close to black but not as utilitarian.
I love watching the scope creep as it comes more and more apart!
In reply to jfryjfry (Forum Supporter) :
Scope creep just got real!
Easy to pick up now!
Extra points for construction sign usage on the non-driver side of the car.
I've contacted a local dustless blasting company about just finishing this off so I can do some welding and start putting it all back together.
Doing it once. Doing it right. Even if it hurts.
Awesome! That will be nice to have a bare start.
Got quoted $650 to blast the chassis. Pump the brakes fella.
Still searching for a better option than that.
In the mean time, I flipped a 2 post car lift I had bought and turned it into a fresh fire suit. My old cheap sparco was OK in cold weather, but damn did I sweat anytime the sun was out (note the salt stains). This new Sparco RS5 is WAY lighter and more comfortable. I should have bought a nicer suit to begin with!
Dustless blasting is the LuLaroe of the automotive world.
