Introducing . . . Porky

Thanks Scott. It moves a few pounds forward a little bit*, reduces the length of the lines to about 1/3, and changes the radiator’s function to oil cooler, from oil heater. It also reduces the likelihood of someone taking out the engine, in the case of a light tap in the back end. I also prefer the less cluttered look. 

It was only a few minutes work, so far. Thanksgiving should give me time to make headway, in terms of clearancing the back clamshell. Fabricating the NACA ducts is going to be the fussy part. 

*Weight distribution is not where this car shines. 

In reply to Slow_M :

There's actually a lot more advantage there, now that you elaborated.  I hadn't thought of the shorter lines and such.

Let me know if I can help on the NACA ducts or anything.  Like I could 3d print you a mold for making a fiberglass part.  That kind of thing is really easy for me to do.

In reply to TVR Scott :

Thank you for that incredibly generous offer! I’ve actually drawn the void shape in anticipation of buying a 3D printer, so that already exists, but I think I’ve come up with a simpler solution. Going to use the volume of the door and rear part of the front wheel arch to be the supply air duct, depressurizing the front wheel well. 

If that’s less efficient than I am hoping, I can always go back to NACA ducts. 

So, these arrived. 

So did the large box that this was in.  

Out with the old, and in with the new.

Need to come up with some perches for the tank, that potentially double as seat mounts and have a third use as tank strap anchors. 

I may have screwed up the spring rates, or maybe Ikon did. They feel a fair bit too beefy, when compared to the units they’re replacing. 

This weekend, I worked on placement of the fuel system components. I bought the fittings over the past couple of weeks, but it proved to be too much of a PITA to imagine the lightest and best way to mount everything, know where to penetrate the firewall, etc.  

Once I had a general idea, I started from the extant fitting in the engine bay, that I disconnected the fuel pump from (P.O. didn’t bother with a filter), and work my way toward the fuel cell. 

Sorry about the crap image quality. I’ll explain it away by pointing out that this project qualifies under the “operation midnight auto” reconstruction guidelines. As a result, I take the photos when I’m nostril deep in the work. Also, as a certified cheap bastard, I refuse to get rid of my phone until it breaks. (Will work for race car parts.)

Fuel system plumbing is done. So’s the entire fuel system. One item off my to do list. 

Actually, that’s the other exciting part.

I HAVE A LIST! 

Weld a bunch of new attachment points for shoulder harness, fuel cell perches, sway bar adjuster, oil cooler, and other things I’m forgetting. 

Install fire system. 

Make and install seat. 

Tidy up wiring. 

Buy HANS device, harness, Nomex, shoes, and gloves. 

Modify the body so my feet fit. I’m not willing to modify my feet. 

The Porky's Progress in This World, to That Racing Which Is to Come

Separating the few ounces of wheat from the several pounds of chaff. 

A couple more pounds gone. 

First trial fit. Held in place with bailing wire. 

IM NOT THAT SMALL! 

Tons better, but it’s WHEY snug in the shoulders. I know it’s partly because of the height I lost by removing the upholstery foam, but I also want to place my own mass as low as I can. If nothing else, it’s a good tool, to gauge the seating position, lean back, width, etc., with. 

It may just make sense to build one from scratch.  Not sure, yet.  

Any old way, I think my plan of using the seat as the fuel cell retainer is going to work.

Pour a foam seat or bite the bullet and buy a bead seat kit from Pegasus. Way safer and you will drive faster supported better.

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Thanks, Bill, for chiming in with the voice of reason.

Been racking my brain about this since I read your reply. I was going to rivet sheet Aluminum to the steel frame, and there’s a large sheet of the right thickness material standing next to the car. On the other hand, if I work with the Creafoam kit, I’ll be relying on someone’s help (AKA give up some control). 

Rear fuel cell perches made. They’ll be riveted to the firewall. 

Cockpit mounted remote sway bar adjuster is installed! (Look at the orientation of the knob and the blades, in the last two images.)

This has been a long time coming. Until I started looking around, I’d forgotten how much work I’d already put into repairing the system, rebuilding, making pieces, and getting it sorted. 

A recent x-ray resulted in less than desirable news about the discs in my lumbar spine, so knocking this off the list kind of feels like a big deal. Partly, because there really isn’t a lot left to get done.

Well, the fuel cell’s tied down. That’s another item off the list. 

One baby step closer to done. 

Fire suppression system’s about 90% in. 

Looking good.  Solid progress.

In reply to TVR Scott :

Thanks! I’m on the home stretch, I hope. 

Porky has a date.

A date with a hill. 

In reply to TurnerX19 :

Heeding your advice, Bill. 

It’s the most ginormous one they have. 

SPILL IT!!  WHAT'S THE EVENT!!

That looks like an awful lot of bead for a single seat, it looks like enough to completely fill the seating area of any racing chassis I have worked on! I hope as well you never need the "safety" part of the advantage this will give. 

In reply to TVR Scott :

It’s VARA’s Horse Thief Mile Hill Climb, at Streets of Willow. It’s Willow Springs sibling track. 

I plan to have it ready for my friend, Spencer to drive. He held a record for that event for a bit, I think, with his FF Lola T-342. The little porker should excel at hill climbs. 

In reply to TurnerX19 :

I did photograph it to look XXXL, but the cockpit is pretty damn wide, too. Much bigger beam than any open wheeler. I plan to provide lots of lateral support all the way from the shoulders on down to the mid-thighs. If there’s enough, even a decent cradle around the back and sides of the helmet. 

So, it’s quick. Maybe even fast.