Rod C's Ohio RCR40

[Rod Chaffee]

Well, here we go.
I order my RCR40 on February 2, 2023.
In late March 2024 I received the email from RCR that my car will be ready for pick up in early April.
I borrowed my neighbor's trailer, my son and I took April 15th off of work (1 day after my 50th birthday) and headed north to Detroit.



We had a little hiccup north of Marion OH when the awning on the trailer decided it wanted to open while traveling at 65MPH. In case you were wondering, an awning open while going down the road at 65MPH is not good on the awning. A pocket knife and some wrenches later, the awning was off the trailer and we were on the way.
One we arrived at RCR, this is what we found...

We loaded it up, drug it home, unloaded it, and put it in the workshop.

Now the work begins.

 

[Rod Chaffee]

First task to get done is disassembly. This thing is stuffed full of parts. Where in the heck am I going to keep all of this stuff?
First, off with the body

Next, off with suspension

Another pile of parts to keep track of...I hope I took enough pictures and remember how it all goes back together.

Now to figure out where and how to store the body. I have to get this put someplace safe and out of the way until I need it.

 

[Rod Chaffee]

I figured I could store the body on my 4 post lift & lift it up out of the way.
Here is what it looks like:

Fran said to hang to doors by the A pillar

I supported the spider while resting on the roll bar - let me know if this looks concerning to anyone

My NSX has been relegated to the bottom bunk & is getting to know the new stablemate.

 

[Sean S.]

Congrats Rod. Let the fun begin!

 

[Rod Chaffee]

With all of the bits and pieces removed from the chassis, I flipped it over and sanded the bottom and what may be considered wheel wells with 80 grit. This roughed it up for paint adhesion.

I then painted a coat of acid-etching primer and 2 coats of "Raptor" epoxy bed liner over everything I sanded. I used brushes and rollers rather than spraying. It seemed to go on well. The primer was a bit thin and runny while the raptor material is thick and sticky.

I used two bottles of the raptor material & have two left (bought a pack of 4). I need to cover the front radiator mount sheet part and the rear diffuser. I will also likely coat the backside of the firewall. I may use any remaining to undercoat the rear and front clam shells.
Now I wait for the 7 day cure.
I am not sure if I will paint the top side of the chassis. I will see what it looks like when I flip it over. I will dynamat the cockpit to help with noise and temps.
I will work on the fuel tanks while the epoxy cures.

 

[Rod Chaffee]

Congrats Rod. Let the fun begin!

The fun has definitely begun. It is very hard to be patient, take my time & do things right the 1st time around.

 

[Douglas]

Welcome to the building fun! I believe there are four of us in Ohio currently building our 40's.

 

[Adam]

Welcome to the building fun! I believe there are four of us in Ohio currently building our 40's.

Yeah, northeast Ohio here. Good luck and let us know if you need some guidance.

 

[Klaf]

Nice start. Congrats!

 

[Rod Chaffee]

I have my chassis flipped back over and have begun working on the fuel tanks. I have been working on my aluminum welding skills, which need improvement. I have built and added mounting brackets to both tanks. My tanks will bolt in, 2 bolts on each end, through the bottom of the pontoons. My tanks will sit on three 1/2" rubber pads and have rubber padding on the right and left side as well. I am going to give them a firm but cushy ride. I have also added return 1/2" npt bung to each tank. No issues really through all of this process.
The issue I have run into is my fuel lever senders (holley lidar based technology that came with my RCR kit) use the standard SAE pattern for fuel level senders. The pattern in my RCR tanks has the 5 mounting hole equally spaced, which does not match the sender unit. Only 3 of 5 holes line up. I know...they only fit one way, as one of the spacings is larger than the other four. I have rotated and rotated and rotated and rotated and rotated and they simple do not line up in any rotation. I even tried each sender in each tank. Eventually I got a bit smarter and measured. The patterns do not match. The tank has a equally spaced pattern and the sender is the SAE standard.
My plan is to enlarge two of the holes on the tank and plug them with a 3/8 aluminum rod (maybe thread the rod and the hole & loktite them in). I will then drill and tap the plugs at the appropriate pattern and then install the sender units. I need to enlarge the existing holes so the new holes are completely in the plug and not partially in the plug.
I feel like this is the 1st of many to come hiccups in the build process. Keep focused, take my time, think through multiple solutions, pick the right one, execute, repeat. I will include some pics soon.

 

[Klaf]

I came to the same conclusion