CamT's build thread

A few pics from this weekend:

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Before/after:

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Ken Roberts

Supporter
Looks great Cam. The lines would flow better if the area of the spider that is directly in front of the windshield were body colored as well.
 
Confession time: I never resolved my locking door handles issue. I had tried to replicate Bill's (Rumbles) handle modification to get locking exterior door handles but I could never get it quite right. I couldn't make them work reliably and decided to forego locking door handles because I didn't want to risk locking myself into the car!

It was pretty late one night last week and I was pretty pooped but I was determined to get the locks working. I guess stepping away from a problem for a year gives you perspective - I had an epiphany and was able to tweak the modification slightly to get a setup that worked flawlessly enough that I'm now confident in implementing it into my car.

So yeah ... I got locking door handles now!

I replaced the center bolt with a longer one and used the lengthened bolt to secure one end of the new spring. The other end gets attached to the locking mechanism. This longer bolt is centered with the lock assembly and pulls down on the lock assembly as soon as it's turned past the "halfway point". This was an action I couldn't get my earlier versions to do repeatably. Here's what it looks like:

LOCKED position:
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UNLOCKED position:
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Side view - you can see the lengthened bolt and how the spring sits more clearly in this view:
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Here's a YouTube video showing the mechanism in action:


As always, more pics and details on my blog:

72. Sometimes you need a year to figure things out ...
 
Great work Cam! That was precisely the problem, the spring would bind on the arm and screw with the compression. I experimented with various mounting hole locations for that spring but elevating it completely above as you demonstrated is a winner. Also using that stud to center the spring ensures the lock tab goes where it should, the suggested mounting point favored one side. Gonna put this on the list of mods after I put the bigger fires out :)
 

Johan

Supporter
Does anyone know where to get hold of a pair of new locks? Mine was delivered without.
I have checked with Mazda here in Sweden, but they are like $700 for a pair.
 

Howard Jones

Supporter
Replace that plastic swivel thing at the end of the spring with a steel piece. The plastic will break...……………….it always does.
 
Replace that plastic swivel thing at the end of the spring with a steel piece. The plastic will break...……………….it always does.

It’s probably got a decent amount of life left in it. The spring only exerts a few ounces of tension when it’s at max deflection. You can get replacement plastic bushings at autozone.
 
I finally have gotten around to picking up a 3D printer - I wish I’d done this before I started the SLC project! It would have made for an easier going and given me more options during the build phase, oh well.

My daughter and I were strolling around in a Target and she saw some dollhouse furniture she wanted. I told her we could make that instead - that’s the reasoning I used to justify the printer purchase ;)

For my first SLC project I give you ... SLC branded knuckle dusters!

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Stubby fingers for scale ...

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Any guesses as to what it’s actually for? Answer to be revealed in a day or two!
 
3D printers are very cool things, when you think of something you need or want to make it's nice to have access to print it yourself.
 

Joel K

Supporter
Cam, Looking forward to seeing what you make with it. I may invest in one when I get ready to start my interior to make OEM looking trim pieces.

This whole kit car, component car hobby is just so interesting and just endless in terms of learning new things.
 
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