Chuck and Ryan's RCR Build

[Chuck]

Insulation and Carpet

Three types of insulation were used, all from Cool It and readily available from Jegs, Summit and other suppliers.

First, Heat and Acoustical mat, part number 14720, 60” x 36”, was used to cover the rear bulkhead and other areas of the interior. This product does NOT have the shiny aluminum surface, but does have an imbedded metallic layer for heat dissipation. It is about an eighth inch thick, rubbery, and self adhesive.

Second, Aluminum heat shielding, part number 13590, 24 x 48, was used to cover the engine side of the removable bulkhead / firewall insert.

Third, Insulating Mat, part number 14110, 48 x 48, was used on the rear bulkhead, over the Heat and Accoustical mat. This product has an aluminized surface on one side. It is about a quarter inch thick. It was held in place with 3M #77 spray adhesive.

Installing the insulation proved to be much more time consuming than we had anticipated. It was installed in sections along with the carpeting. The different sections will be noted in separate posts.

 

[Chuck]

Insulation and Carpet – Rear Bulkhead

The rear bulkhead was first. Patterns were made and the Heat and Acoustical mat was placed, cutting out openings for exposed bolts and screws. Next the carpet was cut to fit. The insulating mat, (the fiber material with the aluminum backing), was then cut to fit and glued to the back side of the carpet using 3M #77 spray adhesive.

The edge of the insulating mat around the rear window was cut back so that the mat was even with the edge of the plexi glass window. The carpt was squeezed between the plexi glass and the aluminum frame. This resulted in the carpet fitting flat around the window.

The insulating mat was trimmed back about an inch inside the edge of the carpet around the edge adjacent to the spider to make sure the extra thickness would not interfere with the fit of the spider.

 

[Chuck]

Insulation - Firewall

The removable firewall was covered on the engine side with the aluminum heat shield. The inside was covered with the acoustical mat. We then fabricated a center cover to fit between the seats to cover the water pump hump. Coming up with a functional design took much more time that we had expected. The top portion of the firewall and the center section were covered with black vinyl, matching the seats and center console. The remainder was not covered since it will not be seen when the seats are in place.

Three quarter inch square aluminum tubes were secured to the firewall with quarter inch button head screws to space the seat back away by that distance. This is due to the location of the roll cage horizontal bar. Without the spacer ones head thumbs that bar way too frequently. The button head screws provide just enough clearance for the shoulder belts to move freely without getting pinched.

The small fire extinquisher was a little extra to dress up the interior. The bracket adds a bit of support to the console. And, in the event of a fire, it might come in handy.

 

[Jonathan Strain]

I noticed that you attached your shifter using nutserts. I think that you will find that they will work loose over time. I tried threading the aluminum and that was nowhere near sufficient to keep the shifter attached. It felt good in the garage but after a few real shifts it rapidly got loose. I recommend a bolt all the way through as the best solution.

 

[Chuck]

Jonathan:

Thanks for the tip. Through bolting it was the original plan and is still an option if it gets loose. We will give those nutserts a try for now and see how they hold up.

 

[Jonathan Strain]

I had to change to a through bolt after completion. Just be careful drilling out the nutserts to not drill into anything in the tunnel. I inserted a hex wrench from the side opposite the drill to position everything clear of the drillbit. I used the same trick to guide the bolt through the tunnel.

 

[Chuck]

Jonathan: Good tips! Thanks for the input.

 

[Randy V]

You can also get Steel and Brass Nutserts / Threadserts .... When going into aluminum, I will tipically slater a little JB Weld Epoxy in the Nutsert prior to installation. I've yet to have one come loose when I've done this. It's also probably the route I'll take when attaching my shifter if I don't weld a bracket to the tunnel..

 

[Chuck]

Insulation and Carpet, Center Tunnel

Two coolant tubes are squeezed inside the center tunnel, which means we have 185 degree heat running through the center of the cabin. To keep things cool, the Heat and Accoustical mat was applied over the top and sides of the tunnel. The carpet was then cut to fit and placed over it.

Recall before the lines were run through the center tunnel we placed two Nutserts on the top of the tunnel about even with the pedals. Now we get to put them to use. Two sections of two inch aluminum angle, about 12 inches long, were cut and placed on top of each other. This serves three functions. First, it provides a place for the driver to rest his right foot without wearing away the carpet. Second, it firmly secures the carpet. Third, it provides a support for the passenger foot bar.

The passenger has no decent place to rest his or her feet. One cold fabricate a foot board, but we wanted a more Spartan look. So a section of one inch stainless was cut to fit and the ends secured with ¾ inch well nuts. It provides a visual break between the front of the foot well and the electrical board, it provides some protection for the electrical board, and it makes a great place for the passenger’s feet. A piece of black vinyl was cut to cover the electrical board, protecting it from dust and making it less conspicuous. By the way, the clear plastic tube visible in the third picture is the AC drain, which we had almost forgotten about..

 

[Will Parker]

This is pretty slick. It's called a navigator's foot rest

I found this online at Europaspares.com

Will Parker

 

[Chuck]

Will:

Very nice foot rest. May have to reconsider our approach . . . .

 

[Chuck]

Insulation and Carpet, Floors

The floor carpet as supplied by RCR is cut to fit the entire floor from bulkhead to bulkhead. We did not want to carpet under the seat for a couple of reasons: (1) avoid raising the seats even a quarter inch and (2) keep the carpet easily removable. Once the location of the seats was established, the carpet was cut so that the aft end set on top of the leading edge of the seat support. We then trimmed the forward end on both the driver and passenger side to fit around the removable pedal assembly and the electrical board, respectively. A section of insulating mat was glued to the back side, leaving a gap from the edge to assure a proper fit.

Cutting the carpet meant the aft edge no longer had that nicely finished seam. So we took the carpet to a leather repair shop along with some vinyl and had them sew an edge that was one inch wide, with the vinyl doubled over for strength. Large grommets were then placed to match the location of the screws securing the seats. One and a quarter inch button head screws were used to secure the front of the seats. The grommets slide right over the screws and keep the carpet from moving. Wing nuts hold the carpet down. The carpet sections are easily removable and the seat padding covers the wing nuts when in place.

Installation of the carpet is now complete.

 

[Jack]

Very neat job, thanks for the pic's. Good work!

 

[EGLITOM]

Very nicely done Chuck

TOM

 

[Rob]

Chuck...Ryan,
As always, beautiful job.

 

[Sandy]

I was just looking at your passenger foot rest, that is very cool. I am cramming in the battery box but it is so flimsy that a bar like that in front will be a much better idea then using the box as a foot rest .

Very 'cold' (beyond cool) stuff indeed!

Sandy

 

[Chuck]

Paint Status

I had occasion to be in St. Louis on business Tuesday, September 2nd, so swung by Ray Maserang’s shop to check on the progress. (Walnut Park Auto Body and Restoration, 9760 Watson Road, Crestwood, MO). The body is almost done. Ray is doing a really impressive job. Ray will paint the matte black on the inner panels in the next couple days. We plan to pick up the body on Saturday.

We used stencils from Chris Martino, www.racelinedigital.com, for the painted rocker panel stripes. They came out really well.

Colors are Guardsman Blue and Wimbledon white; straight from the 60’s Ford pallet.

Still hoping to have it finished in time for Run and Gun . . . it will be close . . . . .

 

[Chuck]

Thanks for the feed back. Glad to have the interior done.

Now got to track down a pesky coolant leak somewhere around the water pump or thermostat housing, so already the fire wall has had to come out. But only took about five minutes to removed it, and the seats tile forward, so it is actually quite service able.

 

[Chris Martino]

I LOVE the Guardsman! The 1036 car from Racing Icons was my first color scheme choice and was a very difficult decision to make between it and the Essex theme. Thanks for the plug Chuck, happy to see the stripes turned out well.

Enjoying your build progress!


Chris

 

[Fran Hall RCR]

Chuck,

thats a great colour....

I remember you were going to do the car White originally....this colour is quite a change...but stunning none the less....