Chuck and Ryan's RCR Build

[Chuck]

I will do a separate post in the carb department, but since the issue has been raised here . . . . .

Ryan drove the GT today and the carbs started acting up. I guess the declaration of success was premature.

Two observations: It was 95 degrees and near 100% humidity and the balance was slightly off, but not much. I am wondering if the linkage is an off shore brand with too - coarse threads since the slightest adjustment makes a big difference. I am also wondering if the extreme weather was a significant factor - perhaps making it run too rich.

The saga continues. . . .

 

[Randy V]

Chin up Chuck!

Hot and as humid as it is - you know there is less oxygen in the air than on a cool day..

Barometric pressure plays a HUGE role in how and how well a Weber carb (or any other for that fact) work. The Density altitude will dictate what your F/A mixture is on a carb. I feel that you were "close" in your settings, but probably borderline lean.

As I pointed out very early on - the Webers that I'm familiar with have all been extremely sensitive to any dust in the emulsion tubes. This causes all manner of misbehavior. I don't recall what your system configuration is right off in regard to filtration of fuel and air - but I'd consider some sort of filter that also covers the air-orifices to the emulsion tubes.

 

[Chuck]

Painted Wheels

We decided to change the color of the wheels. The area that was gray is now matte black. Ray Maserang, Walnut Park Autobody, Crestwood, MO, did a super job. (He also painted our car). We added the red on the spinners on the port side to prevent confusion when changing tires in a hurry. (Yes, there are prototypes for this detail).

Just about ready for Road America next week . . . .

 

[Ron McCall]

Looks great! I can't wait to see it in person next week!!!

 

[Jim Rosenthal]

I'm jealous. Well, maybe the 50th anniversary reunion.....maybe I'll be at that one. I hope.

 

[Chuck]

Headlight Seal

Dust and dirt has a way of getting under the headlight covers. Taking off the covers to clean it is a hastle. So a neat way of sealing it was sought.

McMaster-Carr (www.mcmaster.com) makes a neoprene foam rubber strip 1/16” thick and a half inch wide. Part number 8694K11. We ran it around the inside edge of the headlight. Work slowly and carefully – once this stuff touches it is in place for good. Work slowly going around sharp turns to avoid kinks.

Within a short time it will take on a nice solid black appearing strip, looking as if it were painted. It provides a good seal. We drove it in light rain following the Saturday evening Concourse at Road America last Saturday and no water whatsoever intruded. (But a couple of gnats did!!)

By the way there is a prototype for this. An original GT on display at Road America used the same technique. The first two picture are ours, the last is a restored original.

We used the same material around the rear clip window. We have not yet decided whether to use it on the side windows.

 

[Keith]

Chuck,
Looks good! I believe I will do the same thing when I can get back to finishing my build.
Keith

 

[EGLITOM]

Chuck

i usedthe same thing on mine, also on the side windows.

TOM

 

[Chuck]

Parking Brake Handle Boot

The insulation placed on the tunnel, described in prior posts, is effective. There is no discernable heat coming through the tunnel. With one exception. The emergency brake handle bracket, which is securely bolted adjacent to the tunnel, conducts heat. Adding a boot to the handle is an easy way to stop that source of heat intrusion.

What we used is the standard Lokar floor mounted brake boot. Part number Lokar 70-EHBF. This was purchased some time ago when they were made from leather. Now they are naugahyde, which may fit bit better since it would be more flexible than the leather. Regardless, it slid right over the brake handle supplied by RCR.

 

[Chuck]

Air Conditioner Charge

With the weather getting warm it was time to get the AC system operating. The AC system was charged at our local automotive repair shop. A vacuum was applied to the system to make sure it was dry. Next one and a half ounces of PAG 150 oil was added to the system to make up for that which drained out when the lines were connected to the compressor. Two pounds of R134A were needed. No bubbles were visible in the sight glass on the dryer when it was fully charged.

A drain line runs from the unit to through the fire wall and drains just forward of the fire wall. Seeing a nice puddle of water under the car after a drive is so reassuring – means it is really working!!

We have taken several evening rides in 85 degree, 90% humidity and the AC does a good job. If the sources of air intrusion, like the door bottoms, were sealed it would be even better. But that is a story for another day.


Brake Pads

Wilwood makes a dizzying assortment of brake pads for every thing from mild street to aggressive race applications. We settled on these pads: WIL 150-8854K, BP-10, both front and rear. They are available from Summit. After a thousand road miles they have proven to be satisfactory. No brake ‘dust’ to speak of, no squeaking, and they stop well.


Coolant Vent Line Restrictor

Recall that the cooling system includes a vent line which runs from one side of the radiator to the top of the expansion tank to vent air out of the radiator. We used a 3/8” OD aluminum tube. Although the inside diameter is obviously smaller, it proved to be too big. Typically it would take about ten miles of driving for the engine to reach operating temperature. I suspect that the line was permitting coolant to effectively bypass the thermostat in greater volume than was desirable.

We use short lengths of rubber hose to connect the coolant lines. It was a simple matter to force a restrictor into the connecting hose on the expansion tank. We used an aluminum cable stop with 3/16 inch diameter hole. The OD is a bit larger than 3/8, so it fit snugly into the hose. And with the aluminum line on one side and the fitting on the other, it won’t be moving anywhere.

Next time I would probably use a quarter inch OD aluminum tube for the vent line.

 

[EGLITOM]

CHuck

interesting observation on the cooling vent line. Any experience what the new warm up distance is ?

TOM

 

[Chuck]

Tom:

About four to five miles of easy driving.

I also plan to change the thermostat that turns on the cooling fans so they will turn on at a bit higher temp. That should also help get the engine up to operating temp quicker

 

[Chuck]

Exhaust Heat Shield

Another tiny detail.

With the rear clip open the tail pipes blow hot gasses directly on the inside of the fiberglass clip. To prevent damage while making engine adjustments a simple heat shield was fashioned from a piece of aluminum 6” x 12”. A quarter inch lip was folded over at a 90 degree angle along the long edge, which fit nicely against the rear edge of the vent opening. The screws that secure the vent cover also hold this shield in place.

This small shield provides pretty good protection for brief tuning sessions. But if a long session is planned, a larger temporary shield is used. A 24” x 12” piece of aluminum was trimmed so it would hang on the vent when the clip was opened. This provides more than adequate protection for a long Weber – tuning session.

 

[victor]

Chuck, I've just finished reading all your posts about the build, and, I know it´s been said before, over and over, what a great job you guys did, not only with the build itself but with the posting of things and the great ideas you came up with and shared with everybody. I really have to congratulate you. There is also one thing I have to mention, building it up with your son has to be so self rewarding (I don´t know if this is the right word, since english is not my first language, you´ll have to excuse me for that), I mean, sharing this with the ones we love the most has to be really really great, regardless of the outcome of the job, the time spent with your son building and coming up with the solutions to your everyday issues has to be the very best feeling of all. My older son is only 5 and a half years old, but spending a little time with hi while washing my Cobra and driving around the neigborhood is a great way to bond with him, and the misses of course.
Again, congratulations on both the build and the time well spent with your son.

 

[victor]

Chuck, one other thing, I will definitelly do and follow every little thing you did, even the color scheme, I hope that is not a violation of any copyright lol

 

[Bill Musarra]

Chuck,
First let me say it was great meeting you and Ryan at Road America. I have a question or two and a comment.
First, what has been your impression of your trailer. Have you noticed any "problems" with loading, towing or general hassels. I have looked at the Sepent(I believe that is the name) for a while and I need something for my own. The trailer I am using is a good friends, and he has generously let me use it for over a year now. So it is on my to get list for the long haul meets.
Second Are you still planing to alter the nostrils to block off the heat and prressure problems?
My comment is concerning your temporary heat and exhaust shields. You smaller one won't do much to keep the clip clean looking, especially with webbers. You will get a lot of soot on the clip. If this is just on a rare occasion that you will crank it up, it might be O K. But I know from experience with my friends 66 Road Car with webbers and no shield, it builds up fast. Your bigger one will probably work better as most is deflected. A better alternative is to use the flexible tubing that the auto repair guys use in their garages during the winter to duct the exhaust out of the enclosed space. You need only a short piece to vent downward and away from the clip itself. Even though it is deflected as your shield shows, that stuff settles and it will build up on other areas of the clip like in the recesses of the lights and spoiler area. Eventually it will be over the entire clip. Not fun to clean.
Are you guys planning any more long hauls? I have a couple of tracks that I am hoping to get to before I can't climb into the car anymore. Probably next year.

Bill

 

[Chuck]

Victor:

Thanks for the kind comments. Ryan persuaded me to build a Shelby Cobra when he was 14. Finished it when he turned 16, then started the GT, which we finished when he was 18. Today Ryan left for the University of Illinois majoring in mechanical engineering. Garage time just won't be the same without him. But I suspect in the months to come when we can work on cars together, he will be teaching me more than I ever taught him.

By the way - no 'copyright' issues. Take what ever ideas you want.

 

[Chuck]

Bill:

1. The trailer is a Serpent Express and works splendidly well. It is light and tows well. We added opening on both sides to give us the option of either pulling it in front first or back first. The 14 foot trailer is just barely long enough, so we aren't towing around any uncessary weight. The 500 mile trip to Road America and the 500 mile trip back was uneventful. We did add a winch which makes the loading and unloading much easier. The trailer also fits our Cobra.

2. I have not yet done anything with changing the venting on the front. Not yet sure whether we really need to - there are wide openings on the sides that let the air vent out behind the front tires on the RCR.

3. The exhaust deflectors noted above actually work very well. I have spent many hours tuning the Webers and the small permanent plate did get a bit sooty, but was easily cleaned. Soot on the vent opening and around the shield was minimal. If we had a bigger fire breathing power plant it might be an issue, but with our modest 375 HP it is a simple solution that really works well. Indeed the larger, temporary shield is used only if we know we will be spending a long time tuning. And with the Webers pretty well tuned, it should not be much of an issue any more (I hope).

Don't have any big trips planned. May take the GT to the Route 66 Festival in Springfield, IL, in late September, but that is a static display, not a track event. Too much going on at the office at the moment . . . . .

It will be hard to top Road America - that was simply an awesome experience. Enjoyed our discussons.

Thanks for the comments.

Chuck

 

[EGLITOM]

Bill:


Don't have any big trips planned. May take the GT to the Route 66 Festival in Springfield, IL, in late September, but that is a static display, not a track event. Too much going on at the office at the moment . . . . .

It will be hard to top Road America - that was simply an awesome experience. Enjoyed our discussons.

Thanks for the comments.

Chuck

HI Chuck

I count on you and Ryan( and of course your GT) at RUN N´GUN

TOM

 

[Jimmy P]

GT40 forum fans, Like so many others I wanted to commend Chuck on his build thread. His postings have been one of the main tools I've used in getting my Webers sorted. I trust the mechanic I've chosen very much and have full confidence in him. But the knowledge I've gained by reading and printing Chucks "Webers Unabridged" is invaluable to me in understanding everything my Mechanic is telling me. Chuck and I have literally the same engine, from the same builder and we have the same carbs. I thought my carbs were slightly smaller than Chucks but I've found they are the same. This is why this forum is so great to have. Thank you again Chuck for you fantastic work and your diligence in posting. Long live the forum and Chuck. Kudo's to your son also, if he's like his Dad you must be very proud.