M20 Dreaming

[Mesa]

The big sticky tired Vettes around here run the 400 dollar high quality reengineered bearings.

http://www.c5racer.com/catalog/c5-c...g-front.html?gclid=CPvsy5O418ACFVVsfgodE6MAuQ

I had a good conversation with a local Vette racer/Vette based dealership and he said they do have a limited life span on Vettes, he also said that in cars lighter than Vettes (like ours) the wear rate should be signifigantly less. So maybe your super light M20 will be just fine. I asked these questions because I like you have huge tires on the car and had some concern over life expetancy of the bearings. Wish I had a better feel for it.

 

[Leon]

Thanks Rob for making the time to do the research. I'm of the feeling that they will be fine on the much lighter cars, Having said that, the huge rear wing makes the car pretty heavy at high speed. I will be going with what I have but if I build other cars I want to be able to use off the shelf parts as custom built stuff is time consuming and harder when it comes to replacement parts, that's if you ever have to with the limited amount of use the car will get.

Another little demon I have been wrestling with is the pin drives, I have done 2 so far with the 3 7/8" PCD 4 pin as per the original car but to be honest they are a PITA to get right and I'm now wondering if it would just be easier and better in the long run to go with the STD 5 pin hub. Its easier for lining up the disc's and getting balanced and running true. If I change now I only have to replace the 2 hubs, not a major.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Looking hard at the hubs again today and will stick with the 4 pin as per original. The rear that I had done runs perfectly true and to change it was going to be harder than doing the second one. The fronts I will keep the 4 pin but a slight change in the stub axle arrangement. I looked closely at an original one and have decided to re do what I have to be more inline with that set up.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

I had a 1000 rivets arrive on the courier on Thursday so it was into the top mounts for the front top rear stays, made the front engine cover which comes off the back of the seat to fill the gap where the hole for the injection is in the body so when you tilt the body it clears the stacks. (really need photos) then I attached the instrument panel and then made the steering shaft. This uses a Toyota Alteza shaft and swivel joint, it has a ball race bearing and is retained in a custom made column. I,ll get some pics up soon.

Cheers Leon.

 

[Leon]

I have taken some photos of what I talked about in the last post and I also picked up the raw casting from the foundry today and set it in the lathe to start facing of the main surfaces where it will bolt to the B/H then I will turn it around and do the face where the rear bearing carrier made earlier will bolt to. There is a lot of cleaning up work to be done but the areas where there is no runners has a very nice surface and once its cleaned up and Machined it will get a fine sand blast to give it a nice finish.
hope you like what has been done, don't hesitate to make comments or suggestions.

Cheers Leon.

 

[Leon]

These are the last few of the T/A casting, I have turned the face that bolts to the B/H but still have some work to do before I turn it around to do the back then I have to make up a fixture on a face plate to Hold it in the lathe to do the Diff openings and once they are done its the bearing locations, so I recon about 20hrs of machining to do.

 

[Jim Cowden]

Well done Leon , you have a casting.
I bet you stand back every time you hit the go button on the lathe, I would.

Your suspension mount on the tub, are you bonding as well and what type of rivet are you using.

The chassis looks sweet by the way, I will be building a P4 with a tub, this build is up my alley.

Jim

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Really nice work Leon. Can you step back a bit and snap a shot of the entire monocoque assembly to date?

 

[Mesa]

OMG. The things you are willing to tackle. Good stuff.

 

[Dave P]

Leon:
Great work!!!!

 

[Leon]

Jim, Yes I do stand back!! I have it spinning at 168rpm and its quite smooth (the Lathe is 4.5 Ton) I pushed it up to 250rpm to see if gave me a nicer cut (made no difference) and you could feel the machine shaking so I dropped it back quick smart. It is at the worst balance with the main shaft centre being under the Axle line so it's a big mass swing around out there.
As for the suspension mount ?? I have not bonded it (yet) as I may change the rivets to 1/4" cap screws. I have a train of thought that goes like this, The force is only back and inward. The way it is made with the tab that hangs down takes most of the load and the back part where it slopes up also shares a little of the load as well, that is then bent over a double skin folded edge which also adds strength. The rivets are the "SR" structural rivets I have used for 90% of the build, They are almost a solid rivet in the way they pull the core right through the centre and leave the rivet completely full and have a very high shear strength.

Terry, your wish is my command, I was hoping to get the radiator pontoons done first.

Rob, Its what Kiwis do mate.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Hey guys, More work in the shop this week.
Terry, Took some shots for you of the whole tub to date, I hope to get the side pontoons on in the next few weeks and that will be the tub finished, will also have the fuel cells done at the same point.
The T/A got most of the time this week, machined the B/H face, rear housing face and the side plate faces, marked out the bearing locations and the shift rod locations and cleaned up the casting getting all the vent trees off and smoothing any rough patches from the casting. This didn't come without it problems. while cutting some excess lumps off with a cutoff disc in my grinder the disc exploded and I sustained a pretty bad gash in my left knee with part of the disc sticking out of my knee I pulled it out and then drove home for my wife to look at it and clean it up Not as bad as I first thought so she stuck some stitch strip on it and taped it up, a bit sore still but all good. Anyway here are the pics.

Cheers Leon

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Really impressive, even your survival skills

 

[Russell]

Leon, so where is the picture of the knee? Those disc`s sure can bite. I had a bad disc grinder experience the other day, after 3 cars etc, one of my $14.95 disc grinders called it quit`s. Just cant buy good tools any more.
On a more positive note, your rear uprights, do you hang the caliper from a steel ring ? plate bolted to the aly body?
My steel ones have become works of art as the distortion is to great to skim out, I am looking at making the mk11 version, lighter and will do the final skim once all welded up. I will be making little progress for the next 2 to 3 weeks as I will be working full time shifting my brothers warehouse. It will give me plenty of time to think other options like using the Subaru upright, the only issue there i feel is that the bottom ball joint is not designed as load bearing and I feel that if i load it will the spring weight, it could pop out....
Also have made changes in the shed....sold the McCopy mk11 and bought an MX5 2ltr 6 speed. Having the top and side windows means that Carol will not get toasted and wind burnt to a crisp. We never used the other car all winter so this one will get used.
Cheers

 

[Leon]

Hi Russell, I planned to go "inboard" with the Brakes so no need for ears on the upright, however, like all things as I get further along I may do some hollow core uprights with ears for brake calipers. I'm already half way with the pattern for a hollow upright. Sorry to hear about your uprights, I pressed the steel bearing carrier into the alloy casting so no distortion.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Hi Russell, I planned to go "inboard" with the Brakes so no need for ears on the upright, however, like all things as I get further along I may do some hollow core uprights with ears for brake calipers. I'm already half way with the pattern for a hollow upright. Sorry to hear about your uprights, I pressed the steel bearing carrier into the alloy casting so no distortion.

Cheers Leon

 

[Leon]

Hi Guys,
A bit of progress on the car since the last post. I have mainly been working on the Transaxle doing the shift rods etc but took a break from that to do some more alloy fab work. Just a small item, the strengthening beam that runs across the top of the steering rack brakets. This a shallow folded chanel that ties the brackets that hold the steering rack in with the top off the tub and should eliminate/minimize any flexing of the structure around the steering system. I will keep chipping away at the front for a while now and see if I can get the steering and brakes finished. sorry there isn't more but I will have a month off shortly so hope to get a bit of a push going.

Cheers Leon.

 

[Michel]

Hello Leon
what a shame ! no pics this week !!! Huuuuuhhh :embarassed::embarassed:

please some pics !! some pics:cheesy::cheesy::cheesy:

Keep your good work on this hudge project

 

[Terry Oxandale]

Glad you poked your head up finally. Keep up the good work and looking forward to the future photos.

 

[Leon]

Thanks Michel / Terry

I have read your build log Mic and I have to say a compliment from you is praise indeed your car is beautiful, I'm trying to keep up a reasonable standard of workmanship with mine and sometimes I look at something I have done and wish I had done it better or had the cash to get it done professionaly but as you say it is the pride and joy we get from knowing we did that which is the goal. There will always be the "Chekbook" racers, all money and no skill, don't pay them attention.
Terry, old mate after your dig at Russell and I for not reprisenting the brand of late I just had to put something up on the post to let you know I'm not slacking LOL
I have to say the T/A is taking a lot of my focus at the moment but I need a break from it so will try to get some real progress on the car and of corse some photos for you. Thanks for still showing an interest.

Cheers Leon.