Restarting my SLC project in West Texas

Howard Jones

Supporter
I would have to disagree that a misaligned seat and steering wheel setup isn't an issue. It is important to aline the vertical centerline of your eyes with the vertical centerline of the steering wheel. This is not that difficult but it may require you to move some steering wheel mount points. It may seem like its not a big deal but you will forever notice it when you drive the car.

The peddles are not a hand-eye coordination thing and an offset to the left or right by a few inches isn't that big of a deal.

Take some time at this. It will pay off for as long as you own the car.
 
I dunno Howard - I have my steering wheel and seat aligned in my SLC. Frankly it was a bit weird at first but it didn’t take long for me to get used to it. The surprising thing is just how misaligned OEM cars are. Every car I drive now, I can tell the wheel is off, and I’ve become accustomed to the centered wheel on my SLC as “normal” despite putting comparatively fewer miles on it.

I think there’s a threshold of acceptable for everyone, and it’s likely different - my wife can’t tell her steering wheel points off to the side.

I do think the OEMs do a good job of aligning the instrument panel with the driver’s eyes and that they blend the misalignment really well so it’s not obvious.

and yeah, pedal offset is pretty minor though I’ve got that aligned in my SLC as well. I find myself resting my heel against the lower pivot of my throttle and the outside of my foot against an interior panel I made. It helps keep my throttle steady as I’m in bumpy turns.

I think these are all things you’ll just adapt to eventually so finding the right initial fit while making everything work given your body, seat, and sight line needs should be the focus.
 

Howard Jones

Supporter
I read this somewhere but I can't remember where. Makes sense to me, however. When the car is driven near the grip limit or slightly over it the driver must "catch" the oversteer with his hands. If the perceived amount of "catch" required varies from L/H turns to R/H turns because the steering wheel isn't centered it just makes it all that much harder to drive the car quickly. It's all a hand placement and eye-hand deal. I used to race motorcycles and believe me, you can feel a bend in the handlebars that you can't see.

But to each his own. I try to let people known what I have found building my car early enough in their build so they can make an informed decision as to whether it is something they want to address or not. Especially before it becomes a "wish I had known that" thing. Nobody likes to go back and do it again later.
 
Definitely agree with you Howard, a few - wish I’d known that scenarios for sure.

If I were a better driver perhaps that subtlety would be important, but I’m way too much of a gorilla to have that level of detail impact my driving (in)ability. In all the driving I’ve done so far I’ve never had the car under or oversteer on me - certainly when I’ve been too heavy on the throttle but I’m always careful to be pointed in a straight line when I plan to get stupid like that. This car has so much mechanical grip, I’m afraid to find that limit!
 
Hi Hector, I am certainly no expert on this subject but I have a recommendation Howard provided on one of my threads. Line up the steering and seat first. They may actually be on a slight angle but you want that steering wheel as centered as possible to the seat. after that you line up the pedals on the same angle as the seat. You would hope after you line up those three things that the steering column will be close to being centered in the binnacle. But that all depends where the dash centers after the body is mounted and how far from the center console you are mounting your seats.

If you look at post #71 Of my build thread, you can see how different the center position is between the standard seat, wide seat with RCR seat brackets and also wide seat with custom seat brackets which move the seat over to the center. Also keep in mind, some builders widen their center console which could change how the seat centers to the steering column and binnacle. My approach is to leave the center console stock width and move the seat as close to center as possible to clear the side impact bar Base which you and I both have.
 
yes that is what I did , move the seat as close to the middle as possible, then aligned the steering column, and thjan try like crazy to make tha dashboard fit , it has been a challenge for sure, the tub looks like swiss cheese now LOL.
 
Kyle:
I could not find the specific part number, I just ordered the cheapest silicone hose for the size I needed, I believe i found it at summit. Here is a picture , on the right side I needed an small (purple section and then an adopter for a smaller size and then a T connection, hopefully the picture helps you
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5578.jpeg
    IMG_5578.jpeg
    533.1 KB · Views: 244
So I have been tied up inside the footboxes for a while, I wanted to finish the insulation and final finish , I had to make about 20 panels , made of two layers of 1/8" mass loaded vinyl , 2 layers of 1/4" closed cell foam , 3/8" melamine foam and covered with carpeting. (about 1 1/2 inch thick) That on top of lizard skin spray and 80 mil kilmat (the stuff is awesome and super easy to cut and self stick )
Probably reached the point of diminishing returns but I want great sound and temperature insulation. I had to make a fiberglass cover for all a/c and heater hoses inside the passenger footbox. I also added rubber mats to the floor.
I had to reposition the drive by wire electronic throttle , the bracket that came with it was not good at all, had a horrible angle and poor pedal travel. Positioning it on the back wall is perfect. (thanks Cam for the tip ) Will start alignment and tub and spider final fitment tomorrow .
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5392.jpeg
    IMG_5392.jpeg
    299.7 KB · Views: 240
  • IMG_5305.jpeg
    IMG_5305.jpeg
    238.5 KB · Views: 234
  • IMG_5401.jpeg
    IMG_5401.jpeg
    435.1 KB · Views: 221
  • IMG_5298.jpeg
    IMG_5298.jpeg
    316 KB · Views: 222
  • IMG_5572.jpeg
    IMG_5572.jpeg
    523.9 KB · Views: 225
  • IMG_5570.jpeg
    IMG_5570.jpeg
    330 KB · Views: 220
  • IMG_5506.jpeg
    IMG_5506.jpeg
    306.2 KB · Views: 222
  • IMG_5515.jpeg
    IMG_5515.jpeg
    200.4 KB · Views: 221
  • IMG_5518.jpeg
    IMG_5518.jpeg
    215.4 KB · Views: 222
  • IMG_5540.jpeg
    IMG_5540.jpeg
    285.2 KB · Views: 227
here is the repositioning of the electronic throttle control on the back wall instead of the bracket provided by RCR
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5572 2.jpeg
    IMG_5572 2.jpeg
    523.9 KB · Views: 245
I also finished positioning the dashboard on to the spider using 3 aluminum brackets bonded with epoxy and reinforced with fiberglass
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5363.jpeg
    IMG_5363.jpeg
    235.5 KB · Views: 220
  • IMG_5362.jpeg
    IMG_5362.jpeg
    226.9 KB · Views: 241
Hector, the foot-box came out really nice, good work! That is a serious amount of heat and sound deadening.
Thanks Joel, It may be overkill but I want to be able to drive in the West Texas heat comfortably. And want a nice stereo sound and be able to listen to my phone while the engine is running, not an easy thing to do in this car . I pan to drive it A LOT!! I do not like to own garage queens, never have, never will , cars are meant to be driven. And I hope this one will be no different. We shall see.
 
So the challenges continue, decided to replace all the aluminum safety heim joint washers with steel, (thanks Cam for the reminder) as you can see just during transport and assembly several of them were damaged already. So this is the third time I completely disassemble the entire suspension. 3 difference safety washer sizes, 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4, I think the final count was 62 and the spacer washers had to be of different thickness. Quite a project. I also added anti seize to all the bolts , as some of the aluminum washers got gouged and stuck.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5649.jpeg
    IMG_5649.jpeg
    236.1 KB · Views: 195
  • IMG_5650.jpeg
    IMG_5650.jpeg
    398.6 KB · Views: 189
  • IMG_5662.jpeg
    IMG_5662.jpeg
    350 KB · Views: 189
While finalizing the alignment using Howard's jig, I realized the front end assembly that holds the radiators is about an inch lower on the passenger side, which will create clearance issues as well as body fitment problems. I don't know if it was mounted lower on one side or it is bent.
Has anybody encountered this problem? Just another road block I guess.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_5627.jpeg
    IMG_5627.jpeg
    225.1 KB · Views: 195
  • IMG_5666.jpeg
    IMG_5666.jpeg
    171.2 KB · Views: 197
  • IMG_5667.jpeg
    IMG_5667.jpeg
    154.4 KB · Views: 196

Joel K

Supporter
So the challenges continue, decided to replace all the aluminum safety heim joint washers with steel, (thanks Cam for the reminder) as you can see just during transport and assembly several of them were damaged already. So this is the third time I completely disassemble the entire suspension. 3 difference safety washer sizes, 1/2, 5/8 and 3/4, I think the final count was 62 and the spacer washers had to be of different thickness. Quite a project. I also added anti seize to all the bolts , as some of the aluminum washers got gouged and stuck.

Hi Hector, where did you order yours from? I could not find the 3/4” steel safety washers where I ordered my others from.
 

Joel K

Supporter
While finalizing the alignment using Howard's jig, I realized the front end assembly that holds the radiators is about an inch lower on the passenger side, which will create clearance issues as well as body fitment problems. I don't know if it was mounted lower on one side or it is bent.
Has anybody encountered this problem? Just another road block I guess.

Hector,

Ken Roberts ran into this and mine was off as well. Check out Ken’s post #793 where it is discussed. My chassis holes were just marked and pilot holes drilled and I had to adjust the height to even it out before I drilled the holes.

 

Brian Kissel

Staff member
Admin
Lifetime Supporter
Joel, in the past I have purchased my safety washers from here, with excellent results.


Regards Brian
 
Back
Top