I am totally unfamiliar with what it is....Is it a motion reverser for a hood gidget to attach to a slip-slide to the fornacrcatator ?...........Bruce
The key thing, in this application, is that I did not have to weld on any of it.
I could gas weld it for ya..... Jus’ sayin......
And did you know you can “learn” how to weld on YouTube? 
Basically what I'm trying to do, Gordo.
You Tube and practice, except, instead of a nice 4x4-foot piece of quarter-inch plate, I've been using
and
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Yup, that works. My son learned from a couple of friends and from Youtube. To practice, he built a car hauler for his track car and later that became my hauler for Pearl. You can see how the welds got nicer looking as he went along and by the time he finished he was really good.
Car Hauler, Bridget, 1/4" plate - Whatever'll take a bead.....And just DO IT!
Been fighting the car the last couple days. The throttle linkage works, but I don't like the bend in the cable. Should have bought a foot shorter.
While I'm at it, an ignition question: Anyone here ever use CB Performance's "Black Box" device? Kind of looks like a deal for those of us with plain 009s who'd rather not convert to crankfire or go with the full MSD or Mallory kit.
Not really digging the serial cable interface, but that's a minor issue, I think, if the software generally works.
—which is always the question, isn't it?
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edsnova posted:Been fighting the car the last couple days. The throttle linkage works, but I don't like the bend in the cable. Should have bought a foot shorter.
While I'm at it, an ignition question: Anyone here ever use CB Performance's "Black Box" device? Kind of looks like a deal for those of us with plain 009s who'd rather not convert to crankfire or go with the full MSD or Mallory kit.
Not really digging the serial cable interface, but that's a minor issue, I think, if the software generally works.
—which is always the question, isn't it?
@Former Member has the CB Performance "black box" and as far as I know he likes it. If he were to complain about it I'd certainly here from him about it. Maybe he'll come on and tell us about it.
I run a CB black box converted to drive two coils for my twin-spark. Don’t use a Pertronics module, and it’s the shizzle, as they (used to) say.
The serial-port interface is pretty old-school (rectified with a cheap adapter cable from Amazon), and the software is not beautiful looking— but once everything is set up, it works great.
I have no idea why it isn’t more popular. It’s 200 bucks and it works great.
These are the best endorsements I could hope for.
The engine I bought came with a 009 and Pertronix. Everything I hear and read suggests it's not the optimal setup, particularly in the low & mid-range throttle response department. Originally was thinking Megajolt/IDIS (along with a bunch of really stupid experimental junk to make the engine look more "Fuhrmannesque"), but that's all out the window since the fan shroud project is on indefinite hold.
I wanted to make a better spark map, so the next likely suspect was Mallory or Pat's Magnaspark, but this box looks like it has what I want and nothing I don't need.
Also...it'd look real nice mounted on the firewall, just to the right and below the fuel pressure regulator, right in the spot where the voltage regulator was on original 550s...
Thanks for the quick responses.
Stan Galat posted:
...I have no idea why it isn’t more popular. It’s 200 bucks and it works great...
Could be a lot of folks think you need to be a rocket scientist to set it up and program it.
And, then, you still need a distributor and you have to fiddle with that to lock out the mechanical advance.
So, just how tricky is it to get it working and find the best curve?
You need to connect a laptop, no?
It's got a serial port, so you need to buy a USB to Serial adapter, AND make sure your laptop has correct drivers for same, then It;s a slam-dunk. I recommend the FTDI chipset cable, drivers are easy to find.
I found all this out in the XP era when everything was supposed to be plug and play and just, well, wasn't.
Same stuff I went through with Megajolt though, exactly the same.
Ed, I believe that Stan's distributor is LOCKED out, as in no advance weights and springs. Easy enough to do yourself but check with him on that.
Stan, are you using points to trigger the box?
DannyP posted:...It's got a serial port, so you need to buy a USB to Serial adapter, AND make sure your laptop has correct drivers for same, then It;s a slam-dunk. I recommend the FTDI chipset cable, drivers are easy to find...
So, PC laptop only, I guess. No way with a Mac? I gave up on PC's years ago - my most recent PC laptop is Windows 7. Would that work?
DannyP posted:
...Ed, I believe that Stan's distributor is LOCKED out, as in no advance weights and springs. Easy enough to do yourself but check with him on that...
Yeah, I thought that was the whole point of the black box - control the advance curve entirely in software and cut out any possibility of sloppy advance hardware mucking things up.
I notice there's also an input on the box for manifold vacuum pressure, to fine tune the curve for engine load and throttle position. It looks like there's a plate that installs between the carb and the manifold. Do you HAVE to use that to make it work? Do you sacrifice a lot if you choose not to?
Mitch, I don't know about Mac, the only Apple product I have is an Ipod Nano. As long as the software will run on MAC, I can't see why it wouldn't work.
You don't need the plate between carb and manifold. There is one vacuum takeoff on a Weber IDF, you could use 1 or possibly a T and both vacuum takeoffs if you want, but I'm not 100% sure that will give you a good manifold vacuum signal. I think it is a vacuum port designed for a distributor, but which distributor IDK. There is a very small slotted brass screw in the vacuum port as a plug.
If you've got an old vacuum gauge, hook a long hose up and go for a drive and look at your light throttle conditions to see if you get a decent vacuum. If you don't, keep reading. I bought one at Autozone/Advance for $25-30. It also measures fuel pressure up to 10 psi or so.
If the Weber vacuum takeoffs don't work you could drill and tap each runner for a pipe thread fitting and run 4 hoses together, usually to a reservoir about the size of a pack of cigarettes is a good volume I've heard.
The vacuum advance gives you more advance at light throttle settings and can increase your mileage, if that's what you're looking for.
Instead of all that vacuum hose nonsense, I just made a bracket for a Ford Escort TPS and did it that way.
Thanks, Danny.
Problem with Macs is that they haven't had serial ports since the Eisenhower administration. (OK, I wax hyperbolic.)
So, if there's no USB option, Macs are out, I guess. There may still be some kind of hardware solution for Mac that emulates a serial connection via USB, but I haven't heard of such a thing in years. Next question is does CBP supply software that will load on a Mac? Anyone? Bueller?
And, again, can you run the Black Box at all without some kind of vacuum feed? If so, does it seriously compromise performance to do so? In other words, if you get the box, should you assume you'll need to hook up a vacuum feed, too?
PC only, I think.
Yes, the distributor is locked out-- it has to be to work with the "Black Box". I removed the weights and spot-welded the advance plates, but CB sends a little plastic washed that will accomplish the same thing. My twin-spark distributor is just an 009, locked out, with some adapter hardware to get an early '80s Datsun twin-spark 4-cylinder cap and rotor to work.
I've got nothing against the Chinese copy distributors... if you lock them out anyhow. At that point, it's a tab and a shaft.
DO NOT USE A PERTRONIX points replacement module! They're horrible. Mine cost me a full year of tuning. Lots of the spark-scatter you see with a generic 009 is the module. I'm using a Compu-tronix (yeah, I know Pertronix owns them now, but the modules are better). Points would be fine as well, since it's just being used to generate a signal for the Black-Box.
The spark table can be as easy or as complicated as you want it to be. The Black Box has provision for a vacuum signal (instead of a throttle-position sensor) to determine load. It's not as accurate as the throttle position sensor, but it does work and it is fully customization. If you decide to forgo the "load" feature, you just start by setting up your spark table to mimic the 009 or 010 tables available everywhere (if you do a search). Once you get that how you like it, you can start playing with load. Or not. Everything works like a perfect, German 010 that was custom re-curved by Black-Forest gnomes, just for you. Setting it up for load is where it can get pretty esoteric, but it's cool and you can watch it in real-time as you drive down the road. One you get past "freak-out", it's really fun and useful too.
The software is Windows-based, and Windows 7 is actually perfect. Also, you can use your Mac, assuming you run bootcamp (you do run bootcamp, don't you, Mitch?). It's a tiny little program.
The difference is astounding. Everybody farts around with east Asian distributors, and just lives with whatever advance the thing gives you (or not). This is customization, and you can keep your crappy (but good-looking) distributor.
It's really hard not to love it.
In Spyder-build news, I only got a couple hours in the garage today but it was fruitful: got my rounded-door-edge thingies hammered-out and this time they look pretty close to right.
As some of you may recall, I've tried to make this part several times before without success.
Comparison:
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Ed: Mucho bettero!
Mitch, buy this:
https://www.amazon.com/UGREEN-...al+adapter&psc=1
Then use the windows emulator thingie for your Mac, like Stan said.
Stan my friend: Spot on! I had no idea all the scatter was the POS Pertronix. The distributor I have is probably fine then, 009 from 2001.
Stan and Danny: Thanks for the updates. So far, the new CB Magnaspark seems to have solved whatever spark issues I may have had. But the Black Box looks like a good next step. If a Windows 7 laptop will work, that's what I'll use.
Ed: I see you're going for the plex windscreen, too. It's amazing the lengths to which some people will go just to win the Carlisle limbo contest.
DannyP posted:... I had no idea all the scatter was the POS Pertronix. The distributor I have is probably fine then, 009 from 2001.
I didn't either, until Mark at CB told me to use something else. They really are absolute trash. He suggested points, and if I put them in there, they'd probably last forever. But, I just can't do it-- too many bad memories of all the fuss.
Sacto Mitch posted:
Stan and Danny: Thanks for the updates. So far, the new CB Magnaspark seems to have solved whatever spark issues I may have had. But the Black Box looks like a good next step. If a Windows 7 laptop will work, that's what I'll use.
Ed: I see you're going for the plex windscreen, too. It's amazing the lengths to which some people will go just to win the Carlisle limbo contest.
Actually gonna install the Speedster windshield, pretty sure.*
The TR bodies came pre-drilled for the windshield endclamps, but one of the POs filled those in, so I'll have to re-drill. Easy-peasy with the Merklin Motors (TM) un-patented Windshield location device(s), but I've put it off until final paint prep gets started.
*That's it sitting on the cowl, upside-down. If someone gave me a NoMar or Lexan screen I'd have a dilemma.
Ed, I can give you measurements if needed. I'm going with it "may" be different than a Speedster.
With that car, I’d do lexan.
But Stan, Ed doesn't care what we think.
Ordered the Black Box.
I do care what you-all think. Thing is, I'm on a budget. The car came with a nice Speedster windshield and like two improved frames for it. A plexi windscreen from Fibersteel is $800.
It looks cool. But not necessarily more legit. Plenty of customer Spyders went out with full-frame glass windshields. And also:
[This is 550-0051 (the car I am copying) in its post-Lemans/pre-restoration form.]
People who own these tend to say they prefer the glass screen as a practical matter. They also like wipers—which don't play so good with the plexi screen.
Finally, it has been alleged that, in some states, you need a real DOT windshield to title/register a road-going vehicle....
I gave this considerable thought, and the decision was made to install the glass screen.
That said, I also have some NoMar material I plan to do something cool with to make the windscreen more "period-cool." Stay tuned.
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Blog update. Firewall work.
Also:
Finally got those front-of-door curvy things done. Geez what a PITA! No wonder nobody does this. But, there they are, just a few rivets and some final smoothing and paint from final.
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Hey everyone, we just passed the 1-year anniversary of my ownership of this Spyder.
The anniversary of the build's start date is not until after Carlisle, but still. Looking back—and this isn't really meant as a brag, because I'm kind of amazed by it—so far, I've done pretty much exactly what I said I'd do.
I've logged every penny and hour spent and, by my count, I've clocked 656 hours.
Holy crap! That's about 100 more than I at first estimated (silently, to myself) the build would take.
Last week my wife asked how close to done I was. I figured about 85 percent. Right now I foresee a week's work (35 hours) on the wiring, about the same on body prep and paint, 20 to reassemble the car and put the engine in, and maybe 30-40 in sorting and detailing. Which, if accurate, means I'm closer to 80 percent than 85.
When my job went away last fall I thought I had a fair shot of getting this car built, titled and tagged in time for Carlisle.
As of now I think that's unlikely: I just accepted a new full-time job, so it's back to strictly nights and weekends on the Spyder now.
All that said, we've just passed a milestone, and I thank everyone again for your encouragement, advice and technical help. This build is entering the home stretch, and I am getting very psyched about it.
Congrats on the new job!
Try to maintain some balance by not letting it interfere too much with what's most important - building the Spyder.
Wonderful news about the job, Ed! I hope it works out well for you.
And don't forget, Ed, that we count on the wordsmiths among us to provide lots of . . . words.
As usual, outstanding work Ed! And I hope the job works out as well. Al
Congratulations on the new job Ed. Best of luck in both; completing the Spyder and the new job.
I certainly commend you ! I know and appreciate what it takes to do what your doing ! Many times I would go to sleep thinking about what aIl I wanted to do or how to do it. I'd wake up the next morning and lay there for a while thinking about it even more. On the freeway, driving home from work I'd be thinking about it ( That's a lot of "think time" out here in So Cal. ). I enjoyed every single moment of it too ! Thank you for sharing your project so thoroughly with us Ed,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Bruce
Good news on the job, Ed.
They can only keep a good man down so long. 
Good for you Ed on both counts!
Bittersweet on the new job, there, "Spyder Ed"....
Returning to a routine and doing something that you like, plus getting a paycheck for it is a wonderful thing.
Not having to look for employment is also a wonderful thing.
Having less time to spend puttering in the shop, and the instant gratification that gives, is somewhat less wonderful.
Life is a balance, I guess. Very glad to hear you're employed again. That means a lot!
Ed;
Congrats on your new job!
Great news Ed. You can always bring the spyder to Tour d’smo at the end of Sept. Looks to be quite a few spyders. Might even convince you to keep it.
Thanks, everyone. It's been an extra-fun spate of unemployment.
Bruce summed it up well.
I've often thought about this...
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