Thunder Ranch build thread

72 items remain.

67 items left on the punch list.

I have 39 items to somehow get done by next Saturday AM when the guys come back to move the speedster body off the saw horses and onto the chassis.

Pulled the plastic windscreen off last night and riv-nutted the mounting holes for it and the glass screen.

There are a couple spots where the plexi screen holes almost coincide with the glass screen holes—so much so that I could not fit the thick-draw 6-32 rivet nuts that close together.

Fortunately, I made allowances for this, and bought a whole big pile of other 6-32 riv-nuts made to fit in thin aluminum. Turns out the barrles of these are way smaller. After grinding a little on the flanges and squeezing them ever so gently in the holes...

...I got them Siamesed in place so they should hold. They can't spin against each other!

Popped the Speedster windshield base on and thinking it should be a snap to make these interchangeable—except for the little problem of caulking the bottom of the glass rig to keep actual rain out. Maybe wax all surfaces generously first so the caulk will peel away easy at changeover time?

Moving right along. I plan to install the tonneau Tenax studs while all screens are absent. I'll probably install the dash grab handle as well since we're over here drillin'. 

Ed, Instead of the caulk issue,   get yourself a thin rubber strip ( bike inner tube ) placing that between the cowl and windshield . OR you can use a piece of Beetle rubber fender welting  that has a 1/8" bead ,

 

 

edsnova posted:

 

...except for the little problem of caulking the bottom of the glass rig to keep actual rain out....

 

I thought the whole reason you chose that color blue was that it matches pretty close with blue painter's tape for when it rains.

 

I used the VW fender welting on my second Speedster per Dr. Clock's recommendo and it worked (and looked) Marvelous!

I actually have some fender welting handy so we'll see what goes. 

Seems OK. For a temporary deal.

Rechecked my toe-in on the rear wheels and it looks OK too.

After that I measured the distance from the front of the front tire to the back of the rear tire on both sides and tried to adjust it so it was the same. Sixteen measurements and 14 taps-and-tightens later, I thought I had it within a 16th, but no. On final measure, once again, I'm an eighth inch long on the passenger side. 

Given the precision of my alignment tools (a bed frame and tape measure), I'm calling it good enough to test drive.

68 items remain.

 

Measure from center of grease cap to center of axle/castle nut. That will be more precise. And remember rear toe is measured off each wheel but also with respect to car center line, which is called thrust angle. After rear ride height(camber) and toe/thrust angle are set, then set front camber, then finally front toe.

You can align a Spyder with a tape measure and a carpenter's square.

And may I suggest less poems/song lyrics would result in more checks off the list? LOL!!!!

Clean under dashX

 

Pull seats, hook up heatersX

Test heatersX

Install seats with nylocks and washersX

63 items left now. 

Ed... I'm sorry if I missed it but are you going to keep that color of blue on the body ?

Bruce

That's the color, Bruce. 

And a spectacular color it is, Ed. 👍

Floors are back in. 

There are 24 punch-list items remaining before I take the car to the MVA for inspection and titling; 54 items total.

The driver's door is back on the car.

14 items to go before we visit the State Policeman and then the MVA.

 

edsnova posted:

The driver's door is back on the car.

14 items to go before we visit the State Policeman and then the MVA.

 

Just make sure it's not the other way around. We don't want you visiting the MVA then having you visited by the State Police. Ruh Roh.

Working on the rear belly pan.

 

Still at it...

 

Ed, some day you're going to look back at all of these build photos and take great pride in what healthy breakfasts you were eating.

 

Ed: This belly pan you're doing looks superb. Nice job! I am truly impressed by your fabrication skills and am enjoying your journey immensely. 

Beautiful job, Ed!

Impressive, Ed! 

I'll do a full blog post when I'm done, along with an over-detailed explainer.

So far I have about 40 hours in it. Probably halfway done; lots of pieces still need to be CADded, bent up and fit and then probably re-bent and re-fit before they're drilled and attached with sheet metal screws...then taken apart and fixed with riv-nuts and 6-32 SS screws per final spec. before reassembly.

Oh...and more louvres too. 

If I'd have foreseen the time this part would take I probably wouldn't have gone ahead with it. This is definitely a don't try this at home detail.

By the way: "Template main underpan" and "Cut and test fit main underpan" are just two items on the punch list. I'm marking one of them done.

Hey Ed,
Super work as usual. Keep the pic’s coming. Also, if you keep your patterns for the under surface tins and how to’s a lot of us Spyder owners may be interested in buying a plan if you’re willing.
Pete
Beck/SE Spyder & Beck S/E Speedster

HOLY CARP!   You made the louvers, too?  I thought you inserted a pre-made vent panel!

Hot Rod Charlie has a machine for pressing out louvers and I've watched him use it (on steel and larger louvers than you made) - it is a very precise, very time consuming process, even with a machine that lines up on one or two axis.  Yours look pretty good so my hat is, once again, off to your efforts and accuracy.  

Wow!

I did not make the louvres. They're folded in.

So has anyone incorporated a proper Bug thermostat and engine warm-up flaps into their Spyder build? Because I got an idea...

"Because I got an idea..."

Uh oh.  Ed might not make Carlisle after all. 

edsnova posted:

So has anyone incorporated a proper Bug thermostat and engine warm-up flaps into their Spyder build? Because I got an idea...

Uh oh. That could take some time for sure. Carry on.

Keep them cards and letters coming, folks. 

It's a serious question that arises naturally from the underpan effort. Since we're doing the full "hot-side-hot-cool-side-cool" treatment the question arises first of what to do about the oil cooler air (ducted out the back of the Raby DTM), which I've solved pretty much, and second what to do for warm-up since, if this all works as designed, I'll have a car that ducts virtually all the hot cylinder air and exhaust pipe heat down and out and behind the vehicle, leaving little or none to recirculate through the fan.

—all of which should be a very good thing ... once the cylinder heads get to 250 F and the oil temp reaches 180 or so.

But when might that happen??

So, yes. I'm pondering ideas and studying old Beetle thermostats and flaps.

No one here uses them, or anything like them, on anything? 

 

I have an Awesome Powdercoat set-up for the bus 2110: 36 hp Scat/EMPI shroud, modified for a Type 4 oil cooler and OG German flaps, aforementioned flaps, Mexican thermostat, and EMPI sled tins modified for no heater boxes. The price of everything exceeded a new DTM.

Everybody raves, raves, raves about the flaps and thermostat. It works well enough,  but the whole thing strikes me very similarly to the "don't even think about putting a fuel filter in the engine compartment" thing. I'm not sold that this doesn't fall into the "folklore and common knowledge" slot.

Ed,

As I wrote, keep the pic's coming. You've been doing a super job! I have followed quietly.

I have the same Raby DTM series motor as you in my Beck/SE Spyder. I stuck an 8" diameter e-fan under my spare tire and made a thin tin duct to blow air into the DTM fan I only use it when it's super hot out and I'm sitting in our wonderful traffic here in the DC area. 

I haven't posted to the SOC in a while as I've been enjoying my 60 Austin Healey Bugeye with a Donald Healey hardtop since it has heat. It's a ton of fun in the winter though I've been out in the Spyder in 27 degrees, Just have to dress warm.

I keep thinking I need to make a pilgrimage up to see your Spyder build in person. I met you with Syl at Carlisle a year or so ago.

Pete  

 

 

 

Love that Bugeye!!! 

Anyone know a source for flexible ducting that fits the oil cooler outlet? It's like 3 3/4 x 1 1/2 inches.

Cory has a DTM. So does Lenny.

Ed:   A piece of semi-rigid flexible aluminium clothes dryer outlet ducting.

Yes, I know it is round when you buy it, but it can be formed into a rectangle with a couple of boards like a press brake and one of the sizes should match what you need (and look cool, too).

Thanks, Gordon. The 3-inch is close but just a tad too small to fit over the outlet on the DTM. If all else fails I guess I'll make an adaptor. 

Maybe a shop vac accessory (heavy black plastic ) modified suction end could cover the DTM outlet and then on the other end of it 2-3” diameter or so of flex pipe could be attached. I’ve sort of considered this myself  for mine. Good luck.

Pete