Thunder Ranch build thread

IF both your cars are ready for Carlisle it would be nice to see them both at Carlisle.  What say you gentleman  

@IaM-Ray — I wish I wasn’t on the other side of the country!

Ed’s car is a true work of art — and a testament to his incredible work ethic and fabrication skills. My car and the final product are not based on my actions — just many hours of driving Carey crazy!

Anand

Very kind of you to say, Anand. 

Alas, I don't think this piece is ready for prime time.

I'm going to take it off and finish the rest of my punch list before maybe returning to it after some sorting has taken place.

Here it is on the bench with the heat shield tape affixed. 

I'll be back into the punch list tomorrow.

Ed, you now have a template to make a new one Just kidding

That actually might happen. Or I might mod it.

Here's a video of one small bit of it.

I pulled the rear underpan off and reattached the exhaust. I've got some new theories about how to make this part work and look right but that's for later in the summer. 

For now I'm back into my final punch-out list. The steering wheel is now attached to the car. This required that I file down the 25mm nut that comes on VW steering wheels to 22mm so I could fit the socket down in the hole. Really.

I'm just curious, Ed, about what of the underpan is not working right.  I certainly looks good.

Glad you asked, Lane. There isn't enough clearance for the axle boots at the point where the tunnels run under the axles. Also,

You'd never see this area with the pan on the car, but I just think it's not right enough to put on the car, at least not yet. 

Reproduction Spyder under-engine pans: 

550-0051:

Arajani's:

Mine:

Kudo's all the way around!!!!

Ed, I know this is still a work in progress, but you have amazing talents. Thanks for bringing us along on the journey.

Amen, Mike. 

Yeah, and you know?.......   For a guy who keeps telling us, Ed, that other people are better fabricators, you sure turn out some amazing work.

Thanks, guys. I think eventually I'll be able to make it something. 

Hey, Ed, I need a new cheese grater. Would your undertray work for that LOL!

Seriously, looks good to me.

Parmesan & Romano.

Synching the carbs. I also noticed the oil temp gauge isn't working right. Never got above 80 and really barely touched it and would bounce back down to like 45C. 

I ran it for like an hour and a half. It got so the oil filter housing was pretty dang warm, so I know it's warmed up.

I ended up switching the oil gauge wires, pressure for temp and back again. Pretty sure it's wired correctly. The sender is new can came from Hartmut. Weird. If anyone has any ideas about this I'm all ears.

Anyway I got the cylinders all firing and the snail to show the same on all four holes.

Also got the clutch adjusted pretty close. All four gears and R, babies. 

Jacked the rear up two inches to check clearances between the axle boots and the exhaust. It's good enough that I might not even have to redesign the underpan before reinstalling.

I'm going to copy Danny's limiting straps to prevent the possibility of jacking out back; 2 inches in that direction seems like plenty.  

It's great that you've got it running and making progress on the initial tune. The only thing I can think of on the temp gauge is to make sure you've got +12V in the right input on the gauge itself and your ground on the gauge is good. You obviously have good engine ground since your coil is firing well.

Don't idle your engine for an hour and a half. It's not good for it, as you've found, it never REALLY gets up to operating temperature. Otherwise, carry on, Ed.

Re-attached the linkage. Vintage Speed faux-Knechts installed along with the dust-excluder brushes in front of the rear wheels.

Left front wheel is at +.5 degree camber so I'll have to reset that and the rest of the alignment before setting out. 

So I re-set the left front wheel camber to something closer to .3 degrees negative and that of course putched-up the toe in. Just now re-set toe-in to 1/8 inch, re-checked camber: good @ .3 to .4 deg negative on both fronts. Rear P is .2 or .3 negative and rear d is 0 with no driver. all taken before clam and spare tire are added so I think those will probably settle in to like .4 and .3 once the car is fully assembled with me in there. Front-to rear lengths are now dead-on to within 1/16 inch so if I tightened up everything right (gonna check/re-tighten tomorrow) we should be good enough for road test-aligned at least.

After that I can straighten out the steering wheel as needed and pop the horn button on. 

My punch list has 10 items remaining before visiting the Maryland State Police and MVA to get the titling/registration underway. Unfortunately the MVA was shut down Friday until further notice due to corona virus.

Nice to be seeing the end of the punch list, eh? Alignment still seems like a black art to me. I do it, but never feel confident that I've done it right. Are you going to have it checked at a shop when you are on the road?

Mike

Yes, she'll get a real 4-wheel alignment by a competent shop . . . unless the thing drives perfectly and my own re-checks after 50 or 100 miles show it's dead-on.

Ed, I guess you know this, but I think you have to go for the Street Rod classification.  AS I did. Of course, I had the donor VW registration/title, so that helped. Did not have to show anybody the car.  No inspection.  Do you have a donor title?  If this car was built up from scratch, not sure how MD deals w that.  If you take it in to be looked at by a certified MD gov't employee, I can about gar-un-tee your punch list will get a lot longer, and your temper will grow a lot shorter.  As always, keep us posted.

PS Street Rod in MD means "substantially modified".  So please tell me you have an old VIN somewhere that can be used and a good title to go with it.  If there is a category for hand built, I don't know about that.

... "dead on"?? first try??  BWAAAHAHAHA . . .

I got Street Rod, 50 year with an MSO. It's going to take getting someone who doesn't know better at the DMV and different attempts at different locations. 

If there's a VIN plate on my car, I'd be interested to know where

Ed. PM me for paper guidance.

I should mention that the rather small portion of my frame/pan that is actually from the donor car does include the tunnel where the VIN is stamped on.  An exceedingly important aspect of the registration and titling process.  I get stopped, I flip up a little flap of carpet just behind and between the seats, and there is the VIN that's on my registration. "thanks for checking officer, have a nice day."

edsnova posted:

Yes, she'll get a real 4-wheel alignment by a competent shop . . . unless the thing drives perfectly and my own re-checks after 50 or 100 miles show it's dead-on.

Neither one of my Spyders has ever been to any shop, especially an alignment shop. Set the front camber, set the rear ride height, set the toe and drive it. If it drives straight I wouldn't stress about it.

DannyP, I would like to learn how to do an alignment myself on my 911 front end car. 

Any suggestions or ideas?

You need tools. Or at least a good carpenters square as tall as your tire. And a good tape measure.

My dad was a carpenter Check on the square

Buy a copy of "How To Make Your Car Handle" by Fred Puhn. It details how to measure camber and toe and set them. 

Plus lots of explanation on different suspension designs and tuning tips.

A little "light reading" while you're shut in.

Thanks @DannyP  I ordered a copy from the UK. 

Seems a little quiet on here.

Ed:  "Hunkering Down" doesn't mean you have to keep away from the shop, ya know.

Don't listen to El Gordo, Ed-- he's just bored and wants to live vicariously through you.

Actually I think most of us are bored and want to live vicariously through Ed.  I know I am and do.

Our mental health is all depending on you, Ed.

OK, you've been around us long enough to know that ship has already sailed :-)