|
Post by sigmfsk on Oct 31, 2011 17:57:04 GMT -5
I did some thinking about the thermostat housing...I'm thinking the best option is along the lines of the original plan, just modify the housing and weld on a neck at the best angle to shoot out along the blue lines shown above...I did find this inline aluminum thermostat housing...And they even make a version with > weld in inlet side, 1 1/2" hose oulet side...So weld that baby right to (a short neck which is to be welded to) the water pump housing. I received the weld-in thermostat housing. and it looks like just the ticket. But the real reason for this update, is that I just got word that my transmission will be here Thursday! Woot! I can knock off an item on "things that have taken much longer than they ever should have" list. I'll get some pics next time I visit the panel beaters. your friend in pics, arthur
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 1, 2011 19:26:03 GMT -5
Here: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=information&thread=368&post=2115I was telling a story about when Marin County was delivered. I posted this pic: and ChiTown John complimented the beat-up-ness of it: > Sigmfsk, what your doing w/ your car is beautiful and incredible, > but I love the off the trailer look the most, Elwood couldnt have > found a better car! and that really got me thinking about the doors. I want to build a solid car (for handling, and safety, and longevity), but there might be a way to re-use the original doors. I mean, how many Bluesmobiles have door stars that are actual police doors with the signage obliterated? The first thing of note is that the star is 7-sided and upside-down (as compared to the bluesmobile): Here's what an original Marin County star looks like: I got that from Steam's post to Jamie's Marin County for-sale thread on the BBC archives: www.bluesbrotherscentral.com/forum/topic/8083-sold-usa-1974-monaco-police-440-oregon/page__view__findpost__p__103343The passenger door has a few issues: It has a mirror, and all the horizontal rusting at the top of the star. In addition to being not-screen accurate, it will be difficult to get the rest of the car to match that total beat-down look. I looked all over the doors, and they are definitely not doors to restore to factory original perfection. You can see all the rust along the inner edge of this window frame: but the doors themselves look quite sound; there aren't any structural problems: The door weatherstripping is all there, and not torn. It's rock hard, but I can do the multi-month rubber restoration like I did on the Fury cop rubber flooring. Note that the rubber flooring has been upgraded to penthouse level in order to make room for the doors. Recall that Restoration Specialties absconded with my driver door piece: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=parts&thread=217&post=1309but I can use the metal piece from the Fury. I need some window channel, but got that from restoration specialties: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=parts&thread=217&post=1590I need some beltline weatherstripping, but I can use those from the Fury, and it's easy to replace the front beltline weatherstripping. bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=blumohowto&action=display&thread=303So, right now, I'm thinking restore the weatherstripping, then paint the doors over the green next summer. And when I get my bluesmobile ready, put the doors on as-is. I can update my build-plan to add "front doors" to the following plan: -------------------- if it's shown once in the movie, it must match that shot if it's shown multiple times in the movie, it must match one of them under those conditions, the car will be exactly the same as a 1974 stock 440 cop Monaco, except for changes due to the following considerations: - performance - safety - front doors -------------------- I'll hope that the non-screen accuracy of a passenger door mirror will be overshadowed by the fact that its an original police door. And with my plan modified to allow for 1974 cop doors, then I can use my 1974-only driver door lower panel with a door-pocket: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=blumohowto&thread=311&post=1893instead of being forced to use a screen-accurate 1975+ pocketless door panel: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=information&thread=101&post=720And once I'm cruising in my new blumo, if I don't like the passenger mirror, I can take it off. And if I don't like the horizontal rust, I can paint over it. And if I can't live with the upside-down door stars, or the weatherstripping is just no good, or the doors fall off, I can just put on the doors from the 76 parts car. One of the main reasons for getting that car was solid front doors with perfect weatherstripping. your friend in a flexible build plan, arthur
|
|
|
Post by Bismo on Nov 1, 2011 21:43:26 GMT -5
I like the idea, a real nod to the car's own heritage is, I think, very very cool.
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 3, 2011 3:28:58 GMT -5
I like the idea, a real nod to the car's own heritage is, I think, very very cool. Thanks, Bis, I appreciate the feedback. I was thinking of starting a poll to ask people what they thought, but then said "surely people will think its kinda cool to have original cop doors", and it seemed like a good decision because it will be so easy to change my mind later if I don't like it. But the more I think about, the more I think I like it! thanks, arthur
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 5, 2011 8:19:45 GMT -5
The chart in the previous post shows that if you got civilian Monaco rims (5.5" wide), and installed them on the front knuckle with a 3/4" spacer, they would clear a viper caliper, and also not stick out further, or stick in further, than the tire on a police Monaco rim (6.5" wide). But really, anyone putting bigger brakes on would at least want a cop-width wheel. And using a standard cop wheel with a 3/4" spacer would stick the wheel out 3/4" more. And if one was happy with sticking out 3/4", then one might be happy with it sticking out 1/4" more and being able to switch to an 8" wide wheel (having it stick out 1", and stick in 1/2" more than stock). So I'll stick caliper / front wheel info here, and people can pick and choose what pieces might be of interest in there projects. I need to make sure that this sticking out/in doesn't interfere with turning (tire hitting frame or with the tire hitting the fender or inner fenderwell at full lock when going over bumps). Check out this car (from Jan 2012 Car Craft): Front tires so wide, they couldn't get it to turn effectively on the autocross. Seriously? I'm not trying to beat them up too much; there's a lot that goes into a car build, and it's hard to think of everything. But this seems like one of the first things to consider. The car maybe more of a show-car. Here it is on display: www.lsxtv.com/forum/revisiting-holleys-ls-fest-additional-coverage-3150.htmlHere: www.novas.net/forums/showpost.php?p=104042&postcount=9one fellow notes: > that your transmission cross-member is welded onto your > powder coated frame which will make it difficult to upgrade your > transmission choice in the future which seems a good point. Anyway, here's the build page on the car: www.schwartzperformance.com/projects.aspx?projectid=30It looks like the front wheels are 9" wide. I don't know if the tires are hitting the frame: or the inner fenderwell: but I'll do my best to record what needs to be done to make sure that this doesn't happen on my Monaco. One can't win the Steam CEVS EVOC challenge without being able to turn. /arthur
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 5, 2011 9:29:49 GMT -5
Here: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=owners&thread=45&post=2145I talked about how the Spal dual 11" fan setup outflowed the Lincoln Mark VIII setup for about the same current draw. So that was a good baseline. I'm thinking the dual 12" SPAL setup is what I'll use. Here's the page on it: www.spalusa.com/store/main.aspx?p=itemdetail&item=30102130and the dimensions: from the tech sheet PDF on that page. I plan on my 4" air intake tube going over the radiator to an air cleaner in the cold forced air zone, something like: Here's my Fury, but the setup is similar to the Monaco; the radiator yokes are interchangeable. above, stock radiator: Above: The SPAL fan setup is 25.83" wide, so it's narrower than the opening in the radiator yoke of 27.625". Note though, that the stock radiator is not a cross-flow, so didn't have tanks on either side. If I have a crossflow radiator with fins 25.83" wide, the total width will be that plus the width of both side tanks. I think it will still fit, but something to keep an eye on. The SPAL setup is 17.32" tall. With my 4" tube on top of it, let's say 21.5" tall. The opening is only 19.25" tall. I need another 2.25". I can get that if I cut through the top of the radiator yoke, but the air intake tube still needs to clear this lip in the hood: Well, it doesn't need to, as I could cut through the brace in the hood and reinforce in another area. But the tube would still need to get down quickly to enter the air zone ahead of the radiator: Note that there is another 2.625" available between the bottom of the radiator yoke opening and the frame supports. I can weld the frame supports to the bottom of the radiator yoke, making it all one stiff piece, and then cut out the bottom support on the yoke and lower it down. So my maximum vertical real-estate available is 24.25", and I need 21.5", so somehow I can make it all fit. And that's with the air intake tube staying a 4" circle, or a cross sectional area of 12.5". I could transition it into an oval. I could make it a box 3" high and 10" across, thereby getting a cross sectional area of 30", even more than that of the 6" air filter. It probably would good to have as much cross sectional area as possible as it goes over the radiator, because it will quickly make turns to get into the air cleaner. your friend in planning for enough engine cooling, and enough engine cool air combusting, arthur
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 8, 2011 4:40:16 GMT -5
Here: bluesmobiles.proboards.com/index.cgi?action=gotopost&board=vics&thread=12&post=2496Steam posted this pic and it got me thinking. That air intake looks an awful lot like the one I'm envisioning in within this 10" area: So I think I'll plan on a visit to the junkyard, and see what I can find that might fit the bill. Maybe nothing will work exactly, but at least I'll see other good ideas that might help with the plan. your friend in junkyard cruising, arthur
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 22, 2011 19:19:59 GMT -5
I'm thinking about fabricating the air intake out of carbon fiber. I can make it exactly the shape I want, learn a new skill, and it won't cost any more for me to make it out of carbon fiber than it would take to pay someone else to make it out of aluminum.
So before fabbing that part (when I don't have the motor or Monaco available), I thought I'd practice on something less visible, like the A/C ducting that needs cutting to install the Craig S601 in the dash.
I used my Marin County dash as a template. It's the one that I'll be least likely to use in the final build, so it would be a good practice dash.
It looks like there are only two good shots of the Craig/dash area in the movie. The hero shot:
and when being chased by the Nazis:
Notice in each case that the vent nozzle with the adjustable flaps is missing.
Removing the nozzle shows a vertical support bar:
I looked at the dash and attempted to determine the method the prop guys would have used to cut a hole in the dash. There's some thick support structure behind the vinyl.
I used a 24-TPI sawzall blade:
For the vertical support bar, I thought that someone would cut the bar at the bottom, and then just twist out the bar at the top. That's what I did:
On the dash I plan on using, I could tape-off the area so that the saw didn't gouge the vinyl when it cut the hole, but the prop guys probably didn't do that, so I'm thinking just do what I did here, gouges and all.
Now I can start on the ducting! your friend in mini-updates, arthur
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 23, 2011 17:42:23 GMT -5
On an A/C car, the padded dash: - Has vents in the center, and on the passenger side. - Has ductwork attached to the back of the padded dash which runs the length of the padded dash (to get air to the passenger side). - The opening for this ductwork is "wide"
On non A/C car, the padded dash: - Has a vent in the center, and a blockoff plate on the passenger side. - Had ductwork attached to the back of the padded dash which connects just to the center vent - the opening for this ductwork is "narrow"
Above: a pic of the back of a padded dash, with attached ductwork: - for non A/C (top) - for A/C (bottom)
Above: the attached ductwork behind the padded dash - for non A/C (top) - for A/C (bottom)
Above: showing the duct piece that attaches to the padded-dash ductwork - for A/C
Above: showing the duct piece that attaches to the padded-dash ductwork - for non A/C (that vent piece needs to rotate so that it is vertical)
After looking at the A/C ductwork attached the back of the padded dash, I must commend Elwood on his Craig installation. He picked the perfect place for ease of installation and leaving the A/C duct attached.
Above, I cut just a bit of the ductwork, and the Craig slid right in.
Above, showing the hole in the ductwork to allow the Craig to fit in (and to allow the electric wires to hang out)
Above, the front view.
Above, looking up from underneath. Just poke some foam in the hole, and all is sealed.
It's a solid enough mount, I could just leave it as-is, and have it easily removable for racing. But Lord Vadus was telling me about his experiences at some back-to-the-future shows where an individual was helping himself with easy-to-remove fixtures on people's cars. That just makes me sad thinking about it.
your friend in not wanting to bolt everything down, arthur
|
|
|
Post by Lord Vadus on Nov 23, 2011 19:11:02 GMT -5
It was just one individual that has a reputation for such atrocities, so it's hardly a concern; especially since he likes to brag up himself and scream to everyone who doesn't care whenever he attends a show. For the general public, you have to only worry about little kids and Hot Wheels collectors stealing toy cars that are displayed with your vehicle.
I understand your concern for people stealing parts from your car and the Monaco offers one great element to prevent that; roll up the windows and lock the doors. DeLoreans are typically shown with the doors up. I tend to show mine, after experience, with only the driver's door open and sit immediately beside it in a chair. No more people reaching in or missing parts.
The Monaco doesn't have a real reason to display with the doors open. In fact, having the windows down isn't 100% required, since you can still see everything that the typical passer-by will comment on. Only at a Bluesmobile-connected event would I foresee you actually encountering someone with interest enough in your 8-track player to have them lean far enough in the car to see it.
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Nov 29, 2011 18:34:51 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Dec 5, 2011 18:23:44 GMT -5
It's a Christmas miracle! My 4L80E transmission with mopar big-block bellhousing arrived.
All the motor-to-transmission adapting is done on the flexplate (shown), and spacer (not shown), so that a standard 4L80E torque converter can be used. Probably no more updates here until I get the motor, but it's good to see what it looks like.
your friend in crossing one more thing off the "taking way too long" list, arthur
|
|
|
Post by Steam McQueen on Dec 5, 2011 21:31:06 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by sigmfsk on Dec 6, 2011 17:32:40 GMT -5
the panel beaters have gotten busy!
above, '76 parts car on left, '74 marin county on right.
Remember this pic:
the plan to fix the rust spots in the cowl was to remove the cowl from the 74, remove the cowl from the 76. put the cowl from the 76 onto the 74. put the distinct pieces from the 74 cowl back onto the 76 cowl (now part of the 74 car).
The secret stamped VIN would be one item. And there are some other minor differences:
the 74 has a hump that the 76 doesn't. and the 76 has a recess that the 74 doesn't. I think I convinced them that I want the final product to be all 74-like, and not some bizarre combo.
Here are some pics of the repair work on Marin with the cowl removed:
and some on the side.
After bead blasting:
now:
It's taken a while to get to the top of the work list, but now that I'm there, I like what I'm seeing!
your friend in forward progress, arthur
|
|
|
Post by Steam McQueen on Dec 7, 2011 16:02:29 GMT -5
It's a Christmas miracle! Merry Christmas, Arthur! It's a thing of beauty.
|
|