Grant,

Great looking exterior paint scheme! Many possible color-combinations; easy maintenance; and plenty of room for national or sponsorship vinyl graphics! It will be beautiful!

( I prefer Grey on the interior for the same reasons you choose White. But Grey isn't as reflective. White always gives off that blinding eye-piercing "glare" when I'm trying to fix something in bright sunlight. It always finds me!)

Rich Smith

Both sides are on the car and plumbed. The brake hat rubs on the pad bad enough that the wheel is difficult to spin, and nearly impossible to spin by hand on the drivers side. Should machine itself as the inside of the pad wears down and shouldn't be a problem until the pad wears to the point that the metal backing plate on the pad starts hitting the bolt heads holding the disc to the hat.

Anyhow, should be driving on them in the next week or so. Just have two more braided lines to fabricate.

Tapped the ears to 7/16-20 instead of drilling both the ear and the caliper. The holes on the ears are 0.01 larger than the drill size for 7/16-20 but that seems to be okay and torqueable. What may be a better solution though is to drill them out, maintaining the inner most side of the hole, and pressing in 7/16-20 inserts, thus bringing the caliper out 1-3 mm and stopping any rubbing.


Or, if going to M12, drill the caliper such that you move it further out, then tap the ear M12.

Ran almost all plumbing.
Here was my shopping list modified to how I actually used the parts. I haven't measured hoses yet, but they were all made by using a piece of 12-14 gauge wire to measure distance, so I can go back and measure all of the individual parts and people could in theory buy or sell all the parts as a kit. The hydraulic handbrake I am using is made by K-Sport, but is nearly identical to the one available at Checkpoint Racing and is nice because it can be changed between parallel and perpendicular to the tunnel.

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Grant Hughes

All the brake lines are complete and none of them leak! Awesome. Semi-rebuilt the halfshafts on Friday, finished running the brake lines, installed halfshafts with new hex head 12.9 M8 bolts instead of poop torx bolts, and checked all rear suspension hardware for tightness. Bled the lines and installed the driver's seat and steering wheel on Sunday afternoon. Did a little drive up and down the alley and stop tests afterward. It goes and stops. Have two 4X8 sheets of Lexan to cut sometime soon, then have to find a windshield, install some seat belts and I'm going to CORE. May try to put in new radiator, intercooler, oil cooler, header tank, swirl pot, bypass valve, and some other parts that I already have in the meantime as well. Still need to figure out a way to rotate the intake and relocate the alternator. I wish we still had a lathe as I'd just make all the pulleys.

Here's a link to a little video of driving up and down the alley, testing the grip on the big wide tires on 17 Compos, and testing the hydraulic handbrake.
http://www.dailymotion.com/granthughes/video/4862592

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Grant Hughes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/04/2007 12:44PM by NoCoast.

So with thoughts of Jake Himes and his dedication to rallying running through my head last night, I worked on the car until late. All the Lexan is ready to go in, the seat belt mounts are fabbed, welded, and painted. The seats are in, the dash is ready to go in, the foot plates are spot welded and caulked, as were any other holes I could find. Going to drive it to the shop for some Tig welding of a few things and installation of a windshield next week! This car is going to be awesome! Friend came over and was stoked on the layout of the gas and brake pedal. With the dual master box, I can move the pedal about 2 inches forward or backward to drop it right where I want it. Also bought so much Lexan that I've cut two rear windows and six side windows. Spares and/or ready for another car.

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Grant Hughes

More work. Lexan windows in. Welded in final harness bar for passenger seat. Found a set of adjustable track control arms to get rid of the +3 camber in front. 3" exhaust parts go in trunk tomorrow and car is going down to Salta Motorsports for final welding of cage and windshield installation.

Heard rumor of a 400 hp MR2 running a turbo Lexus V6 engine that's just been built locally to run rally car class of hill climbs. So that will make five turbo cars with 300+ hp if I can get my car done and up to spec by May. Three RWD and Two FWD. Did I mention the winner actually get about $400 per event. Not bad for a $150 entry fee.

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Grant Hughes

Burton Power adjustable track control arms, new inner and outer tie rod ends and boots, poly bushes for the TCA. Sweet.

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Grant Hughes

Drove the car to Salta/Checkpoint for a new windshield yesterday. Downpipe only, no windshield and no tach. Battery terminals aren't well connected and the car won't idle. Hit an accident and got sent on a detour. Stopped at a light on Colfax Ave, one of the busiest street in Colorado, about a block from the Capitol when poof. Cloud of smoke and coolant pouring out. Push it to a parking spot and call Steve to come flat tow me the rest of the way. So the point of the story.

Steve's truck is a 95 x-cab 3/4 ton Dodge turbo diesel 5 speed. He said he used the brakes like three times. Towing me I was able to easily stop my car and his truck without breaking the tow rope. We get to the shop and he's like, "You're brakes definitely work. He said he'd just put it in neutral and my braking to keep the rope taut would stop the truck.

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Grant Hughes

So 3" exhaust is now done. Used a plasma cutter to start on the pin jack receivers in the sill, built the first actual jack stand, plasma cut some off the STA shock mount to fit 15X7 wheels without a spacer.

Also figured out how I want to mount my skidplate in the front. Test fit the JVAB crossmember support thing that I don't think even John knows where is supposed to go. I haven't quite figured it out either. Probably will end up being useless.

Going to CORE this Sunday if it doesn't rain to have a little bit of fun in the dirt since I haven't driven the car in a year. Should have some video to post after that. Next Sunday is paint, then back to the house with the car to tear down the front end and install all the really fun stuff, the parts that make it go faster, run cooler, and hopefully more reliable. Oh yeah, and ordered 4 more Compomotives for front wheel use this morning.

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Grant Hughes

Built the front skidplate mount. Bolt on so it can remove easily. It turned out pretty good. Also fit a VW Mk3 1993-1999 Golf/Jetta front bumper. Required very little effort to fit the bumper cover and only cost $40 for the bumper cover. Found out the failing guibo stupid fucking thing is causing a fatal failure waiting to happen so passing on CORE tomorrow. Heat cycled the new brakes a bit and machined a bit more off the bolt heads attaching the rotor on hat. It feels like I could do a fucking stoppie if I wanted to.

Paint next weekend.

Here's a couple of pics of the bumper.

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Grant Hughes



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 10/20/2007 06:48PM by NoCoast.

Looks awesome, Grant. Good luck with the "fatal wiring" issue. Those can be maddening!

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Brian Driggs | KG7KCA | PHX, AZ | 89 Pajero
alterius non sit qui suus esse potest

Not wiring. Exploding rubber piece of shit from 1985 in the driveshaft. Oh well, T5 driveshaft over there and a close ratio T5 dogbox soon to come.

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Grant Hughes

Drove the car about 15 miles for fun today. Fucking brakes stop the car, but only with some umph. Finished some rough bondo work and drilled 1" holes in the sills. Amazing how much easier it is to do when you have a burly drill.

Driving the car to work tomorrow, painting it on Sunday, then it's time for the real fun. Big radiator, Cossie intercooler, tubular exhaust, relocate the alternator and rotate the upper intake, bigger turbo, ECU, oil and power steering coolers, T5 dog box, lightweight flywheel, adjustable TCA and Comp strut, etc.

The car fucking rips now above 3000 RPM. But the gearing is such crap that it is a bit of a bore. But new gearbox will take care of that.

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Grant Hughes

Painted

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Grant Hughes

Lookin' good. I can't wait to get the rally car painted. Those pictures really make me want to cut out the side windows.

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Matt Smith

Racing in glorious black and red

My daily life is a Saab story (sold!)

I've got spare lexan windows already cut.

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Grant Hughes