SCCA EMod MGB GT V12 Build

I made a paper template for the steering rack mount today and sent it off to the laser cutter. The holes are slotted so I can move it up or down to get zero bumpsteer. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2840_zps6zfsiuhu.jpg.html][/URL]

In order to have removable steering arms that could also be shortened in case I need a tighter turning circle, I purchased a set of Wilwood Pro Spindles. They can be front or rear steer and have bolt-on steering arms, perfect, I thought. They arrived today and I was pretty excited until I discovered that the Wilwood brake kit I purchased would not bolt onto the new Wilwood spindles! To be clear, I have a complete Wilwood brake kit for a Mustang II that bolted right up to the aftermarket drop spindles I was using, but they will not bolt onto the Wilwood drop spindles. I called their tech line and they don't make a bracket that will get the two items to play nicely with each other. I used the old bracket as a template and plasma cut a new one.

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A lot of trimming, drilling and grinding later, I had something that works.

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I reinforced the area where the calipers bolt on, shot them with a coat of Tremclad and voila', the calipers are mounted to the new spindle

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The bracket for the steering rack was laser cut today so I picked that up and tack welded it in place [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2944_zpsy44ocynt.jpg.html][/URL]

Once I bolted the rack to the bracket and hooked up the steering arms, i had steering. The height of the rack and the height of the rod ends are all adjustable so I should be able to be bump steer free.

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Keep going its looking great. I like the steering mount. Should work well.

Wait. What did I miss? Where does the engine go? I know there was an engine change but I missed its location.

Can we get an executive summary of the current direction?

wvumtnbkr wrote: Wait. What did I miss? Where does the engine go? I know there was an engine change but I missed its location. Can we get an executive summary of the current direction?

There will be an all aluminum turbo 4 cylinder situated just to the right of the driver, with power being sent to a differential that is also moved over to the right.

Where did you source the tubing for the tie rods?

Been following this build for so many years that I now have a problem:

Should I run into you someday somewhere and you don't look like your avatar, I am going to be disappointed.

And no, you cant reply with "Same here."

Gimp wrote: Where did you source the tubing for the tie rods?

Speedway Motors in Lincoln, NE. I also got the pedals, rod ends, quick release steering, ball joints, Wilwood brakes and a thousand other things from them.

I assembled the pedals around the mounting plate then clamped the whole thing to some scrap pieces to get the position perfect. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2948_zpsqtshhcqv.jpg.html][/URL]

Once I found the perfect position, I made a plate to attach the mounting plate to the front hoop. This area needs to be flex free for confidence under braking and I'll need to add another brace behind it [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2950_zpsbjkcmbb1.jpg.html][/URL]

I made little tabs to bolt the seat in so that's done, too. I put the seat in the middle of the sliders range when I placed the pedals so drivers taller and shorter than me can also get comfortable [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2951_zpsgg2phjww.jpg.html][/URL]

How much of the original car is left?

NOHOME wrote: Been following this build for so many years that I now have a problem: Should I run into you someday somewhere and you don't look like your avatar, I am going to be disappointed. And no, you cant reply with "Same here."

I always thought that was your wife, Nohome

jstein77 wrote: How much of the original car is left?

The wheels, seat, diffuser, Panhard bar, master cylinders, rear brakes. I'm going to start a company called Boiled Frog Racing because when I climbed into this pool, the water was room temperature but it's now hot, hot, hot and I can't climb out.

I cut down some square tube to make this super long steering column support. It doesn't weight very much, doesn't get in the way of anything and is stiff so I'm happy with it. It also has 2 inches of adjustment just by moving the Heim joints that hold the column up or down. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2956_zpsvjcy1f24.jpg.html][/URL]

I also started making a cowl out of aluminum sheet that goes between the hood (bonnet) and the steering wheel. It's not quite right visually, I need to add a shortened windscreen or little humps plus it needs a place for the digital dash I will be installing. The problem with a windscreen is that I sit very low in the car and the hood is very long, so anything above the level of the hood gets in the way of seeing cones.

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I realized that access to the master cylinders would be greatly enhanced by going from a weld-on mount to a bolt-on, so I switched if over today. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_2988_zpsvo1x1uru.jpg.html][/URL]

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I wanted the cowl area to look better and while poking around looking for something to use as a template to cut a curve into it, I found the original cowl. After cutting off all the excess metal, it doesn't weigh much more than the aluminum one and looks a lot better. Here are some pics during the trial fitting and before all the trimming, it looks even better now. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_0174_zps85gxbch8.jpg.html][/URL] [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_0175_zpsi8tyhqnl.jpg.html][/URL]

I also weighed the car as it sits and it's 850 lbs. That leaves me with 800 lbs for engine, trans, driveshaft, coolant, firewall, floor, fuel cell, electric fans, electric steering motor and a sway bar

Damn near factory original now

Great idea. I assume that the cowl vent is going to get covered?

NOHOME wrote: Damn near factory original now Great idea. I assume that the cowl vent is going to get covered?

I had an aluminum screen over it and may go back to that, not sure yet. I guess this means that the % of the old car going into this car has doubled! ;)

What ever happened to that neat looking fiberglass cowl from back on page 34?

TeamEvil wrote: What ever happened to that neat looking fiberglass cowl from back on page 34?

It sits too high and would have needed a lot of filler to get it looking smooth

TeamEvil wrote: What ever happened to that neat looking fiberglass cowl from back on page 34?

I can tell you to not get too attached to any one feature or part on this project, the need for speed dictates that parts get killed off faster than a game of thrones character.

I was poking around online and discovered that the dirt track guys run upper control arms very similar to what I have. They are cheap, way more adjustable and anodized so I ordered a set from Speedway Motors. As a reminder, here is a shot of my fabricated upper control arms and the new ones

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I cut the old mounts off (fortunately not fully welded yet) and attached the new ones. Now I can adjust caster, camber, roll center and anti-dive with just the turn of a wrench or a rod [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_3019_zpsxqijtx9u.jpg.html][/URL]

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NOHOME wrote:

TeamEvil wrote: What ever happened to that neat looking fiberglass cowl from back on page 34?

I can tell you to not get too attached to any one feature or part on this project, the need for speed dictates that parts get killed off faster than a game of thrones character.

I am quite nostalgic by nature which was incentive to build the original car, because my dad gave me the Jag engine when I was 15. But, that was quickly beaten out of me because it turns out that race cars are single purpose machines, built to do one thing well and there is no room for fluff, nostalgia or feelings. I built a very cool race car that sounded amazing and was fun to drive, but it was hopelessly slow. This one isn't going to sound good but I'm making very few compromises, it should be FAAAAAASSSSSSSSTTTTTTT!

loosecannon wrote:

NOHOME wrote:

TeamEvil wrote: What ever happened to that neat looking fiberglass cowl from back on page 34?

I can tell you to not get too attached to any one feature or part on this project, the need for speed dictates that parts get killed off faster than a game of thrones character.

I am quite nostalgic by nature which was incentive to build the original car, because my dad gave me the Jag engine when I was 15. But, that was quickly beaten out of me because it turns out that race cars are single purpose machines, built to do one thing well and there is no room for fluff, nostalgia or feelings. I built a very cool race car that sounded amazing and was fun to drive, but it was hopelessly slow. This one isn't going to sound good but I'm making very few compromises, it should be FAAAAAASSSSSSSSTTTTTTT!

Not complaining at all. I have been following your thread since the start and had a lot of fun following along. I am a sucker for out of the box thinking. Been an MGB GT owner for 36 years and a Hot Rodder at heart, so you had me from the the start.

So why the new Avatar? Hope it was not my remark that made you change. I liked the old one. Where was the character from?

NOHOME wrote:

loosecannon wrote:

NOHOME wrote:

TeamEvil wrote: What ever happened to that neat looking fiberglass cowl from back on page 34?

I can tell you to not get too attached to any one feature or part on this project, the need for speed dictates that parts get killed off faster than a game of thrones character.

I am quite nostalgic by nature which was incentive to build the original car, because my dad gave me the Jag engine when I was 15. But, that was quickly beaten out of me because it turns out that race cars are single purpose machines, built to do one thing well and there is no room for fluff, nostalgia or feelings. I built a very cool race car that sounded amazing and was fun to drive, but it was hopelessly slow. This one isn't going to sound good but I'm making very few compromises, it should be FAAAAAASSSSSSSSTTTTTTT!

Not complaining at all. I have been following your thread since the start and had a lot of fun following along. I am a sucker for out of the box thinking. Been an MGB GT owner for 36 years and a Hot Rodder at heart, so you had me from the the start. So why the new Avatar? Hope it was not my remark that made you change. I liked the old one. Where was the character from?

That was my halloween costume from a couple of years ago. I went as a bad cop and would write tickets to everybody for things like "Being sexy without a permit" or "improper use of alcohol". I did change it because of your comment, I thought I would give you a better idea of what I look like with me as a Simpsons character.

The old avatar suited the car.

Carry on! Cant wait to see this back on the track.

I started to put the rear diff in today. As you can see, it's shifted quite a bit over to the passenger side. I have to get it situated perfectly then weld on the necessary brackets for the control arms and panhard. [URL=http://smg.photobucket.com/user/loosecannon/media/MGB-GT/IMG_3078_zpsl66bhcm5.jpg.html][/URL]

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