More Nose Work

Projects like the LeGrand are dangerously easy to work on—no creature comforts or bodywork to get in the way. As a result, when we started working on the front suspension, we also looked at the braking system and realized just how old and craptacular the original Girling master cylinders were. We pulled them all apart and replaced them with new Wilwood combination master cylinders with built-in reservoirs. These lightweight little critters are an exact fit for the original Girling bits and should make braking our beast even easier. What’s even cooler is that these brand-new bits are less than $80 apiece.

Since we’re knee-deep in the nose, we also redid the front body mounts. Plus, we’re reworking the splitter so that it mounts to the chassis, not the fiberglass bodywork. The result should be a much stronger aerodynamic splitter, and it paves the way for us to replace the front fiberglass bodywork with carbon pieces over the winter.

Comments

sbarton
10/22/10 11:10 a.m.

I saw in the Nov 2010 issue that you guys used Staubli Dry Break Connectors and that they were $100 a pair.

Where did you get them and what model numbers did you use?

I would like to get a pair for disconnecting a fuel cell.

Thanks.

nderwater PowerDork
10/25/10 11:24 a.m.

Why did you guys opt for a plywood splitter over sheet aluminum, fiberglass or even carbon fibre?

Per Schroeder PowerDork
10/25/10 1:37 p.m.

For right now, it's super cheap. $32 for a sheet of hardwood plywood. It weighs 6lbs when cut to dimensions and it's very strong---better than Aluminum or fiberglass. Once we sort out the exact size/shape we want, we'll be replacing it with carbon/honeycomb.

nderwater PowerDork
10/25/10 10:04 p.m.

I forget how tiny this car is - it looks like it would be much heavier!

Per Schroeder PowerDork
10/26/10 2:58 p.m.

Yep, the splitter is 58" x 18", so it's not too big.