B-a-n-a-n-a-s
B-a-n-a-n-a-s
Warren, will there be additional support tying the the top of the shock tower to the frame rail at the UCA location? Or do you intend to have a shock tower brace above the motor?
In reply to 759NRNG (Forum Partidario) :
Yes, there will be something, just haven't figured out exactly what I want. I still need some structure forward of this to support the radiator and sheet metal, too. I'll either connect the shock mounts straight down to the frame rails inside the A-arm, or I'll go forward and down to pick up the front of the frame. The bolt holding the A-arm is a foot long so I can't go directly to the top of the frame right in front of the arm because I'll trap the bolt. There are design details to work out, as well as trying to do it without buying any more material. I do have a Heim jointed bar that can go across in front of the engine, too. It would be a zero budget hit because it was part of the original Corolla as purchased, and I've already sold the Corolla down to zero.
My apologies I kinda knew you had this.....this effen rocks bro!!!
Well. spring has sprung, so it's time for some garage time.
Because I have an issue with the height of the LS truck motor, I've had to use a lower profile intake manifold, an LS1 unit, that came with a mechanical throttle body but no injectors or fuel rails (and it was $126 !). I thought I'd see what it takes to fit the truck rails and injectors to the LS1 manifold. Some obvious stuff, like the injectors don't sit down in the manifold bungs. There's a lip that I'll need to drill out and then they should snug right in. The anchor bolt holes for the rails are slightly off and I'll need some spacers to bolt through. The bigger issue is the crossover tube between the two rails is the height of the truck manifold, plus some, and will hit the hood. Fun, fun, fun.
You could modify the crossover. I silicon-bronze TIG welded JIC fitting to mine, so I can run AN fittings. You could probably do the same and run braided between.
The Nelson's welded AN fittings to the alluminum caps in the ends of the fuel rails....
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
I can MIG weld....after that it gets pretty sketchy. I remember Calvin modifying the end plugs. I might be able to drill and tap them for some sort of fitting.
If you are -good- you could MIG weld fuel line, but even I am a bit iffy on that. Silver Solder might work....
I had a similar manifold situation recently with putting a Dorman LS6 manifold on my 2014 L20 (no room under E28's hood, height-wise). I basically hit the crossover on the ground a couple of times to lower the height of the bend, then cut off and re-welded all of the brackets after placing the rails atop the injectors in a happy place. All is good and leak-free (which couldn't be said with after market crud that I wasted 100 bucks on).
In reply to rustomatic :
I've thought about trying to bend it, but I worry it'll crack.
Today's parts acquisition ......four trailer fenders for $60.....budget permitting , I may have some decent looking wide fender flares on this little beggar....
More! More! MORE!
SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) said:More! More! MORE!
More.
More parts purchases.......the engine is currently mounted at the typical 3 degree slope down to the rear of the car. What this results in is the transmission output shaft is only 8.5" off the garage floor and the pinion on the rear axle is close to 11.5", so the driveshaft goes up. The resulting angle between the trans down and driveshaft up is greater than I'd like. I'll be re-doing the trans mount to lift it to level and my home brewed motor mounts may need to be modified.....OR, I can use the Corvette motor mounts in the photo that I bought last night for $7.50. While that budget hit might turn out to be important, I would trust the GM parts more for long term use if I end up regularly autocrossing the car. If anyone sees other parts in the picture that you could use I'm open to selling some of it off to reduce my budget hit, too. Parts are from a 45K mile '03 Corvette.
In reply to Somebeach (Forum Supporter) :
For you and SkinnyG.....I bought the Corolla 8 years ago. Don't expect updates at the rate the Nelsons build cars. I'm older, retired and it was 41 degrees outside when I took the previous photo. Work will proceed when the outdoor temperatures are more amenable to my 69 year old body and disposition. Thanks for watching though.
I missed this somehow, but it rules!
Definitely tuning in for future updates (whenever they may happen)
I've seen some of these pictures on your Facebook, but it's nice to finally read through the whole thing. Keep it up!
Its so awesome to see this coming together! When do we all get to come over and stare at it while drinking beer?
In reply to Gearheadotaku (Forum Supporter) :
Well, that could be awhile. The next thing on the agenda is to take it all apart so I can flip the chassis over and actually finish all the welds. I still need to redo the front strut perches to get the car a touch higher off the ground. The oil pan is only 2.5" from the floor and there's still more weight to go the front end.
Edit: Or you could take a drive out here some time before I yank it all apart.
I may have succeeded in painting myself into a corner.......
This is the view from the passenger compartment. That curved metal at the top of the photo is the bottom of the dash. This motor is a long way back.
Here's a view from the front. The gap between the valley of the engine and the cowl area isn't enough to get the intake manifold in there. This isn't a complete surprise, but it's the difference between envisioning a potential problem and staring right at it. I can gain another 2.5 inches by carving out the cowl area, but that's the only structural integrity left in the shell. I cringe now every time I lift the body off to weld or clearance things. One of these times the windscreen will crack and chopping out the cowl isn't going to help. I don't have any choice but to cut it as there's no way to get the engine in or out the way things stand currently. I can see several more hours of pondering and measuring to resolve this. It is the Challenge after all !
I cut my firewall right up to the hood seal, the bottom edge rolled and wired.
I confess, though, that I completed and welded in the frame and cage BEFORE cutting out the entire firewall.
Could you mount the body, and then cut away until you can get an intake in there?
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
Maybe. I've been thinking if that would be the way to do it and then see how the engine will, or won't go in. Orrrr, I had a thought about 3:00 AM. I could hinge the body like a funny car and flip it up to get at the greasy bits.
Funny car that mofo.
If you cannot remove the engine without removing the body, you're going to curse yourself in the future.
I would just weld the frame and body together soon, then do whatever you need to do to get the engine in/out.
When I grenaded the 305 in the Firefly, swapping in a 350 wasn't bad at all.
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
I spent the afternoon looking at where to cut the cowl. I think I can gain three inches of room vertically and I'll cut it almost 5.5" closer to the base of the windshield. That should give me quite a bit of wiggle room and a nice place to land the top edge of the firewall. I don't want to mate the chassis and shell just yet because I've got some stuff to do inside the passenger compartment and it's way easier to do with the shell sitting up on four sawhorses or suspended from the rafters.
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