Tube Frame Chassis Rear Engine build from a Buick Riviera donor

Time for this weekend's update. Got a lot done and ran into some issues.

Got the following done with no issues:

-Power Steering Hoses made and installed -Installed & wired in a horn -Mounted the rear turn signals -Wired in turn signals -Connected water temp sensor to gauge

I went to wire in a fan switch and didn't know if the white or black wire was hot...it took 25-30min of idling to get it up to 212F, then 1 minute later, back down to 178F. And... the black is the hot wire(great logic GM...).

I tried to get the tach to work(Koso RX-2n) and I couldn't get it to read. I had my uncle re-make the tach signal wire so that it could be longer(made exactly the same except length). I tried wrapping the lead around the spark plug wire near the plug, near the coil, taping it near the coil... everything the instructions told me to and nothing...

Any one have any suggestions? I'm going to call Koso tomorrow.

I also started mocking up the body panels in cardboard to use as templates next weekend.

Ive got some wheels on order, so hopefully i can get tires mounted and installed this week so I can get them on prior to starting the body panels.

Hey Austin,

It looks like you can also hook the tach wire directly to the coil charge wire. I think I would give that a try.

Lonny,

Thanks for the suggestion. The 3800 series engine uses coils that plug into a plate, so I cant use that fitting. I tried to ohm out the supply wire that powers the coil, but I got 4 different wires that had nearly the same resistance to the coil... So I ended up stripping about 2 inches off the wire, wrapping it around the positive coil blade tight, then set and secured the coil on top of it.

And... the tach works!!! The needle is a little shaky at idle, but after about 1k rpm, it works well.

And now for this weekend's update:

Got a lot done:

-Built the nose section, gas tank cover, side skins(my first experience using a shrinker/stretcher machine) -Got them mounted -Riveted the panels -Made & mounted under dash panels -Wired in tach -remade gas cap(now it has an O-ring seal) -flashed PCM

I still need to get and install some 1/4 turn fasteners for the gas tank lid.

I bought HP Tuners Pro off a another car site forum member last week. I read the PCM and made some transmission changes. Didn't get to test drive it since it rained all weekend... So I wasn't able to get any scan data.

I tried to use the recorder option just driving in the driveway, but I got an error. Waiting to hear back from HPtuners support.

Time for this weekends update:

Got the new wheels installed... didn't realize that the back of the wheel bolt pattern has an embossed edge that interfered with my new hubs... it bent all my lug nuts, so I had to pull them all, replace, & add a spacer. Luckily, I don't think any of the rims were bent in the process. Also found out that I had a bad bearing in one of the front hubs(it was a used bearing that was with the hub), so I replaced that while I had the wheel off.

I then got the last panel in the front made(my uncle did most of it, but I got an introduction to a planishing hammer). Got it mounted, riveted in, & final adjustments made.

I was able to take it for a test drive after that. The steering is still very touchy, but the car drove great. No wheel spin on the first test run. I did however realize that I forgot to update the tire diameter in the ECU, which caused the car to trip the rev limiter in 1st gear...

Looking good!

You have a diagonal bar up front, one at the roll bar point, why not put one in the rear just for luck ? ! ? ! ?

All of your rear end tubing is either vertical or horizontal and a great deal of it above shoulder height. You really do need a diagonal or "X" out back there to strengthen things up considering the stress that the high mount rear struts are going to introduce during uneven surfaced high speed turns (express way ramps and such.)

Thanks Java.

TeamEvil,

I an not quite sure what you mean. Is this where you're suggesting adding a bar?

Nope, at the very back end, like what you did in the very front.

I have to go on record as saying that you have gained a lot of respect from me since you started the project.

While I might have done things different, I admire how in 7-8 months you went from a pile of tubes to a running vehicle.

TeamEvil,

I will look at putting a bolt in diagonal support behind the engine. Can't make it permanent or I'll never get the engine back out...

NOHOME,

I appreciate the compliment! After going through the build to this point, there are some things I'd do differently also... I guess thats why there will be another build after I get this one.

I am hoping to have the car finished by the end of the year so I can get the paperwork done Jan/Feb time frame to have it street legal for the only decent cool weather in Texas...

Very cool project. I love how fast it's come together. Quite an inspiration. I really hope I can make such leaps and bounds with my car.

I would like to voice one concern however. It appears that your harness bar is a bit high. The shoulder harness should angle down at a 0-20º angle.

Buzzboy,

Appreciate the compliment. Regarding your question, the shoulder belt height is a little deceptive when looking at the top of the seat. These are miata seats and I am bigger than most people, so the below picture, it should be less than 20 degrees(I dont actually have any pictures of me in the car so this is from a video). For the passenger harness, I am going to bolt the seat belt mount the the under side of the tube to lower it a little(have to make sure my wife will be safe too), I just haven't gotten to it yet.

I think that is less than 20 degrees for me in the car(this video was from before the seat belts were installed). Regarding the lack of head support, I will be padding those bars and may change the seats later to have a higher back/head support.

If that car is legal for the street in your state, I'm movin' on out and joining you there.

Here in Massachusetts, you couldn't even park it in the driveway without risking a "clean it up" ticket from the town. Hell, if it's a neighbor who files the complaint, you can't even roll it around back without being in violation if he can still see it from his yard.

TeamEvil,

It's not street legal yet, but it will be. Another guy on this forum is building something similar(his resembles a lotus 7 more than mine) and he got it registered in Texas a few months ago.

Impressed !

Here in Massachusetts home-made cars are very much frowned upon.

For a data point: there are Mass-registered Exocets.

Time for this weekend's update:

Got the fenders made, shrunk to the right radius, & mounted them. Took it for a test drive and the fender mount ripped... so I added a brace to the back of it so it is a lot stiffer now(I'll paint the brace later...).

I also made a new headlight bracket. Got the headlights mounted to the upper shock connection point. Got the headlights mounted, hooked up, and adjusted. I also got the turn signals mounted and hooked up.

I also started working on a firewall, only got it half finished before I had to head out today.

The plan for next weekend is to get the firewall finished, make a center console to hide the shifter, reposition the turn signal switch so its easier to operate, and add a bit of storage. I will also try to add a top cover for the engine.

I had initially planned on fully enclosing the engine(with louvered panels), but I just really want to get this thing street legal so I can drive it before adding the last few panels...

Time for this weekend's update:

IT'S DONE!!!(or at least complete enough to get street legal)

I got the following finished:

-Firewall -Engine covering -Center console -Added rear fenders -Added 1/4 turn fasteners to nose section.

Took some final measurements on the car:

Wheelbase: 100in Width: 78.5in Length: 149in Front Track Width: 63.5in Rear Track Width: 67in Ground Clearance: 5in

So the car is the same length and a foot wider than a Mazda Miata.

I dont think I'll have any time until January, but when I get a chance, I will take the car to the auto-theft task force and ASE master technician to get all the documentation in order to get the car registered.

In the mean time, here is what it looks like now:

I'll get a new steering wheel eventually...

Very cool

For those that might follow in your path: Any lessons learned or things you will do different next time?

NOHOME,

I am glad you asked that. Yes, there are a number of lessons learned. Some on the car, some on my attitude toward the car(I'll list both). Some of these may stem from the fact that I'm 25 and still working on that whole patience thing, but oh well I'll list them anyway.

-During fabrication, keep assembly, disassembly, & future maintenance in mind(including what will go on top of it). I am going to have to cut an access hole through my sheet metal in at least 3 places to be able to access components later...

-Think about order of operations for assembly(will it be harder to put in X after Y is installed).

-When building the frame take special care to make it as symmetric as possible(any variances, especially if they are near the suspension geometry can cause problems later).

-If you get to the point in the day that you see a mistake but dont want to fix it, take a break, then come back later and fix it. This will give you a better car in the end and one mistake now can turn into a lot more work later(I did this 8 months ago and just about every month since I worked on something that had to be modified because of a previous mistake).

-Write down a realistic budget beforehand so you know what you will spend(both $ & time). Try to stick to that budget.

This build took me 10 months, 29 weekends, 486hrs. I didn't really understand how much time is required when I started. From everything I can tell, I sprinted through this build so be prepared for it to take as long or longer. And besides, a car is never really done... I will be putting in another 50 hrs minimum once it's street legal to do some more stuff to the car.

"For a data point: there are Mass-registered Exocets."

I would LOVE to read the step-by-step procedure that getting an Exocet through the MA Specialty Constructed Vehicle inspection and registration precess entails ! ! !

I've got a couple of tube chassis here and am dying to build a Locost-style vehicle utilizing one of them. Neither chassis is titled, so knowing the how/what/where/why of walking a home-made vehicle through the MA RMV would be PRICELESS ! ! ! ! ! !

I thought that the semi-recent passage (but failure in the end) of the SEMA Legislation put an end to shepherding a home made vehicle through the process for good.

If you pulled this off at 25 years old, I can guarantee that the patience tool will only get better calibrated as you go along.

As I have alluded during your build thread, at 56 years old and with some experience, I would have done some things different, but the reality is that at 25, I could not have pulled this off on my own.

Looking forward to the "reality-report" as you drive it.

The car is now registered!

Took all day, got a bit of a runaround at the auto-theft task force & the ASE master technician... They couldnt find any markings on the engine linked to the VIN, but eventually let it through. They also wanted me to have windshield wipers even though there is no windshield...

Luckily one of the workers at the tax collectors office had previous experience registering assembled vehicles and I discussed everything needed a few days ago.

I now have a 2015 assembled vehicle replica 1958 Lotus Seven.

Austin296 wrote: The car is now registered! Took all day, got a bit of a runaround at the auto-theft task force & the ASE master technician... They couldnt find any markings on the engine linked to the VIN, but eventually let it through. They also wanted me to have windshield wipers even though there is no windshield... Luckily one of the workers at the tax collectors office had previous experience registering assembled vehicles and I discussed everything needed a few days ago. I now have a 2015 assembled vehicle replica 1958 Lotus Seven.

Thats a huge step. Congrats!!