Hole in the head project

[Flipper_1938]

I found this neat little item. It is a metal template that welds to the firewall and acts as a reinforcement. It is designed around a 4th gen camaro clutch master.....and a 2nd generation camaro firewall. I hope 4th gen pedals are similar enough. I also picked up their clutch master with the threaded rod. I gotta come up with the other end. Another plus to this "bracket" is that I can play with it on the workbench and figure out how to make it work without laying in the floorboard of a little car.....guessing where to drill holes.

 

[Flipper_1938]

Christmas for me.

 

[Flipper_1938]

In stock form, these cars have a soft cushy suspension. I'm shooting for something a little sportier. Knowing that I wanted a more truck like spring rate, I went searching for truck springs on marketplace. The mercedes has some really small coil springs. The closest thing I found was toyota tacome springs. I don't know what the factory spring rate was, but the toyota springs use heavier wire. Hopefully this works. If not, I'm only out $20.

 

[Flipper_1938]

I went to pull a part to pull a hydroboost off of a Yukon. I gave up (holy crap there is a lot of stuff under the dash of a later model chevy) and pulled a booster and master off of a 1994 Z28 instead. I guess I want a mullet-mobile deep down.

 

[Flipper_1938]

The bracket isn't perfect for what I'm doing. The clutch position looks good, but the brake booster hole is off. I can fix it though.

The pedal brace on clutch side needs to be cut back, but the shape of the back of the booster and the mounting spacer makes me think it will work.

 

[Flipper_1938]

I was hoping I would get to work on it this weekend, but that isn't happening. I did however see pics of this car on Facebook. It makes me want to go stupid low.

 

[Flipper_1938]

Planning on working on it this weekend. I need to try the pedals/master cylinder, so that means pulling the dash out...fun.

I also think I'm going to take a different approach to the crossmember. I think I want to go back to the box around the oil pan idea, but instead of tube, it will be .25" plate. Think bomb-proof shoebox recessed through the crossmember. The .25" rear wall will let me slide the engine closer to the steering linkage than the tube reinforcement that I had mocked up.

 

[Flipper_1938]

Well. I didn't work on it last weekend. But I did think about what I want to do with the car some more. When I started removing the dash, I was finding cracked/broken plastic where previous people had done work on the car. Since I'm going tohave to rework the console area to work with the new shifter location....why not rework the whole thing. Maybe something like this? ....with sensible seats. I like the racecar vibe. Painted floors with floormats in a Mercedes?

 

[Flipper_1938]

I slid the box rearward to get the bellhousing and back of the block behind the steering box and the idler arm. I also dropped it an inch lower than the previous cuts. I also will be doing a slight firewall recess.

 

[Flipper_1938]

It was more work to dig this baby out of the corner it was buried in and move it to the other end of the barn, than I normally do in a day. The brakes on the studebaker were dragging severely.

 

[Flipper_1938]

Confused 5.3 thinks it's a camaro motor. LS6 intake, modified truck alternator bracket (still need to make the strut), and beat a flat spot on the water outlet for clearance. May need to clearance to alternator bracket to let alternator flop farther.

And buy a f-body pump and spacers if this leaks.

White trash mercedes....