I trashed the Merkur dash and I also cut out all the dash framing from the car. I re-installed new bars located 6 or 7 inches inward towards the engine bay. This will give me more wiggle room to adjust everything to my liking. I spent the whole morning into the afternoon doing this. It took much longer than I thought. It is not finished enough to see how it's going to look. I also slanted the wind shield at a 30 degree angle, so my Coupe now has a slanted wind shield. This is the last change i am making in this area ill live with what I have and do the best I can installing the dash stuff it will go where it fits, ehheeh. I also fit a piece of sheet metal to the left side cowl area it is clamped in place and I will weld it in the AM if I like what I see. I have some photos
Scratch Building a Coupe
- Thread starter rsfyj
- Start date
Help Support Rat Rods Rule:
I welded the small panel patches that I installed yesterday they looked okay to me. I also started to set up my steering wheel and brake and clutch pedal assembly. This has to be done before I can get my dash stuff in place. It will still be a tight fir for me to get in the car its so small I am only 5ft 9 inches tall and weigh 130 lbs soaking wet. Ill just have to watch what i eat. ahha It's okay once I am in the cock pit. I ended up gutting all the bars in the dash area and I started all over some of the parts i planed on using are not going to be used so things changed. I think the steering is at optimum for me. That's Hot Rodding.Got some photos
Short day had many errands to run. but I did get to fit and weld a piece of sheet metal to the left side wind shield corner and door. I have the steering mounts made and welded to the booster brake plate, but the valve cover from the 351 engine interferes with the fit. The other thing is my engine lift is being used else where so I will have to wait on this. I can work around it. Also March is close and I will get ready to do some more on my ceiling lowering. I break up the work and bills each month so I can afford it. I will do one side and get it ready for sheet rock this spring, April I'll do the other side. Things will start to slow down some as I have many odd things to get ready all at the same time. My Merkur engine and Transmission will be coming and i need room for that plus take out the Ford 351 Cleveland Engine. I have a few photos
Attachments
This is not Hot Rod stuff but this is what I came onto next to my shop this Am. Last night around ten:30 PM I heard a ruckus in the woods which is only 25 yards from my house and closer to my shop. The wolves, (we have some Grey and White around here as well as Coyotes pretty big. Any way they injured a Deer and the deer sought a hiding place next to my shop and Log pile and spent the night. The Deer has a Hurt leg where the Wolves nabbed her. Any way the Deer stayed on my lawn all day lying down and watched me as I went about my business. A Wolf was hiding in the hedge row about 70 feet away waiting for a chance. I don't want the Wolves around here they may lick their chops when My grand Kids are here. I went and got my Rifle but he saw me coming and ran into the woods. Anyway the Deer finally rose and went into the woods. I have a few photos
Attachments
Last edited:
Today was another short day I fabricated a junk material steering wheel/ post adjustable holder. This assembly was tough to hold because the way it was shaped and made. No clamp would hole this right. So I made an adjustable holder with bolts all you have to do is tighten or loosen the nuts to raise or lower the system. I will use this to align the post to my dash cut out and steering wheel position. Then I will weld it in place. Sometimes the cheapest looking tool does the job better than fancy clamps and other stuff. I used scraps and took 15 minutes it works great. I will start my ceiling again in 2 days and do the right side of my ceiling for sheet rock in the spring. I will get my money back with the heat saved and the comfort I will enjoy with out wearing mittens, eheheheh. I am out of sheet steel, and tubing, plus nearly out of Argon/co2 gas. Plus I have to clean up and make room for my engine and tranny as well as the motor lift. I still have to get the Ford 351 out of the bay and prepare it for the 4 cylinder Merkur engine with the turbo. I have a photo of my cheapo tool adjustable steering wheel holder.
Attachments
Flipper_1938
He recycles the right way
Holy blind spot, Batman!
That sure is a big A-pillar!
That sure is a big A-pillar!
I think its better than some 'ive seen i mean beefier for the roof collapsing easily. I can live with it It wont have a blind spot because i have the drivers window that is close to the pillar. I can see around it from where I sit. I thought about it when I was fabricating it I sat inside and thought it was going to be okay. I have a van that is worse hehe
Last edited:
We got 4 to 5 inches of snow, I guess I can't complain we have had a great winter up till now. I spent a few hours to day taking the drivers side door on the Merkur apart to see if I could use any of the electronics with-in. But they don't look like anything I want to use on my Rod. In a day or so I will order some wood for my shop ceiling.
Attachments
Things are slow and the snow is melting slow. I ordered my ceiling wood today but it wont arrive until Tues next week. Must be a Union delivery?? Anyway I found time to go and look at the Merkur Turbo 2.3 Engine that I am getting when it gets warmer. I have a few photos. The weekend will be slow I may go down in the swamp and try to get some of them Wolves.
Attachments
I have done a little research on this engine about hopping it up a little, Most that Ive read on cams for this engine was not very good. They didn't help much. One article did say get one with a 112 degree lobe center angle and a little more lift and keeping the stock duration. So I found one with 112 degree LC and .021 more lift for the turbo. I will try it when I get things going. The cam is new and cheap. And I will play around with inter coolers etc.
I found a place online that sells chips to re program the ECU on the Merkur 2.3 engines with fuel injection. The claims say they can enhance everything the ECU does. Its is cheap enough I think I will get one and couple it with the cam and a inter cooler and see what happens. They claim more power , better gas mileage more torque, hmm. It costs less than a good pair of shocks. I will probably install it when i do the cam change. or before. I have never had any experience with these as I have most always had a Carburetor on the car. My engine may be here next week as the weather is going to warm up later in the week. This engine will be lifted outside we don't have a Garage handy for this operation.
Attachments
Last edited:
It is Tuesday and my wood arrived but I had errands to run again so I only had a few hours to work on my garage ceiling. I ran one 14ft ledger board with a bottom board screwed to that to support one end of the 2X4's as I work alone. I cant hold a 9 foot 2x4 from one end so this was the best way for me to get this done. Anyway the wall part is done and I cut and fit 2 2X4 rafters about 9ft long and installed them. Tomorrow is going to be much warmer so Ill get more done. This is not Hot Rod stuff but it will add to my Hot Rod comfort this summer and next winter. Plus better lighting also. My engine was supposed to get pulled this week but other things cropped up so I don't know when that will happen. I use the same engine lift that is being used to pull the Merkur Engine. So I wait for it so I can pull my 351 Cleveland out. Then I can work on my dash and steering assembly
Attachments
I am almost done with the right side of the garage ceiling. I just have a few more braces to put in at 4.5 feet on the 2X4s. Nice day a lot of snow has melted and maybe we can get that engine out and then pull my Cleveland Engine. And I can get back to my steering wheel and clutch & brake assembly. I set goals every year starting in Jan and I hardly ever sway from them. This ceiling re-work is one of them. Ill have one more side from center to do and I will do it in April my next cash allotment if you will. The warmer it gets the closer I get to moving the cars outside. I need to get the gas tank from the Merkur as well as the electric pumps etc. But I don't have any more room in the garage to do that. If the weather cooperates I will be doing that soon.
Attachments
Last edited:
I am done now for another month and I will finish the left side. I had enough 2X4's left to get 4 done on the left side. So I am ahead of the game. I finished the braces on the right and started the left. The month of April will get me done and then I have a guy who can do the sheet rock and one coat of Spackle in one day he's fast. After seeing him work I would not even attempt to do any sheet rocking. I also have a photo of 2 large compressor heads I bought from my brother who had them in his Body Shop. One of these heads are twice as large as my 2 piston compressor that burnt up after an oil leak started. I will run just one compressor head that's all I need. I use the compressor at 85 lbs I can run all my stuff from there. I gave $50.00 bucks per head not bad. Old sears Heads but still good.
Attachments
Last edited:
