Dirtyrat
Got Fins?
Hose for a shop vac or vacuum is cheap and flexible too...
Scratch Building a Coupe
- Thread starter rsfyj
- Start date
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Note# I plan on using a gauge cluster from the Merkur, however it has a curved face on the front. I will attempt to remove that and make a flat face with a plexi glass cover for it. I will probably use some red wood strips I have on hand to frame the Gauge cluster. If I break it I also have a 1975 Mustang 11 gauge cluster I can try if I smash that I'm cooked ill have to buy all separate speedos gauges etc
Started to fabricate the steering column and bearings in the tube. I had to machine out special bearings front and rear to keep the steering shaft stable. I spent most of the day machining these. I did get them fitted to the tube I got free from our local dump. Now I have to re-locate the tube about 2 inches higher for more knee room. So tomorrow I will dissect the overhead brake and clutch assembly to raise the tube that holds the steering shaft. I will cut out the old attachment points and make newer ones higher up. All in all the steering was rigid with my locating bearings i made, It will be stronger yet when I bracket the tube to the fire wall and brace the brake and clutch assembly to the dash. I think it will be okay for a home made system once all brackets and braces are finished. I noticed the clutch pedal needs to be moved to the drivers left I will cut it and move it later same for the brake pedal. I will weld the bearings or bushings in place when i am ready to finalize the positioning of everything. Have some snaps..
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Still working on the steering column tube. I found out after relocating the attachment points , so I could raise the wheel a little it changed the angle of the shaft near the frame and it rubs. So I have to add 4 inches more to the steering shaft to lengthen it. This will also give me more tube on the D part to slide deeper into the shaft.. I didn’t have any 3/4 inch rod Ill get some tomorrow. I added the grease fitting and done some welding on the front and rear bushings to keep them in place. I also added some mid way spacers to keep the 2 different size tubes aligned with each other. I also machine out a slip bushing to hold the 1 inch ball bearing on the front of the shaft near the wheel. I also machined a steel cap with two bolt holes to cap the wheel so it cant draw out unless you take out the bolts. That's about it. got some snaps
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Still working on the steering I finally have it all in and welded not coming out now. I did get another 2 inches on height of the steering wheel. I went a bought a piece of 2/4 solid steel rod and added 11 inches to my steering shaft, As it can be shortened by sliding it farther into the D shape on the slip joint. I have to add some braces on each side of the overhead brake system to stop any sideways movement of the post. All in all its a lot better than what I had still a little cramped, this car is for a small guy like me. Im 128 Lbs and 5feet 9 inches. Now I can get after the rest of the floors and dash.. have some snaps
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Oldrodder43
Well-known member
128 pounds?????????? Good Lord, do you eat anything at all????
Dirtyrat
Got Fins?
Yea, you woudl think he would be heavier having meals with everything made from scratch [cl
I MEANT MEALS! heh heh
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I don't eat junk foods. I read labels and stay away from high fat and calories. My Dr told me to keep off the belly fat that helps Blood sugar to rise when you let the belly go wild. Plus I exercise splitting wood work outside. If you let your mind think of all foods as a Poison you will tend to eat less of it. That's how I have trained my mind about food. You only need enough to get through the day. Then you get ready for the next day. I eat one meal a day late afternoon usually. My Dr says nothing wrong with me at this point healthy old fart. I also have 5 small gardens with Vegetables. I also Deer hunt and only eat venison it has virtually no domestic fats that kill people and make obese. Its more healthy for you. We put away enough veggies for the winter it lasts until mid march or longer of the following year. Story in 1973 I weighed 183 lbs and went Deer hunting. That day I went to bend over in 2 feet of snow to inspect a Deer track and fell flat on my face in the show. I was to heavy for my frame. I said to myself I will fix this and never be this fat ever again. And to this day I stuck to my Guns and I feel great all the time. End of short story..
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Okay so much for sizes......... today I added just one brace to the steering assembly, and that did the trick. A properly placed brace does both compression and pull. It does not move now. I added the braces needed for the floor area and also fabricated a bracket placed in the center of my seat area for safety belt release mechanisms. I’m all set for that and I almost forgot to add them. Going slow helps me make less mistakes. And I am prone to make many. Tomorrow I will fit some sheet steel to the seat area so I can progress to the wooden seats. Have some snaps then I'm going to have dinner, heheeh
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Sort of a goof off day rained real hard off and on all day. We were close to drought so I am glad we got the rain. I fooled around cutting some floor sheet steel all in one piece. I have to mark my tube lines on the sheet and get some plug holes to weld through. I also re fitted the back sheet metal piece I roughed out from appliance metal i got from our dump. I almost got ahead of myself here, I have to paint what gets covered and will not be able to reach when this job is done. Plus I have to move the rear shocks outboard one more hole to give me more back room. These 2 pieces are 90% of all the sheet metal inside the drivers compartment. The head liner can be made from door veneer thin plywood. I once saw a guy use cardboard for a head liner he coated the card board with some kind of clear glue and then painted over it. It looked nice as I remember however that was when I was a kid and I thought everything was nice back then. I will get some paint and take care of what gets covered up now. I think ill stay with the Dark grey scheme for the insides with Brown trim here and there. Anyway I have some snaps..
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Exciting day watching paint dry. I had to quit wet paint where I need to be next time.Brush painting rattle cans to much over spray to breathe. All this will be covered up when its all said and done. The humidity is starting to rust the new metal so I need to get some kind of protective paint on them.Black will be the under carriage and frame. Grey will be what you can see in the cock pit. This will take a while as I have to sit in where the paint is now for the next round. I guess this is moving forward then I can button up the sheet steel with screws and washers. snaps coming
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More paint and got the floor piece attatched. Now i acn move to other areas like the back rest which I painted today. These are just sheet meatal points to screw on ply wood etc for the seats. Sheet metal accepts self tapping screws nice and thats what I will use during this portion of the build. Got some snaps...
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More paint and I fitted the back sheet metal and screwed in a few places. I will finish the screws tomorrow. I have to go slow I am getting close to fitting the seat belts from the 1986 Merkur. I measured all the positions that was in the Merkur and I will resemble that fairly close. I will have to make some removable panel pieces in the back and or sides to do maintenance on the shocks etc. Most of the rest will be done with that 3/16 veneer that bends easy and attached with self tapping screws. I will wait and see if paint will look ok on the wood or if I will have to apply upholstery to them. I once sealed the wood with 3 or 4 coats of satin polyurethane and then shot the paint over that it came out okay. we will see. The seats will cover 90% of all this anyway, I wanted a double fire wall behind the seats and I have that now. One wall in the trunk and one wall here in the cockpit area. I'll have to play around with the seat belts and see what I can come up with. I have some photos.. Photo 4 was suppose to be turned clockwise 90 degrees but it didn't work so bend your neck a little.
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earthman
Fascinated by rolling objects!
Always overwhelmed when i look at the amount of fabrication here
I don't know tho, you could not pay me enough to back to points ignitions. Did you have a sketch of how this will look or is it only in your head? Thanks for the continuing updates.
