Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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Rabbit Farmer
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

Loving the size of the garage space.

Think you'll have this running for the 2017 season?
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drummingpariah
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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Rabbit Farmer wrote:Loving the size of the garage space.

Think you'll have this running for the 2017 season?
My hope is to have it running/racing in April, and to con my way onto the roster for CTTC 2017. I haven't decided if I think that's likely, but at this point, it looks good.

As for the space, I'm in love with it too. It's a shared shop, generally runs like a gym. Everyone pays a monthly membership, everyone gets 24/7 access, Officers are responsible for specific workstations and the Board of Directors is responsible for managing all the non-profit aspects. I'm the automotive officer, and this is the automotive area.
 
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It can fit two cars comfortably, has a 1/2 ton overhead gantry, and we've been considering installing a lift for awhile. Right now though, I'm trying to raise funds for a toolbox. 
 
There are all kinds of other great tools, like the 3d printers, laser cutter, vinyl cutter (being set up now), industrial electronics workshop ...
 
laser cutter
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wood shop
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horizontal bandsaw
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lathe
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... and the list goes on and on.
 
All my work has been in a "small" rental plot off to the side of the industrial space, with my own loading dock available for bigger stuff. You can see the white tape on the floor outlining my workspace.
 
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I know you guys have a Makerspace up in Burlington, but haven't visited yet - https://generatorvt.com/
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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More fender plug shaping happened today. It's really starting to take shape. Once I have the final profile formed the way I like, I'll cut some ribbing to make all four consistently shaped, and go to town with fiberglass.

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If I had to pick a car as inspiration for these, it'd probably be the Turner BMW M6.

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I also started forming and reinforcing the mold for the cowl. I never understood why there are louvers in the cowl, they only serve to collect pine needles and to let rain into the wiper motors. I decided to just smooth it all out, make a fiberglass mold, and reinforce that mold with 2lb urethane foam (to give it structural rigidity).

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I'll need a second set of hands to get it in place, but now the jigs are ready to hold the car level on the chassis table.
 
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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Today, my ego grew at least 6 sizes.

Somehow, I managed to get extremely accurate measurements, and bent the main hoop and A pillars perfectly ... while the old cage was still in the car. I had planned on doing each of these three times before getting one combination that I could call acceptable. I couldn't have asked for them to come out better.

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I still need to do some coping and tack welding, but it's all coming together quite nicely.
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sdwarf36
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

Post by sdwarf36 »

Now would be a real good time to mock up the steering column --and the seat. You'll most likely be sitting farther forward than me, But I could see the helmet rest being close to the main hoop where it goes near the window. Looks good!
Translating road racing to hillclimbing:
Proper tire selection== nothing hooks up on moss or wet leaves.
Staying on the racing line==anything paved is considered good.
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

Good time to sand and paint the ceiling. :mrgreen:
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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sdwarf36 wrote:Now would be a real good time to mock up the steering column --and the seat. You'll most likely be sitting farther forward than me, But I could see the helmet rest being close to the main hoop where it goes near the window. Looks good!
Right after I tack some tubes together, that's exactly my plan. I'm also concerned about shifter location and the A pillar length. The A pillars look like they're bent perfectly, but I underestimated how far back the main hoop could actually go. They're shorter than they need to be, but the next step is to tack it together and see where everything ends up. Measurements are great, but nothing beats a good test-fit.
Rabbit Farmer wrote:Good time to sand and paint the ceiling. :mrgreen:
While I have the sander out, I might as well build a deck too! To be honest, I'm fighting myself on feature creep every day I go to the shop. So far, I've been winning at that.
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

Post by Rabbit Farmer »

I hear you.. just thinking about the things that are hard to do after the cage is installed.
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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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Rabbit Farmer wrote:I hear you.. just thinking about the things that are hard to do after the cage is installed.
Hahahaha I thought you were saying I should paint the ceiling of the shop, not the car! I probably won't make a composite body for this for a few seasons, so that's a pretty sensible suggestion, now that I'm considering it in the right context.

Most of the weekend was checking and double-checking all of my math. The main hoop and diagonal braces are cut, and one is welded in. I think I'm going to make some minor adjustments to my A pillar design rather than making what I have mostly-work. This is the most critical point to get fitment spot-on for everything, since everything after this will be measured against these first 'core' pieces of tubing.

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I don't think it'd be an issue, but the X in my main hoop is going to end up slightly higher than the center of the cockpit. The only issue I imagine that'd cause is visibility issues, but I'm definitely open to suggestions. Now is the time to correct stuff like this.

Engine Stuff

A friend had a non-running ej205 (older 2.0liter Subaru WRX engine) taking up space in his shop, and I generally like having a spare engine on-hand in case something breaks on any of my engines. I just finished pulling the intake manifold off, and decided I'd compare that engine to the engine I'm putting in the Datsun.

This is a complete valve-to-valve comparison of the two. If anyone is confused as to why I'd use a rotary in my Datsun, accept that simplicity and compactness are really the only reasons.

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Horizontally opposed engines are known for keeping their mass low and short (front-to-back). The rotary even wins at that. Obviously, manifolds, water pump, and turbo will make its footprint a little bigger, but it isn't a substantial difference. I really do like this engine platform.

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Re: Happy Birthday to me (280z build)

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Here's what the current angle of the main hoop looks like, from the side.

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I'm pretty sure I'll move the diagonal intersection point down, at this point. I'd rather get everything perfect now than to have regrets when I'm finished. Part of the advantage of having a removable body is that I can revisit these plans later, but there are only tack welds holding everything together right now.
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