by "LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
Published 01/31/2017 at 21:20
by "LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
Published 01/31/2017 at 21:20
No Tags
STARS: 15
Ok so this will be the backstory on the build so far.
I work odd schedules so sometimes I am up looking in dark places on the internet and i stumble on things that are potentially bad for my health. Well forum read here and there led me to finally cave and purchase “The Book”
I told myself if i read the book I would know if it was something worth trying or not and maybe I could stop thinking about it!
Well I read the rather short book in a few hours and was set a month later the donor 1988 Mustang was in my side yard! It had a rough life and was slid into a ditch by the previous owners son so the front end was a bit mangled up but the engine wasn’t touched so it was a prime candidate!
(Sorry I can’t seem to find a picture of the front of the car before i ripped the hood and fenders off but trust me it was a great donor.)
Donor Car Specs: 1988 Ford Mustang LX. 2.3l 4 cyl SOHC. 4-speed auto. The Auto trans went to the junkyard with the shell and a T-5 out of a 1991 2.3l mustang was sourced and shipped to my house from a junkyard in California.
Took a month of weekends and free-time to strip the car down and have it towed off the the scrapyard.
Then the engine was torn down to a long block and bore scoped. Looked healthy so new water pump and such just to freshen it up a little bit.
Then i needed a flat working surface in an attempt to make the chassis as square as possible.
And BAM my future workbench for after the project is over! Those casters were a great idea and helped move the project along.
Fun Fact: First engine pull in my life! Have worked on a few engines inside of the car before but never had a need to remove it until now!
So now that the working surface was built I sent a cut sheet out the the metal supplier who cut all the 1in by 1in tubing to my specifications which made assembly easier where I only had to cut the angles.
Note: I am building what is known as a “book chassis” the only difference is i have made it 2 inches taller in the engine compartment because the 2.3l SOHC is quite tall compared to the Ford Cortina donor the plans were originally built for. It is common for people to build a “442" chassis which is 4 inches long, and wider and 2 inches taller. I wanted to stay as original as i could.
Once the metal had arrived i went to work cutting and laying out for tac welds.
The whole chassis is tac welded together before fully welding to minimize frame warp from heat.
I ran into problems here and there. Found out some of the list measurements in the book didn’t quite add up. More metal later and some cutting and welding and the chassis was together! I couldn’t believe how quickly i arrived at this point.
Timeline: Ordered the book in Aug 2016. Purchased donor beginning of Sept 2016. Scrapped donor shell beginning of Oct 2016. Frame was fully welded at some point in December? I believe. Work has slowed the progress down during the holidays but we are back at it again for the time being.
Today consisted of a flywheel and clutch install as well as mating the engine to the transmission.
So that is where the project currently sits. The next step to figure out where the engine and transmission are going to sit inside the chassis so I can plan engine mount positions and build the transmission tunnel around the transmission out of the 3/4in by 3/4in sq stock in my garage! I will leave it at that. Feel free to ask any questions and I will answer to the best of my knowledge, as my into post said I am limited in experience (Handful of welds prior to planning the project and a bunch of welds on scrap before finally welding the chassis together to give you an idea of my experience.)
Other than that I guess until next post...stay oppo everyone! Cyuh!
Edit: Added picture below for those who missed out on the feeler post.
"hellriaser" (hellriaser)
01/31/2017 at 21:28, STARS: 0
Amazing project! What is your projected budget for the build? Good luck!!
"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl)
01/31/2017 at 21:33, STARS: 0
This is going to be wild.
"LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
01/31/2017 at 21:34, STARS: 0
There isn’t really what I would call a set budget per say, more of an idea of what i expect for the final outcome if that makes sense. Basically I want it to be reasonable but I am willing to spend where I feel it will count and make the project something I will cherish instead of nitpick at and constantly fixing something I knew how to do right the first time but let money/time get in the way.
Summary: NO WHERE NEAR THE TITLE OF THE BOOK...but as cheap enough to love! Realistic prediction is ~$5,000
"RallyDarkstrike - Fan of 2-cyl FIATs, Eastern Bloc & Kei cars" (rallydarkstrike)
01/31/2017 at 21:44, STARS: 0
Awesome project! Looking forward to more updates! :D
"Matt Nichelson" (whoismatt)
01/31/2017 at 21:46, STARS: 0
Nice! Sounds like an awesome project. Hope it all works out for ya.
Also, you got noticed on our Slack channel. You should join us on Oppositewonk on Slack sometime. I think Scoob can get you an invite.
"LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
01/31/2017 at 22:13, STARS: 0
I will have to google this “slack” you speak off. Maybe that is where most of the jokes I missed out on happened while I was in full lurker mode! Anyways thanks you!
"LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
01/31/2017 at 22:14, STARS: 1
Can’t promise a set schedule but whenever there is an update I will keep you all posted!
"LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
01/31/2017 at 22:15, STARS: 0
Not too wild now, that 2.3 only puts out 100 hp on a good day! But how much more do you need when the car weighs 1/3 of your average car today?
"aberson Bresident of the FullyAssed Committe" (emaxxbl)
01/31/2017 at 22:17, STARS: 0
all of the horsepower
"LightweightSasquatch" (lightweightsasquatch)
01/31/2017 at 22:23, STARS: 1
That would be a blast! for the 3 minutes I was alive for!
"kgman" (kgman)
02/01/2017 at 04:36, STARS: 0
So cool. I’ve had this book for years but I’ve never had the guts to start. I can’t wait to see how this turns out.