Topics

1

Classifieds & Useful eBay Links / Hot Rod Pedal Car

« on: August 22, 2016, 11:11:43 am »

Anyone intested in a car the same as Jensen's?

We're getting rid of Alex's, which is the exact same model as Dean used as a base:

http://www.mkb.cc/forum/index.php?topic=11462.0


Totally stock, low miles, tax and MOT exempt.

2

General Banter / Playing with colours

« on: April 15, 2016, 12:09:08 pm »

I'm a way off painting yet, but with the weather not allowing my much car time I've been pondering what colour to paint and mocking up some samples.

I can't take credit for the original picture, and my mods to are it a fairly crude, but I think they are good enough to give me something to judge on.

These are all based on me using the current hood scoop, painted white with two-tone blue stripes.  The car is currently (was) closest to the top left, being all white except the scoop and without the trunk stripes.

I'm also undecided on roof stripes or plain.

What do you think of these combos on the possible list? With or without roof stripe?



Going to have a play now and change to a black scoop/stripe and maybe look at side stripes based on the original z28 stripes too.

3

General Banter / Any one following F1 this year?

« on: March 13, 2015, 12:28:30 pm »

If so, feel free to join my GP Predictor league - http://gppredictor.com/league/join/code/a991aab52102a9a3732562fa29d8d7d2

4

Questions and Queries / One for the machinists

« on: December 09, 2014, 03:04:29 pm »

I'm in a dilemma, I need some chunky wheel spacers in order to be able to use the Corvette wheels I've got, but I can't measure what size I need as the suspension isn't on the car.

Rough guidance is 2in on the front and 2.5 on the rear, but it can vary.  I was willing to take a punt on those sizes, but cannot find 2.5 'off the shelf' and custom builds are 4x the price.

My question is, if I purchased 3" ones (see below), would it be possible to skim off the outer layers relatively easily, to get them to the thickness I need?



I'm guessing that the studs are press in, so would be removable (but I will check)

5

Questions and Queries / Rear frame rail repair/replace - options and opinions please

« on: October 06, 2014, 01:20:09 pm »

Hi all.  I appreciate not all of you will have experience of 2nd gens, or serious structural repairs, but I'm looking for opinions on how to tackle my latest problem.

The drivers side rear frame rail is toast, from the rear bumper to just beyond the bumper brackets, most of what you see here:


I have been fortunate to find a decent used replacement, which is pretty much the same length as the aftermarket pieces, i.e. bumper to just past the shock mount.
This donor was cut out with the floor still attached to the rail - no spot welds have been cut.



I have spent ages looking at the task, but can't decide on the best way to deal with this, and I'm looking for opinions to help me decide the best way forward.


Firstly, should I remove the floor pan section from the donor and spot weld the rail to my floor, or should I leave it on and butt weld the donor floor to my floor?   My existing floor isn't too bad, but there are some areas that have been (badly) patched in the past, which the donor floor section would cover.


My second question is where to cut and join the rail.  I only need the first section, so could cut just past the drain hole (red line).  The downside of this is the trunk floor is in the way of the inner side, so I would need to cut that out to gain access.  Doing this doesn't bother me, it's just more work.

The alternative is to cut further back, beyond the dip in the trunk, where I would have access to all sides of the rail. This though would need to be an angled cut, as the access points on each side aren't in line. (green line). Downside to this option is there is more rail to remove and it gets more complicated as it gets near the wheel house panels.



I guess a third alternative would be to go even further and take out almost the whole rail, past the shock mount. This again is more work to get it out, but is does move the rail joint to a location with better access.  I have got a full inner wheel house panel to make use of, but don't plan on removing/replacing the whole panel.


One thing that I am wondering about, is where the main stresses would be, and if I want to put my welds there or not.

Any advice welcomed.

6

Questions and Queries / Question for the electrical gurus.

« on: August 07, 2014, 01:19:07 pm »

Yes, I know you're out there

I'm running a dual fan setup, currently with a 2 relay setup, with fans running in parallel.

On dark rainy nights, I find that my alternator cannot keep up with the headlights (also relayed), wipers and rear defogger and then fans on top of that, with the voltage dropping below 12 on the dash guage (normally runs a healthy 13ish).

I've read about running the fans in series instead, where the aim is to make them run slower (combined with a more complicated circuit to also give them a high speed state).  If I run then in series, with the voltage drop be less, i.e. will I avoid the state where I am asking too much of the alternator?


On a related note, there is a big surge when the fans first kick in. Will that be any worse, or better if the fans are in series?

7

General Banter / How much power does your engine make?

« on: April 24, 2014, 11:50:10 am »

I bet it's not as good as this rusty old 305

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-0-camero-engine-gearbox-and-rear-axle-/111334501382

8

General Banter / MOT failure :-(

« on: February 16, 2014, 06:57:39 pm »

I wrote all this out this morning, but I guess I forgot to click Post, as there's no sign of my thread.

Anyway, yesterday I dropped off the Camaro at the usual test station. The regular bloke wasn't there and was then pessimistic of getting a pass. I was right, but wasn't expecting what came back.

In ascending order of seriousness:

- No fog light - It doesn't need one, it's pre 1980.
- Headlights aim too low - they'd normally adjust them for me, I guess they didn't due to the list of other fails
- Side light not working - same as the previous 5 years - give it a wiggle and it starts working again
- Play in wheel bearing - easy fix
- Cannot open passenger door from the outside - Technically you could, but I accept that the handle is broken (and has been for the past 3 years   ). Not the simplest of jobs, but I did get it done yesterday in a couple of hours, although I did manage to screw up one of the rollers on the window. Luckily I have a spare so was able to re-fit the window OK.

Now for the more troublesome bits:

- Outer sill panel excessively corroded - I knew this was coming, it's had a hole in for the last 3 years. I put a real bodge patch over it for the last 2 tests, but I knew it wasn't going to last.  I have the replacement panel ready, but it's a pig of a job getting the old one out, it's spot welded to at least four other panels.

- Excessive corrosion in the suspension mounting points (front leaf spring mount) - both sides
I put the car up on jacks yesterday to assess the damage and what is required to sort it out.  In two words - major surgery.
The areas in question are re-inforced 'torque boxes' that are welded to the floor pans. The front of the springs are attached to 'pockets' that bolt into the torque box.  This mean dropping the rear axle to be able to carefully cut the boxes out, hopefully without damaging the floor pans, so that I don't need to replace them too.  

It gets worse though.  Many years ago I had some sub frame connectors welded in. Guess what they are welded to - that's right the torque boxes. They are attached to those and the front sub-frame, but also to a selection of points on the floor pan too. They will also need very careful cutting out so that they can be removed, without causing more work in the process.

I think it's safe to say that I won't be ready for the free retest next weekend

I've done some more assessment work and getting prepared today, and I think a job this big deserves it's own Project thread.  Watch the progress (or lack of) at http://www.mkb.cc/forum/index.php?action=vthread&forum=2&topic=12150

9

Projects / '79 Camaro - Major surgery

« on: February 16, 2014, 06:56:59 pm »

As posted in a separate thread, my Camaro failed it's MOT this year, and requires some major surgery to the spring mount areas under the floor and outer sill area.  As I've been looking at it more, there are more things that need sorting out, and this is the best time to do it.

For the MOT pass, I will need to replace the Outer Sill panel and the 'torque boxes' into which the front of the rear leaf springs attach.

I know from basic examination so far that I will also need to do some remedial work on the inner rear wheel arches and the passenger foot well.

I've got some pictures of the affected areas, which I've got to upload, and will link in here soon.

10

General Banter / OK Petrol Heads - Opinions please

« on: January 10, 2014, 03:55:40 pm »

I've got a voucher for a Supercar drive.  The list of vehicles available (not all guaranteed) is below.

I've setup a poll (http://www.mkb.cc/forum/index.php?action=poll&pollaction=vote&pollID=34) but I'd also be interested in why you'd choose which and if there are any to avoid?  I'll reveal my favourites and final choices later...


Aston Martin DB9,
Aston Martin V8 Vantage,
Porsche 911 GT3 RS,
Porsche 911 Turbo,
Lamborghini Gallardo,
Ferrari 360,
Ferrari California,
Nissan GTR
BMW M3 V8 track car
Aerial Atom
Caterham
McLaren MP4-12C,
Ferrari 458
Mercedes SLS

11

General Banter / Scrore! x2 !!

« on: October 03, 2013, 02:02:47 pm »

I've always thought I'd done pretty well with finding decent bargains for stuff I wanted for the Camaro.  My last 2 purchases in the past 2 months have been sensational.

1. The left rear wheel arch is starting to rust quite badly, and gone beyond a quick sand down, treat and paint.  I'd decided to look at costs for getting a new panel shipped in (no one here will stock them).  $80 for the panel isn't bad I thought, but then due to size I'm looking at $3-400 for shipping

Two weeks on, the exact panel I need comes up on ebay - £120 collect from Coventry - result  In the 7 years of daily checking ebay for camaro parts, this is the 1st one of these I've seen, and wouldn't surprise me if it's the last...

2. That one was both lucky in finding and value, but the next one has proved to be even better.  A few years ago, guy in Stoke had bought a bunch of suspension upgrades for his '70, never got round to fitting any of it and has had a change of mind. It's all gone on ebay, at unbelievable prices, either the guy didn't know what he was selling or has incredibly deep pockets.
In short, I bought -

- QA1 coil-over shock kit, includes springs to fit stock arms and Double adjustable shocks Value - $600 + $165 shipping
- Addco upgraded sway bars, front and rear Value - $350 + $230 shipping
- And finally, the showpiece - Baer Claw track kit - 13" drilled and slotted rotors, silver powder coated 4-pot calipers (Corvette), fitting bracket and pre-modified spindles (advertised as 2" drop, but actually stock ) - Value - $2500 + $300 shipping

Total price paid - £460, including postage  I'm a happy bunny.

All I need now is to find a similar deal on some 17" wheels so that I can use the brakes.

12

Questions and Queries / Stainless fasteners - advice required

« on: April 24, 2013, 11:51:43 am »

I know there some engineers on here that can probably answer my question.

I added some crash bars to my motorbike and had to buy some longer bolts to make them fit.  I went for stainless cap heads, but found them very soft - 1 rounded out and will need to be drilled out when the time comes.

I want to know what grade of stainless would be more suitable, something that's more comparable to steel than butter.

13

General Banter / I don't believe it!

« on: February 26, 2013, 01:48:25 pm »

The Camaro passed the MOT again!  I'm amazed as I had a least 5 things that I was expecting it to fail on.

The good news is it is now safe to drive in front of me again now.  Spent Friday and Saturday replacing the master cylinder and brake booster.  All went well (only had to replace 1 line due to seized fittings) until bleeding time.  Left rear wheel had seized on and in my attempts to remove it I managed to dislodge the un-restrained drum on the other side, bending two wheel studs and ripping the shoes out.  Fortunately I had enough spares kept in the garage to get her back to together again!

14

Computers and Games / Choosing a graphics card

« on: October 10, 2012, 08:21:55 am »

My PC has died and I need to get all new hardware.  Chosen the mobo+processor+memory, but I'm struggling when it comes to the graphics card.

There appear to be hundreds out there, and I'm not sure how to choose.  Will not be used as a gaming machine (for now, I will upgrade later if I need to)

My budget is up to £60, I'd prefer a silent one (PC lives behind the TV and will be used to stream videos to the TV, so want as little background noise as possible)

Needs to have HDMI and D-sub, DVI is a bonus.  Mobo has 2 x PCIe 2.0 x16 slots and 1 @ x4 speed.

Is it worth trying to match the brand to the mobo?
Nvidia? Radeon? GeForce?

Any advice you can give will be appreciated.

15

Computers and Games / Fitting case fan

« on: August 28, 2012, 01:38:51 pm »

First time I've had a case with no fans on it, so I've got to fit my own and I could do with some advice.

There's fitting options on the rear and the sides, I've got one fan now and may get another later.

My questions are, if only using 1 fan, do I fit it on the side or the rear, and should it be pushing air in, or pulling it out?  

If I then fit a second one, does that do the same, i.e. both pushing in, or should they be opposite, one pushing one pulling?

16

Questions and Queries / Contacts for gearboxes

« on: May 06, 2012, 04:33:10 pm »

My TH350 has started to make some ominous noises, and it looks like I am going to have to replace/rebuild it.

Anyone got any contacts for new/used/rebuilt transmissions?  Ideally I'd like a replacement so that I can get it swapped ASAP, rather than having to wait for a rebuild.

TIA

17

General Banter / Nice sunny day for...

« on: March 23, 2012, 01:20:34 pm »

...tinkering.

Just been out in my lunch hour and changed my spark plugs in the car park.

Now running a nice new set of NGK Iridium IX's

18

Questions and Queries / Shock Absorber bushing problem

« on: January 05, 2012, 01:53:57 pm »

I've noticed that the rubber bushing at the base of the front shock absorbers has come loose and fallen out of place, leaving the shock 'floating' on the bottom pin. The rubber bushing is highlighted in blue. For anyone that isn't aware of how this should be, the bushing should fit snuggly within the round loop at the bottom of the shock, with the mounting pin through the center.



I've tried pushing it back in, which it manages quite easily, but it's not long before it falls out again and I can feel the shock rattling.

On the assumption that this isn't something that I can easily buy and off the shelf replacement, I'm looking for suggestions on how to hold the bushing in place, so that I don't have to but a complete new shock.

All suggestions welcome...

19

Questions and Queries / Where to buy PC components

« on: December 17, 2011, 09:13:31 pm »

It's been more than 6 years since I last bought any PC stuff, but I think the mobo has gone and need to find a replacement.

What retailers would you recommend?

20

Questions and Queries / Help - removing stripped torx bolt?

« on: November 29, 2011, 01:42:30 pm »

I'm currently trying to remove and replace the rear seat belts. The first side put up a bit of a fight, but I did get the bolt out cleanly. The other side though is a different story.

I've managed to get the bolt moving, and about 1/2 out, but I've now stripped the splines in the bolt and I can't get the Torx bit to grip it any more.

What can I do to get this bolt out?

21

Projects / Seeking engineers advice

« on: November 23, 2011, 02:01:45 pm »

Time for the crude drawings again.

I'm in the planning stages of building a rack to carry cycles on the back of the Camaro.

I've got the basic design worked out, but am looking for advice on what stock to use in one location.  In the diagram below, all of the blue bits are 1" round tube.  It's the red bits that I'm debating.  These will slide into an appropriate receiver under the back of the car.   Up to 3 bikes (Estimated Max 40Kg) could be hung along the top blue bars.  



What do you think would be the best thing to use for the red bits (bearing in mind I'm trying to keep it from weighing a ton) - The options I have thought of so far are:

* Round tube (same 1", maybe bigger)
* Square tube
* Rectangle tube
* Angle (sqaured - i.e. L )
* Angle (45 degree - i.e. ^ )

Or doesn't it really matter?

p.s. If it makes any difference, the receiving end will be the appropriate shapes welded to flat stock which will be bolted to the bottom of the rear bumper.

22

General Banter / Isn't it great when..

« on: October 11, 2011, 03:58:25 pm »

A tricky job goes really smoothly

Yesterday when I went to put the kids in the car I found that the outside door handle wasn't working anymore.

Last time I had this (drivers side), it took me more than 4 hours, with lots of swearing and cuts from working in the tight confines of the inner door.

Today, I went home at lunchtime, pulled the inner panel off, found the lock rod that had fallen out, found a brand new clip in the garage, go the old clip off, new one on, rod re-fitted (only dropped it once!), all back together working and back to work within the hour!!  And no split blood either

Why can't all my jobs be like this?

23

Questions and Queries / Question for the engineers - Aluminium sheet

« on: June 09, 2011, 03:44:44 pm »

I'm thinking of making a floor/drip tray to bolt under the camaro, to stop the persistant oil leaks from getting on the drive.

I want it to be light, so aluminium is the obvious choice. I want something I that's not too thin that it needs re-inforcing or too many mounting points, but thin enough that I can bend and shape it, specifically putting 90 degree folds around the edges.

What sort of thickness due I need to look for?

24

General Banter / Anyone been in contact with Carl lately?

« on: June 09, 2011, 11:41:40 am »

I need to get the stuff that he has for me sent over now.

I've emailed him a couple of days ago, but not had any reply yet.

His last post on here has January.

25

Projects / Good progress over long weekend

« on: May 02, 2011, 02:14:56 pm »

Over the last few days I've had plenty of time to dedicate to the car, so a few jobs have been completed:

* - repair rust bubble on rear arch.  I was expecting this to be a simple rub down, Kurust and re-paint, but ended up being 2 inch square piece being cut out of the lip and a new bit welded in.  All going well until the final coat, but that should be easy to sand back and reapply next time.

* - refitted trunk torsion springs - no longer need a bit of bar to hold the boot open (except in windy conditions, but that was always the case)

* - refitted the rear window chrome trim.  Hasn't gone back on 100%, but it's close enough and doesn't appear to falling off.

* - repair drivers seat.  The 4th gen seats came out of a write-off that had rolled.  I didn't realise until they were fitted some 6 months later that the seat was bent and always slightly lent back and to the left (just on the border of being comfortable.)  Anyway, a few months ago I picked up a pair of front seats for 99p (ebay ) so stripped it down to understand how it all fits together and use as spares.  I was expecting it to be a bent frame, which required complete dismantling of the seat, but it turned out to be the outer hinge, which was much easier to change.  I can now sit straight, and upright if/when I want to!!

* - re-wire cooling fans.  I'd converted to electric fans a couple of years ago and have been fiddling with the control method ever since.  I've now got the right temp range sensor and thermostat, but I'd wired the fans with a permanent feed, which mean the fans would often kick in for a good few minutes after shutting the engine down, which wasn't doing the battery any favours.  I've now fitted a relay inline with the temp sender, so it will only transmit the signal when the ignition is on.

* - Rear parcel shelf.  The rear panel has been bare for many months now and I finally had the time to measure, cut and cover the mdf board, and fit the 7x10 Kenwoods that have been patiently sitting in the loft for nearly 5 years. End result is a massive improvement, in both looks and sound quality. I've also done some of the prep work to be able to fit some deck mount 3-point seat belts later this year.

* - Trunk divider trim.  You may remember from my last project weekend that I cut away the rear trunk panel, giving and access hole behind the now folding rear seats. That was left as cut edges, so I've now taped some plastic angle around the edges to cover the sharp ridges.

* - Engine and Transmission, oil and filters changed.  Both long overdue.  There was a worrying amount of shavings in the transmission pan, but there's nothing I can do about it now, so fingers crossed.


I also did a bunch of digging in the garden, putting down a path, but that's boring stuff.