305q_ta86

Ok that would have been cool. I wouldn't have covered mine then. heh.

Well it's all done with now, though I'm still not happy with the carpet..

Sonix

That looks pretty good there.
Carbon-kevlar? Holy schnike, that stuff is pricey eh? Out of curiosity, what were you using it for?

Ryan - are you in Calgary now, or did your bro find out about the cracked springs? Does the car sag now, or are just the ends cracked off a few inches from the end? Mine did that.
Don't buy used springs, they'd be worn out. It's like going to the JY for brake discs or shocks, it's a wear part (albeit slowly).

Moog 5662 (stock replacement), or 5664 (HEAVY DUTY), are $80 from crappy tire, special ordered through keystone. Or parts source, etc.
They're a snatch to replace though, if your brother wants some help, just shout. I STILL have no job, so i'm just cleaning house to keep myself from going insane from boredom.

Oh, I put together the rear with an open carrier, and installed it today. I'll take it off the jackstands tommorow morning and find out if I did it right... It seemed overly tight, but torque to turn it over via the pinion was about right... *shrug*, we'll find out.
----------
and my line lock doesn't work, for whatever strange reason. The solenoid clicks, but when I hold the brakes, then engage it, then let go, the car just keeps rolling...?

Apeiron

Making a new body for a 67 Cooper S vintage SCCA race car.

Sonix

Really?!?
Yours? Man, that's... Difficult. Using old panels as the mould? Vacuum bagging sorta thing, or just wet the stuff out and roll it on to get rid of as much resin as possible? (epoxy resin I guess?)

305q_ta86

Wow Chris, that sounds like some pretty heavy duty work there.. And if it was annoying enough to make that little box, I can't imagine making a full body. Yikes.

Jay, I'm in Vancouver but my brother took the car to the Fountain Tire I used to work at to have the summer rims and tires put back on and they noticed it. And yeah, about ten minutes after posting I realized that used springs would be a bad idea. So I found the Moog springs on Summit, as well as a set of 1" drop springs for like 150. I'm trying to convince them to go with those..

Do you have a spring compressor? 'Cause actually, when Evan was bitching about the labor costs I suggested that you might be able to do it for some cash. So if you'd be able to do that, then great. My parents were open to the idea and wanted me to ask you about it.

Oh, and the car doesn't sag, so it must be just the ends that broke or something? I guess it probably happened pretty recently too, because I sure as hell never noticed that..

Apeiron

No, not mine. Used original panels to make molds in fiberglass, then laid in the carbon fiber and vacuum bagged it. In the end you get a car body you can lift with one hand.

Sonix

Holy cow... That's a lot of work, vacuum bagging and whatnot. They did that with the formula car at UofC and I thought "man, that's a PITA". Needless to say I didn't help with that...
But yea, that's really cool! I guess the carbon fiber would still be really strong vs fiberglass too, especially when done right (vac bagging).

Ryan - I wouldn't pay $150 to get drop springs if it were me, i'd just cut half a coil off moog springs, much cheaper and same effect. You don't have to get those big heavy springs shipped through summit, they'd be stocked here in calgary.
I didn't use a spring compressor, they're kinda sketchy. I just used the GM method, of leaving the balljoint connection attached at the outer end of the A arm, as the pivot, then disconnecting the inner ends, lowering it, and removing the springs, then putting in the new springs.

I think it's a PITA to do alone, but I could do it I imagine. I could certainly help him do it for sure, he can pass wrenches
Moog 5662 is the stock one, but if you want it a little stiffer moog 5664 is what was stock on the '90s Convertibles. 750lb/in. I like them. It's not skateboard rough, but it keeps the car nice and rigid.

305q_ta86

Alright, fair enough. Cutting springs is kinda frowned upon on a 240 but then again, the springs are shaped differently. Now to call around and get a price/avail..

Oh and good call on not using a spring compressor. I hate those things too. Even the hand ones for valve springs scare me. I once had one shoot out of my hand and almost hit a window.

Were the rear springs fairly easy? I guess dropping the axle.. hmm. Because I think they're gonna want the rears replaced as well. Pretty sure anyway.

But yeah if you want the work great, if not that's ok too. I just wish I was coming home and then I could actually help..


Hey Chris, you know about any summer engineering jobs in vancouver? :P

Apeiron

Nothing mechanical. Could've got you one in Salmon Arm, but it's filled now.

Sonix

haha, you know of any mechanical ones in Calgary? Man, it's crazy i'm having such a hard time finding a job here...

Yea, rear springs are stupidly easy, 10 minute job there.
Ok cool, let me know if Evan wants a hand then, i'm going to glue up my headliner tonight, and go get another speedo cable tommorow, found out mine burned up on the headers

305q_ta86

Ah, no worries. I need to stay in Vancouver anyway. Any idea when you're gonna come down here again? We should help some nice establishment clear out some beer..

Jay - Really? You'd think it would be pretty easy to get a job right now. That sucks. Actually, my dad works with quite a few engineering companies. He's using his ties to try to get me a job here, but I'll tell him to keep an eye out in Calgary too.

Ok glad the rears are easy.. It's been too long, I can't remember how they go in! My mom has said she'll pay you to do it but she just got hit by the tax man so it'd have to wait a few weeks I think. I got a nice return on my taxes so I told her she could use some of that but I don't know if she will.

Apeiron

Probably within the next two weeks, and again in June.

Our Controls group is looking for someone permanent right now, but they want a few years of experience with motion control and PLCs.

Sonix

Ugh, PLC's, I did my fourth year engg project on a distributed mechatronics control system. Somehow control systems sneaked into the mechanical curriculum as well as electrical *shudder*. I hated that stuff.

Yea, you'd *think* it would be easy to get a job eh? I want to do design work, and apparently that's rare. I'm ready to take just about anything by now though... Most companies are hiring for 5+ years experience in just about everything, I guess the new hires were hired in February or so, to start in may

Ok, let me know about the springs then.

Apeiron

There's an expression, "Any idiot can tighten a nut with a pencil". We prefer to let other companies weed out the idiots are before we put them to work drawing pictures of multi-million dollar machines.

Sonix

Any idiot can tighten a nut with a pencil?

Apeiron

You can draw the nut anywhere you want, but if you can't fit a wrench on it when you try to build it, then what good is it?

305q_ta86

lol. We heard that one last year in the manufacturing class. Which was also called "how not to design a $10,000 doorknob".

..I actually enjoy the PLC/electrical control systems stuff.

Apeiron

At best you end up with a $10,000 doorknob. At worst, you end up with something like the badly drawn nut that killed 114 people in the Kansas City Hyatt Regency in 1981.

If you enjoy it that much, then we'll talk after you graduate.

Sonix

oh ok, I get it. Yea, they didn't really mention that at all in Engg, that was one thing that really irked me. I always mention that in interviews, I think a good engineer should be well rounded, and should have experience on the shop floor, so he understands the manufacturing process from the assembler/machinist point of view. I always use an example from when I worked at a shop in SE calgary, and how a fresh engineer was trying to get a....
*just got a phone call for an interview here, go figure...*
yea, a fresh engineer was trying to get the prototyping guy (30+ yrs experience) to make this part, that was impossible to do with the pipe bending stuff that we had. The proto guy kept saying "*** engineers!" and laughing at this guy, and the guy kept saying "but I drew it up in solidworks, so it must work"!
hahah...

Apeiron

It goes both ways. There are fabricators who insist on doing everything their own way because they think their hands-on experience means they know more than engineers. The problem in either case is a result of a lack of humility and the arrogance to believe that one's own experience is more valuable than someone else's.

84z28350

Haha, i like that one!

"You can draw the nut anywhere you want, but if you can't fit a wrench on it when you try to build it, then what good is it?"


Working on some of our core drills can be a real challenge when some knob drew his bolt somewhere that only a $50,000 purpose built machine can get into, then you try to get at it with a $5 wrench!!!

305q_ta86

Off topic: Look, I found a JDM KITT!

Sonix

That's.... I don't even know what that is...

My rear end works though! Booyea! I can drive the car again, finally! This is part of the 50 or so days a year the car is driveable, better enjoy it while it lasts! Oh, and I got a new speedo cable (and cluster, but that's because I wasn't sure what was broken), and now I also have a working speedometer!
Now on to the trip odometer, wiper sprayer, etc etc...

Sonix

Haha, I tested the mileage, I know I get 20MPG highway, if I drive like I want good mileage (still, barely enough to get from town to town with this itty bitty 12 or something gallon tank), but I tested my city mileage. I know it's bogus, because it's mostly cold starting, short trips, idling, burning rubber, etc, but I got 8.4mpg. Stellar.
Man I need to tune up this carb a bit... And get that distributor... and a posi.
Actually, my brother is probably going to give me one of those things as a grad present....Rock on.

Has anyone here successfully taken apart our speedo head to fix the trip odometer?

Sonix

Ahh, blew my motor.... Ran the sucker out of oil until it was knocking on the highway. Funny thing is, the speedo stopped working, and about 1 minute later the knock started... hmm...
Also, no change in oil pressure or anything. Damn. Oh well, 3 weeks running in one summer is almost like spoiling me

305q_ta86

Holy **** that sucks! How'd it run so low on oil? ....I should go check my oil right now. Havent done so in a couple weeks.


So what happened? Spun a bearing I guess? I wonder if you could get away with just replacing bearings/rings/cam and see what happens..