Miss Fitts

[Tom Slick]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Duratec - get it out of a crashed late model Ranger and you are rwd ready to go... better head than a Zetec and it's aluminum to boot.

Yes, I know... Mazda. ( with Cosworth... they know a thing or two about head development).

http://www.quad4rods.com/index.php?page=shop.browse&category_id=3&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=100041

475.00 OUCH can get you either if you want a T5 behind it. The Super 7 crowd here is apparently into both of these engine families. Sorry for the hijack, please carry on.

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

TomSlick- I will have some photo's and measurements for you soon.

Dad and I popped the engine out earlier today. It's really hard for me to look at those domed pistons without thinking that it's not that much work to just slip them out, install new rings, and put them in one engine or the other. Hmmn.

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

OK, the temptation is to much. I'm gonna build the HO if it mics out to not need to much machine work. Nothing to crazy, just clean up the intake and exhaust on the head, open up the carbed intake a little, use the 2.3 Mustang carb I am rebuilding, maybe shave the head a little bit and in general try and do things better than I did last time.

Right now, things look something like this:


#4 did have some funky rings, but the cylinder wall looks OK.


The black buildup in all the cylinders is not carbon, or at not not like I usually see it. It cleans up after being soaked in a degreaser and wiped off with shop rag.

I also think I found out why it was dropping a cylinder:


It's got some sludge, but it is much cleaner than the 1.9 that came from the junkyard.


The last few days have been a lot of fun. Dad has been out helping me, which is unusual in the fact that typically when we are working on a car together, it is a matter of necessity, not for fun. It's a lot more fun to freeze your bum off working on a car if someone is working with you. We have the old dashboard removed (actually destroyed- Dad sawzalled it ), I will make a cardboard mockup tomorrow and go find a sheet of aluminum to start making a new one. We have the '82s heater box mounted, but not wired up or properly ducted yet. I have the fuel pressure regulator mounted and the inlet plumbed, but the outlet and return are dependent on where the carb fits into everything, so I have to wait on that. Its seems that if I leave the ECU in place it will continue to provide power to the ignition, so I should still have spark without the injectors hooked up.

I am waiting on smaller tips for Dad's torch so I can patch the firewall. Half of my problem when I was oxy-acetylene welded the floorpans on the last car was that I was using a harris #3 tip and I should have been using a harris #1. Way to big. They should be in on Wednesday, so I can get that done.

I have some work to do on finishing the seat mount, and the rollbar modifications will have to wait until spring break to happen.

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Got some more random stuff done today. Here is the new instrument panel so far:







Nothing real fancy, total investment so far is $10. I grabbed the 1/8"aluminum sheet for dirt cheap from the A+P shop that works on Dad's plane, laid it out with a piece of posterboard, and then used a jigsaw to cut out the shape. I marked out six spots to mount 2 1/4 gauges, and I centerdrilled and holesawed out three of them. The other three I just drilled enough to mark the spot so I can add more in the future. I will pick up a larger holesaw tomorrow to mount the tach. Then I just need to bend and drill some mounting point and paint the thing in a black crinkle finish to offset the white face gauges. Hopefully it will be done tomorrow. I also should be able to start getting the engine into the car.

[Page2171]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Working with my dad on a car is pleasure I never got a chance to enjoy. I'm kind of jealous.

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Here is the painted dash with the gauges set in it. I have two sets of gauges- these sunpros with white faces or a set of black face auto gages. Right now the AGs are wired in the car, so I will use them for the time being.

[Tom Slick]

Re: Batman's commuter car


That black stuff that isn't hardened up carbon yet is pretty common in the late model engines that have only had decent unleaded run in them. It's a lot easier to clean, huh. Much easier when you don't have to gouge all that crap out of the ring grooves.

missing a pic? The dash looks great, looking forward to seeing it in.

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Oops. Mea culpa.

[nesabo]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Looks great Walt, Makes the one I made for my mustang seem like a kindergarden dropout product. :P

[Russell]

Re: Batman's commuter car

I know its a race car but what about a speedometer? I know you want to use as a street car as well. You just going to make a chart with rpm gear speed?

[HillbillySailor]

Re: Batman's commuter car

I know its a race car but what about a speedometer? I know you want to use as a street car as well. You just going to make a chart with rpm gear speed?

I was thinking the same thing about a Speedo. Otherwise, that's one sweet looking panel!

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

After long hours of work between me, Dad, and a few hours put in by my friend with the more door nova, the Escort came to life with the roar of a cold blooded four banger through an open header. At 11 pm. ;D Both Dad and I were grinning ear to ear to hear that noise. A few issues still, like the lack of a functional electric choke, but all in all it's pretty much ready to drive out to the airport, where Dad has offered me storage in his hanger with our plane.

I have a GPS for to use as a speedo when I want one, but once I establish speed in gear with RPM, I should be OK. One of my plans for the dashboard is an aircraft style placard with the speed/rpm equivalents, but that is in the future.

Much of inspiration for the styling and build techniques that will show up in this car come from aircraft, mostly because of my familiarity with them.

[1trickpony]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Just for the record I think this project is all sorts of awesome!!! That gauge panel turned out great!!!

The gps trick works great, even if you want to make sure your gauge is correct or off by however many mph.

Keep up the good work!!!

[98ciHemi]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Well, last I saw it, the Escort was sitting in the garage with a fuel leak on the return side of the fuel system. I ran out of time and had to head back up north, so Dad said that he would finish getting things squared away enough to store it. He fixed the leak and bolted in the seat in yesterday, so he just has a few odds and ends to get it all put together. I'll probably be pretty much out of the loop for the next few months, but we will see how things go. Catch y'all on the flip side.

-Walt

[glockster]

Re: Batman's commuter car

Love this project! Different and cool. Good job on the gauge panel, got me thinking about making one myself