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  • DanStokes
    replied
    So today's activities:

    The fancy pan doesn't provide the structure that the OEM pan did so I made this bracket to add back some of the lower transmission/integrated bellhousing bolts. I'm not sue this is really necessary but it sure can't hurt. The starter installs on the driver's side so there's no place to make a bracket there so this will have to do. BTW - the Duplicolor cast aluminum paint is pretty much spot-on.


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    But on to further crossmember mods. I thought the smart money was to brace the engine compartment and/or the crossmember so here's what I came up with. I clamped on the rear support that I showed a few posts back - this braces the rear of the crossmember itself. Then I braced the frame rails in the engine bay so they won't push together when the structure of the center of the crossmember is removed. I think I'll tack both of these before I cut any more structure out. I started cutting and have a good start at removing the offending piece and I have a brilliant scheme to add the replacement structure. Lots of 1/4" plate to cut up.


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  • cstmwgn
    replied
    Sorry about all the white space - posting pictures still challenges my intellectual skills!

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  • cstmwgn
    replied
    Dan - I'm sure you can make it work!
    Here's what I did to determine how much scoop I needed.

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    Last edited by cstmwgn; February 5, 2024, 05:28 PM.

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  • dave.g.in.gansevoort
    replied
    Back to the drawing board. You'll get it, just make small cuts.

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  • DanStokes
    replied
    More news: Took the pan to the good welder guy and we decided that pan mods aren't really practical. The alternative is to reinforce the crossmember and take the center out which I'll look into this afternoon. If all else fails it hood mods - either a fiberglass MGC hood from England or work in a front scoop and raised area in my existing steel hood. So....swing the engine back in a start measuring.

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  • DanStokes
    replied
    What hits:

    The intake manifold hits the steering shaft. It has a big scroll that goes below the throttle body and generally gets in the way. After lots of on-line searching I found a SAAB intake (they used Ecotecs in SAABs at one time) that's much more compact and will do the job. ZZ Performance has them in stock and they do the modifications so that they'll bolt onto my LE5 engine and accept the sensors, etc. It's on the way but no pics yet.

    I have the pan sitting in behind the crossmember. However, the thinner sump area is still too thick so I'll take the pan into the guy who does the pretty welds here in town and see if he can shorten that area by and inch or so.

    Here's a pic of the engine sitting on the pan on the crossmember. There's a 1/2" spacer between the pan and the crossmember so there's a little clearance. Even with it that low it won't quite clear the hood. Shown is a template I made of the hood curve and it's about 1/2 inch too tall to clear the hood.


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    The oil filter seems like it'll be OK. In the worst case I'll cut a corner out of that sheet metal corner just under the oil filter bump. If I knew for sure that no oil circulated thru that bump I'd just cut it off but there's no telling what's in there.


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    Speaking of bumps: The bit that sticks out between the starter flange and the body is in exactly the wrong place. After a lot of poking and prodding I determined that it could come off which will give me just the room I need to shove the engine/trans sideways which will allow the assembly to lower in the chassis once the pan is modified. Sawsalled that sucker right off!


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    And finally, I needed more room for the water pump which sticks out like a Mickey Mouse ear on the passenger side of the engine. With some cutting and welding I gained about 5/8" plus got rid of the ridge that runs the length of the unibody frame rail. Coupled with moving the engine toward the left I think it'll get 'er done.


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  • dave.g.in.gansevoort
    replied
    Originally posted by Captain View Post
    Cut to Size ......
    Trim to Fit .....
    Paint to Match.......
    Measure once, cut 3 or 4 or... times to fit! Paint! Why worry about it matching? It'll be impossible for anyone to see it when Dan is finished.

    Like we used to say back in Ann Arbor, "Good enough for government work". And we knew...

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  • Captain
    replied
    Cut to Size ......
    Trim to Fit .....
    Paint to Match.......

    Leave a comment:


  • DanStokes
    replied
    On with the MGB project:

    As promised, today I modified the crossmember a bit more and I think it'll make room for me to slide the engine/trans in the hole and back that half a tad needed to drop in. I'll find that out tomorrow. Here's the pic with me pointing at the right side (left in the pic) with the missing corners.


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  • dave.g.in.gansevoort
    replied
    Originally posted by SuperBuickGuy View Post

    I finally get it. Dave G is the pen name of Smokey Yunick. (we're not worthy!)
    I wish! I read everything about him from the time I started reading HR magazine in 61. I have all of the issues of Circle Track magazine and still like to reread his column. I especially love reading his tales about reading rules books and seeing what isn't in there. Like when I built the 2nd iteration of the 54. The rule book said 20 gauge sheetmetal. So I used 3003 aluminum 20 gauge. Inspector pulls a magnet out of his pocket and of course it doesn't stick. I just happened to have a dictionary with my rule book. Page marked to the definition of sheetmetal. Any of various malleable metals...

    So we passed after all. Of course the rules were changed for the next year. The metal had to be ferrous metal, i.e. steel sheetmetal, 20 gauge. No one else was that crazy or stupid...

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  • Captain
    replied
    As I posted before.
    There's the WINNER !
    Then the 2nd Best Cheater
    The 3rd Best Cheater
    And the Rest of the Field Catching On ....

    Leave a comment:


  • SuperBuickGuy
    replied
    Originally posted by dave.g.in.gansevoort View Post
    A side story regarding unibody flex. Years ago, pre-engineer, when I was just a dumb industrial mechanic, and racing the dirt cars, a friend asked if we could help with a hobby stock car, based on a 74-75 ??? Plymouth 4 door police package sedan. You all can do the Blues Brothers routine in your head.

    At the time, the rules said no rollcage outside of the driver's compartment. And only 6 attachment points to the body/frame. Jim welded 6 plates to the floor, roughly 6x6, eighth inch thick. Then attached the rollcage. When finished inside looked like a NASCAR cage, with seat and belts attached to the cage.

    Now being creative, the rear braces attached at a point that helped to support the front of the rear springs. And the rust repairs were done with the same eighth inch plate. And lots of welding of seams.

    Another rule idiosyncrasy was the interior needed to be gutted of all of the stuff that would burn, but the dash was to remain in the car. Which was a good thing to take advantage of. You know those bolts that bolt the bellhousing to the engine? Well, with a little bit of ingenious and sneaky planning, some long bolts, nuts, washers, and other assorted things that we thought of, could be turned into a way to fasten the back of the engine to the firewall.

    And the motor mounts could be modified to make them solid, taking the give out of them. And if you were to get a really good look at the interior side of the firewall, really closely, you'd have seen some more of the eighth inch plate welded to the firewall where the bolts from the now came through, fastening the two together and stiffening the front portion of the car. Of course a cross member between the two front uprights was allowed, just had to get creative with the fastening to that eighth inch plate.

    So essentially the front suspension was tied into the rollcage, using the engine to stiffen up the part that wasn't supposed to be. And that car won about half the races that season, that is until the other guys got sick of racing for second, and decided to park him on the backstretch gate. The owner of the car and his driver/mechanic just took the car to the junkyard, not even trying to get the engine out! And just past midseason...
    I finally get it. Dave G is the pen name of Smokey Yunick. (we're not worthy!)

    Leave a comment:


  • SuperBuickGuy
    replied
    Originally posted by DanStokes View Post

    Yes it IS a pretty sucker! Not sure what chassis it was designed for but hoping to work backwards and redesign my chassis to fit the pan. Worse case is I'll have the shallow part of the pan extended to the rear a couple of inches.
    what cost more, the car or the pan? ;)

    I could honestly see an entire build which focused on that pan.... wowzers.

    Leave a comment:


  • dave.g.in.gansevoort
    replied
    A side story regarding unibody flex. Years ago, pre-engineer, when I was just a dumb industrial mechanic, and racing the dirt cars, a friend asked if we could help with a hobby stock car, based on a 74-75 ??? Plymouth 4 door police package sedan. You all can do the Blues Brothers routine in your head.

    At the time, the rules said no rollcage outside of the driver's compartment. And only 6 attachment points to the body/frame. Jim welded 6 plates to the floor, roughly 6x6, eighth inch thick. Then attached the rollcage. When finished inside looked like a NASCAR cage, with seat and belts attached to the cage.

    Now being creative, the rear braces attached at a point that helped to support the front of the rear springs. And the rust repairs were done with the same eighth inch plate. And lots of welding of seams.

    Another rule idiosyncrasy was the interior needed to be gutted of all of the stuff that would burn, but the dash was to remain in the car. Which was a good thing to take advantage of. You know those bolts that bolt the bellhousing to the engine? Well, with a little bit of ingenious and sneaky planning, some long bolts, nuts, washers, and other assorted things that we thought of, could be turned into a way to fasten the back of the engine to the firewall.

    And the motor mounts could be modified to make them solid, taking the give out of them. And if you were to get a really good look at the interior side of the firewall, really closely, you'd have seen some more of the eighth inch plate welded to the firewall where the bolts from the now came through, fastening the two together and stiffening the front portion of the car. Of course a cross member between the two front uprights was allowed, just had to get creative with the fastening to that eighth inch plate.

    So essentially the front suspension was tied into the rollcage, using the engine to stiffen up the part that wasn't supposed to be. And that car won about half the races that season, that is until the other guys got sick of racing for second, and decided to park him on the backstretch gate. The owner of the car and his driver/mechanic just took the car to the junkyard, not even trying to get the engine out! And just past midseason...

    Leave a comment:


  • DanStokes
    replied
    Originally posted by SuperBuickGuy View Post
    that pan is a work of Art.
    Yes it IS a pretty sucker! Not sure what chassis it was designed for but hoping to work backwards and redesign my chassis to fit the pan. Worse case is I'll have the shallow part of the pan extended to the rear a couple of inches.

    Leave a comment:

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