Mechie3's 818S [Archive] - Page 5

Mechie3

11-17-2014, 04:43 PM

It's gotten cold...

No worries. I'm generally busy at home anyways so much of my progress is made during lunch time. Sometimes I sneak away to the shop on the weekend if my wife doesn't get called in to the hospital. I made a new revision of my bracket to allow clocking of the TD04 compressor housing. Adds a little more clearance where needed, removes some dead weight, and adds a support to prevent flexing. The bracket in this pic is aluminum since it's much faster to prototype in aluminum. I have two stainless steel versions I made after testing the aluminum one.

On the left is the new bracket. On the right is the first one that has been hacked up and drawn on with a marker.
http://i.imgur.com/CI9mTDG.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/RZLr7Bo.jpg

This little teardrop might look familiar. I needed a quick piece for prototyping and the ABS plug fit perfectly. Long term I'd be worried about the aluminum fatiguing, but for a one time fit it did the job. The wastegate spring was flexing the bracket and I was worried about response. The wastegate would be fighting the bracket as well as opening the gate. Not ideal. There's no holes on the top to secure it so this clamp was the next best thing.
http://i.imgur.com/2vQXFpJ.jpg

Mechie3

11-18-2014, 09:09 AM

Took of the clocked turbo setup and test fit my non clocked turbo setup. It needs a new front bracket as it's too close to the metal tube running under the throttle body. Had to cut off one of the coolant nipples on the throttle body as well. It's been disconnected for years so cutting it wasn't hurting anything.

http://i.imgur.com/tAWyeg1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/7EeD40g.jpg

hack saw pointing to the barb I cut off.
http://i.imgur.com/d3BlWCu.jpg

Hindsight

11-18-2014, 09:24 AM

Looking very nice!

Wayne Presley

11-18-2014, 10:23 AM

Looking exactly like mine...

Mechie3

11-18-2014, 11:33 AM

Looking exactly like mine...

I'll agree it looks similar, but not exactly like yours, as we're using the same off the shelf components more than likely and building on the same chassis and motor. There's only so many ways to skin a cat. To be fair, I skinned it quite differently the first time (and my preferred way) as to not step on anyone's toes. After a few people asked me if I could do a setup without clocking the turbo I decided to come up with a second setup (the one shown above). I debated doing this at all and decided I would only do it if I could make it different enough than existing kits. Still debating whether to offer it vs just selling brackets and offering my clocked turbo kit.

My routing doesn't copy yours minus the general U shape, which is dictated by the turbo placement and core placement. I don't think we actually use any of the same couplers or tubing (both diameter and bends) except for the last one going into the AWIC core. My mounts all look different, are different materials, and even bolt up to different locations. I mounted my HE in a different method (cap is above the frame rail). I tried hard to stand apart and not copy. Several others have built their own AWIC systems with the same base parts and ended up with very similar layouts. Just to be clear, I'm not trying to step on anyone's toes and I apologize if it looks that way.

Clocked setup:
http://i.imgur.com/72UmUTe.jpg

HE:
http://i.imgur.com/drn6G1n.jpg

Frank818

11-18-2014, 12:03 PM

Craig, out of this topic but 0DB in-topic though, where again are you going to route the pressure cap from the AWIC rad?

Mechie3

11-18-2014, 01:05 PM

I could route it into the radiator overflow. More than likely I'll cap it. The water in the AWIC should never get to the point where it vents. If it does, you have bigger problems.

Wayne Presley

11-18-2014, 01:43 PM

I could route it into the radiator overflow. More than likely I'll cap it. The water in the AWIC should never get to the point where it vents. If it does, you have bigger problems.

Agreed, you should have no more than 25°F of temp change of the system.

FFR-ADV

11-18-2014, 03:28 PM

Wow!!

This looks great Craig!

What is your plan for the BPV shown in your clocked setup and not shown in the stock turbo setup?

Mechie3

11-18-2014, 03:35 PM

Stock turbo setup it bolts to an adapter tube just before the core. You can see it in photos. Clocked setup it bolts to the modified front face of the core.

Frank818

12-09-2014, 01:03 PM

Bob_n_Cincy

12-09-2014, 01:26 PM

Craig,

Are you the one mentioning the use of M16x1.5 65mm flange bolts for the top OEM shock bolt on the spindle?

Your thread is the only one that came up in the results page after a search for "M16x1.5". But I can't find it in your thread.

Frank
these are the suspension bolts I bought.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?14152-Anyone-interested-in-a-Metric-Hardware-Addition-List&p=150200&viewfull=1#post150200

Take a look at that whole thread.
Bob

Frank818

12-09-2014, 01:33 PM

Cool! If Craig's thread is the only one that showed up in the list, maybe cuz he paid the forum to get his stuff on top and sell more brackets? lolll :)

Moving on to your thread Bob.

metalmaker12

12-09-2014, 05:17 PM

Mechie, we all appreciate you making all these parts, but I think it's about time you get your 818 done bro. I wanna see you enjoying it and driving it this spring.

STiPWRD

12-09-2014, 05:28 PM

shots fired

C.Plavan

12-09-2014, 05:40 PM

http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys/smiley-basic/popcorn.gif (http://www.freesmileys.org/smileys.php)

Mechie3

12-09-2014, 11:04 PM

Hahaha! Tell the baby to let me go outside!

Lol

Frank818

12-10-2014, 06:05 AM

shots fired

Hahaha! Tell the baby to let me go outside!

Lol

Bullets dogged.

metalmaker12

12-10-2014, 07:34 AM

I hear ya but no excuses, I have two, daughter 4yrs and son 7 months, you just have to be more creative with your time. Shots fired lol, he will get it done this decade don't worry.

RM1SepEx

12-10-2014, 08:52 AM

Everyone's got their own issues causing delays. Kids, health, $, weather, wife, the list is endless. Ribbing should be expected and welcomed... :rolleyes:

I want/need more of Craig's parts, delay away to Design, CNC, Mold, etc...

Mechie3

12-10-2014, 08:53 AM

Well....I was also busy winning PAX, keeping my F500 in one piece, making parts for the local Mod car guys when they break stuff, and when my wife gets called into the hospital on a weekend...well, that blows that weekend. Lol. ;)

The plan is this spring. Once I realized I was going to miss the 2014 driving season I decided to slow down and take my time (this is the real reason). No reason to rush to finish a car that will sit all winter.

Edit: Dan (rm1sepex) is my new excuse. He keeps bugging me for stuff so that I can't do my own stuff. Yes...yes, that sounds legit. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hahaha!

(just so it's clear, the ribbing is welcome and all in good fun)

metalmaker12

12-10-2014, 09:47 PM

RM1SepEx

12-11-2014, 07:27 AM

Edit: Dan (rm1sepex) is my new excuse. He keeps bugging me for stuff so that I can't do my own stuff. Yes...yes, that sounds legit. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Hahaha!

(just so it's clear, the ribbing is welcome and all in good fun)

I resemble that remark!

Mechie3

12-15-2014, 11:33 AM

I'm still not sure how it happened, but I managed to spend several hours in the garage working on my car. Of course, some of those hours occurred after midnight, but that's ok.

Focused on the sheet metal for the front wheel wells. One thing I've found is that a lot of the sheet pieces have the bends not quite perfect. They're off by 1-2 degrees which results in a sizable offset over a length of 2 feet.

The guard in front of the door was put in with rivnuts and 10-32 screws. I figured if I ever want to access the door hardware it's easiest with this panel removed. The rest will all be riveted in. I trimmed the body to fit around the door splash guard where it makes a jog towards the rear of the car. There's still enough fiberglass lip left to seal against the firewall but not interfere with the splash panel.

http://i.imgur.com/pbA07xq.jpg

The triangle piece wasn't in my directions. I cut a notch at the top for the brake line. On the top flange I had to remove part of the thin end of the flange. When the long edges of the piece lined up with their frame members the top flange touched on one end and had a 1/2" gap on the other end. Removing the thin flange (where it wasn't bent perfectly) let it sit nicely. The thin flange edge is to the front of the car (the right in this pic). The rear corner had to be trimmed for weld bead clearance.

http://i.imgur.com/WNw1YC1.jpg

The splash guard in front of the wheel wasn't in my manual either. The curves of the panel don't match the body at all. Any ideas for fitment for those that have gotten here? It isn't off by a little, but enough such that even bulb seal won't cover the gaps.
http://i.imgur.com/GdrvO3J.jpg

Finally trimmed the bumper for the AWIC heat exchanger. It's offset enough that only the driver side needing trimming. The blue is where I trimmed before for the radiator subframe clearance. The purple was for the HE. I ended up removing slightly more than shown and getting rid of the little triangle that was left between the blue and purple.
http://i.imgur.com/0uGYpLG.jpg

Mechie3

01-03-2015, 02:22 AM

I was in Seattle at my in-laws for two weeks so I didn't get any physical work done. I did however find some rear lights. The FFR lights aren't bad, but I don't like the exposed screws and they don't look very modern. I really liked the hella rear lights, but they were $500+ for a set, special order only from Germany, and (from what I was told) can take several months to arrive. After hours and hours of searching I finally found some lights that fit the bill. I didn't want visible screw heads and did want LED, Red external ring (red when LED's are off too, I found some that lit up red but were clear when off), and reverse lights or turn signal in the center. As a bonus, the ones I found even pass SAE specs and are marked for legal use in Europe (didn't say if they were DOT, even though they pass the SAE requirements for DOT). I bought two types, one is 3.75" (good for the dual light look) and one is 4.8" (good for the F12 look). They aren't available in single units so I had to buy small lots. Shipping is from China so it may take up to a month to get here. No problem as I have plenty else to do, just wanted to get the ball rolling on these.

I played around in photoshop a bit altering the rear look. One thing I found difficult is that a lot of exotic cars with round tail lights have very squared off rear ends (Pagani, Ferrari, mclaren F1) while a lot of cars with more rounded rear ends use custom tail lights (porsche, Mclaren MP4). The 818 tends to have a very rounded end, but uses round lights. The rounded off corners result in a smaller flat rear section that doesn't span the full width of the car giving it a (IMO) less agressive look. Anyways, here are some things I played around with. I'm not Vman7, so my photoshops are a little hacked.

Ferrari F458 Challenge Inspired rear:
This concept has a few issues, mainly that the cut around the single light is on a different plane than the rest of the rear so the mess will have to conform. Not impossible, but more difficult. The other thing is that the lights are stop and turn or stop and reverse only, not both. A separate reverse light would be needed. No big deal. You could also use the stop/reverse lights and wire in a module to make the stop light a dual function stop/turn (like a lot of trailers). These use the larger 4.8" lights.

(note how the rear end looks much wider as it's squared off)
http://teamspeed.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=68485&stc=1&d=1301876220

http://i.imgur.com/l89ZWV0.jpg

Removed the white bar (but didn't add the diffuser in, no god pics were found). This is in the style of the lotus exige naked rear (don't google lotus naked rear without adding exige...ooops!)
http://i.imgur.com/WGuvhtH.jpg

Tried out a Pagani style exhaust. Not sure I like it with this setup. Everything looks too horizontal and just lined up.
http://i.imgur.com/GCiebRH.jpg

Ferrari F360 Challenge Inspired:
This uses smaller 3.75" lights. The outer ones are stop/turn and the inners are stop/reverse.

Not again how wide spread the lights are:
http://photos4.automanager.com/012359/da60849cb19c6f48a43fbd8854cf8299/e9341586a5_640.jpg

Not 100% sure I like this. My scaling of the lights may be off, but the lights look a little small compared to the car. Could also be the visual center crowding due to the curved rear ends. It looks a little too horizontal to me (ie: uninspired).
http://i.imgur.com/9BAbV5W.jpg

Similar, just messing with light placement to see if it helps. These don't really flow with the lines of the car, but figured I'd put it up here just because.
http://i.imgur.com/bq1a0y9.jpg

Mechie3

01-03-2015, 02:23 AM

Here's an older Vman7 photoshop. I really like how he widened the top of the lower vent opening. Instead of a triangle, it's more rectangular that then feeds upwards into the triangular piece. I really like this, but it requires cutting off most of the 3D sections of the bumper (Vman stretched these in his image). I think if I did that it would look too kit car-ish with flat panels vs contoured features around the vent.
http://i.imgur.com/03dpcEo.jpg

This is the Artega GT (uses a variant of the Hella lights I like). The rear is similar in style to the 818 in terms of how it curves around. They use round lights but place them into a custom lense to flow with the body. The rear opening is also more squared off than triangular, much like Vman's photoshop. I've looked around for similar exhaust tips and didn't find much off the shelf that would work. Most I found (like the Touareg or X5) are edge mounted on the bumper so they slant to the outside and wouldn't fit on a center flat surface.
http://srv2.betterparts.org/images/artega-artega-gt-07.jpg

Here's the lotus naked rear end (this one is an elise). They remove the mesh between the body and the diffuser. It ends up with the body being open on the bottom (ie, the white bar the 818 has is gone) and the diffuser forms the bottom of the body work. It has a bit of race car-ish look to it. Not sure it works with the triangular setup of the 818 rear opening. If it was wider (top and bottom) it would look good. Because of how small it is I think it might look odd if it's removed. I kind of wish FFR had designed the rear vents with less of geometric shape with radiused corners and more of an artistic shape that followed the curves of the rest of the body and had fewer straight edges.
http://www.lotustalk.com/forums/attachments/f154/199494d1359748076-official-booty-thread-your-rear-end-exhaust-diffuser-photo-dsc00005-2-.jpg

bbjones121

01-03-2015, 08:50 PM

I like where you are going. Have you found any rear side bumper vents that would work with the shape? Could make rear end better looking as well as show off the mid engine nature. Most cars with rear bumper vents are mid engines i think.

Ellimist

01-04-2015, 12:37 AM

Similar, just messing with light placement to see if it helps. These don't really flow with the lines of the car, but figured I'd put it up here just because.
http://i.imgur.com/bq1a0y9.jpg
I actually kinda like the left setup (diagonal lights, lower light on the outside) - goes with the line of the lower rear vent and seems to fit with the outer curve a bit. Definitely agree with the awesomeness of Vman's design. Unfortunately, none of them are really in my scope/ability for my first kit, but maybe future builts! BTW, how's your AWIC kit/setup going? I'm still quite a ways out from an order (my kit'll be hear in a couple weeks and I'm still prepping for breaking down my donor), but I'm definitely interested in your or Wayne's AWIC setups!
-Ben

Ellimist

01-04-2015, 12:48 AM

Removed the white bar (but didn't add the diffuser in, no god pics were found). This is in the style of the lotus exige naked rear (don't google lotus naked rear without adding exige...ooops!)
http://i.imgur.com/WGuvhtH.jpg

Okay, had to look at them again....I think my true favorite is the larger lights with removed lower white bar. And that may actually be something I could accomplish - Thanks for the idea!

Harley818

01-04-2015, 02:08 AM

Hey Mechie,
Nice job as usual. I like the various options to give time to think a little about what we want to end up with.

flynntuna

01-04-2015, 01:12 PM

I'm liking your ideas, what do you think about going with a slightly larger light?

Mechie3

01-04-2015, 03:16 PM

That's the largest light that I could find.

flynntuna

01-04-2015, 07:19 PM

Well you could think out of the box. :rolleyes: LOL

http://www.doranmfg.com/PDF/9200_9201.pdf

RM1SepEx

01-04-2015, 08:07 PM

Well you could think out of the box. :rolleyes: LOL

http://www.doranmfg.com/PDF/9200_9201.pdf

He doesn 't want exposed screws.... ;)

flynntuna

01-04-2015, 08:12 PM

Trim rings can be fabricated

Frank818

01-04-2015, 08:21 PM

F12 lights for me plz, the 3.75" are too small. Then we have to find how to get rid of the FFR turn/rear light holes.

I did google for lotus rear end, the results, when you tick "images", is pretty cool. lolll

Craig, are the front splash guards fitted directly onto the rad support, including the part at the very front of the rad support?
I can't find clear pictures to tell me the clearance I have for the AWIC HE's hoses... If I go around the tubing of the rad support, maybe I can't cuz the alu panel rivets on the tubing.

Mechie3

01-04-2015, 09:13 PM

I'm thinking of keeping the hole for the original FFR brake light. It's working around the depression that the turn light sits in that will be the challenge.

The splash guards fit against the frame and the radiator shroud. The radiator shroud (the underside and sides to make the tunnel for cooling air) attaches to the radiator subframe. There is room on my car to go around the radiator but inside the subframe.

Ellimist

01-04-2015, 09:42 PM

I did google for lotus rear end, the results, when you tick "images", is pretty cool. lolll
LOL, ya, I think "lotus" is a yoga pose.....

It's working around the depression that the turn light sits in that will be the challenge......There is room on my car to go around the radiator but inside the subframe.
I'm probably under-thinking it, but wouldn't it be straightforward to just fill the depression (and sand the fill smooth to finish)? First thought was filling with Bondo but there may be a better option. I'm still impatiently waiting for my kit to arrive!

Mechie3

01-04-2015, 10:55 PM

Yes you can do it that way. I'm hoping for a solution that is easier and just requires cutting and fitting mesh and lights with minimal body work.

longislandwrx

01-05-2015, 07:58 AM

If you like the large mesh section, have you considered...

37274

might be a good look combined with the triangular lower section and the sharp lines of the diffuser

metalmaker12

01-05-2015, 08:16 AM

I like the way it looks, you gotta thread lightly and not go to off the handle or it could go south. Vmans looks nice, I also like the FFR R which I pretty much copied, I am making an adjustable s wing to go with it. It should enhance it more. Good idea to change it up, because than it looks more your own and unique.

longislandwrx

01-05-2015, 08:21 AM

you gotta thread lightly and not go to off the handle or it could go south.

exactly. unique often turns to cheesy rather quickly.

Mechie3

01-05-2015, 08:22 AM

I'm not sure how to accomplish that without completely redoing the entire bumper. One thing I've found challenging in terms of just design is that the back end of the car doesn't have a very modern design to it (perhaps cutting edge design is a better word). Don't get me wrong, it certainly stands out (and not in a bad way) but sitting next to any modern Ferrari, Porsche, Lambo, etc, it doesn't have the same feel. A lot of those have multi-plane contours, sharp edges and folds, and cohesive designs in terms of lights, etc. FFR is a bit constrained with the price point and using off the shelf lights. It's hard to add modern looking elements without them looking out of place. The car you posted looks pretty cool, but the entire car is very angular and stealth jet looking. Adding those to the 818 would clash with the rounded off rear fenders IMO.

Ferrari is the closest car in terms of rear end design as it uses the round lights. However, if you look at anything newer than an F360 they've progressed from round lights in a panel to using half exposed lights and other elements to make the simple round light look more modern. Compare the rear end of an F40 with that of the F458.

It's funny, but I think the Bugatti Veyron falls in a bit of the same category. When I first saw one in person I was underwhelmed. The Gumball 3000 stopped overnight in Indy in 2012 and a few million dollars worth of Ferrari's, Lambo's, Mclarens, and other exotics parked in monument circle overnight. While the stats of the Veyron were impressive, its overall design was just a bit mild with all of its corners rounded off. It looks almost more akin to a half used bar of soap than it did to the Aventador sitting next to it. Granted, the Veyron is already a decade old and the other cars were much new in terms of design dates.

longislandwrx

01-05-2015, 09:17 AM

37276

just did that quick.. don't really like the exhaust mockup in that picture but you get the idea of the lights.

went back and blacked it all out

37277

Frank818

01-05-2015, 09:22 AM

Craig, do you absolutely want to find a solution to enhance the rear look/lights or will you "try" and if you fail so be it no problem?

Frank818

01-05-2015, 09:23 AM

37276

just did that quick.. don't really like the exhaust mockup in that picture but you get the idea of the lights.

went back and blacked it all out

37277

Looks pretty cool actually. With that design (Vman). But how would it look on say the white Indiana 818 Craig used as its examples?

Canadian818

01-05-2015, 09:56 AM

37276

just did that quick.. don't really like the exhaust mockup in that picture but you get the idea of the lights.

went back and blacked it all out

37277

I love that!

longislandwrx

01-05-2015, 09:58 AM

Looks pretty cool actually. With that design (Vman). But how would it look on say the white Indiana 818 Craig used as its examples?

Ain't nobody got time for that!

37279

Frank818

01-05-2015, 10:06 AM

Ain't nobody got time for that!

37279

Yeah you're the best, Long!

Craig, 3 people love that look. We are buyers. :)

I love it!

What are the next steps to manuf that? :)

longislandwrx

01-05-2015, 10:14 AM

What are the next steps to manuf that?

1. Buy $160K Sports Car
2. Remove and Install taillights on 818
3. ???
4. Profit!

tmoretta

01-05-2015, 10:34 AM

Or - just buy a used Mustang.

Mechie3

01-05-2015, 10:58 AM

Crap...I had something written and it deleted it when I clicked the photo.

Anyways...Frank, I plan to mock up the lights when they show up, then cut to try the single light style, then cut more to try the dual lights if I don't like the single. Once I cut I'm pretty much locked it to moving forward.

Long: I actually like that. LED bars are much easier to find.

metalmaker12

01-05-2015, 11:49 AM

I love that!

That's hot, if I did it again I would try that, recessed and all. Hopefully my kids scratch the rear cover lol.

Frank818

01-05-2015, 11:53 AM

Mechie3

01-05-2015, 11:56 AM

Craig, I actually meant the manuf of the LED bars, but it's good to know about the round ones too. :)
But if you try out the round ones, you're stuck, how can you then try the bars after cutting for round ones?

The lights don't mount into the body, but into the mesh (or rather, a bracket hiding behind the mesh. All it means is I need a new piece of mesh. The mesh I was looking at is sold in a massive piece, so I can simply remake it. The only one that mounts lights into the body is the F12 style.

Kurk818

01-05-2015, 12:26 PM

37276

just did that quick.. don't really like the exhaust mockup in that picture but you get the idea of the lights.

went back and blacked it all out

37277

Im seriously considering making this rear end. I have the plasma rod tail lights in mind.

Pearldrummer7

01-05-2015, 12:44 PM

37276

just did that quick.. don't really like the exhaust mockup in that picture but you get the idea of the lights.

went back and blacked it all out

37277

:eek:

That is beautiful.

Frank818

01-05-2015, 02:10 PM

Im seriously considering making this rear end. I have the plasma rod tail lights in mind.

For yourself or also selling to others?

Mechie3

01-05-2015, 02:57 PM

The blue photoshop actually gives me another idea for the F12 version. I'll photoshop it later. It might prove easier to make.

wleehendrick

01-05-2015, 03:26 PM

Just saw this Donkervoort on Jalopnik (http://jalopnik.com/the-donkervoort-d8-gto-bilster-berg-is-the-best-of-pure-1677526155) (it's a re-imagined Lotus 7):

http://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--jjyc-N6s--/c_fit,fl_progressive,q_80,w_636/qhtjcnixnnmgcqg7mbr3.jpg

I like those lights if you could find what they are.

Kurk818

01-05-2015, 03:55 PM

For yourself or also selling to others?

I dont know if it would be worth making a mold and duplicating the parts, but for myself for sure. Its quite the bulky item.

I do plan on making my own version of side scoops the channel air to my rear mounted front mount intercooler and also fender flares to cover the 2" extra wheel width that i have.

Mechie3

01-05-2015, 04:10 PM

I like those lights if you could find what they are.

Hella LED Round Tail Lights most likely.

Could be these. $125 per outer plus $50 for the inners per light! That's $700 in lights. These are the ones I wanted but cost and lead time (was told it often takes several months direct from germany) made me look elsewhere.
Outer:http://www.rallylights.com/all/lights/signal-position/hella-9362-series-led-ring-tail-brake-light-module.html
Inner:http://www.rallylights.com/all/lights/signal-position/hella-9001-series-signal-lamps-66mm-12v.html
http://images.thesamba.com/vw/gallery/pix/1059102.jpg

Or it might be these: Don't be fooled by the $22 price. That's just for a red reflector. If you want the actual light you need to click those options. ~$100/piece for the outer. The inners are sold separate.
http://www.rallylights.com/all/lights/signal-position/hella-8405-series-red-led-tail-light-reflector-and-chrome-trim-ring.html

nkw8181

01-05-2015, 04:17 PM

You could maybe sell the template for cutting out the rear ��

Kurk818

01-05-2015, 04:23 PM

You could maybe sell the template for cutting out the rear ��

Could possibly make a cut and bolt on type kit.

Ill be working on the body work here this coming month. Ill play around with some black poster board but some changes will be happening.

wleehendrick

01-05-2015, 05:28 PM

Hella LED Round Tail Lights most likely.

Could be these. $125 per outer plus $50 for the inners per light! That's $700 in lights.

Ouch... OK for a $230k car, but too rich for my 818!

flynntuna

01-05-2015, 09:09 PM

Longislandwrx's photoshop got me thinking.(oh oh).

Ellimist

01-05-2015, 09:50 PM

Ain't nobody got time for that!

37279

Awesome idea longislandwrx! I agree about the exhaust in Vman's image, so I did a quick re-do of the exhaust and I think this will be my current goal:
37314

Could possibly make a cut and bolt on type kit.

Ill be working on the body work here this coming month. Ill play around with some black poster board but some changes will be happening.

Really like the idea of a bolt on light kit. LOL, you could do both and switch up the lights anytime you wanted....actually sounds like more of a pain than cool. Don't think the indents are deep enough for that anyhow...

Frank818

01-06-2015, 08:25 AM

I wonder if LED bars are powerful enough for brake lights though, we see a lot of those bars and strips sold on internet, but some are just for looks and won't light up very powerful. We just must be careful at which ones we choose (must also contain white lights for reverse, or install white ones besides). Speaking of which, the bars are the ones I want, I'll try to find something and do something about the opening, recess area and stuff like that.

Mechie3

01-06-2015, 09:26 AM

I did a few preliminary searches. Searching for "LED third brake light" turned up a lot of good results.

Frank818

01-06-2015, 11:42 AM

I did a few preliminary searches. Searching for "LED third brake light" turned up a lot of good results.

I envy you, on ebay I didn't get any result good enough and close enough to what we see on this page of this thread. I'll search elsewhere.

EDIT: Finally found something interesting, with turn signals but no reverse (easy to add reverse), except I just thought about another function we need: running lights. Whether round lights or bars, we need 2 lightening intensities, one when we turn on our headlights low beam or night running lights and one brighter when we brake. Finding a compact LED bar that would easily install in place of our brake lights and that has 2 lightening intensities is not easy.

Kurk818

01-06-2015, 01:06 PM

It sounds like we almost need a new thread to discuss changing up the rear end a bit. I see this eating up most of Craig's thread.

There are several options available for a dual intensity LED that can be used and honestly, making it dual intensity is as easy as a resistor.

BTW, can we link websites and product pages on here?

Frank818

01-06-2015, 01:13 PM

C.Plavan

01-06-2015, 01:18 PM

I bought these two LED lights a awhile ago (Maybe Amazon, package of 2). Black frame, white LED portion when off, BRIGHT red when on. I planned on using it as a center third brake light to keep those heavy *** Corvette's off my ***.
It has a 3M tape on the backside. The wires are way too thin, so I plan on soldering a little heavier gauge on them before I install one.

(Plus LED lights work better for Brake checking someone behind you in a race since they light up instantly bright, but I would never do that...)

http://i.imgur.com/Lf81DCml.jpg?1
http://i.imgur.com/zNZ9GC4l.jpg?1

Kurk818

01-06-2015, 01:20 PM

We do have to start another thread. I'll leave you that honor.
I think I know where you're getting at with the resistor, good idea. I am not good with wiring (and I will build a 95% custom wiring kit for my 818).

New Thread started so we can leave Craig alone :)

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?16660-Rear-End-Redesign&p=183920#post183920

Kurk818

01-06-2015, 01:22 PM

Vman7

01-07-2015, 03:53 PM

Mechie3 The Hella LED ring & center Lights are sweet! Probably would only be able to only use one per side though, not really enough room for a pair. Trust me I layed them out in a mock-up. If FFR didn't taper the rear of the car so much a did it closer to the Vantage design, might be able to do a pair, maybe. The Hella LED & center light gets pretty big.

I love Susquehanna Motorsports (Rallylights.com) probably one of the best if not the best source for Hella lights.

Speaking of the more "squared off look" like the Ferrari. It brings to mind my so called "wide body" idea, which really isn't wider. It is taking the FFR smaller fender flares off and moving the whole fenders out to where the old flares were and giving less of a round over on the top, mostly the rear. This would give the 818 a wider look without being actually wider. It would also allow for more room in the rear width wise to do more.

David

Mechie3

01-15-2015, 01:25 PM

Here's a partially finished steering rack mount. I took the design I already had and cored it out a little and added corner radii. The bolts actually pass through the open area (no bolt holes made yet, ran out of time). I did a quick FEA of the bolt and it can withstand over 2,000lb of clamping load with a factor of safety over 4, so I think it'll survive. ;)

http://i.imgur.com/cyKUTK9.jpg

DruOdil

01-15-2015, 01:42 PM

very nice, another cool zero decibel product!

nkw8181

01-19-2015, 10:06 PM

Sexy!

Mechie3

01-27-2015, 09:43 AM

My new lights came in. I made a slight error. The options were trim ring or no trim ring with a cost difference of a dollar or so. I went with the ring thinking if I don't want it, just leave it off. Turns out they mount differently. The ring style mount through the flange (visible screws) which are then covered with the trim ring (a good thing). It does mean you can't just ditch the ring. The non ring versions use three studs coming off the back of the body. Doh! I do like the quality of them though. They're marked for street legal use in Europe so they're not the typical Chinese scrap market stuff.

The good: The rings add a good 1" to the total diameter. I'll likely make them black chrome, the silver is too blingy. For an F12 or F458 inspired rear it should work nicely.

The bad: As is the bigger light is too big to replace the red FFR light as a drop in. Didn't check the smaller one.

Large Light
http://i.imgur.com/6d6Zqnt.jpg

Upper left: Small light, brake and reverse
Upper Right: Small light, brake and amber blinker
Middle: same large light as photo above
http://i.imgur.com/kPFG10H.jpg

Wayne Presley

01-27-2015, 10:02 AM

Did you think about cutting the light hole open in the body and back mounting them to hide the ring?

RM1SepEx

01-27-2015, 10:06 AM

I was thinking of continuing my CF theme with a thin piece of CF covering that whole expanse in the rear with the lights mounted from the back. I like the sequential operating blinker approach, should be fairly easy with LEDS

Mechie3

01-27-2015, 02:56 PM

Did you think about cutting the light hole open in the body and back mounting them to hide the ring?

Hello Wayne,
No, I hadn't. I was going to attempt to make a replacement back panel, so the ring might help me there. They do sell a version without the ring. I was just hoping I could get both versions in one (ie: remove the ring and it looks exactly like the non ring version...doh!)

Dan,
I should wrap the rings with CF.

D2W

01-27-2015, 04:06 PM

How do you do black chrome?

Mechie3

01-27-2015, 04:19 PM

Rattle can. lol. It's just a coated plastic piece as is anyways. It's more of a glossy dark gray.

bbjones121

01-27-2015, 05:56 PM

You could probably tint over the chrome.

Ellimist

01-28-2015, 01:40 AM

Lights really look good! and the CF wrap sounds great. PS, sent you a PM with an order list.

R.Spec

01-30-2015, 03:31 PM

All these parts just make me go woof! Love the titanium. I am going to try and replicate that shifter setup!

Mechie3

02-04-2015, 11:05 PM

:) Thanks!

I posted these to facebook, but forgot to put them here. I played with the lights at work a bit. They're plenty bright, not some cheap crap even though they came from a factory in china. They're not DOT marked, but they are marked for European use (which is very similar to DOT/SAE). It's one reason I got them.

I was happy that the red portion has two levels, one for lights on (running lights) and one for braking. The lights are either brake/reverse or brake/signal, you can't combine the signal and reverse into a single light. You'd either need to have two lights per side or get a single center mounted reverse light. All photos were taken in a well lit office, my phone just auto compensated for the brightness of the lights (look at how dark my hand or the desk top is relative to the light output).

Chrome ring removed. It twists to unlock and then pulls straight off.
http://i.imgur.com/IKspO1g.jpg

Reverse:
http://i.imgur.com/oVzRJ08.jpg

Running Lights:
http://i.imgur.com/cTpYiHz.jpg

Brake Lights:
http://i.imgur.com/zLAZ19Q.jpg

Turn Signal:
http://i.imgur.com/wXyzPXt.jpg

Brake and Turn Signal:
http://i.imgur.com/84L8e1J.jpg

metalmaker12

02-05-2015, 01:42 PM

Nice!

wallace18

02-05-2015, 05:07 PM

Very nice. How close in size are they to the FFR units?

Mechie3

02-05-2015, 10:41 PM

I'll have to measure. With the chrome ring, the larger light is too big. Not sure about the smaller one. I have to measure the FFR ones as I don't even know what size those are.

Frank818

02-06-2015, 11:38 AM

Maybe they could just replace the FFR big reds (nope, those big reds are not Porsche calipers) so that we have our turn signals using yours and the smaller FFR ones for reverse only (instead of turn and reverse).

Mechie3

02-06-2015, 01:33 PM

There is a smaller version of these light available. Instead of the black ring (hidden by the chrome ring) it mounts from the rear (like the FFR lights). These are slightly undersized (by about 3/4"?)

Frank818

02-06-2015, 02:09 PM

Yes. These could be a good drop-in replacement of the FFR ones. Would not physically change the look, but once lit up (litte up, light up, lightened up, whichever you use) it would look cooler with the light ring when braking or at night. :)

Will you test fit them after the larger ones you are working on now?

Mechie3

02-06-2015, 03:46 PM

I'll have to buy some. I only have the ring versions at this point. I was going to go ferrari challenge grill style.

Mechie3

02-10-2015, 02:05 PM

Made a new mount for the front of the AWIC. The other version I had didn't give enough clearance for non-clocked turbo versions. This version weighs 2.5 ounces. :D I need to make a slight modification to one section to make it easier to bend. Even without welding it up it's decently stiff. Once it's welded it'll make a nice strong box.

http://i.imgur.com/tRuqIqa.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RpiIK3x.jpg

Tight fit!
http://i.imgur.com/9kaDPEP.jpg

But it clears!
http://i.imgur.com/NFzi7nA.jpg

R.Spec

02-10-2015, 02:22 PM

I just want all those cool pieces to put on display in the front of my shop. Even though I have no need for them. >.<

Ellimist

02-11-2015, 12:17 AM

Made a new mount for the front of the AWIC.

Looking good! Just another reminder of my PM with a big order for parts ;-).

Ellimist

02-11-2015, 12:18 AM

Looking good! Just another reminder of my PM with a big order for parts ;-).

LOL, nevermind, looks like it's my bad - apparently I need to set up my notifications so I know when I get a PM.....

Mechie3

02-11-2015, 05:32 AM

:). No worries.

FFR-ADV

02-11-2015, 05:42 AM

nkw8181

02-18-2015, 03:15 PM

That looks clean.

wleehendrick

02-18-2015, 03:21 PM

That looks clean.

The bracket, yes; I want mine! Craig's slave cylinder... eh, not so much. ;)

Mechie3

02-18-2015, 04:04 PM

You gotta problem with my slave cylinder!?! How bout we take this outside! :D

Machining two more of these (with slight mods) after work today to send out to the two testers.

wleehendrick

02-18-2015, 04:51 PM

You gotta problem with my slave cylinder!?! How bout we take this outside! :D

Naw, just spoiled by my nice, clean CA donor! :o

Machining two more of these (with slight mods) after work today to send out to the two testers.

http://religionandsex.umwblogs.org/files/2013/02/whip.png

tmoretta

02-18-2015, 05:52 PM

Hey - somebody has to come up with a hinge kit for the engine cover. What with the rear cover having to be open, vertically lifting the engine cover off the pins and the awkward size and shape of the engine cover, it is going to be almost impossible to remove the cover without help. How do you check engine oil etc. if you are alone in your garage?

Mechie3

02-18-2015, 10:49 PM

That's further down my list. I need to finish a set of uprights for a local guy first so he isn't hung out to dry when autocross season starts.

tmoretta

02-19-2015, 09:59 AM

I can't wait! Engine cover hinges are likely to be big sellers.

Mechie3

02-19-2015, 11:23 AM

I'm sure they will be, but I have other promises to keep first. I'd hate to be the reason someone misses an event or two because I promised them critical parts for their car only to miss delivery because I was busy making other stuff.

Hindsight

02-19-2015, 12:55 PM

What would be really cool is to have something that caused both the trunk and engine cover to swing open as a unit. It could be hinged at the back or on the side even, and then a quick release of some sort on the hinge that would allow you to remove both pieces as one piece, after they were fully vertical and easy to hold onto. Not 100% sure this would work..... and would depend on the weight of both pieces together (I feel like they are pretty light though), but it sounds good in my mind.

wleehendrick

02-19-2015, 01:31 PM

indiana818

02-19-2015, 02:45 PM

cool looking bracket great job!!

Mechie3

02-24-2015, 10:22 PM

Don't look too closely at the welds, but this is one of two of the AWIC integration kits (for lack of a better term) going out to the product testers. I'm an aluminum welding noob and it was -4F outside in an unheated garage when I was welding. Brrr! For production pieces I've retained the services of my friend who used to weld for both a company that makes aluminum racing radiators as well as was the lead fabricator for the two seater indy car. It'll save me time, money (I scrapped probably 1/3 of the parts), and look nicer. This kit is everything that I will supply to fit the off the shelf frozenboost components.

http://i.imgur.com/832VGJe.jpg

Mechie3

02-26-2015, 09:25 PM

I finished machining the first of two uprights. It's not 818 related so I made a separate thread that shows each step required to make it. Thought some people would be interested.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showthread.php?17171-How-To-CNC-An-Upright&p=190121#post190121

DruOdil

02-27-2015, 02:44 PM

Hi Craig, thank you for letting me test fit one of your products. Here are some pics of the steering rack bracket in place, "mocked up". I just bolted it right on with the FFR supplied hardware. Simple, and perfect fit. One peace aluminum with the extra metal/ weight removed. Strong and light, just what we all need. This solves a problem area and with your bracket and the steering rack could never move. I don't have a thread so I posted on yours.

Thank you again, Dru

391523915339154

Hindsight

02-27-2015, 03:04 PM

That's a nice looking piece!

FFR-ADV

02-28-2015, 07:01 PM

Hey Craig, Those steering mounting brackets look great!

FFR-ADV

02-28-2015, 07:06 PM

Mechie3

02-28-2015, 08:57 PM

Thanks for the pics Dru! I spoke with the shop today and they'll start making parts when I drop off a deposit.

Mechie3

03-09-2015, 08:30 AM

In the course of 3 days we went from a 4F am morning to a 60F afternoon so build mode is back! I couldn't justify working in single digit temps when I have a little girl inside I could spend time with. Now that it's warm enough I can sneak out after she goes to bed or my wife is having some one on one time.

I didn't get much done, but tackled the hump close off panel. I'm still not a fan of riveting everything together so I continued to use 10-32 rivnuts and 10-32 x .5 screws to hold it together. I put 10 rivnuts between the vertical/horizontal panel and 12 between the horizontal and frame. Nothing holds the top portion so I wanted it to be stiff. It was difficult to get anything into the horizontal panel underneath the roll hoop. I managed to get 2 on each side. I spaced the others out so that they weren't all in a single line to eliminate a pivot point. The vertical panel went in front of the crease. The 90deg bend there hides the two panel transition and eliminates an exposed seam allowing water to get in. I'll probably end up putting the black trim around the opening of the fiberglass to give it a finished look.

Couple of notes:
After I was done I realized that the crease sits ~1" back from the front edge of the fiberglass. I should have trimmed the front of the horizontal piece to allow it to sit further up. Too late now as the rivnuts are already placed, though I might drill them out and replace a few if I can't figure anything else out.

The very ends of the horizontal piece have little tabs that stick forward around the roll hoop. These cross right over a large weld bead. I just cut them off as they're hidden under the body anyways.

The gap:
http://i.imgur.com/rRjBPob.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/S31CZPp.jpg

Horizontal to vertical transition. Rivnut every ~5.25"
http://i.imgur.com/tVIauI0.jpg

The cut off tab (bottom right of photo) and a few frame mounting points:
http://i.imgur.com/cNGbnND.jpg

The center mounting points. The marker was for rough positioning, I measured actual locations later (ignore the one missing screw ;) ):
http://i.imgur.com/HPcRCTF.jpg

Mechie3

03-16-2015, 08:06 AM

Got some work done this weekend. Mostly just finishing up the front fender wells. Got the battery undertray temporarily mounted with Cleco's as well. It took so long due to trimming and using all rivnuts instead of rivets. Rivets are easy, drill, cleco, rivet, done. I can never get my rivnuts to set perfectly centered so after the initial drill, cleco, redrill for rivnuts (and bolt clearance holes), and setting rivnuts I then have to fit the panel and adjust any clearance holes to account for off center rivnuts. I think it's worth it. For items like the firewall that will never come off or the battery tray that doesn't prevent access I'm fine with rivets. For any panel that needs to be removed in order to inspect brake lines or fiddle with suspension parts I want them removable without a drill, spare rivets, and rivet gun.

http://i.imgur.com/L8085AV.jpg

Hindsight

03-16-2015, 09:18 AM

Nice idea on the rivnuts. With all those rivnuts you are putting in, I hope you aren't using the FFR provided tool! What about just using short sheet metal screws?

That is the first good pic I have seen of the front wheel well with all splash guards in place. It makes me wonder how the vents at the rear of the fender are going to work? I was thinking the rear fender vent openings were to help create negative pressure to help air flow the radiator but if they are blocked off by the splash guards it seems like it won't work. Maybe there is another path the air can take?

Mechie3

03-16-2015, 09:25 AM

I don't think they are vents as much as clearance for the door to open. Curving the door in and having a big open fender is done to allow for better final looks as the panel gap is hidden so it can be uneven. OEM cars don't do this.

If you use the FFR door vents (like C. Plavan) you don't put in that rear most piece. I might put some slots on the rear piece along with some mesh to allow air through to vent the high pressure area behind the wheel but prevent rocks from chipping the door.

I'm not using the FFR "tool". I bought a rivnut tool from Menards for $20 (it's in another thread, blue, looks like the HF one but is much stronger). it looks like a pop rivet tool. Much easier than the FFR method, but still longer than rivets due to the multiple step process and threading on/off vs slipping on a pop rivet with an air tool.

Frank818

03-16-2015, 05:04 PM

Oh god, the engine block off plates go that far behind the FW? That won't fit with my engine, it's taller than the horizontal V tubings onto which the alu plate sits. Damn, some more issues coming for me! :(

C.Plavan

03-16-2015, 05:22 PM

Scargo

03-16-2015, 05:27 PM

Frank818: LOL, Frank. What are you talking about? The engine's not in the front!

Frank818

03-16-2015, 05:32 PM

Frank818: LOL, Frank. What are you talking about? The engine's not in the front!

I hope not, cuz I have done everything to have it in the back!

I meant on the other pictures post #1126. I was a little behind posts. :)

Frank818

03-16-2015, 05:33 PM

My engine compartment gets so damn hot without the hump/engine block off stuff. I welcome any venting. Make sure to watch those temps.

You don't use them? Is it a lot louder without?

Mechie3

03-16-2015, 07:50 PM

Frank, those are some simple parts. You could likely make your own. Smooth lines won't matter as they'll be hidden under the humps.

Mechie3

03-16-2015, 10:34 PM

Found a few hours to work tonight.

This is why I'm glad I used rivnuts. After finishing the fender wells I removed the windshield surround as the lip has been held in place by clecos the last several months. When I removed it I noticed that I couldn't previously reach the corners of the metal block off plate that goes under the surround and dash. If I had just riveted it all in place I would never have access. I put in rivnuts for the windshield and the block off plate. When I removed the block off plate it made it much easier to put these side panels in place. I don't recall these being in my manual and I haven't fully read the updated version. It would be much better to put these parts in place (or at least drill/cleco and then remove) before doing the surround. The wheel well pieces would have been much easier if I had simply removed the surround as well.

The clecos for the block off plate with the aluminum side plate shown below:
http://i.imgur.com/xHVfniS.jpg

The side aluminum piece. I might not even rivet/rivnut the fiberglass to the lip. There's enough tension on it that unless it vibrates like crazy it'll hold itself in place and there will be less exposed fasteners.
http://i.imgur.com/X8JmxGv.jpg

This part wasn't in my manual either. Others had tucked the mounting tabs underneath the larger pieces so that there were less exposed overlapping tabs. Much harder to do after the fact. Quite a bit of trimming and drilling out about 10 rivets. It's not perfect but when powdercoated it'll blend better and I can cover the small exposed cracks with silicone to clean it up. Rather than modifying the small part you can simply cut the openings in the larger parts a little bigger and it'll drop in with little effort. Too difficult to do with the panels still mostly mounted and it would mess up the nice powdercoat.

http://i.imgur.com/kRCUwYE.jpg

nkw8181

03-17-2015, 04:17 PM

Looking good. Looking good!

Frank818

03-18-2015, 06:29 PM

So Craig, should it be better to have the body properly aligned and trimmed when fitting those inner fenders and wells? Or it doesn't matter, even if I have never test fitted the body panels I could go ahead and fit all those alu panels and then put the body on later and adjust slightly if required?

Mechie3

03-18-2015, 08:00 PM

For the front the only one you can't do (sort of) is the one that goes from the radiator tunnel to the bumper (the one in front of the wheel). The rest don't contact the body (except the rear one, it has a lip that goes under the body).

Mechie3

03-23-2015, 08:56 AM

It's not an 818 part, but I finished a table this weekend. Started it on Thursday, finished it on Friday, assembled it Saturday. Now it sits in my cubicle area. Also finally finished the matching aluminum upright for my friends legrand so I've cleared my plate of most of my obligations and can focus on the 818 again. There's a small story on the table at my facebook page.

http://i.imgur.com/ZHBIQj0.jpg

Mechie3

04-01-2015, 08:09 AM

After it hit 75F a few weeks ago we dropped back down to freezing temps and then hovered around the 40's for a while. It warmed up again (50F) and I got a little time in the garage.

I borrowed a page from the Mike Everson playbook and made my rear fender wells removable. The brackets look a little odd by themselves, like I couldn't make symmetric parts. When you put them on the fender well you'll see they line up nicely with the edge. The mounting tab on the well isn't centered on the arc. I decided to go with horizontally spaced screws instead of making them follow the arc. The end result is what you see.

http://i.imgur.com/1wR8vfl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/xQPGBjd.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/gceZpyx.jpg

The cutout for the rear bumper/side sail lip wasn't in the right spot (as others have noted too). This is the shape I cut out for extra clearance.
http://i.imgur.com/rMRNJk0.jpg

Kurk818

04-01-2015, 08:22 AM

After it hit 75F a few weeks ago we dropped back down to freezing temps and then hovered around the 40's for a while. It warmed up again (50F) and I got a little time in the garage.

I borrowed a page from the Mike Everson playbook and made my rear fender wells removable. The brackets look a little odd by themselves, like I couldn't make symmetric parts. When you put them on the fender well you'll see they line up nicely with the edge. The mounting tab on the well isn't centered on the arc. I decided to go with horizontally spaced screws instead of making them follow the arc. The end result is what you see.

The cutout for the rear bumper/side sail lip wasn't in the right spot (as others have noted too). This is the shape I cut out for extra clearance.

That's an awesome mod. Ill have to do the same. Thanks Mike and Craig for the helpful tips.

RM1SepEx

04-01-2015, 09:04 AM

I just put nutserts into the frame there instead of making a tab...

Mechie3

04-01-2015, 10:20 AM

I thought about that, but there isn't very much access to that point. I had a hard time getting a cleco in there to mark where to mount the tab.

wleehendrick

04-01-2015, 11:05 AM

I borrowed a page from the Mike Everson playbook and made my rear fender wells removable. The brackets look a little odd by themselves, like I couldn't make symmetric parts. When you put them on the fender well you'll see they line up nicely with the edge. The mounting tab on the well isn't centered on the arc. I decided to go with horizontally spaced screws instead of making them follow the arc. The end result is what you see.

Very cool... are you planning to offer that as a product (could probably do a batch pretty inexpensive), or mind sharing a template?

After it hit 75F a few weeks ago we dropped back down to freezing temps and then hovered around the 40's for a while. It warmed up again (50F) and I got a little time in the garage.

Tell me about it... I was in Iowa all last week for business, and before I left everyone was saying how nice the weather was there and just bring a light jacket. Well, I got stuck in O'Hare for 12 hours due to the ice-storm that hit the upper mid-west last Monday and didn't get home til early Saturday. So I spent a lot of this last weekend in a hammock on my back patio thawing out and catching up on my sleep instead of working on the 818!

Mechie3

04-01-2015, 11:22 AM

Very cool... are you planning to offer that as a product (could probably do a batch pretty inexpensive), or mind sharing a template?

I'll have it quoted. It's thinner material and small so I'm hoping it's an inexpensive piece. It's certainly not something that brings in the dough, so to say, but more of something that just saves others a headache or makes a nicer looking piece.

edit: I modified the model so the profile looks nicer and the bolts follow the curve of the top and sent it out for quoting.

nkw8181

04-02-2015, 08:55 AM

Nice!

Frank818

04-03-2015, 06:23 PM

Great part Craig, again great part. Plz continue...

Mechie3

04-07-2015, 03:00 PM

Final version of the rear AWIC bracket. The logo used to be "Zero dB" but it required two different versions, one for clocked and one for non clocked turbos. With this pattern, I can order the same flat piece for both setups, just bend them opposite ways without any reversed names or words.

http://i.imgur.com/7EVJ4sQ.jpg

longislandwrx

04-09-2015, 05:42 AM

smart!

Mechie3

04-09-2015, 08:12 AM

I don't always let the cat out of the bag before I have prototypes, but enough people have been asking for these so I thought I'd share. It's a hood hinge design based on a concept that RM1sepex emailed me last week. You can see his implementation of it in his build thread.

nstead of using angle pieces bolted together I designed it as a weldment as my sheet metal supplier can get me better pricing than having to CNC angle pieces and use more bolts. The center piece has two tabs that mount on top of the subframe member and a few bolts that go in from the back. It'll be fixtured during welding to ensure that the pivot holes are concentric and parallel to each other. The arms have a slot for a screw that gives an adjustable stop so you can have your hood open just a little, 90 deg, or all the way.

http://i.imgur.com/tVu9lRs.png

http://i.imgur.com/RmEJsry.png

nkw8181

04-09-2015, 08:39 AM

Sweetness!

bbjones121

04-09-2015, 05:27 PM

Awesome!

Hindsight

04-09-2015, 06:40 PM

Wow that looks very slick!

07FIREBLADE

04-09-2015, 06:59 PM

Now thats what I'm talking about. It looks awesome like usual. Great work Craig keep up all the hard work.

AZPete

04-09-2015, 10:36 PM

Yes. Yes. Yes. Take my money now for this hood hinge, Craig!
. . . and, nice design Dan.

Harley818

04-10-2015, 01:13 AM

Nice work on the hinge guys. I saw it in Dan's thread. Seems to work great.

RM1SepEx

04-10-2015, 07:52 AM

Craig fabricates to Cad and CMC capability I use microbrew beer, a bandsaw, drillpress and files :p

Scargo

04-10-2015, 08:22 AM

RM1SepEx, I'm jealous, too and yearn to do what he does. Scotch lubes my 'pooter. I used to move in Craig's circles. Had CNC equipment and powerful CAD software. Three employees designing and making their own parts. Now, I have few resources. My friends are retired. So, like you I get out the Foredom and files.
BTW, nice work (again) Craig .

Mechie3

04-10-2015, 03:02 PM

Thanks! :)

I changed up my bracket design. Instead of 1 long piece, it'll be two separate pieces. Dan suggested making it so that it has some lateral adjustment after the pieces are bonded in case they shift or weren't placed perfectly. Said the hood had enough flex to account for minor changes in the pivot axis.

Here's the first proto. Needs two relief slots added to make the small tabs easier to bend and needs one relief tab moved so it doesn't deform the lower mounting slot.

http://i.imgur.com/W5csrEq.jpg

Mechie3

04-14-2015, 03:51 PM

Made a bracket to hold a gas strut that will prop open the hood. The mounting points are designed such that it works as a toggle and actually holds the hood closed when shut.

Not sure if this part will made it to production with the rest of the hinge. I salvaged these struts from the scrap pile. I can buy them, but they're ~$45/ea on McMaster, which means likely $30/pc from the manufacturer. The strut is only about 5" long.

http://i.imgur.com/eVc8lwr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/sWslPiu.jpg

Mechie3

04-21-2015, 07:27 PM

Made some slight modifications to the strut mount to make it easier to machine and made the arms. All that's left is to design and make the piece that will get bonded to the hood.

That arm:
http://i.imgur.com/BnfniST.jpg

Assembled with some random hardware that was lying around. Need to get some better looking and shorter length (lighter) pieces.
http://i.imgur.com/YMqxp2f.jpg

There's an adjustable stop to prevent the hood from opening too far. This is especially helpful is using a spring or gas strut to assist the opening action.
http://i.imgur.com/XYGJBDo.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/ZQFbQMU.jpg

Imagine the piston compressed, this is the closed position.
http://i.imgur.com/iTU0bfd.jpg

Open position.
http://i.imgur.com/Uq1VZ2O.jpg

bbjones121

04-21-2015, 07:32 PM

metros

04-21-2015, 07:56 PM

Another great idea coming out of Craig's workshop. If the product makes the hood stable while closed in addition to holding it open, then I wouldn't sweat the cost of the struts. There will be enough of us interested in having a hood that doesn't flap around at the track to make it worthwhile for you.

flynntuna

04-21-2015, 08:38 PM

For the piece that attaches to the hood, you could kill two birds buy having the piece that attaches to the hood be long enough to add stiffness to the hood, which has been mentioned in other threads.

Mechie3

04-22-2015, 08:18 AM

Metros: It's not just the strut cost, it's the little block too. I'm having trouble with one of my machine shops again. It's not surprising, but it gets more disappointing when a grown man won't even return phone calls, texts, or facebook messages. I'm not mad my parts aren't done after two months. I am mad that he doesn't have the decency to at least say "hey, some stuff came up (because I saw him posting parts on his business FB page) and I need to push your stuff out". I put up with it because his pricing is 1/2 of other shops. I'd estimate other shops would want $40/part for that little block. Two struts @$30 and two blocks at $40 means if I sell them at cost it's already $140 on top of the cost of the hinge base, the arm, and the hood interface. I'm looking to see if I can replace the strut with a tension spring. Just need to figure out where to mount it.

Flynn: I intend to make it so that each side has two mounting pads that span ~12" or so. It'll add stiffness to the front portion of the hood but not do much for anything past that.

bbjones: Soon.... maybe. haha.

AZPete

04-22-2015, 10:11 AM

X2: when can you take more of my money?

wleehendrick

04-22-2015, 10:56 AM

I'm having trouble with one of my machine shops again. It's not surprising, but it gets more disappointing when a grown man won't even return phone calls, texts, or facebook messages. I'm not mad my parts aren't done after two months. I am mad that he doesn't have the decency to at least say "hey, some stuff came up (because I saw him posting parts on his business FB page) and I need to push your stuff out". I put up with it because his pricing is 1/2 of other shops. I'd estimate other shops would want $40/part for that little block.

Good, Fast, or Cheap... pick 2! Always the case when selecting vendors.

Mechie3

04-22-2015, 12:13 PM

I'm ok with slow. Not so much ok with trying to hide/disappear. ha! Someone just sent me a reference to another shop. For the next round of parts I'll include them in quotes.

I made some new arms today. I didn't like the final placement of the ones in the photos above. They're a little bit longer. I'll test fit it tonight and get started on the bonded mounting tab.

Frank818

04-27-2015, 06:11 PM

Will the hood be in one piece or requires cutting like Mike Everson's?

Mechie3

04-28-2015, 10:05 AM

I'm doing a one piece. The location of the mount vs the center of rotation is such that the hood lifts up slightly before tilting forward.

Progress is going to slow down a bit this week. First point even autocross is this Sunday. I moved a bunch of 818 parts this past Sunday and found an F500 sitting underneath. Filled up the cooling system and hooked up the pit battery and it started up. Nice way to break the peace in the neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon.

RM1SepEx

04-28-2015, 03:20 PM

Will the hood be in one piece or requires cutting like Mike Everson's?

I gave Craig my notes on geometry so the hood rotates up and over the nose, I haven't figured out my grill yet, an inch higher on the hinges and I could have attached it to the hood.

mrprgrmr

04-28-2015, 07:48 PM

Looks awesome!

Some uninvited thoughts on the struts (I'm just jealous that I don't have the skills to make anything that nice): I was originally thinking you might substitute a Jetta trunk lid strut (~15$ ea.) to keep costs down, but that would be longer and might be too much force. There are smaller ones used on glove boxes for boats and a few cars - online search for "glove box strut". Most of these are relatively cheap ($11-$15), but you might have to switch to ball ends which could be an additional cost and might not look as neat as the stainless screws.

It's such a beautiful design I wouldn't blame you if you don't want to change anything - and I'm sure there will be buyers regardless of cost.

Mechie3

04-29-2015, 09:17 AM

I'm always open to "uninvited" thoughts. Far be it from me to think that anything I design is so unique or high level that others can't offer suggestions.

Force can be accounted for by adjusting the effective lever arm. Give it a super short lever arm and the torque is lower. Use a longer lever arm to utilize a lower power strut.

I don't plan to change anything for my own car simply because I have a bag of these struts in hand, for free. The easiest thing was to look up part numbers/cost of these. Later on, I'll definitely be looking for more cost effective options (which require changing the pivot arm.

Frank818

04-30-2015, 06:16 AM

I have huge interests in those "uncut-hood" hinges.

Mechie3

05-04-2015, 08:45 AM

Took an 818 break this weekend to prepare for and go to an autocross. My tow vehicle is my wife's winter SUV so it hasn't been driven in a month or two. Moved it friday and one of the brake pads stuck to the rotor and pulled off the backing pad. Replaced the rotor and both pads, finished up tweaking the F500 and got everything loaded. I didn't change anything on the car this year except the nut behind the wheel. It got some weight reduction starting in January to the tune of 30lbs. :)

The site was new to us, but close by. Our best site is a 1.5 hour drive so a 20 min drive was welcome. Managed to get FTD and top PAX.

My fan club enjoying some ice cream after the win:
http://i.imgur.com/FbBlKiL.jpg

Nice little magent:
http://i.imgur.com/KPa15g2.jpg

Time sheet:
http://i.imgur.com/fDn2Ke9.jpg

The lot was super bumpy in places and smooth in others. It was actually hard to see at times when the rear end of the car hopping up. The foam for my left elbow came off after 3 years but my co driver and I drove anyways. Too much fun. Paying for it today. lol. Ouch.
http://i.imgur.com/IDeH139.jpg

There was a lotus there with the naked rear end mod. Never seen this mod in person, but I liked it. It's my vision for the rear of the 818.

http://i.imgur.com/2ONmf55.jpg

Mechie3

05-04-2015, 02:02 PM

Took apart my MR2 shifter and got it cleaned up. I'll be remaking two of the pieces. The top plate and the 90 deg pivot arm.

http://i.imgur.com/gkMh5KM.jpg

STiPWRD

05-04-2015, 02:36 PM

Interesting, I just took apart my MR2 shifter as well but it didn't have that white plate with the holes. I think mine was from a 91-95 MR2 turbo.

Bob_n_Cincy

05-04-2015, 03:12 PM

Interesting, I just took apart my MR2 shifter as well but it didn't have that white plate with the holes. I think mine was from a 91-95 MR2 turbo.
Same for me. I have 2 of them and no white plates with holes.
Bob

Scargo

05-04-2015, 04:05 PM

No white piece for me, either. I'll be watching to see what you do with yours. Mine is in nice shape and no rust.
I'm guessing a Heim joint or spherical bearing of some sort.

Mechie3

05-04-2015, 05:17 PM

Not sure what year mine came from. I don't think mine was stock. The attachment point for a cable on the lever had an added bit to it, some of the bushings look to maybe be aftermarket. The white piece went on top of the cup that holds the plastic retainer for the ball and underneath the plate the whole thing sat on.

Scargo

05-04-2015, 06:08 PM

Teflon?

Mechie3

05-04-2015, 06:54 PM

No. Not white, slippery, or soft enough. Guessing nylon

RM1SepEx

05-04-2015, 07:35 PM

It just holds the plastic socket in the metal cup, I had to use a piece of thin steel, it can interfere with the shifter's movement range if it is too thick.

matteo92065

05-07-2015, 04:29 PM

Enough with the MR2 shifter, back to the hood hinge. I need it.

Hindsight

05-07-2015, 04:39 PM

All those bushings and plastic pieces are available from the dealer right? I can't find any OEM Toyota parts lookup to get part numbers and prices like there is for Subaru (parts.subaru.com).

AZPete

05-07-2015, 04:54 PM

Enough with the MR2 shifter, back to the hood hinge. I need it.
Me too!

bbjones121

05-07-2015, 07:10 PM

Me three!

Mechie3

05-07-2015, 09:55 PM

All those bushings and plastic pieces are available from the dealer right? I can't find any OEM Toyota parts lookup to get part numbers and prices like there is for Subaru (parts.subaru.com).

Like this? :)
http://www.villagetoyotaparts.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=359908&ukey_make=1021&ukey_model=14416

Interesting, I just took apart my MR2 shifter as well but it didn't have that white plate with the holes. I think mine was from a 91-95 MR2 turbo.

I did some searching. The white plate is the drop plate mod. That combined with a small bracket on the shaft give a shorter throw. The bracket shifts the cable up higher on the shaft. S=R*theta, so bigger R (radius) = bigger S (arc length) for the same angle. The plate drops it down to keep the cables aligned and not binding.

Enough with the MR2 shifter, back to the hood hinge. I need it.

Me too!

Me three!

Lol! In good time. The MR2 shifter is an at work project I've been doing during lunch. I need to make some cardboard templates for the hood but need garage time at home to do it and haven't had any. The last couple weeks have been spent getting my F500 ready for autocross (was worth it, took FTD and PAX), doing brakes on the Enovy, baby sitting, mowing/planting veggie garden, and tonight was doing brakes on the Mini. I'm hoping for some garage time this weekend, though Saturday is the Indianapolis Grand Prix.

Mechie3

05-08-2015, 04:19 PM

Totally unnecessary, yet fun to have:

http://i.imgur.com/60j5RG9.png

http://i.imgur.com/ax1Xn5l.png

Scargo

05-08-2015, 05:02 PM

The shifter or the CAD drawing? Nice. Was this based on the parts blowup image?

Mechie3

05-08-2015, 06:21 PM

The cad model. I measured the real parts to made the model. I really only needed a few dimensions but decided to do the whole thing while I was at it.

bbjones121

05-08-2015, 11:10 PM

The cad model. I measured the real parts to made the model. I really only needed a few dimensions but decided to do the whole thing while I was at it.

Does this mean you will be making a shifter? I need a front hood hinge...please.

Mechie3

05-09-2015, 08:05 AM

I'm making a few pieces to modify the mr2 shifter I have so I can get my car driveable. Was on baby duty again last night. Hope to test fit what I have of the hinge and if it works ship it to Matteo so he can test fit it and, if I dont have time to make the hood bracket, give me a hand there.

Hendow

05-10-2015, 08:23 AM

Like this? :)
http://www.villagetoyotaparts.com/showAssembly.aspx?ukey_assembly=359908&ukey_make=1021&ukey_model=14416

The last couple weeks have been spent getting my F500 ready for autocross (was worth it, took FTD and PAX), doing brakes on the Enovy, baby sitting, mowing/planting veggie garden, and tonight was doing brakes on the Mini.

I wised I lived a bit closer... I could mow your lawn and plant your veggies, to allow you time to get back to that 818 hood hinge...!!! :D

Congrats on the F500 run too!

Mechie3

05-11-2015, 08:26 AM

Thanks :)

I'm not that far away...just half a globe.

Finally, 9pm Sunday night I made it out to the garage. I had to take off the front bumper to be able to drill holes and install rivnuts. I'm mostly satisfied how it came out. I think the mounting block (the sheet metal piece) looks a bit big, but it's hidden by the bumper with the hood closed so it's not a big deal. Making it from sheet metal means I can actually have a shop make it cost effectively and on time. The air piston puts a decent amount of torque on the mount so having it be wide helps to overcome the side loading.

One thing I will change is the vertical arm. The arm is 1/4" thick while the hood bracket will be 1/8" sheet boxed and welded. I want to make sure the box section is as small as possible to not affect air flow. Currently, the box section has to make a 5" jump from the arm to the hood. I'd rather it be 2" or less. Going to adjust the position of the cylinder mount on the arm too to give it a little overtravel. The toggle feature works really well, just want to make sure no hoods are popping up with air pressure.

In closed position.
http://i.imgur.com/pd1ARzw.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/jBindwi.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KpPfza7.jpg

Opened:
http://i.imgur.com/VHMevDF.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/9qU0KbB.jpg

Mechie3

05-11-2015, 08:30 AM

Cardboard representing glass in hood bracket (the triangle piece needs to be shorter, ie the vertical arm longer).
http://i.imgur.com/OvFTTib.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/tTbwVgo.jpg

Hood Open with Hood Bracket:
http://i.imgur.com/MiNANx3.jpg

View from front showing hidden mounting block:
http://i.imgur.com/WYDrX1m.jpg

Kurk818

05-11-2015, 09:00 AM

Nice work. I have made front hinges for my hood already. The only issue i have is the final set of the hood between the fenders upon closing. Granted i have not trimmed the hood edges, I have to wiggle the hood into place due to the return of the hood not being at 90* to the surface of the hood, but at an angle. Trimming the edges will definitely help with that.

Another note; if you can tie the two hinges together, even with an slotted bar that can be bolted on after the epoxy of the hood brackets to the fiberglass, it would greatly reduce the torsion of the hood that occurs when opening it up from one side.

Mechie3

05-11-2015, 09:57 AM

Kurk818

05-11-2015, 10:44 AM

I would like to tie the left/right side together to prevent it from twisting as it opens. Likely just a slotted bar to allow for misalignment.

Do you have mounts for the rear of the fender? I forget what chassis number came with them (35+?). My fenders are pretty rigid. Three bolts at the rear of the wheel/side sail intersection, two near the windshield, two at the front of the wheel/bumper, one a the top of the headlight bucket, and two near the hood pins. I still have to bend the rear of the hood inwards to make it bow in order to have nice gaps.

I am chassis #111 and have the mounts built in. I used the mini push pin locks that Wayne used but had to raise them with a 1x1 aluminum square tubing to have the proper height.

I only have one bolt at the top of the fender near the windshield holding it in place and it seems to be sufficient.

I still need to figure out a hood support of some sort. Will your strut support it at full open position?

Mechie3

05-11-2015, 11:16 AM

Support it as in hold it open? It should. Not sure if it's windy how well it will hold it open. I've yet to stick the pistons on the force gauge and see what they're putting out as the part number on them doesn't jive with the online catalog (might be custom).

At full open the weight of the hood itself is helping to keep it open, the strut just provides a little additional resistance. It also provides a closing force as the mounting point rotates past the pivot to provide the toggle.

Kurk818

05-11-2015, 11:39 AM

The hood itself is really light and doesnt need any assistance to open or close. The full open hold and removing the flex from the hood would be the two biggest items to address, IMO.

metros

05-11-2015, 06:45 PM

Looks good Craig. Glad you're working on this part. My rx7 had a very flimsy hood that would frequently shift/move while on track. That's not a comforting feeling.

07FIREBLADE

05-12-2015, 01:42 PM

Tell me when I can send you money, willing to be a product tester too ;)

Mechie3

05-27-2015, 08:52 AM

Did some work on the hinge while I was away in NY. Lengthened the thick arm in order to shorten the thinner sheet metal bracket and limit the moment that can be applied to it. Had an idea on the airplane on the way home and made some adjustments to the pivot mounting bracket. I was making the pivot mount square so it was symmetric and reduce total part count. Then I remembered, duh...I can make it asymmetric but bend one set forward and one set backwards to end up with two different parts that are made from the same flat pattern. The square mount looked too boxy and hacked together to me. I'm much more satisfied with the angled piece. Made a few other changes to make it easier to make, lighter, and with 50% fewer welded seams. :) There's also a transverse brace to tie the left and right sides together and provide a little bit of additional stiffness to the front of the hood.

Angled Mount:
http://i.imgur.com/auWexCl.png

Overview (still shows the old style box mount):
http://i.imgur.com/2QAHgTY.png

STiPWRD

05-27-2015, 09:58 AM

Looks nice and beefy, I like the new design better too. The hole slots seem more centered on the tubing in the old design though, is there a gap in the top pic?

K3LAG

05-27-2015, 11:37 AM

I love it. When are you going to start selling them? I'm happy to beta test if you need a tester.

Larry

Mechie3

05-27-2015, 12:24 PM

bbjones121

05-27-2015, 12:37 PM

Hmm..my reply didn't post.

The tabs are the same. When I swapped the parts in the CAD assembly some of the alignment mates were broken and I didn't fix them before taking the screen shot.

Dan in Maine and Matt in San Diego are currently lined up to be Beta testers. I should have these ready by the end of June? Most of the parts are laser cut so there's only a 1 week lead time. The mount for the shock is milled but I'm checking out some new shops.

Craig....I have a cost saving question...

Would you be willing to sell some of your parts pre-bent/pre-welded? I know that takes time to do all that and I was hoping that this might offer some of the do-it-yourself welder type of people a discount?

Please let me know what you think.
Paul

Mechie3

05-27-2015, 12:40 PM

I could probably do that. I'd just have to figure out what it cost for me to get it welded and subtract that.

matteo92065

05-27-2015, 01:04 PM

That billet gas spring part is nice, but maybe a little over kill. This would be a little easier, and match the rest of the parts.
42208

bbjones121

05-27-2015, 01:29 PM

That billet gas spring part is nice, but maybe a little over kill. This would be a little easier, and match the rest of the parts.
42208

I dunno, I think I might want milled part. There is a lot of twisting force exerted on that piece. Just bent aluminum will probably rotate over time.

Mechie3

05-27-2015, 01:33 PM

Good point Matt. Boxing that and welding it, or making it steel, would probably be enough. Doesn't look as slick, but when slick can't get delivered, sometimes it doesn't matter.

AZPete

05-27-2015, 02:07 PM

HOOD HINGE! HOOD HINGE!
http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb180/AZPeteCobra/hood%20hinge%20needed.jpg (http://s210.photobucket.com/user/AZPeteCobra/media/hood%20hinge%20needed.jpg.html)

Mechie3

05-27-2015, 02:12 PM

Haha! I dunno...that tape looks pretty fancy.

07FIREBLADE

05-27-2015, 08:28 PM

Just in time for the hardtop. Looks amazing gonna have to do glass work to fill my hood pin holes.

Mechie3

05-28-2015, 09:53 AM

Made the longer arms and they worked well with the upper cardboard bracket. If I don't have to get the baby from daycare I can make those parts after work and test those.

http://i.imgur.com/z5KSyIC.jpg

nkw8181

05-28-2015, 04:42 PM

Wooo hoooo!

Mechie3

05-28-2015, 09:29 PM

Machined new bases after work. They only difficult part is bending the middle tab without flexing the entire frame and needing to pound it back in place. I might have to make a specialized jig for this. I much prefer the look of these. Still plenty stiff (even before welding) with a smaller profile and less blocky looking.

http://i.imgur.com/unZMcKP.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/NzE02MM.jpg

AZPete

05-28-2015, 09:37 PM

Purdy, purdy. Can't wait.

matteo92065

05-28-2015, 10:20 PM

Purdy, purdy. Can't wait.
Me neither! (I'm willing to bend, and weld. ha ha ha)
Also interested in seeing the hood side. Something that can be easily glassed in.
Have you thought about how to bond and align the hood pieces in one step? So far there are no adjustments front to back?
looks great Craig.

Mechie3

05-28-2015, 10:57 PM

The hood side will look mostly like the CAD model. I did add another tab where the two oval slots are. It extends another inch or so inwards with 2 more slots. The point of this is to provide an area for epoxy to be able to mechanically secure the bracket vs relying only on a chemical bond.

There is some front to back adjustment. The hood bracket has two sets of slots that are perpendicular to the slots on the vertical arm. It's hidden in the CAD model. I changed the arrangement too. Having the arm on the outside looked mismatched, so I changed the angle of the hood bracket to allow the arm to fit inside and still have room to slide. This allows for some front/back misalignment after glassing everything in. As far as bonding, I see two methods. 1: bolt everything up, trace the outline of the hood bracket, take it all apart, bond it and then realign afterwards (or bond it and quickly put it back to pull the not yet cured epoxy into position). 2: Bolt it all up, remove the subframe undertray (mine is screwed in, not riveted, so it's easier) and bond it in (at least somewhat) with it all installed. After initial curing, add more epoxy/glass to fully secure it.

Mechie3

05-29-2015, 08:16 AM

couple photos from this morning comparing old vs new mounts. Need to figure out a better way to bend the middle tab.

http://i.imgur.com/3TjWInl.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4moMlSL.jpg

Mechie3

05-29-2015, 06:25 PM

Meh... Dont like how the hood bracket turned out. Too difficult to bend without other areas distorting. Might try a different seam pattern or a thinner material. The .125" aluminum when boxed is super strong.
http://i.imgur.com/QwVBQxM.jpg

Frank818

05-30-2015, 06:57 PM

After building your 818, you should make a life out of building parts. :) But I think the pay check wouldn't be sufficient, on the other hand you'd make a lot of people happy. lolll

RM1SepEx

05-30-2015, 07:15 PM

Craig, based on the alignment problems that I had the hood section should be bolt together or one piece spacing the parts that are bolted to the hinge material. Then you can place and bond it to the hood while attached and clamped to the crossbar of the radiator support... I have to shim mine, too hard to get it bonded spaced and square. |___________| Clamp to the hood with some quick setting epoxy with the hinge bolts in and the brackets clamped to the radiator support frame, and then remove and flip over, bonding with resin and fabric. You will have to fill in under the bracket due to the arc of the hood.

Mechie3

05-30-2015, 08:45 PM

There is a poecebthat bolts to connect the left to the right hood bracket. Is that what you're referring to??

RM1SepEx

05-31-2015, 08:27 AM

yup... absolutely needed to keep everything square! good job Craig

Mechie3

06-01-2015, 08:25 AM

I didn't get a chance to work on anything this weekend. Saturday morning I picked up a 17.5 ton press. The cross bars are on a pulley system for quick height changes and the arbor is on a leadscrew so it can adjust up and down super easy instead of trying to find the right height blocks to stack up. It has a leaky fitting so that needs to be replaced and the hydraulic oil refilled, but $250 for a $2800 press? I'll take it! Saturday afternoon I watched 1/2 the indycar race before heading off to church. My friend Conor was filling in for the injured Hinchcliffe and was doing well until Hunter-reay bumped him and damaged the wing and gave him a flat tire. Lightning called the race off and he was stuck in the last running position (not counting wrecked cars). Simply bad pit timing vs cut short race.

Sunday was redemption day for Conor and a fun day for me. Took the F500 to Indy points event #2 and took FTD and top PAX again. Got a bit lucky running in the third run group where the course was still super dusty but at least not damp patches here and there. Made it home in time to watch the last 1/2 of the second Indycar race and saw Conor lead for several laps, get sent to the back for a blocking violation, and work his way back up to sixth. It would have been a solid third place finish if Indycar hadn't cut the race short 3 laps and made it a timed race due to too many yellow flags. The top three cars were going to fun out of fuel and all of them did the lap after the final lap (which was 3 short of the full 70). Hoping he can land a full time ride. Overall, excellent weekend!

Now...back to 818 stuff. :)

http://i.imgur.com/Wj2PxQl.jpg

Wayne Presley

06-01-2015, 08:34 AM

Good weekend Craig!

Mechie3

06-01-2015, 10:05 AM

Thanks! :)

Maybe one day I'll be able to do some road racing like you do. :D

RM1SepEx

06-01-2015, 05:40 PM

Always a great day when you get both FTD and fast factor, isn't it! Great job Craig, you are obviously another addict of the slick grip phenomena... Once you really experience a race car with tires nothing compares. I was always a bit OVER the edge when I had my Red Devil like yours. I really enjoy the shifter kart more as it is easier to work on and the FMod was a maintenance hog, I averaged 2 hrs of work for every 8 minutes of seat time!

Mechie3

06-02-2015, 08:36 AM

My Fmod has been mostly maintenance free since a frame up rebuilt and swapping from the 440 to the 500. The 440 was terrible and as I bought the whole car, small things fell apart here and there making it a constant chore. I stripped it down to a bare metal frame (took all the paint off too) and put it all back together dropping a good 27lbs in the process (machined new hubs, floor pans, lots of new CNC parts). When the 440 gave me trouble starting after 1 season on a rebuilt I scrapped it for the 500. All I do now is drain the water in winter, fill it in summer, check alignment of rotating parts and check the bolts that are known to get loose.

I made a new hood bracket yesterday. The design is mostly the same but it was much easier to fold. Need to add some material to adjust for some gaps caused by real life radii not matching the modeled bend radii. That's what happens when your sheet metal tools are minimal at best. Got a big sheet of material in today to make a handful of these now.

http://i.imgur.com/tyCpPPn.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/A1aqkCP.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/4NoYgz0.jpg

Mechie3

06-02-2015, 12:29 PM

Nailed it!

Added material to 4 edges. They meet perfectly. I need a jig to hold it at 90 during welding as it springs open slightly (as expected). Otherwise, it'll be an easy weld. I changed up the folding sequence too and it was much faster and easier to fold.

The original had the slotted area in two pieces to bend to accommodate the hood curvature. I found though that at the point where it touches the hood, it's more or less flat over the 4" distance of the bracket. The slots just let epoxy flow through all the way.

http://i.imgur.com/D76i6ZX.jpg

Latest one on the right. Added another slot for better epoxy flow through.

http://i.imgur.com/1N2S8xI.jpg

65 Cobra Dude

06-02-2015, 01:08 PM

Looks awesome Craig. I'd be happy to be a guinea pig if you need one. If not, I am in for the first batch.

Thx,

Henry

Speedy G

06-02-2015, 02:46 PM

As I said in another thread, count me in when you're selling those. I especially dig the transformers-like zero decibel logo btw.

RM1SepEx

06-02-2015, 05:28 PM

We ran the old 440 Kawasaki and it was a PITA, never got around to a total rebuild, I ive would have been well worth it. I'm happy with my change to the shifter karts, they are faster and easier to store and deal with. For autocross we run 50-50 and don't even drain them for the winter...

Frank818

06-02-2015, 06:48 PM

These parts look like a Transformer logo. :) Can't get that out of my head!

Mechie3

06-04-2015, 06:56 PM

A little bit of billet goodness as I transform an old mr2 shifter.
http://i.imgur.com/0wQ8wzr.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/WcuFAt1.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/SOhajRc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/bXoWMR5.jpg

Frank818

06-04-2015, 07:04 PM

Endless ideas! I love that!

Mechie3

06-04-2015, 07:20 PM

Endless ideas...too little time. :)

Mechie3

06-05-2015, 06:12 PM

Cable clamp mount for the mr2 shifter. The bolts not only clamp the cable housing but they're inset into the through hole enough to capture the groove on the housing to doubly secure the cables.
http://i.imgur.com/uunZ3ou.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/eyqjvbp.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/hn6AOGi.jpghttp://i.imgur.com/6ABRBNB.jpg

RM1SepEx

06-05-2015, 06:18 PM

Just can't help yourself! Very nice job, my clamps look like poo and come from McMaster Carr

Mitch Wright

06-05-2015, 08:00 PM

Very nice

Scargo

06-05-2015, 08:04 PM

Very nice. Think more 3-D. You have ball end, end mills don't you? Mo' fancy!

Bob_n_Cincy

06-05-2015, 10:40 PM

Hi craig
the cables need to be offset.
Bob

42509

Mechie3

06-06-2015, 04:24 AM

Scargo, I'm using the free version of hsmworks CAM software which doesn't support 3d. :/

Bob, my cables are short (6') since no one had 7' cables in stock. I need an extension shaft between the cables and shifter so those will be two different lengths to get the offset. I might run into problems with ebrake mounting though.

Mechie3

06-09-2015, 08:27 AM

Some fun updates:

MR2 Shifter:
I wanted to make my own shifter, but after designing 1/2 of one from scratch I decided it wasn't worth the effort and design time considering my car still isn't finished. Instead, I bought an MR2 shifter and rebuilt it. I retained a lot of the guts and the parts that won't be seen (pivot shaft for bell crank, plastic cup and steel holder, spring, E-clips, and the large steel ball) and made the rest out of aluminum and titanium. It'll mount on top of the center console with the guts hanging beneath. I'm happy with how it turned out.

This is what happens when you're designing parts while holding a baby, watching F1, and trying to prevent the baby from grabbing the computer. Mind reverts to Left to Right mode and you end up with weird transmissions. Doh!
http://i.imgur.com/y1DotZK.jpg

Take 2. Little better. :)
http://i.imgur.com/WJJL8xU.jpg

The steel plate gets replaced by this billet plate plus the cable mount I showed earlier. Cable mounts has a base that still needs to be made.
http://i.imgur.com/Np8rZYj.jpg

Remember this guy I made for the plastic FFR shifter? I took it all apart, machined down the end of the titanium shaft and pressed it into the steel ball from the FFR shifter which is the same as the old ball from the MR2 shifter. It's cool to see a part get designed in the 80's and get used for decades! I still need to make a collar for the cable mount on the shaft.

http://i.imgur.com/dX8AmdW.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/m4cq0Iq.jpg

Mechie3

06-09-2015, 08:28 AM

Put it all together and you get this:
http://i.imgur.com/hjfmTly.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/neRy7Ki.jpg

Undershot showing the original guts:
http://i.imgur.com/s4ezNHU.jpg

Mechie3

06-09-2015, 08:45 AM

Now, onto the hood hinge. First proto is complete. Two test fit protos are 75% complete. I'm happy with how it came out. Lots of adjustment, quite strong without being heavy, and doesn't block airflow.

Hood closed:
http://i.imgur.com/vOH9Fyc.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/LQ75Cs9.jpg

Hood open:
http://i.imgur.com/Oii6zkW.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/aqgLSNS.jpg

View looking into radiator inlet with hood closed (sorry for the terrible photo, it's supposed to show that except for the 1/4" thick arms, everything sits up above the opening.
http://i.imgur.com/5gs4kPs.jpg

Also, not exactly "post your awesome welding on the internet" quality, but I'm excited about this nonetheless. I welded together 4 pieces and didn't scrap a single one. Previously my scrap rate was about 1 out of 3 which was a huge waste of time and material.
http://i.imgur.com/y3IM3WY.jpg