Decisions, Decisions

I had no idea how many decisions I'd have to make.  And I'm not even talking about simple decisions like what color to paint the car.  I constantly ask myself what do I want this car to be, how is it going to be used, how will it look, will this part work with that part.  I even have to do math to figure out fuel flow rates, gear ratios, steering geometry and more.  The engine design takes it to a whole new level.  Don't get me wrong, I love it.  I just wasn't expecting it.  I won't go into details, but it already seems like it takes me a week of research just to make one decision.  At this rate, my grandkids will have to finish the car.

But I am making progress.  I have the front end geometry figured out and have all the parts for that.  Of course, this doesn't include the actual steering itself, just how the front wheels are going to connect to the car.

I've been working on designing the rear end too (that's where the rear wheels attach to the car).  I decided to install independent rear suspension (which turns out to be a lot more complicated) to improve handling.  I'm still searching for those parts and I'll leave that for another post.

eBay is where it all started (remember the engine block?) and it continues to be a primary source of parts.  I'm getting deliveries almost every day.  So far, I picked up a parking brake handle (another post coming on this too) and front spindles.  I bought a few new parts too.  Overall, I'm trying to keep the costs down (a little) by spending time scouring around for parts and trying to buy just what I want/need.

Another big buy this week -- a new 5-speed manual transmission!  25% off and free shipping from CA.  Wa-hoo!

Just to give you an idea, here's what I'm currently in the market for and feel free to let me know if you have any of these parts laying around.

Front brakes, rear brakes, gas/brake/clutch pedals, steering linkage, gas tank, fuel pump.

Oh, I almost forgot that I found a plastic shield for the gas tank (on eBay) being sold by a guy in MA.  Rather than having him ship it, we're going to pick it up while we're up there for Thanksgiving.

It's been fun dealing with all the people selling their stuff.  Everyone has been so cooperative, but my new friends in Florida are over the top...