Just Around the Bend

Have you ever gone hiking in the mountains and after many hours you start to get tired, but keep going because you're convinced your destination is just around the next bend in the trail?  I'm like that, but often find that the trail just keeps going and going.  It's disappointing to find you're not there yet, but it always feels good when you finally do make it to your goal.

I was at that point in my project this week.  I had just come off the great experience of really driving the car for the first time and now I'm thinking I just have to connect the wiring and slap on some carpet.  After all, how hard could the wiring be for an electrical engineer?  I know the basics -- a headlight needs positive and negative wires, a switch and a connection to the electricity source.  In theory, yes, in practice?  Well, let's just say I went around another bend in the trail.

It turns out that the wiring isn't too bad, it's all the other aesthetic decisions that are hard for me.  My dash will end up with many switches, indicators and gauges.  Where should I put them all so it looks good and is functional?  What type of switches do I want (I never realized how many options are out there)?  Should the switches light up?  If so, what color?  And so on...  How am I going to fit everything I want behind the dash (a heater, glove box, wiring, defrosters, etc.) when there isn't that much room?

It quickly became overwhelming.  I had to walk away for awhile, but when I came back to it, I started to write down every function and control I thought I'd want.  It turned out to be a long list.  The current count is 14 switches, 5 indicator lights, 7 gauges and various other items.  Now at least, I can start to play around with different ideas and that could be fun.  I also decided that I'd keep mocking-up the parts of the dash until I have a full plan before I commit to making anything permanent -- that takes a lot of pressure off.

Here's one part that I've worked out -- the heater.  I wanted it hidden behind the dash and the area is only about 8" x 8".  To start, I found the smallest aftermarket heater out there (although I did see one guy hook up two hair dryers as heaters, but I'm not going there).

It has a blower on top and a small radiator inside that hot water from the engine flows through.  The hot air will be forced out of the bottom of the unit and it's designed to fit under the dash of an older car.  Unfortunately, for a few reasons, this won't work for me, but I thought I could reuse the components somehow.

So I took it apart.

After playing around and thinking about it overnight, I think I found a solution.  By putting the blower on the bottom and the outlets at the top, I can run small hoses over everything to the spots where I want the heat outlets.  And since the outlets are at the top, it will be easier to hookup the defrost vents.

Here's a mock-up of what I'm thinking.

It's small enough to fit, puts the water connections in the right place and hopefully will work out.  I'm going to use this as I design other parts of the dash to see how it all works together.

Up next, a glove box.

A Real Test

Following a successful trip to the cobra breakfast meeting a couple weeks ago, I decided to push for one more short-term goal:  a full test drive.  No, I'm not going on the road (yet), but I think it's time to really test the car's capabilities -- braking, acceleration, handling, etc.  After all, I have the trailer here and soon it will be getting too cold to take the car out.

My main concern is safety.  Therefore, leading up to this test I focused on making sure the car was safe to drive at speed.  I installed the roll bar (I can't imagine flipping over, but I'd be really disappointed if it happened and the roll bar was sitting safely in the garage).  I checked all the steering and suspension bolts for the proper torque.  I also had to install the floor pan, the seat and the harness.

Before I could put in the floor pan, I had to finish some other fabrication and prep some of the parts.  First, I had to make an enclosure for the parking brake mechanism.  Next time, I'll do this before installing the transmission because I barely had room to work.

It starts (as usual) with a paper template (with lots of trial and error)

It fits around the brake handle

I flattened the template

Traced it onto an aluminum panel and cut it out

I bent the panel along the dotted lines

And installed the finished product

Actually, it was not as easy as it looks!

Then is was time to install the floor pan.  I put an undercoating on it to reduce road noise.

I applied silicone on all the contact surfaces so it won't rattle.

Here it is temporarily held in place.

After all the rivets are installed.

The completed floor pan.

Then I installed the driver's seat and safety harness, and it was ready to go.

Early yesterday morning, I trailered the car over to the local mall with its huge parking lot for my test drive.  Here it is right before the test.

The driving was great!  The only problem I had was that with no fenders, I got showered with pebbles the whole time.  I'm glad Laurie came along to watch even though she had just gotten a cast on her leg.

I wish I had gotten more video but I do have one to share.  The actual ride was much smoother than the shaky video would imply.

Shortly, after completing this run, the security patrol came back to tell me the car was very impressive, but I couldn't drive it there.  I packed up and went home very satisfied.

My Trip to the Cobra Breakfast

In the last post Saturday night, the car was running and all that was left was to get it on the trailer.  Sounds easy since that's what a car trailer is designed to do.  The only problem is that I've never done it before.

At 7am on a beautiful Sunday morning, I started the car and backed it out of the garage (much to the dismay of my neighbors).  I pulled it up to the trailer ramps and stopped to make sure everything was lined-up.

After a quick inspection, I got back in the car and stared at the trailer in front of me.  What could go wrong, I thought.  Maybe the ramps would slip and the car would fall off, or the frame would bottom-out and get stuck, or I would give it too much gas and wouldn't be able to stop before driving off the front of the trailer, or maybe the brakes would lock up and I'd slide off the front of the trailer.  With all those positive thoughts running through my head, I started the engine, pressed the gas pedal and let out the clutch.

I'm happy to report that none of those terrible things happened and the car did just what it was supposed to -- it went smoothly up the ramps, and easily stopped up on top.  What a relief!

I strapped the car down and headed off to my breakfast meeting.  Most of the drive was along the highway and I had to chuckle to myself as I saw car after car pull up alongside the trailer, slow down to check it out and then pull forward with a thumbs-up or a wave.  At one point, I watched a motorcyclist do the same thing, but when he pulled forward he signaled to me to lower the window.  There we were going 60 mph have a conversation about the car!

When I got to the diner, I knew I wouldn't be able to park in the regular lot with a trailer, but there is a bank next door so I pulled in there.  As I parked, I saw 6 other cobras lined-up in the diner's lot, but they couldn't see me because of some bushes between the two lots.  I quickly figured out an easy way to get their attention -- I started the engine and revved it a few times.  Just like a pack of hyenas  sensing wounded prey, they had surrounded me in no time.

The guys poked their heads in, around and under everything.  I told them to let me know if they saw any problems or had any advice.  What I got was "great job", "fantastic", "one of the best I've seen", and "really, a dog gate?".  Suddenly, my standing within the group changed.  I wasn't just a voyeur any more, I was becoming accepted as an equal.  It was a great morning.

I came home with even more enthusiasm to get the car completed.  Since it was a beautiful autumn day and I had only driven the car a total of 100 feet so far, I thought I'd test it out a little more.  I really wanted to make sure the brakes worked well under a hard stop.  So I backed the car to the end of a straight section of driveway, accelerated forward and hit the brakes before reaching the road.  The brakes worked pretty good (but I'm still going to do more testing in a parking lot somewhere).  The thing that really surprised me was the acceleration.  I don't think I've every done 30 mph in my driveway before!

And just for fun, I took it out into the road when no cars were around.  I'll need to learn how to be easier on the accelerator.

Next up: electrical and heating/ventilation.

It's Alive!

And then there was more...

And still more...

Tomorrow morning I hope to get the car onto my trailer and bring it to the Cobra Club breakfast meeting.

What a milestone, and the best part is that I have terrific memories of sharing this with my family!

Under the Gun

As of my last post on Wednesday, I was about a day behind my plan to get the car running.  The list of things was definitely getting shorter though.  The thing is, I was so focused on getting stuff done, that I didn't stop to take too many pictures.

Here's a quick rundown of Thursday's activity:
Made a bracket for the fuel regulator and installed it.
Connected all the permanent fuel lines.
Installed the radiator, fan and grille.
Shortened all the radiator lines to match the final radiator location.
Installed the brake master cylinder.
Reconnected the steering.
Calibrated the timing pointer on the engine.

Yesterday I did stop to take a few pictures of the progress as you'll see below.

Something I had to do was to start installing the inner body panels.  For example, I need a floorboard under the pedals because up until now, the car is powered the same as the Flintstones car.

And to support the floorboard, I had to install two other panels.  This was another new challenge -- how to align all these panels to each other, drill holes for rivets, add silicone to all the joints, and finally rivet the pieces together.

Here is the front panel on the driver's side.  The copper studs are actually temporary rivets used in aircraft manufacturing.  As I drilled each hole, I installed a temporary rivet to hold the pieces in alignment.

Looking down between the engine and the driver compartment.  You can see that I had to remove the exhaust on this side.

The interior of each panel also is getting a layer of heat/noise barrier.  I cut out the pieces to size and stick them in place.  There is an aluminum facing to reflect heat.  This will all eventually be covered with carpet.

The exterior of panels that won't be visible will also get an undercoating treatment to reduce noise.

Here Ben is helping to reinstall the exhaust.

Getting close.  The driveshaft goes in.

Connected the throttle cable.

Cleaned-up the temporary wiring.

Now you can see the floorboard under the pedals.

And here's the radiator and grille painted a semi-gloss black.

Today was all about getting things done.  Sorry, no more pictures.  The main accomplishment was getting the brakes and clutch bled (ie, filled with fluid).  Many thanks to Ben for helping get it done.  As usual, it took much longer than I thought it would (mostly because I ignored the advice to prime the master cylinder with fluid before installing it).

I got the engine running again after no starts in nearly two months.

Finally, it was time to put the tires back on, and thereby, crossing the last item off the list.  It's ready to go!

In More News...

Progress on other fronts.

Here are a couple pictures of the completed battery box.  I painted it to match the frame (upper picture), and added a front and bottom wall to protect the battery from any road debris (bottom photo).

This is the coolant tank.  I most cars, it is a plastic tank up by the radiator.  This one is stainless steel and looks cool.  I made the brackets at the top and bottom to mount it to the frame.

Next up, hook up the fuel lines and reinstall the radiator.  Right now, getting the car running this week is still feasible.  Keep your fingers crossed.

I've Got the Bends

Bending brake and fuel lines, that is.

Back in June I made my first attempt at bending steel lines.  It wasn't pretty.  Without really thinking about it, I had decided to start with the much stiffer fuel line (compared to the thinner brake line) and dive into the trickiest set of bends first.  I had no idea what I was doing, but I had straight pieces of pipe and a bending tool--you just use one on the other and away you go, right?  The first bend was fine, but since I hadn't planned anything out, there wasn't enough room for the tool to make the second bend where I wanted it.  Well, I forced it anyway and the bend ended up in the wrong place.  I kept going anyway.  The third bend would get the fuel line running from the back of the car to the front, and it would allow me to test fit the line for the first time.  I made the bend and brought it over to the car.  Oh no, I made it 180 degrees in the wrong direction!  Instead of running to the front of the car, it ran out the back like a tail pipe.  I still wasn't ready to give up so I tried to reverse the bend 180 degrees, but the line wouldn't have it and it just snapped.  That's when I raised the white flag.

That experience created a lot of anxiety for me.  Back in August I got up the courage to work a few pieces of brake line.  It wasn't too bad and I started to figure out a few techniques that helped me plan out the process.  I still wasn't excited about working on these lines, but this week, I was determined to finish them.  A couple days ago I finished the brake lines.  Here are a few pictures.

I'm very happy with how they turned out.

Maybe it even restored some of my confidence to get back to the fuel lines.  Yesterday morning, I went to the garage first thing determined to give it another go.  This time, I installed the brackets first so they would act as a guide and allow me to make more accurate measurements.  Boy, did that work much better.  I also started in the middle of the line and worked toward both ends.  That way, I could test fit the line with each bend.  And finally, I came up with a marking system that helped me to make sure I was bending in the right direction.

Well, here they are.  There are two because one brings fuel to the engine and the other returns excess fuel back to the tank.

This is the back area.

This is up near the engine.

These are the connectors so the line can transition to flexible hose near the engine (to account for the vibrations while the engine is running).

You can see the black flexible line running up to the pressure regulator.  I made a plywood template for a mounting bracket.  I need to finish that tomorrow.

I'm proud to say I've overcome my fear of bending lines.  And I didn't realize how much anxiety I had bottled up because of it.  Now that it's done, I feel like the kid in school who kept hoping the teacher wouldn't call on him to give his oral report even though he knew he'd eventually have to do it.  Once it's over, it's such a relief.

One Way to Spend a Saturday Afternoon

Next Sunday is the monthly meeting of the local Cobra club. Since the weather is getting cooler, I decided this is my chance to have the guys look over my car before they go into hibernation. I'll need to get the car onto the trailer to bring it to the meeting and the only way to do that is to drive it on. That means I have a lot to do between now and then.

This afternoon I designed and built the bracket that will hold the battery. I found a spot up in front of the engine that seems just right. It will bolt to the frame and have long bolts that clamp the battery onto the bracket.

Here are the pieces.  The piece that looks like 1/3 of a box is the bracket I made.

Here it is with the battery in place.

Here are a couple shots in the mounting location (that's the front right wheel in the background).

Now it needs to get painted and I will probably install it on Wednesday.

Next up, painting the radiator and finishing the brakes.

It's All About the Radiator

Have you ever been driving down the highway and end up behind a dump truck that is dropping small rocks in its wake?  They bounce off your hood and windshield, and you curse him as you pass by.  Well, I started thinking about that and the fact that the front of a cobra is basically a huge vacuum cleaner, trying to suck in as much air as possible to cool the engine.  The only problem is that whereas a vacuum has a filter to keep the dust under control, a cobra has a lightweight aluminum radiator -- an all too easy target for the aforementioned rocks.  Even one small rock hitting the radiator at 60 mph could easily create a pinhole.

Look at the front opening - it's just a problem waiting to happen.  I like the look of the black hole and didn't want to add a grille like the one in the picture below (besides, it costs $200!)

My head is always full of things like this that I need to solve before moving on with construction.  The other day, I was casually wandering through the home improvement store to get some inspiration and I found the answer - a dog gate.  Okay, maybe it sounds even uglier than a grille, but stick with me.

Here it is.  Most people would buy this to put on their screen door so a dog doesn't tear up the screen, and I'm a little surprised that the manufacturer doesn't even bother to market it as a cobra radiator grille (maybe because they'd only sell one for that purpose and I would be their only customer).

Here is what I did.  First, I had to remove the arms sticking out at the four corners.  Then I disassembled two sides.

I trimmed the frame and screen to the proper dimensions.

And then reassembled it.

Here it is mounted on the radiator and ready to go.  The grille actually sits an inch above the radiator to provide some clearance.  The whole thing will be painted black so it will blend together.  It won't even be noticeable.

To get the grille to be spaced away from the radiator, I made these brackets.  It's funny how they look simple but took an hour to design and fabricate.

One everything is painted, the radiator will be ready to go back on the car with the new grille on the front and the fan assembly on the back.

And best of all, my grille only cost $20!