LocostUSA.com

Jan 2017

A shot of the new steering column pass through at the firewall.. had to be moved a bit to clear the LNF intake manifold- shaft has yet to be trimmed to size..

Other pics are of the intercooler pipe pass throughs at the radiator support..


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Jan 2017

Adding more bits.. condenser and FMIC go in..

the longer I look at the engine in place, the more concerned I become about the hood clearance I'm certain I'm supposed to have... the hood will shut, right


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Jan 2017

Another unseasonably warm day, so I laid in a bit more Dynamat.. first pic also gives a bit of a wider shot of the steering shaft's new location..

Wanted to include a pic of the now-installed hood closed.. it lives closer to the top of the engine than I thought it would be, but seems it will clear just fine

--------------

Up next; time to fab a way to mount the EPS under the dash, and get the steering wheel into the factory position- sort of like hanging a brick in space

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Early Jan 2017...

The goal is to get the EPS column and AC evaporator hung now as those jobs take a bit of time and dexterity, and soon I'll have to pull off of the project for a bit.. really I just want this part of the job done so when I jump back on it this spring I can hit the ground running..

But first a few little distractions.. Nothing is free in this life, and if I want my garage time, I occasionally have to do a 'honey do' for Princess Wife.. this time it's the bathroom vanity.. I found it best to work in the garage during the day and come in at night and do her bidding.. A quick pic of the demolition fun..

Also, Pick-A-Part had a 40% off weekend, so I went out and picked up some wheels for the trailer, a 14" steering wheel hoop for later use on the Volvo, and the little dog-leg shift handle in the pic.. I think it came out of an old Eclipse.. I'll mod a a bit and then I think it will work well in this car..

Finally, as I set to fabbing in the EPS column, I need to take the OEM Volvo bits off of the top of the 1800 column (red circle), and morph them over to the top of the Equinox EPS column (yellow circle) so things will look 'Volvo 1800 factory' once done..


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

This EPS column is a bit heavy and awkward, but I ended up wresting it into place and replicating the eventual placement of the 1800 steering wheel.. Had to fab up several brackets to marry the new to the old.. While working it in, I decided the pseudo 'tilt' feature (it's not a 'true' tilt wheel, it's the cheesy kind that pivots the whole column up and down) wasn't a benefit for this Volvo's seating/steering wheel position, so I designed this to remain a fixed-angle column.. While at it, I was sure to retain the new column's collapsible feature (that will help me sleep better knowing it's as safe as possible for an old car).. Also, the EPS 'box' in the pic hangs very low... I'll be relocating that up and out of view later..

While working on the column and staring at the dash, I got to thinking about my Speedhut gauges, and how I screwed up when I ordered them.. I LOVE the way they look (Speedhut lets you totally customize your gauge design), but I don't like the way the neon-orange needles look (pic below).. for the last several months I've had them, I figured it would be too cost prohibitive to send them back and have the needles switched out- and that I'd just learn to live with them... Then I thought what the heck, I'll call Speedhut and explain my mess up, and just for grins what would a needle swap cost?.. They were so cool! They could have totally gouged me, but instead were very understanding, and welcomed the work.. I think it's like $2 or so a gauge plus shipping to swap to the "dark red" needles- cool! Here I was hating this one little detail in the build, while the fix is so easy and inexpensive.. hats off to Speedhut for helping me out in a very fair way


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

How 'bout a bunch of pics that don't show much?

I used paint cans and popsicle sticks to hold the evaporator (Vintage Air#68000-VUZ-A) up into position while I measure for clearances and to establish it's eventual location.. It's about as tucked up and away as it can be while still clearing everything and being functional.. Eventually the chosen vents (3) will be through-dash units (Vintage Air #49203-VUQ (2) and 49202-VUQ (1)) to keep the appearance clean, and there will be a snake's nest of duct work hidden up behind the dash to make it all work as it should.. It will be tight, but it should look clean..


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Need to drop these here as I sort out a wiper/electrical issue.. any Volvo 1800 guys know where my wiper motor's GREEN, RED, and BLACK wires (and BATT+) plug into on this?

**hard to see, but #3 and #4 are piggybacked on the switch..

--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Got some help from the guys over on Swedespeed to rewire the wiper switch .. 1 is black, 2 is red, 3 is green (12V). 4 is green (from wiper motor), 5 is a small jumper from 3, and 6 goes to washer pump motor..

-also a small detail update..

Got the gauges back from Speedhut... changed from 'racer red' needles to 'dark red'.. I like them much better now

Not the best pics, but you get the idea...


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Jan 16, 2017

Pulled myself out of the garage for a day of offroading in the nearby desert @ Dove Springs, CA.. If you google Dove Springs Talc Mine you'll come up with some pretty interesting images of what equate to GIANT holes in the side of a hill..

Pic 1: is 'red rock,' an area you've got to drive through to get to where you're going.. pictures don't really capture to scale and colors of what's out there- so cool..

Pic 2: I stole this from the internet for scale.. these caves/holes are huge! Over time some of the ceiling had cracked and fallen down- tons of rock- super unstable looking...

Pic 3 and 4: I'll show my ignorance here.. I haven't done any research on this mine, and I have no idea what that thing is I'm standing next to.. Anybody know? It struck me as I looked at the landscape littered with these things, they looked like some sort of old, discarded experimental spacecraft

I know the truth won't be quite as interesting, but it was a sureal scene nonetheless


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Those "things" are cyclone dust collectors, most likely part of a dust collection system used when they were mining the talc or perhaps a way of collecting talc that went astray.

Also, I had thought on your wiper switch, with it being a Lucas part, it should have numbers cast into the bakelite. You might be able to find a wiring diagram with said numbers on it. Is the wiper motor a Lucas part too?

Thank you cs3tcr I was having a Walter Mitty moment out there, but I like the 'real' answer too.. Got to be an interesting story of why the company just pulled out, and was allowed to leave their detritus behind- seemingly in a bit of a hurry..

As for the switch.. it is a Lucas bit, but I wasn't able to find any markings on it (as I was hoping to).. The wiper motor itself it not Lucas.. memory tells me it's a "Prestolite"


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Jan 25, 2017

"A Line in the Sand" (previously known as "The Stagnating Build")

I'm a bit frustrated with myself for having this build take so long.. The days are short.. it's cold.. I'm the sun is in my eyes.. I can stop drinking anytime I want to.. blah blah blah.. We've all heard the excuses- but the reality is I've just been plain old lazy.. on weekdays, I come home from work, and the gravity storm on the living room couch always sucks me in.. Time to fight back

I truly miss driving a 'cool' car (no, the daily driver commute car doesn't count!), so it's time to ratchet things up a bit.. As she sits, the car is nowhere near running, but I'm driving her to Reno, NV on August 10, 2017 for the Hot August Nights car show.. I did this to myself a few years ago when I was building the N600, and it really helped to have a 'fun when it's finished' goal..

So there it is.. a somewhat realistic deadline- just 6 months away.. I will make it, it will be fun, and I can still stop drinking any time I want to


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

cc, we're pulling for you. You can do it. Make the effort to spend a minimum of 10 mins each night.... You know the drill. A hard deadline that cannot be arbitrarily moved by 1 week, then two, works well too. We expect weekly updates at a minimum:cheers:

_________________
Chuck.

“Any suspension will work if you don’t let it.” - Colin Chapman

Visit my ongoing MGB Rustoration log: over HERE

Or my Wankel powered Locost log : over HERE

And don't forget my Cushman Truckster resto Locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=17766

thanks Chuck.. step by step.. task by task and they get done
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Splish-Splash I Was Moddin' the Dash...

So the issue with marrying the AC to the 1800 dash is the AC bits all need to hang under the dash, like an afterthought..

As best I can, I like to make stuff look like it belongs... morphing vents into this slim, beautiful 1800 dash has proven to be a bit of a challenge.. The pics show a very rough idea of where I'm headed.. Top pic is a stock dash with Volvo under-dash AC (this is a later model car with the wood fascia)...

I'm planning to relocate the wiper and headlight switches to up and under the dash on the left side of the column (out of view).. only the Ign switch and AC controls/vents will be left on the dash, and the aluminum fascia will almost look stock (save one small seam at vent 3 when it's done). The thinking here is to keep it clean, keep it stock looking, and keep the most-used controls (key/heat/AC) up on the dash.. (under vent 3 in the pic is where the stock ashtray used to live)

*(note: vent #1 in the pic will be swapped out for a 6.0" vent- I thought the 4.5 would work here, but in mock up the 6.0 works better.... also, see vertical vent #2; that will be housed in the former OEM oil and water temp bezel which is not in these pics)


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com

Jan 28-29, 2017

Had shoulder surgery on the Jan 19th, and I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm not nearly as useless as I thought I'd be post-op.. I have to be careful, but I'm able to do easy, little stuff..

With that in mind, I've decided to go after the dash while it's out of the car and relatively easy to manipulate.. Had to strip off the PO's upholstery efforts (he used LOTS of adhesive!).. Dash pads on these 1800s are over $700 for both top and bottom, but short of just paying the price, it's tough to get right.. I've decided to suck it up; new dash pads from IPD are on the way..

In the meantime, I'm yanking things apart... Had to close up the old ashtray opening (lower right side) in preparation for a 6" AC vent.. Also, note on the lower left, the PO must have had an issue with the little bolt-on flat part, where he used some very thin, flimsy tin for the fix.. I remade the piece out of 18g...


--ccrunner

_________________
Dean

1972 Honda N600 Restomod "ccrunner's N600 VFR800 repower"

1963 Volvo P1800 Restomod
http://locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=16309

1959 Berkeley SE492 Restomod...
viewtopic.php?f=36&t=19397

"ccrunner's 1960 MGA coupe Restomod" found on MGExp.com