LocostUSA.com

Do you guys pretty much have the fronts suspensions worked out? I suppose the a-arms might change IF you were to use corvette hubs but as far as the frame mounts go (angles, dimensions, etc.)

This seems like if i had to stop and start figuring out the geometry mid build it would be a giant momentum killer.

We have the configuration for the dropped 2" Pinto spindles and T'bird rear. The T'bird uprights have a fairly high mounting of their lower control arm. That helps with suspension clearance especially when doing the kicked up bottom rail rear hoop.

The Corvette parts are nice but I don't think they make your job easier and then you have to come up with changes to go with them. You would need to learn a lot more of SketchUp to make sure it all fits together or just start cobbling things together to check. The best way to keep up your momentum is to follow SeattleTom's path, he has a good build log for the same engine.

Your engine at 350 will not likely need to be upgraded soon. Once you get to the territory when you can swap ends at 80-100, generally that's plenty...

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

You mean "Wizardry"??? I swear the guy must wear a tall pointy hat with crescent moons and stars and runes on it, and he cuts steel and welds by waving his wand at it while reciting incantations...

Embrace the dark side....And make lots of Vsusp and Wishbone runs before waving your wand

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Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."
Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52

Vsusp and Wishbone??? Geeze, that really IS Black Magic!!!

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

It's all in the flick of the wrist, swish and swoosh.

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30 years old, not sure what I want to be when I grow up…

Hi, I've been lurking on these forums for a long while, but this frame has inspired me to post. I was looking at doing a Stalker kit, but I'd like to learn more about suspension design and building from scratch.

A few quick questions:

1) It looks like Google broke the links to the car9 sketchup model? I think I found it looking on their 3d warehouse site, but I want to make sure I'm looking at the right file.

2) Are there additions that need to be made to the frame to mount the Lalo body? How ridiculous is it to put a V8 under the Lalo body? Not worried about having to glass in a big scoop, but I don't want something completely impractical.

3) To create build blueprints from SketchUp, it sounds like I would just rotate the model and print various angles with dimensions?

Thanks for all the awesome work

Hi Kyle, found your post.

I should go back and update the SketchUp warehouse stuff. Google sold the SketchUp product to Trimble and there has been migration of servers and SketchUp updates etc. so I guess my models have suffered some bit rot. I do still maintain the models and in fact keep a separate model for everyone doing a Car9 build. In theory that would help each person maintain info on their build and also help new builders with doing variations on the original design.

These days I try to share this with Google Drive, but I'm not a wizz at figuring that stuff all out. There is also a web site for Car9 that is out of date but makes it easy to share files anyway.

I think the V8 makes a Lalo body easy because they can be shorter in height ( I think.. ) than a modern 4 with it's overhead cams. The Ford 302 is the smallest easily available V8by several inches, so that's my recommended choice.

I am planning on doing a Lalo body, but will get the car running first just because getting some track miles is a high priority. During the early planning I did work with Jack on some measurements, so hope it is still straightforward to do this. There are some pictures in this thread or the earlier one about that.

Get your second post up here and we'll approve it and you'll have full posting privs after that...

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Hi Marcus,

Thanks for the reply.  I know SeattleTom is using 17x9 rims using 235/255s or similar.  From what I'm seeing, 17x9 (275s) and 17x10.5 (315s) are what they use on stalkers, so I'm assuming those could be set up to fit on car9, but would require vsusp runs for a-arm setup?

It looks like what I want to build would be a mix of the three car9 builds in progress: I like the ls3/5speed build fr SeattleTom, I would probably follow Briggs square tube approach to ease fabrication, and I would follow you in using the Lalo Mk1 Body.

I know SeattleTom ending up using LS7 exhaust manifolds.  Are there any frame modifications that could be done to make fitting full tube headers more possible?

Thanks,
Kyle

Hi Kyle-
Glad you made it into the forum from the wilds of cyberspace. Welcome home!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9825532HbI
Sorta like that...

JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Kyle, I'm close to starting the modifications to my LS7 based headers, but no pics to post yet. My engine sits too low and the top chassis rail is too high for an over the top-rail header design. But no reason full tube headers couldn't be built that follow the exit route I'll be using. Just more work building the swoopy pipes and I've done that before.

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Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."
Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52

I bought another lump, it's from a Ford Exploder. I needed more bits and pieces to make the original motor I had run and it seemed about the same cost, so I went this way. Now I have a timing cover with a mountfor the crank sensor, a crank trigger wheel, cam position sensor, throttle body and idlel control etc.

Some of those parts will change when it goes int he car, but this should help give me a testbed to run my ECU when it comes in ( soon ) from the assembly house.

Kyle, We'll have to look at some pictures to figure out real headers. I recommend the Ford small block because it's a good 4 inches more narrow and also shorter.

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

I've been paring down the stuff on the new junkyard motor slowly. Got the major accessories and brackets off the front. It seems you need special wrenches or something to get the fan off the front, groan. I'll try to borrow one. I don't need that stuff but it doesn't seem an angry grinder or chainsaw will get it off.

What is all this stuff on this thing? I would like to strip this motor down to as simple as possible to run the injection. Here's a couple of pictures. Can I remove the vacuum line to the EGR to disable it ( or would that enable it )? That vacuum line is also connected to things with wires and more vacuum lines that also connect to the exhaust line going to what I assume is the EGR actuator.

Then there is also a small can on the fuel rail with a single vacuum line ( red ) going to it. It's in the middle of the rail, so it can't be a regulator and with only one vacuum line it doesn't seem like it could be a switch. What is that thar thing?

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

All the 302s with fuel injection that I've messed with had the pressure regulator on the rear end of the passenger side fuel rail. There is a single vacuum line going to it and the return line sprouts out from under it. I see it in that picture, with its vac line attached. Not sure about the thang you're looking at... Can you get a picture of it, close up? I'll check with our tame Ford mechanic, James (Earl) soon as I can catch him.

The EGR you can remove and blank off the hole in the intake with aluminum or something. The all the plumbing/wiring for it can go away.

Other'n that, how the heck are ya?

JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

If it has returnless injection (no fuel return line), then it's a pulsator. They smooth out the pressure spikes in the rail with a rubber diaphragm and a spring. The vacuum line gives fuel a relatively safe place to go if the diaphragm ruptures.

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Rick in Las Vegas (but it's a dry heat...)

Current projects:
http://fordsix.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=72863

http://fordsix.com//viewtopic.php?f=2&t=73244