It begins...
And five minutes later...
(It's not going to be that high, but it was easier to lift the frame over the engine, than drop the engine in the frame)
Clearly I've got work to do!
Which includes getting a trans (Tuesday!) so that I can see what my axle/suspension (and therefore engine) location is going to look like. The steering shaft goes right through the footbox, and I don't know how I'll fit 3 pedals in there (probably by cutting out that shaft, and using the one from my subaru that's sitting on a shelf, but putting it above the front bar instead of below it).
More clearance issues involve: Oil pan hitting that rear crossbar. Either the bar moves or the pan gets modified (Dry sump? lol). Either way, the motor is going to sit a couple inches lower than the pic. I'm also wondering about axle length and motion of them. I'm limited on how far forward I can mount the engine by the position of the axles and the lengths I'll need for the suspension. Again, the whole back half of the frame will probably get chopped further on in the project.
I do really like how the sides buldge out a bit, for clearance with your arms. I do not like how with my 6' tall self sitting on the floor (when the frame was on the floor) my head was ~4" from the rollbar. Add a helmet, and we might be outta room. I also like the engine cradle on the way back for the rear-mounted (corvair) engine. It'd make a nice trunk or tire rack, since I'm going to have TONS of room back there (depending on fuel tank, radiator, and other considerations).
Speaking of ancillaries, if the engine gets pushed back by suspension necessities, that will open up the area behind the seats to radiator or fuel tank positioning. As it is, the radiator is going to be a hassle for mounting (depending on how big of one I go with). I've had... Issues... with EG33's overheating in the past.
I'm quite sure I'll be chopping 2/3rds of this thing apart to modify it. BUT even if I end up completely scrapping it, it's still a useful tool for me to lay eyes on actual, professional-level, tube-frame building.
So yeah. I'll probably use this thread for a journal. Progress is going to be slow I imagine. Hoping to have this thing on the road by the end of next summer (realistically), but middle/early next summer (hopefully).
Now, if I could just figure out how to tell the GF about it, so that I can quit hiding it in the barn...