Rotisserie Frog

The car has been stripped down and put on the rotisserie. The sandblast guy comes tomorrow. Then Joe has lots of welding lined up to finish up the frame. Then a shot of paint ot keep it from rusting again. Woot.

Stripping Things Down

Things continue to come off the car. Note the new small shelf "lip" for the boot area to keep duffel bags contained.

Feels like 1 step forward, 10 steps back...

The engine was pulled and readied it for timing chain replacement. Thee tailhousing was also removed off transmission to clean out junk that got inside. Pulled all the front end components and started cleaning, stripping, final welding, painting.... Feels a little like one step forward, a few backward....

Getting the Engine Ready for Removal

Next up is stripping all the ancillary/auxiliary equipment off the engine before removing it from the car. The plan is to replace the timing chain & guides (the primary weak spot on this otherwise stout engine), water pump (because we'll be into the engine and why not?), and probably clutch (again, because it's easy to do once the engine is out). And once the engine is out, the plan is to sandblast and paint the engine compartment (and probably underside of the car, too...) The engine looks kinda naked without all the radiator/intake/turbo/intercooler/alternator/steering/yada-yada on and around it:

Another thing finished this week was the installation of a rear battery disconnect switch. This switch interrupts the primary ground cable to the batter). It's kinda of an unusual location (that some racing classes around these parts require). And, no, that's not my actual license plate; it's just an old one lying around Joe's shope that was used for mockup.

Fuel Lines + Grounds

The supply and return lines are mostly in, along with the pressure regulator. The first of a handful of ground straps have also been built, attached between the engine block and the frame.

Fuel System Underway

We assembled the tank and pressure tested it. Also got the fuel pressure regulator (Aeromotive P/N 13301: Universal Return Style Regulator) rough installed on the firewall. Next up is to get hard lines bent and installed, get the tank back in the car, and make the flexible hose connections at either end. Also need to source a charcoal canister for the fuel tank vent and get that mounted and plumbed. Also need a level sensor. And then... well, the fuel system will be pretty much done.

Tires and Wheels-- On the Car!

We got the new wheels/tires on the car this week. I'm really, really, really happy with the way these turned out. Was quite nervous about the dark spokes of the Rewinds, but in the end I feel they strike the right balance. Also (mostly) happy with how they fit withing the wheel wells. It's going to be pretty tight at the rear, especially after the disk brakes go on and push the wheels out even further. We may have to roll the fenders or maybe even do something more worst-case. For now however I'm quite pleased.