Plastic Fantastic 2

[SuperBuickGuy]

yeah... not. We're likely moving, so most of the time this weekend was that. Probably Idaho. I'm from there and there isn't a day I don't miss it..... backstory is I came to the Puget sound to go to school and accidently stayed - two failed attempts to leave - but likely going to happen before the end of summer..... but still, racing is going to happen and I did get some work done on that front.
inside view

baffle 1



in other news, old tank has to come out (and brace for the wing, and new battery box for optima battery...

I remember this view

also going to powder coat the wheels.... I can't force myself to spend 5k on schnazzy wheels that may or may not be as good as GM wheels

and a clear view of the suspension (lordy, cameras)

had to take a picture of my stock, GM mounts

front is as stock as the rear

oh and dbs.... 106 now (down from 109).... not 103 like I need.... I may put a baffle on the tip or just pray the db sensor at PIR (50 feet off the ground and 50 feet from the track) reads low... part of me says 'just go to SLC' - after all, it will be about the same distance from my new home as PDX.... never imagined when I decided to go racing that this would be a big issue...

 

[BBShark]

I was in Idaho many years ago. It's beautiful. Good choice.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

I was in Idaho many years ago. It's beautiful. Good choice.

heh, this is pretty much on my parent's.... I wasn't consulted. This time, I took my wife to Idaho - and now she wants to move there.... not that I'm in any way against it, but, as before, I claim passenger status.... plus, I'm beyond tired of Sodom on the Sound.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time to install the baffles

welded

braces... if you don't brace the tank (or don't brace it enough) eventually it will leak due to fatigue cracking

because I'm using hydramat, baffles have to account for that - more directly, no sump but side to side motion needs to be minimized

welded in place. tomorrow sealant and end caps

got the wheels stripped today - off to powder coating tomorrow (I hope)

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time to cap

key here is to not go fast


and be clean

hopefully crack checking tomorrow night

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

onward

welded 1/2 last night, other half tonight - and did it over a couple hours so I didn't get warping


pretty welds leak. My goal here was full penetration - thus the weld has some grey in it - key here is the HAZ is even (heat affected zone)

and all those black marks are holes - to check for leaks - I look for holes or HAZ changes

for whatever reason, this side didn't have any

then I put 7 or 8 psi in the tank, spray soapy water on the seams and blow bubbles

hmmm more bubbles

leaks fixed, clean up the tank.... next up, removal of the old tank eventually this will have tabs on the bottom so I can attach a defuser and also attach the rear panel to it

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time to test fit

old tank

and out

get the fuel out... was joking with my dad that between the fuel in the tank and the nickel in the tank I should be concerned they'll both disappear

now you can see what the plan was

even got pretty close lining up the fill spout - the plan all along was an offset then straight into a coupling and the filler


I bet CF is celebrating that this content isn't on their site....

 

[bobs77vet]

excellent work

 

[phantomjock]

...bet CF is celebrating that this content isn't on their site....

Somebody would ask if you "clocked" the fuel port...

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

tonight started mapping how I'm going to accomplish the tasks

was kind of hoping there would be some 'dos' and 'dont's' from the seller... guess not - this needs to attach to the deck and be supported underneath to the frame

here

the optima battery is 1" wider... so new battery box coming


part of tonight was a failed attempt to figure out whether the wire with a knot or the brown wire were the reverse light wires... I have a schematic - but who knows where


tomorrow I will spend some time on this but most of the day will be spent looking for used parts that I don't need....

 

[rtj]

On your stainless welding are you back flowing argon or using paste? Also, mig or tig? Looks good.

With wings aren’t most people cutting through the body and connecting right to the frame, either through the deck or rear valence? Then adding a grommet? CF might have good info. Interested to hear about driving improvements with wing.

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

On your stainless welding are you back flowing argon or using paste? Also, mig or tig? Looks good.

With wings aren’t most people cutting through the body and connecting right to the frame, either through the deck or rear valence? Then adding a grommet? CF might have good info. Interested to hear about driving improvements with wing.

Stainless, no purge. I only purge where the stainless is going to heat cycle. That said, I'm beyond zealous about clean surfaces.

I'm sure somewhere in that cesspool is good information - but it would take less time to make all the mistakes and fix them then it would to deep dive there. Did I ever mention that there the highest concentration of people who'd get a punch in the nose in real life there then anywhere else... heck, even Pirate 4x4 is better then them....

my tentative thought is a brace to the bar which runs behind where the bumper cover would have mounted- then forward, that has to be the strongest area. basically, I'll run the upper brackets into that.... but we will see, that is next on my list for today

 

[phantomjock]

In your processing your wing support - don't forget (discount) wire and turnbuckles. These can be "weight effective," out of sight, add rigidity, and "tweak-able."

 

[bobs77vet]

....I'm sure somewhere in that cesspool is good information - but it would take less time to make all the mistakes and fix them then it would to deep dive there. Did I ever mention that there the highest concentration of people who'd get a punch in the nose in real life there then anywhere else... heck, even Pirate 4x4 is better then them....

i dont know...the HAMB has to be really close to the highest concentration too

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

Battery, cont.

it's like 1" wider... so a new tray is in order

and off

new tray

and installed and painted

at the swap meet today, I took a chance on several of these...

makes getting the burn off a lot easier

and reverse light....

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

In your processing your wing support - don't forget (discount) wire and turnbuckles. These can be "weight effective," out of sight, add rigidity, and "tweak-able."

would you mind giving a primer on that subject.... I was wondering about the side-to-side rigidity with this design - but I'm sailing in uncharted waters....

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

time to give it wings.. or a wing
aluminum angle

some solid eyeball calibrating followed by serious staring


wing held on by hopes and prayers with an assist by gravity


it's about here I'm considering whether or not I like the stands.... they need to parallel something, e.g. the rear valence and let me be SUPER clear, I approved the design. CIRO did what I asked them to do...

my brave act of the night

now in place


thankfully, I have a plasma table... basically the wing will end above the end of the deck - so it will move horizontally.... no big deal

love it


a good view - the stands will mirror the rear angle - also, I have to build an 8" version for Optima.

paint is dry so I can finish this as well

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

alright, I can't decide....

the angle


do I match the B pillar window frame or the tail light panel with the struts?

 

[phantomjock]

Personally, I favor the look of matching the B Pillar with the leading edge of the struts. When you fab the shorter Optima struts, maybe match both when you make the "cut."
The lower edge of the end plate looks nearly aligned (parallel) with the flying buttress trailing edge.

Just guessing here, the strut looks like it has the wing about 12-14 inches off the deck?
And the chord of the wing maybe, 10-12 inches?

When you get the diffuser in the mix - you'll probably want to add some front aero, and be happy for the HP you have available too.

Looks nice.

Cheers - Jim

 

[SuperBuickGuy]

onward with fastening

Luigi is checking out the progress too

notice the tail blur? he is one active dog (love it)

bolted down

with pads to pretend we're saving the paint

and tied to the frame

tomorrow weld