CR3171 Finally going back together!

[DaveW]

Is the cutting fluid the Excision brand that you are using Mike ?

[Aussie Mike]

That looks like a new brand on their web page. The one I bought was in a translucent white 5L container and was about the same price from memory. A 5L bottle lasts me a couple of years between the Lathe and Mill.

It'll be the same sort of stuff (water soluble cutting fluid) and probably be just as good or better.

Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

I've been working on a bunch of little parts and pieces as I try to get all the engine ancillaries and plumbing sorted. One job finally came together today.

I machined up the belt tensioner idler a few weeks back and figured I'd finish it off. I machined a nut that matched the water pump and PS pulleys in style. I wanted to set it up so there was no need to use a spanner on the nut and it would be smooth looking. Hopefully the pics will make sense as to how it works.

Here's the idler pulley with the retaining nut in place.



Here's the back of the nut and the shaft so you can see the key setup. The nut is keyed to the shaft so it won't rotate



This should show how the nut keys to the shaft. The bearing for the idler is clamped in between.



Here's the mounting bracket. It's retained with the water pump mounting bolts. There is a slot machined in it and in the end there's an adjuster screw that pushes the idler shaft along the slot. The shaft is machined so it keys into the slot and cannot rotate.



Here it is with the belt in place. It's dead easy to tension the belt up. Just loosen off the retaining bolt at the back. Wind up the adjusting screw in the end of the bracket to tension the belt and then tighten the retaining bolt at the back. Job's done.



Cheers

[Aussie Mike]

Not a lot of visible progress lately. Lots of fiddly jobs that aren't worth taking a pic of.

One job that I nearly finished on the weekend is shrouding the radiator opening. It's not quite finished yet as it needs grommets for the holes and I ran out of button head cap screws. I't'll also need a good clean and a consistent brushed finish.

I started by welding a flange onto the side tanks and top of the radiator for the shrouding to bolt to. There are nutserts in the flange. Next I machined up a new oil cooler mount. This one bolts in place to the very front cross member and will also act as an extra attachment point for the front of the body, You can see it in the top of this pic looking from under the car. I machined it to be in the same style as the engine cross member. Solid and sturdy but light weight.



The original oil cooler mounts I had welded to the chassis set the cooler too high. The new removable one is just the right height in my opinion. You can also see the flange on the radiator in this pic.



I made templates of the shrouds for the radiator opening using some heavy card. Lots of trimming and trial fitting different shapes. My hat goes off to Andrew for all the sheet metal work he did in his engine bay. After having a go I found it's time consuming work that requires patience.



The templates were a real help but aluminium doesn't behave like cardboard. There was a fair bit of fettling to get the pieces to fit. The plate across the top of the cooler is made from 1.6m with a stiffening rib riveted to the back.




The sides are made for 0.8mm It was a lot easier to work with than the 1.6 and is still plenty rigid. I ended up making them in 2 pieces as they were a lot easier to install. The join in the center at the top with a row of button heads and nutserts. (there are a few button heads missing i these pics as I ran short of them).



There'a an extra strip that sandwiches the shroud to the flange on the radiator. It just tidies the area in the corner up and holds the shroud more securely. I still need to source some grommets to protect the hoses.




Happy with the result and it should help the cooling system work more efficiently. All the air will be forced through the radiator and oil cooler rather than flowing around them.

The other job that is nearly finished is the engine plumbing. It's nearly all together. I'm waiting on a couple of fittings for the PCV system to come in and that'll finish it off.



Machined up these aluminium fuel rail mounts to replace the ugly pressed steel ones that came with the Edelbrock rails.



Hope you all are making good progress on your builds.

Cheers

[albanycobra]

Sensational work Mike.....love the pics.

[stephen low]

Nice work on the radiator shroud Mike.

I am planning the same when the car comes back from trimming.

Whilst doing my engine run up last week and cleaning oil after a little splash, the cloth in my hand was sucked against the outside face of the radiator with some force.

So am happy I've already got some good flow but as has been said sealing off the gaps can only improve the cooling efficiency.

Keep at it mate you'll be able to join in on the 2016 Alpine run.

I've logged our EOI - woo hoo!

Cheers

Steve

[Aussie Mike]

Just a small update.

The body is finally getting prepped for paint. My friend Laurie has been helping me out with this as I have no clue about bodywork. My earlier attempts show I have no feel for it. Perhaps in time with plenty of practice i'd get there but for this car I'll get some expert help.



Cheers

[leroy17]

Unacceptable low number of pics.

Due to the quality of work you produce, pass has been granted, but geeze Mike..... Your a tease!

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by leroy17

Unacceptable low number of pics.

Due to the quality of work you produce, pass has been granted, but geeze Mike..... Your a tease!

Sorry Leroy. progress has been slow lately. I wish I could provide more updates. Interstate and international work commitments have me swamped for the last few months.

Cheers

[stephen low]

You could have at least posted pics of the international pubs you had frequented then.

Don't tell us you didn't have time to stop and have a drink!!

[Aussie Mike]

Originally Posted by stephen low

You could have at least posted pics of the international pubs you had frequented then.

Don't tell us you didn't have time to stop and have a drink!!

Here you go Slowy

https://goo.gl/photos/P1GDdgkpVeAjggH16

Cheers

[stephen low]

Don't see your smiling countenance in any of those photos Mike so am nearly inclined to say didn't happen....but that cobra beer saved the day!

Nice work, if it was really you - lol

[Aussie Mike]

That Cobra beer was at the Maharaja in Stirling. Maharaja Stirling - Top Best Indian restaurants in UK London
Really yummy Indian food. Cobra beer is sold in Indian restaurants in the UK. It's an Indian beer that I believe was developed in the UK. It's a nice drop in my opinion. When I was working in India Kingfisher was the beer that was everywhere.

[boxhead]

I had a few of the Cobra's last trip to UK when eating Indian food (they do it really well in UK)

[Aussie Mike]

Been a while since an update.

Hand brake setup is all done and turned out really good. You may have already seen this in the machine shop thread but I'll add a couple of pics for continuity.





The current thing I'm working on is the paneling for the underside of the chassis. These panels are to clean up the open areas on the sides of the chassis. They are bolted to the underside using nutserts and countersunk Allen head bolts for a smooth finish.



I've mounted the Oil cooler assembly for the diff on the passengers side and machined ventilation holes for air to get in and out. The cooler is fan forced so will get plenty of air through it even though it's not in the direct airflow. I thought about putting a scoop in there but wanted a smooth underside with as few things as possible to snag on anything.



Clearance was tight and I had to modify the fan assembly slightly to ensure adequate airflow through it.



The ventilation slots turned out pretty good and it was a fun machining project. I've got some expanded metal mesh to fit to stop any rocks going in through the holes and rattling round in there.



Next job is getting all the plumbing hooked up between the diff, the pump and the cooler.

Cheers

[SVO 050]

Very professional fit and finish Mike, like the integrated tail shaft loop and hand brake assy.
I found some black powder coated stainless wire mesh that I used for a stone guard in front of the radiator as the perforated alloy sheet restricted the air flow.
Are you intending to use the car for track days?

Cheers
SVO

[gjkrv8]

Great work Mike. Good idea to close off some of the areas underneath. I have the odd stone that gets in a rattles around some times.

I need to look at a tailshaft hoop too - need to work out a 2-piece one that I can fit from below with the body on. Cheers Gregg

[SVO 050]

Gregg, there are some aftermarket 2 piece loops available but I used a piece of 125mm schedule 40 pressure pipe, cut it in half and welded 5mm flat bar tabs to pick up the cross member and used high tensile socket head cap screws to install it.
Overkill in the strength department and will pass any engineer or inspectors requirements.
Cheers
SVO

[gjkrv8]

Originally Posted by SVO 050

Gregg, there are some aftermarket 2 piece loops available but I used a piece of 125mm schedule 40 pressure pipe, cut it in half and welded 5mm flat bar tabs to pick up the cross member and used high tensile socket head cap screws to install it.
Overkill in the strength department and will pass any engineer or inspectors requirements.
Cheers
SVO

Thanks for the heads up - I'll have a look into your method. cheers Gregg

[Aussie Mike]

Thanks for the tip SVO. I've got the expanded mesh on the shelf so will probably use it. It's pretty open and free flowing.

The car will be primarily a street car but I plan on doing regular track days in it.

A 2 piece hoop would be easier for servicing the drive shaft. This one piece hoop is still easy to get out from underneath it's just you need to unbolt a few extras including the drive shaft flange to remove it. A bit of a pain as I have to loosen the hand brake cables and unbolt the cooler pump to get it out but access is good from underneath.

I liked the idea of a small diameter hoop that fits closely around the drive shaft. If something does break it won't deflect far as it rattles around in there. This was about as close as I could make it while maintaining clearance and still being easy to remove.

Cheers