It started with a gascap - Project Arntz Restoration

[Mrs flatchat]

# 96 has "the " attitude -- and that red hits the spot as well

[Towmaster]

Originally Posted by Mrs flatchat

# 96 has "the " attitude -- and that red hits the spot as well

Yep agreed #96 looks great!

[deano59]

Originally Posted by Mrs flatchat

# 96 has "the " attitude -- and that red hits the spot as well

red ones go faster :-)

[leroy17]

Originally Posted by deano59

if you want numbers like that made i can do them or any number 15 ys with out own vinyl cutter for doing our race car stickers and signs .
cheers dean

Thanks Dean,

I will keep you in mind as sooner or later I will be seeking these.

[Donunder]

Originally Posted by Mrs flatchat

# 96 has "the " attitude -- and that red hits the spot as well

Attitude+++!!!

Suddenly I'm hot for Hoosiers.

[Aussie Mike]

That looks like the colour I'm planning for mine. Ducati Rosso Corsa. Ducati have had some great reds over the years.

Cheers

[leroy17]

Not too much progress but a whole lot of learning.

In my haste to just start removing things, I presumed that all fitted well and correct, and paid little attention as it was covered in 30+ years of gunk, and all bolts were so dry and rusty. Needless to say I experienced a Homer Simpson D'oh moment when after having new shock tabs welded on, sand blasted and powder coated, pressed in ball joints and fitting bushings, the LCA were not in alignment with the subframe.

WTF?. Both arms were about 2.5 degrees out of square, so unless I forced the bolts in and turned a blind eye to this...... I had to fix it. Easily solved with cutting, aligning and re-welding, but I learned that always prefit before paint.

Even after cleaning up, the old pivot bushings were awful and needed to be replaced. New machined ones from 4140 stock with a .2mm clearance once the bolt is snugged up so the LCA moves freely. Grease nipples also tapped into the pivot of the LCA so there is no reason for this ever to be dry and nasty as before.

LCA after shock tabs welded and a clean up before paint.



Grease nipple



After paint.



Old rusty pitted bushings (3 as one has to be machined off the bolt as it was fused on).



New 4140 bushing (one side, new on other side as well)



Assembled. Now a step forward.



And a pic of proposed ride height (and a messy garage).

[Cobra01]

Hi Leroy

Things are a happening.

When is the finishing day?

Cheers

Brad

[spookypt]

Leroy this is a great thread. I've thought about it on the way home and the blower out the bonnet won't work unless your have a Shute and ladder bar rear end!!!

[750hp]

Other than excessive power, risk of drivetrain failure, obscured vision and police not having a sense of humour about such matters, I don't see a single reason not to fit this engine...

[kyleb]

Hell yes..Drop that bad boy in there!!

[David Hodgson]

Too get an idea of what it will look like - Dale Benges blown 302 Arntz at West Wyalong, only a 671 though.

[leroy17]

Originally Posted by Cobra01

Hi Leroy

Things are a happening.

When is the finishing day?

Cheers

Brad

It's still a way off, I am a little slow in getting stuff done, but that a perfect excuse to put pics up of bits of metal, and also to work out what I am to do with an engine.

[leroy17]

Originally Posted by David Hodgson

Too get an idea of what it will look like - Dale Benges blown 302 Arntz at West Wyalong, only a 671 though.

Oh, I do like, mmmmmmmm. Well, Cobras are all about individually, and a 8/71 BBC will offer that.

Damn indecisiveness .

[750hp]

Looking at your garage pic from yesterday...have you been spending even more time on the paint lately? It looks stunning! Really hard to believe how you have restored/corrected this 30+ year old paint.

I'm really impressed with the way you've incorporated changes that will not only improve the overall quality of the car, but also make it easier to maintain. Simply fitting grease nipples to the control arm bushes is a perfect example.

Well done mate. It's really great to see these progress pictures.

[albanycobra]

The paint looks mint.....

[Gav]

I'm still trying to work out how a 302 managed to drive a 671 blower!!

What paint are you using on your suspension bits Craig?
The finish is great.

[leroy17]

Hi Gav, I presume the question is to me, all parts so far have just been powdercoated, with no powder primer which would improve the overall finish again.

It's all about prep, so I have spent a little time with the grinder, steel brush wheel and file to remove some imperfections, but not to the point that it is show worthy, then a fine sand blast before paint....... last thing I want to do is get carried away considering that this is a quick re-furb!.

[leroy17]

Now the front is installed and next step is for front upper control arm mounts to be made and upper shock mounts. Using stock position till I can get this on the ground, set ride heights etc.

This brings me to the back end, which I have slowly been dismantling, but it all got real yesterday afternoon.

The good, the bad and the ugly.

The good - the whole rear is out. Whilst its not really heavy and unworkable, it is cumbersome by myself under jackstands. Also it looks like I am about to learn a whole lot more on jag rears than I had ever really planned.

The bad - Its going to cost a whole lot more than I planned.

The ugly - Pics tell a thousand words. Ok, to be fair, there is the 35 years of gunk which is easily cleaned off, sand blast and paint will fix some of the appearance, new rotors and a rebuild.

There is a Willwood caliper conversion but the original brakes were retained for the handbrake. I would like to somehow get rid of this chunky original set up, keep the Wilwoods and have some simpler handbrake set up. LCA will have some welded brackets for strength. I will be making a trailing arm set up going to the rear so the mounts are in-line with the LCA inner pivot. May look at custom half shafts for strength (final motor choice undetermined).

There are other matters to attend to. One of the mounting points was completely broken so will make new brackets, braced and re-weld. There was some gawd awful play in the LCA which should be fixed with new bearings etc and a re-build and a half shaft is seized on at the bolts - this one will get interesting.

Needless to say, all new uni's, bearings, seals etc should have things going well. Before pics are always ugly, and I look forward to having this completed so I get get it fitted and all back on the ground again.

Time to start learning more on jag rears.

[EB847]

double check your welds. my diff broke off the frame after installing billboards and giving the car a proper work out last week
reinforcing everything suspension related that had the same crappy welds (including the rear arm area i sent you). i will post the after pix in a week or two. and then see what else my race tires can break