Kirkham Assembly Manual - Questions Thread...

[computerworks]

The crew at Kirkham Motorsports has created a thread that will chronicle the assembly of a car, from start to finish, with narrative and pictures.

Kirkham Motorsports Assembly Manual

To keep the continuity of the narrative...
...PLEASE post all questions on THIS thread.

You may refer to a particular item in the manual thread by referencing the Post Number...which appears in the upper right margin of each post.

thanks
ron
ClubCobra Moderator.

[David Kirkham]

Thanks Ron!

Looking so much forward to seeing you soon!

David

[computerworks]

Question on Post #4 - Sealing Footboxes

Originally Posted by Anthony

How do you seal the opening from the outside of the footbox, by the inside of the fender, that allows engine compartment air to enter through the door hinge?

Originally Posted by David Kirkham

Anthony,

We put a rubber weather stripping on the outside of the foot box, next to the body. It actually seals pretty well. It is very hard to see and impossible to take a picture of.

David

[computerworks]

General Question on Finishing a roller...

Originally Posted by ogasman

Hey David
Is there any chance of getting a step by step manual like this on how to finish off one of your rollers? It would be very helpful to see a blow by blow on the engine and transmission install. Just a list of the order you install things would be good. Pictures would be great. Like can you install the engine and trans as a unit, or just the motor and install the trans later, etc. I have done multiple engine swaps, just never on a Cobra.

Thanks
Paul

Originally Posted by David Kirkham

Paul,

Glad you asked. We will be doing a COMPLETE turn-key race car here. You will need to wait a couple of days to see the engine being put into the car--but it will be a blow-by-blow COMPLETE manual when we are done. The engine will arrive here on Monday.

David

[Bud Man]

David:

On the subject of batteries....

I always thought that a couple of Rebats right behind my right shoulder were a good idea. In the case of a rear-ender, if 42 gallons of fuel didn't do the trick, the batteries would finish the job!!

Just kidding......still have 'em, though.

Happy Independence Day to you and the family!!

Jim

[big-boss]

What starter are you using David? Also is that the way it will be turned in the car? Sort of to the side? What teeth count on the flywheel will we need?

[RedBarchetta]

Heck, I don't even own a Kirkham and I'm enjoying following the Assembly Manual thread! Good stuff!

-Dean

[jdog]

David, my good friend, is there any chance you'll go further back, in your "Wayback Machine", to show how to attach the body to the frame?

Some of us are just very curious!

jdog
P.S. I still working on it, but you make the rest of it look so easy!

[RedCSX1]

David,

Ron and you are doing an awsome job with this on line manual. NOW it woild have been even better if you pulled it together before i built my CSX. As I read this I thinking heck Ii forgot to do that or what a great idea.

I am sure now that this manual is on line ComputerWorks will have his Cobra pulled together in no time flat.

On the last picture of the starter gear, Is that where gears should line up or is that a picture before the starter face was milled?

[David Kirkham]

Gents,

Thanks for the kind words! Keep reading over the thread as I am always tweaking all the threads and updating them.

Bud Man,

You can always upgrade your batteries to the new, lightweight unit!

big-boss

It is a McLeod 810160 starter. Yes, it is indexed correctly. I will update the thread with the number! Thanks for reminding me to give the specifics on the trees!

Dean,

I hope to keep the good stuff rolling! Maybe we can even get the motor in tonight. That should be a record--for us, at least.

jdog,

One day I will do a Start-to-Finish. I figure there are probably a lot of people who would like that book!

RedCSX1,

I wish I would have thought of it a LONG time ago. We have already received numerous calls. Ron is helping me, so I figured I'd better help him as well.

Yes, the starter gear is in the proper position in the 2nd photo. I will update the thread!

David

[rwall49]

Gentlemen from Kirkham,
When dialing in the bell housing with the dial indicator, can a person take a reading at 0 degrees, then 45 degrees, then at 90 degrees and so on until you have made a complete revolution. And then look at the readings to see where to move the bell housing to get centered to .005? I've personally not done this yet but would like to know if my idea is all wet.

Regards,
Ron
P.S. your threads on all these subjects help out alot. It's better then searching for hours on the web.

[David Kirkham]

Updated! Thanks guys!

David

[David Kirkham]

Originally Posted by rwall49

Gentlemen from Kirkham,
When dialing in the bell housing with the dial indicator, can a person take a reading at 0 degrees, then 45 degrees, then at 90 degrees and so on until you have made a complete revolution. And then look at the readings to see where to move the bell housing to get centered to .005? I've personally not done this yet but would like to know if my idea is all wet.

Regards,
Ron
P.S. your threads on all these subjects help out alot. It's better then searching for hours on the web.

Ron,

Yes, you can do that, but it will take a lot longer to do because you have to keep turning the engine over and over and over. Speaking of that, I forgot to mention you need to pull the plugs out to make turning the engine over easier.

Back to the 45 degree question.

There is really no reason to do it. I would just take the readings every 90 degrees. We have been doing that for 12 years now with NO problems.

David

[rwall49]

David,
Thank you for the reply. Also, I would like to know what sandwich used to drill out the dowel pin holes with, since I believe they need to be accurate holes. Did he use a drill press or just a hand drill. Are these holes real critical. And do you weld the dowel pin bushings in after your final centering of the bell housing. I assume that once this has been done the first time that removing the bell housing to replace clutch etc. will be centered the next time it is put back on the engine.

Ron

[Gatorac]

Aaaaagghhh it's car guy porn. There needs to be a disclaimer on the thread......

****Warning, the following images are graphic in nature. They may cause severe drooling, coveting and aluminum envy. Repeated viewing could cause a large debit in your bank account followed by sensations of euphoria.*****

[David Kirkham]

We just used an standard 1 1/16 drill. The bushings are 1 inch in diameter. They do not need to be that accurate because they have 0.030 inches (1/32 inch) of clearance around the hole anyway. You will weld in the slight gap.

I should mention here, there are offset dowel pins that are available from Lakewood. We have found that very few engines are within the adjustability of the pins, so we just drill holes and use the weld bushings. I must say, however, that lately the engines have been better than they ever have been before. So, there is a very good possibility you could just use the pins and not have to weld. I know that would be a better option for many of you guys.

That said, the dowels in the engine block can be almost impossible to remove. When they are particular pigs, we cut them off flush with the block, drill a 1/4 inch hole in them (the dowels are 1/2 inch in diameter) and then weld the hole up. The combination of heat and shrinkage allows you to pull the pin out. (Welding creates heat which expands the metal. When you weld it up, the metal cools off and shrinks--way more than you think it would.) Usually, the dowel will just fall out. If it is still stuck, we weld a bolt on to the cut off dowel and then pull it out. Some can really try your patience (and vocabulary).

David

[David Kirkham]

Originally Posted by rwall49

David,
Thank you for the reply. Also, I would like to know what sandwich used to drill out the dowel pin holes with, since I believe they need to be accurate holes. Did he use a drill press or just a hand drill. Are these holes real critical. And do you weld the dowel pin bushings in after your final centering of the bell housing. I assume that once this has been done the first time that removing the bell housing to replace clutch etc. will be centered the next time it is put back on the engine.

Ron

Ron,

I can see you edited your post a little and I hit the reply button in the interim. No problem! Keep the questions coming.

We actually used a mill, but a drill press (or even by hand) would be fine as they do not need to be too accruate.

Yes, you must weld the dowel pin bushings AFTER the final centering. It can get very tricky as the bell housing will move around while you are tightening it. It can really try your patience. Yes, the bell housing will stay aligned forever...well, at least until someone line bores the crank journals which is what screws up the alignment in the first place--especially watch out for original blocks.

David

[rwall49]

David thanks for the info

Ron

[David Kirkham]

No problem. Glad to help.

Please let me know if there is anything else I can do for you.

David

[nmayes]

David: This is great information! This is really going to help in the assembly of any Cobra. I would like to see the sanding and polishing process, and each step you go through to make these aluminium cars shine.

Neil