Mid-Engine Sandrail Project

[Rbeckett]

Thanks for the comments. I now have a pretty nice setup at home to work out of, after only twenty plus years of collecting tools and equipment. I would take a small portion of whatever money I made off of various side jobs that I was doing and set it aside. When I had enough money for a particular tool or piece of equipment that I was needing I would buy it and then start all over for the next item.

It is nice after twenty plus years to be able to purchase more parts for projects than tools to work on the projects.

The lathe/mill was one of the hardest tools to purchase because it is not something that I use all the time. When I am using it I am glad I purchased it but when not using it and looking at it sitting in the shop I think about all the money that I spent on it and the tooling. It is not a real high quality setup but for the one off and custom projects I am able to hold some pretty tight tolerances and it does a nice job. If I were doing more production work I don't think it would cut it. Thanks again, Mike.

Yeah, it hurts to see the lathe and mill doing nothing, but when I need it I flip the switch and get busy. You did good, it took me almost 30 to get there. I had a couple of ex-wives along the way that slowed it down but I finally got there in time to have a medical disaster and end up in a wheel chair retired. Oh well, stuff happens right? Keep drivin on, it gets better and even more fun when all your time is yours, as long as you feel well enough to play.
Bob

[zmotorsports]

Here are a few more pics of the last couple of nights work. I was able to get the diagonals welded into place and the rear suspension trailing arm brackets welded.

Last night was a waste of time due to having to re-mount the seats and fuel tank for the third time. I mounted the seats the first time but then the fuel tank hit them. I lowered the fuel tank but then the shift linkage hit the fuel tank. I then raised the rear of the seats only .625" but it rotated the seat forward and placed my head too close to the rollcage and didn't 'feel' as comfortable with steering wheel and shifter.

I ended up lowering the shifter about an inch, lowering the fuel tank about .625" and then re-mounting the rear seat brackets in the EXACT same place as I had originally had them. Talk about walking out of the shop after 5 hours of work and feeling like a total waste of time. Oh well, I guess everything is a learning experience (at least that is what I keep telling myself). Mike.

[zmotorsports]

Well I didn't get much done last week but had a pretty productive weekend. I was able to get some small items taken care of such as the fuel pressure regulator mounting bracket, the MSD ignition boxes mounted, the battery disconnect mount fabricated. After that my son and I installed the engine and fabricated the rear transaxle cradle/support. We then installed the front suspention, removed it from the chassis table and set it on its tires/wheels.

Overall I am pretty happy with the sleek style and appearance. This was just the look I was going for. Let me know what you think. Mike.

[zmotorsports]

Here are the mirror tabs fabricated and tack welded into place on the 'A' pillar.



And yet more tabs. The two large ones are for the passenger foot rest mount which I need to trim and tack into place. The three small tabs are for the brake line termination where it will go from rigid brake line to the flex line (2 required) and will be welded to the chassis near the rear suspension pivot point. The third tab is for the hydraulic clutch line termination point. It will be welded just below the transaxle and a flex line will connect from the termination point to the slave cylinder on the trans. Mike.

[c wagner]

Lookin good, I can't wait to see it painted and on the dunes!!!

[zmotorsports]

Lookin good, I can't wait to see it painted and on the dunes!!!

Me too!

[zmotorsports]

Well, I think these are the last few pictures of the car in the mock up stage. It is about ready to blow apart for final welding. Thanks for all the comments and I will try to post more pictures up as it is being finished. Mike.

Here are a couple of pics of the car as it sits right now.




This is a picture of the many floorboard tabs that I had to fabricate. You can also see the passenger footrest brackets and the tabs for the ice chest mount just ahead of the footrest.

[zmotorsports]

This is a picture of the passenger grab bar. My wife thought that a bent and welded one looked better in this particular application than the clamp on style.


This is the floorboard templates made and mocked into position.


This last picture is of the nitrous bottle mount fabricated and welded into place. Once the side panels are installed the mounting tabs and fasteners will not be seen. Battery is easily accessed by removing the bottle and it is right there.

[bulletbug]

Wow, you're welds are awesome. Do you weld as part of your day job? I've been getting into fabrication and welding over the past few years and I'm trying to find ways to improve my skills.

Any suggestions?

[zmotorsports]

Wow, you're welds are awesome. Do you weld as part of your day job? I've been getting into fabrication and welding over the past few years and I'm trying to find ways to improve my skills.

Any suggestions?

Thanks. I do a little welding at my full-time job but mainly at my home shop/business. Like most others I am always trying to improve the appearance of my welds. I have tried many different patterns or techniques over the years but it mainly just boils down to practice, practice and more practice.

I am in the process of teaching my son right now and he is catching on pretty quick. I didn't have anyone to really show me the proper procedures and techniques, I had to learn it all on my own. If I could have had someone to show me the proper methods and procedures rather than trial and error that would have been very beneficial. If I could offer one bit of advice is to find someone local and see if you could talk them into giving you some pointers and/or lessons. Even if you had to pay them a few bucks for materials/time you would be time and effort ahead rather than the trial and error.

If your area is like mine there are more people out there that weld than you realize that would probably be willing to assist. Mike.