Projects rebuilding after the crash

Crank is in. Cam degreed. All I have to do is file a set of rings. Then just wait for the rods to show up. The hard part is over.

 

Love me an aluminium block!

 

I have covered this before so I will keep it brief. Ring end gap is critical. When the rings get hot they expand. In a nitro engine it can get crazy hot. Hot enough to close the gap. A butted set of rings can cause major damage. Getting the gap correct is a big deal.
To measure them correctly a ring squaring tool is used. This does what the tool is called it squares the ring in the bore for a accurate measurement. A power ring file saves alot of time. It has a indicator on it for fast accurate removal of material. A slight dressing on the edges finishes it off.
The new ring package is a dykes top ring. This L shaped ring under pressure is forced against the wall for a great seal. The second ring is also a compression ring with a barrel faced edge. The oil control ring is standard. It takes a while to do a set.
Gaps are top a loose .037 bottom loose .028

 

looks like the right equipment to make a tedious job go fast

 

Ring detail. The difference is obvious.

 

Once you have a power file you will never do it by hand again.

 

And accurately!

 

After digging out from the snow storm i was back on the hemi. One little change and it's like opening a can of worms.
Because I won't need the alternator pulley; msd degree wheel or the idler pully big bracket anymore everything needed to be redone. Some time was spent on the lathe making new spacers. A new idler pulley shaft was made to. The old one had a slight bend to it making it difficult to slide the pulley off. It's all better now. A straight edge was used to make sure its all correct. I needed to get this done before it went back into the chassis. I find this work to be fun. It's real hot rodding making your own parts.

 

Racer-X SpeedShop n Fab Emporium, ltd. . "We go fast, so you don't have to"! .
Marcus...

 

It's almost done. The final location for the fittings for the fuel line and drain were laid out today. The design changed slightly for clearance reasons. It's now going to hold 3.5 extra gallons. That's good.

 

What do you use to purge the tank of fumes before welding on it ?

 

The tank was washed out. The bottom was cut off.

 

All of the planning paid off. I picked up the completed frame section without having to bring the trailer out in the snow and salt. The car is still in the trailer. I wanted to see it on the car so I did what I had to do. It fits perfect. The shop filled the tank with water for a exact measurement. It came out at 10.2 gallons. I couldn't be happier with how it came out.
I can now use a blower starter
The capacity was increased
It's a safer design
Looks better
Mission accomplished.

 

Another plus with the tank lower it will be easier to fill the nitro tank and during a wheelie I will be able to see over it.

 

Looks perfect Brian.

 

The tank looks "right". Perhaps easier to make a new squared-off aluminium tank, but incorporating the round tank makes a very nice nod to the car's (and hot rodding) history.

Cheers,
Harv

 

That was very important to me to have the moon tank. All of the fuel altereds these days have the ugly funny car style square tank. It would have killed the look of the car to get rid of the moon tank. I might paint the new added on piece flat black to make it disappear. I will decide that after the engine is in and I get a look at it outside.
The addition was set up at the back of the tank not only for looks but it also had to clear the drag link.

 

Just noticed in your pictures, while cross steer, your track rod is in the dreaded front of axle. But with your brakes & rims & track rod arms looks like still lines up for pretty good Ackerman angle. Can I assume you carefully designed it that way?

 

Mike
Me thinks NOTHING happens by accident on this car!

 

It was set up that way and it works great. There wasn't any room behind the axle for the bar. This way it frees up alot of space for the oil pan and blower pulley. The other optio would be to raise the engine to clear. That would have been a worse idea.

 

If the new bolt frame section was meant for the street I would suggest getting it chrome plated. The two vertical bars keep making me see 50s hot rod nerf bar type bumper. Keep it up Brian, you’re someone we all should aspire to be. The Fuel Coupe isn’t the only reason we follow.

 

In this previous post Brian said he wants to transition the car away from street duty... but I agree, if it's in the cards, chrome would be bitchin'.

 

It's illegal to chrome chassis components for three reasons.
1. Hydrogen embrittelment. The chrome process changes the metal making it susceptible to fracture.
2. Acid is used during the chroming process. Acid trapped in the tubes eats away at the metal. It eventually develops holes. I had it happen to a Jr dragster frame.
3. You can't see cracks.
I'm all about bright shiny things but not when it comes to the frame.
When the engine is in and it's on the ground I think the new frame section won't be so pronounced.

 

Good news on Friday. Grp called and said they are shipping the rods. I should have them by the weekend. If everything works out the big hemi will be ready to fire very soon. I can get it all built next weekend that's not a problem. I need to go through the Bruno and lenco before I fire it up. New fuel lines and a throttle cable need to be made also. The warm weather melted all of the snow in the driveway so I can get the car out of the trailer. It's supposed to be warm all week so that will help dry out the driveway. Living in the north has its weather issues that must be planned for. Poor planning could result in the shop getting snowed in were the trailer can't get out to unload the car.

 

The rods showed up. Time to build a hemi. Speaking of the rods let's take a closer look at what you get for 1700.00 dollars.
These are cut from plate aluminum.
They come pin fit.
They are cam cut to clear the exhaust lobe.
They are serial numbered for easy re order.
They can be sent back for re sizing at no cost.
The bolts are the best ARP makes.
They are tightened by rod stretch.
The big nitro pins are used.
The caps have brass pins to prevent the rod bearing from spinning.

 

First things first as my mom always said. I number the rods on the opposite side of the cam cut. That way when the rod bearings get changed the numbers are facing outward so it's easy to double check they went back together correctly.
They come out of the box torqued. It's hard to get the bolts broken loose without a rod vice. The last thing you want to do it clamp them in a regular vice imprinting the jaws pattern into them.

 

Interesting.

My understanding is that castings have no "flow", whilst a forging does. The "flow" gives increased directional strength in the direction of forging (forging also removes some internal voids). The increased strength is good for around 30% over the cast billet that got whaled on by the forge. Plate ally is probably rolled, so would have some directional flow but I assume nothing like a forging. It would also not have directional flow "around the bends" of the rod.

Any idea why plate is used please?

Cheers,
Harv

 

Those rods are a work of art! I have been silently liking things for awhile now so I thought I should thank you for sharing your project in such detail. There is a lot to learn here, even though I will never race a car it is fun to interesting to see all that you have to do to go REALLY FAST!

 

When you say plate are you talking about dinner or something else? Hehe

 

There are two schools of thought on how rods are made. I'm no expert on the matter but this is what I've been told.
First up plate material. The grain all goes the same way.
Forged is smashed to compress the material making it stronger. The grain pattern is not all going in the same direction.
I have no preference. All I know is these plate rods have not failed me yet. I do change them out each year. The old ones go back to GRP to be checked out.
Most builders and tuners are much to proud to say the tune up was off or they were behind on their maintenance for a rod failure. Its so much easier to say the rods were junk. Its easier on the ego to. Today's rods are nothing like the rods from even a few years ago. They just don't magically fail. If they can withstand the violence of a 12000 hp engine they will do just fine in everyone else's engines. Regardless of what people's opinions are they work fine on the street. All of your fast drag and drive cars have them. Especially if they are boosted.