I would also suggest: While your 'rewiring' the car, move the electronics from under the seat to the dash (area). Then this will allow you to reconfigure the seating to get your 'butt' as close to the floor as possible. This will get your head and shoulders down, and not make you feel as though your riding a lawn tractor. Here is a picture of one of the many I have built, did this one in 1985. Take a look at how I sit "in" it and that I build long hairpins with braces. This car was a riot to drive, rode great and handled like a go-cart.
A week or so on this thread Steel Rebel suggested that the OP weld a brace into his hairpins. Mine are 40" long, and I'm wondering whether I should do that. Here's a pic: These are the ones Speedway offers so they should be heavy enough, but I re-configured them to fit up closer underneath the frame. I guess a brace wouldn't hurt, but I wonder whether it's necessary. Any thoughts?
You know Late when I built my rear radios rods I anguished over the same thing. The bottom photo probably shows it best what I did. Better safe than sorry. But then maybe some others on here have used the ones you have with good results. Gary
OK then, that's two yes and zero no. I guess I'll go ahead with it. It can't hurt. Sorry about the thread hijack. Now back to your regularly scheduled programming.
This is late, but when building a T I always believe one should look to Weesner for inspiration. Go to keithweesner.com and scroll around for T's.
So I have been working on the T only part time. This is the wiring that was removed from the car... This is my rewiring job..... I am also looking at possibly cutting the windshield down. The current height is 20 inches. I'm thinking of taking 2 inches out. What's the opinion on the height of it cut? Should I leave it at 20? This pic is at 18 inches....
As long as when you sit in the car, the top of the windshield frame isn't directly in your line of sight, I like the 18" windshield height you have mocked up.
I want to be sure before I cut.This is at 16 inches. I do have the bar in my line of sight. I'm thinking the 18 might be it. Right now the car has plexiglass in it. What do most people use? Plexiglas or glass?
I'd err on the side of safety and ease of use with that. If you do things to make it look cool that interfere with driving it, you won't want to drive it as much.
You for sure want REAL safety plate glass, not plex. You hit a bird with that plex windshield, itll flex and pop out and smack you right on the nose.
Might be late in the game, but there is some really good advice in this post! Get that seat down, and get much more comfortable in the car. I cover it in my thread using webbing to give some flexibility, and it made all the difference in the world. I frequently do 200 mile days in my car, and sometimes even lots more. this is how I sit in my car, and my buddy in the passenger seat had his feet on my small tool box.
Chip, I'm fairly close to your seating position. I did leave a riser in the front of the seat for leg curvature. I found it made it easier to get to the pedals. Curious, how tall is your windshield?
If you replace the front axle try to set it up with the tie rod link behind the axle as this would help with steering....basic fundamental concept called "Ackerman steering" which is ignored in many front ends for convenience and space reasons.
At that point it was a stock height '23-'25, which I think is right on 20" or so. I have since chopped the top pane 1 1/2", and I'll do the bottom soon,
This is where I am at for right now. I just measured it at 19 1/2", which means stock was 21". The thing I prefer about the '23-'25 windshields is that they are leaned back a bit in comparison to the '17-'22 style.
Hello everyone, Please look at the pic of the rear end on page 1. It has coil springs with shocks inside. I would like to bring it down an inch or two. Does anyone have any objections to me chopping a coil or two out of the rear springs? The back rides as stiff as the front and I don't believe the rear has any travel. Wont cut until I hear some words. Thanks, Chris
We might need some better pics of the rear. The rule of thumb for cutting coils is 2" per turn, so a couple coils will be way too much. Also need to make sure your shocks have travel left in them, you might need shorter ones. The rear suspension needs to have at least some travel. If it doesn't, something could be binding or just poorly engineered, it's also possible that the springs are way too heavy duty for such a light weight car. A shorter and softer replacement for your current springs might make it ride smoother and get you the height you are after.
Also, .... cutting the coil will increase it's spring rate. Pull the coil out and take the measurements of it and try and find one that has a smaller diameter wire.
You might take some time and pull the coils and run the rear suspension all the way up until it stops. Taking a bit out of the rear might leave you with no room for the rear suspension to work. As far as coils, people have a tendency to over spring T-Buckets badly. Back in the sixties, the coil to use for 'Buckets was the Corvair front coil. Probably not available generally anymore, (unless you go through someplace like Clark's Corvairs) but an older spring catalog will probably have specs for the Corvair springs you can compare to modern stuff.
Ok, I won't cut yet. I agree with the oversprung issue for my car. What's the rule for proper rear springs for a glass bucket? If I just bought new ones, any recommendations?