Hot Rods The "Whatever" project

Dave
Not sure of the shape or size you are planning for the trans tunnel but consider sinking a heel well into the top (or side) of the floor hump to help with foot clearance, that is what I plan to do on my roadster.

 

So you've been keeping up with the Whatever project and my short fat feet! Years ago a former forman at the shop I worked at always said that he'd take my feet to the bandsaw and narrow them down a bit so I could get safety shoes from the shoe truck. Never did take him up on it. Maybe I should have...

Yes getting 8E width feet in narrow spaces has been a challenge for my whole life. And regarding a transmission tunnel, well maybe... Hey if no tunnel is good enough for Marty then no tunnel is good enough for me! Besides there will be a belly pan. That should keep road grimeto a minimum!

 

Dave, If you aren't going have a tunnel over the trans, then you will need a double firewall to seal it up. This shot shows the inner one, .050, aluminum sandwiched between the block and bellhousing, that is free to jiggle with the engine movements. There is a soft rubber gasket between the inner and outer, to provide the seal.

 

That is a neat solution. I was thinking of using the idea I had from earlier, an engine plate but wasn't quite sure how to make a good seal. That's the answer. Marty this long distance teaching is certainly working for me. Thanks for the inputs.

So back to the garage and get dirty and make some chips...

 

Dreamt up the seat mounts today. No literally the design came to me during a dream while I was napping to get rid of a migraine. I've had them since I was 6 years old and still get them with some regularity. Not as bad these days as in the past. But I've had similar experiences with migraines and dreams for most of my life. The mind is a terrible thing to waste, and I'm walking proof of that statement...

Anyway, I now have the mounts cut out and ready to be tacked together tomorrow. I also figured out the pedals using left over Mini pedals I have. Thanks for the inputs everyone, looking at what others have done showed me what they needed to look like, so I now have to do a little cutting and welding and I should have them done in a day or two. Pictures tomorrow

 

I have only 2 Migraines in my life, never so glad to throw up in my life !

 

Marty, I took a look back at your roadster projects. Especially the #10, and was wondering what size tube you used for the support member around the cowl area? I may have missed it in the writeup. If it's different than 1.5 od then I'm going to have to get a new die or two for my bender.

 

Dave, I have two tubes in the cowl area, one behind the dash and the other for the windshield. They are 1".

 

Thanks Marty. That picture may have been in your thread, but being old and all that, I missed it. Now I have a clear understanding of how you built the inner structure. I'm going to be ordering a couple of new dies for my bender now. Fortunately I have a friend who has a tubing roller so I don't have to buy one of those.

And I like that you've been able to get the roll bar inside the body. Well back to the garage and the drawing board...

 

Seat mounts today, and pedals. Here's the seat mount. Well it's started. Lots of welding and I'm thinking that I should put a sheet of eighth inch steel plate on it to protect the family jewels just in case...

 

If I'm seeing correctly, MartyStrode has a pair of driveshaft loops incorporated in that pictured frame. Instead of just a piece of .120 steel on the bottom of your seat, why not incorporate something similar to contain your driveshaft "just-in-case"? I've always preferred "containment" at each end of an exposed driveshaft to keep it from becoming a "flail" if a "U-Joint" fails!!!

 

That's in the works. But first I have to get the T5 and finish up on the engine mounts. It's looking like the nose of the engine needs to be raised a little bit and I think that when I do that the transmission will be a bit lower. You may also notice that there's not any diagonal bracing yet. I'm holding off on that until I get the important stuff located. I sort of learned that the hard way with the 1st and 2nd dirt cars way back when. And also to only tack stuff in and make sure everything fits before final welding. If you remember at the beginning of this diatribe I kept saying that I knew better. Well it's not true. And I'm still making mista...er that is design changes as I go along.

And I want to say that all of you great builder and the really good comments and pictures you've shared, have made a real difference in my project. As an example of this, today I also messed around with some pedals for the brake and clutch. They came out of an Austin Mini.
Here's a picture of the pedals in the car. They are upside down and reversed, i.e. the clutch is now the brake and vice versa. A little heating and bending, change the pedal pad mounts (again, long story when used in the Mini and I sat in the back seat...), and mount the master cylinders to the rear of the pedals and viola, I might have working pedals. At least I can get my feet on them and they feel okay. Note the bungee cords used to get some tension on the pedals. The inner end of the pivot bolt needs support, and that will get done when mc mounts and xmembers are in.

So keep your comments coming. I need all of the motivation I can...

2 more pictures just because...

 

I never finished a thought I started. I was saying how much everyone has influenced me. As an example of this, I made a drill guide like Marty did for getting the inner and outer holes for the bung supporting the pedals square and perpendicular to the the frame rails. I would never have done this before. Instead I would measure and layout the holes on both sides and pray that the drill didn't wander. So yes I am learning a lot from all of you.

 

Ordered a new bender die today. Boy are they spendy! Dug out the other set of pedals from the Minis. These are unmolested and fit just right. You'd swear they designed them to fit inside a model T. Also put the steering column mostly together and looked at the fit. A lower mounting point just below the firewall on the 2x3 frame rail, and viola it fits! So little steps again. But I'm much better now...

 

Imagine the kinds of chassis you could build if you had a real Bender working for you!

 

WOW!

 

Progress, sort of. I picked up the T5 transmission from my brother in law's garage today. It's a 4 cylinder transmission and has the electronic speedometer sender. At least it has the short shifter location. I'll have to check it out and determine exactly what it is inside. Grimy on the outside, but looks clean on the inside.

Also received the 1 inch dies for my bender today. Haven't even opened the box yet. Now to get some tube to bend.

Still little steps...

 

As previously reported I picked up the T5 transmission yesterday. Unbolted the 4 banger bellhousing with the use of fire and force and lanolin penetrating oil. NAPA guys swear by it, I swear at it, due to the smell. Wet sheep! But it works. It appears that the 2 parts were never unbolted since GM mated them years ago. It even still had the id tag:

Yeah not much help. Things rust up here in the northeast. And those casting numbers, the tranny identifier in that super t5 thread just said don't use casting numbers! So not sure what year it is. It has the electronic speedometer sender and is 4.something to 1 first gear. Spun and crudely counted.
Grungy outside, fluid looks clean. I'll open it up later...

 

Okay so I'm still trying to figure out what the transmission is. Looking at the t5 thread, it shows the wc t5 as having a better front counter shaft bearing, that apparently is a tapered roller bearing. The Timken number is LM 67010-BCE. This is the bearing in this t5. Like I said, things rust up here in the northeast...

So last trip to the garage, I spun it carefully in 1st gear, and it's definitely 4.1:1. With the 1 inch 14 spline input shaft, WC t5. So not perfect but it was free! And I like free!

I mentioned a few posts back that I put in a set of unmolested Mini pedals. Here's a picture of the pedals in place:
There's plenty of room after all! See that big rod end? When I cut the floor to clear the pedals, I'll have room to get the steering shaft in. That rod end will be mounted to the frame rail just below the firewall and I'll put a u-joint on it and a short section of 3/4 shaft up to the Vega steering box, another u-joint and the steering is working.

And when I eventually find it, the spare Mini gas pedal will only require a slight tweak to get it to fit and work. More little steps...

 

More progress! We like it, we like it!

Will there be some sort of rubber or other gasket-type material to help keep "stuff" (fumes, some moisture, etc.) from coming up around the pedal arms? I imagine even with a belly pan there may be some undesirables that try to work their way up into the driver compartment (it can't be a passenger compartment if you don't add a second seat!). Or just a slot in the floorboards and to hell with whatever comes through?

 

Yes! Choose which question that answers...

If I do like Marty suggested then the engine compartment will be separated from the drivers compartment, and with the planned belly pan there may not be a need for anything like that around the pedals. Time will tell...

 

Marty, it looks like the main roll bar hoop and the cowl support hoop uprights lean out at the top in the picture. Is that correct or is it an illusion of the angle of the picture? I'm trying to figure out what I have to do to get similar tubing structure to my frame rails. I know your frame has a taper. Mine is the same width front to back, established when I was thinking center steer using my Schroeder champ steering box, and not knowing where it was going to be on the frame.

 

Dave, nice build. Well proportioned. Good stance.
Re getting in and out:
My friend John had an altered that his wife drove (to two IHRA World Championships). Since she was rather diminutive, to get her in and out he installed a telescoping foot peg that retracted inside the body once she was seated. Barely visible under the Monocoque decal. Similar to a retractable bobsled handle.

R.I.P. John and Ann Peto.

 

Sorry for the loss.

Not a bad idea! I like it! Got any pictures of it in action?

 

So with the generous help of gimpyshotrods I'm further down the road on knowing what the T5 transmission I acquired is. Now with any luck today, as he suggested, having soaked the tag in vinegar and wire brushing it, maybe the numbers will be legible, and then fully identify the thing.

Now to attempt to bolt it to old mangy and see what fitup issues arise. I'm thinking that if it's a tad too long, that might not be a bad thing. I'm also thinking that I can compensate for the extra length if needed using a block plate of the appropriate thickness. This could easily become a mid motor plate and support the drivetrain just fine. Time will tell...

 

Thanks to gimpyshotrods we're confident that the transmission is from a 93 S10 with the 4 cylinder engine. Given the information I have, he's determined that it's a WC T5 from a S10 and with the 4.03 low gear. And with standard GM bolt pattern. Now the only thing to do is mait fit, either by shortening parts to match the dimensions of a T10 i.e. standard GM or make a spacer to take up the extra length. I'm thinking engine plate...

 

Found the "calendar " mark on the transmission after scrubbing off some of the grunge. It has 93 inside the circle and 2 of those spaces have dots. So it matches with gimpyshotrods best estimate of the year 1993, and appears to have been manufactured in February of that year.

 

Spent some quality time in the garage today. Trial fit the transmission in. You'd swear it was meant to be right there in a T roadster. The shifter location is almost exactly where I would design it to be if I was designing from scratch.

As gimpyshotrods and others mentioned, it's a half inch too long in the pilot bearing nose. Once that is resolved by one method or another, I can then set the engine angle and setback. Final engine mounts are in the near future... or not! Whatever!

 

Nice!