Willys update....

Well, the Corvette rear end is positioned in place and the main mounting structure is tack welded in. 

There certainly was some difficulty with properly locating that unit.  There is absolutely no good way to position or to even jack it up without it bolted to something.  The four bar links need to be positioned on the frame to set the wheel base and the diff housing height ultimately sets the ride height.....and those two are somewhat dependent on each other to maintain proper anti-squat and camber gain.  This all has to be done  while there is no weight on the suspension because there is no good way in hell to compress that stupid leaf spring.  Oh yeah, on top of that, we also have no idea how much the rear of the car weighs and conversely, how much it will compress the suspension.

So how did we do it?  Well, first, we set the main mounting structure in the frame so that the car would sit as low as possible without a ridiculous amount of butchery and fabrication.  We then took measurement off of the original corvette carcass to the top 4-bar mounting hole.  We drilled a corresponding hole in the Willys frame and bolted the 4-bar mounting bracket to the car at the correct angle measured off of the original chassis.  This allowed us to be able to set the car on the ground and get an idea of how much the spring will compress as well as what we need to do to center the tire in the wheel well.

Surprisingly, it was actually very close to where we wanted it.  The wheel center line needs to move forward about a 1/4" to get it just right.  This is accomplished be moving the 4-bar link forward the desired amount from the holes we drilled.  It is important to note that we did find that the frame rails, while parallel to each other, where actually shifted for from each other longitudinally about a 1/2"

I think for the next one, I am going to build a locating jig off of the original chassis and correlate that with ride height....somehow.

Here is what's left of a running, driving '85 'Vette....

The next step is the front end....

1931 Willys Knight....Hot Rod....

We had a customer drop this off earlier in the week.  Plans are to install a full Corvette running gear, a SBC and a 700R4. 

Apparently, they only made a little over 500 of these cars in '31 and most of those were exported.  This one actually came out of a museum.  Initially, I was a little hesitant to convert it but it's what the customer wants, and well, the customer is always right.

The customer also supplied a rolling chassis from a mid '80's 'Vette that was completely disassembled with a sawz-all.  It was an impressive amount of work that I unfortunately did not get  picture of.

 More progress pics to come....

Volvo transplant....

Found the base for the new power plant for the 240 on Craigslist over the weekend....

It a naturally aspirated SC300 Lexus 2JZ-GE inline 6....

Mild Upgrades to the Volvo....

Over the weekend, I had a chance to install a set of lowering springs and finally fix the antenna on the Brick.
For the last week or two, it was painful only getting one radio station about half of the way on my daily commute.  On top of that, I didn't really care much for that station.  Apparently, broken antennas are a common issue with these cars as they do sort of sick out in an awkward location and somewhat inhibit the use of the luggage rack.  Not that I use the luggage rack, but why would they put it right there?  The original designers must have believed that was going to be the safest spot....Regardless, it was an easy fix with the kit from IPD.  I did get a chuckle from the supplied special wrench that was stamped "Volvo".  Really?

I was really excited for installing the lowering springs.  At the original ride height and with the original hubcaps, these cars are ugly.  Even if you are a diehard Volvo enthusiast, you have to admit that.  So with the help of IPD once again, there a least a chance now we can make this car respectable....

Over all, I was surprised how easy everything went together.  It took a little over an hour and I didn't even end up using the spring compressor.  The car was lowered exactly the 1-3/4" that they said it would be and  I would imagine that they are still going to settle a bit too.  The ride is far superior to what it was previously.  The pitch and dive were dramatically reduced and even though it was significantly less, it still has a little bit more body roll than I would like.  I did notice the front struts lacking any resemblance of resistance, so I imagine that has quite a bit to do with it.

It still needs some work, definitely a change of wheels and several other little issues still need to be addressed, but at least now I don't feel as if I need to be wearing my sport jacket with with leather elbow pads and Ralph Lauren driving cap while motoring down the road on the way to my dental practice. 

However, my wife still hates it....

Boxey but Ugly....

Not quite vintage, but I was in the need for a new daily driver.  Enter the '93 Volvo 240 Wagon...

So before anyone blasts me for buying a 20+ year old Volvo, let me explain...

For quite sometime, I wanted to build a vehicle that had some rather respectable horsepower that I could still use for the daily commute.  I need that vehicle to not only transport me around, but my daughter, wife and dog....safely and still get decent gas mileage.  That particularly can not be said for my current vehicle...at least the safety part.  Also, I wanted to investigate manufacturing parts for a bit more modern engine than the 235/261 family.

So, I initially looked at the LS family of engines.  While impressive and fit with what I wanted to do, there are quite a few aftermarket companies already specializing in them and I feel that the market is fairly saturated.  Plus, it is a fairly common swap in almost everything. 

Then I saw this.....

...and I was sold.

I am on the search now for a 2JZ engine...don't worry, there will be more to come.

Flathead T5 aapter progress....

So, I started sketching the bellhousing for the Flathead to T5 adapter.  Here is a little teaser of the progress...

The more that I mock this up, the more apparent it becomes that there might be input shaft modifications required.  I fear that this setup is getting too long to be able to fit in the original Ford configuration  One possible solution is to offer a new input shaft that is significantly sorter than the original S-10.  This concept is attractive because if I went through the trouble of making a new input shaft, I would use the original Ford spline configuration so that the clutch disc would not have to be changed.  The other option is to require the torque tube to be shortened.  Either way, there are still quite a bit of details that need to be worked out.

T5 adapter for the flathead...

I know, I know....things have been slow around here and I apologize for that.  It has been ridiculoulsy busy arond the shop and I simply haven't had time to make an update.

I did want to share the latest project that we have been working on.  Finally, we are going to have a T5 adapter for the Ford Flathead.  Now, there are several different company offering the Flathead adapters and most of them are very reasonably priced.  Ours is going to be a bit different that what's currently available.  It's a drop in, bolt together ordeal that uses the stock torque tube rear end and requires absolutely no modifications.  Well...at least that's the plan...as we are still in the design phase.   

Ultimately, this kit will include a new tail shaft and output shaft that will accept the stock Ford u-joint and pivot ball.  There will be a bell housing adapter, much like what is available currently, as well as a new top plate that will relocate the shifter close the the original Ford location.

Having this type of kit allows the use of any of the Mustang or Camaro T5's as well as the '94-'95 S-10 T5's.  No longer will you have to try and find a mechanical speedometer S-10 T5 as you will be able to use the original Ford speedometer.

Again, this adapter is still in the design phase but we will keep you up to speed on how it is progressing.