Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

"That's cool, but EASY on that clutch for 500 miles..."

We were already rolling in 1st about 25mph, and I goose'd it a little bit... tires musta been cold or something 'cause they lit right up. hmmmm

A few little tidbits got accomplished the last few days:
Rear View Mirror
Center Cap on the Wheel

I'm in a bit of a dilemma, as I've got my DMV inspection coming up, but I don't want to mount my mirror - there's NO WAY I can get it "centered" without the body & paintwork done, and I don't want to drill holes in the cowl that will need to be reworked/filled later.
Solution:
A piece of 1x1 aluminum angle was cut and trimmed down to fit the base of the mirror and the top of the windshield frame. A few holes drilled, some tapped, and a session on the rag-wheel with some polishing compound. The trimmed off pieces were filed down, and made into thread inserts that slid into the windshield frame


It might just stay on the windshield instead of the "correct" spot, centered on the dash cowling


Another item off the list was the center cap for the steering wheel. A dry-fit revealed that the "in-concentricity" of the wheel to the hub wouldn't allow the insert to fit in. Also, the air-tight seal of the o-ring was a pain. I marked the areas of interference and sanded them down a bit, and drilled a 3/32" hole from the o-ring groove into the hub area void. The center cap now presses into place with effort, but can be removed without fighting pressure or vacuum.

I also got the "wind wings" and sunvisors mounted.

-- Edited by John D on Wednesday 29th of May 2019 06:03:41 AM

Got back from the cabin, and got #9365 loaded up for its DMV inspection tomorrow afternoon.

Sheryl & I got it on the trailer, strapped down, and backed into the 40 Watt, and we're not filing for divorce! I guess all that time at the boat ramp has paid off!

It should be a 2018... but I'd love to pay the taxes/fees for a '65!

It's official!

#9365 is registered with the State of Minnesota, taxes (ouch) paid, licensing fees paid, and a 60-day paper license plate on the trunk.

The "inspection" was really a non-event. I had documentation of the source of the major components, the guy at the testing station could see all the numbers on the parts/pieces, and PASS. It wasn't a safety inspection of any kind... no checking for anything - didn't even turn the key on.

I took my "PASSED" form about 10 miles up the road to the Stearns County DMV, waited in line about 10 minutes, and 30 minutes later (minus a whole lot of sales tax) I had a paper license plate, "Title Applied For" paper, and out the door. Called the insurance guy from the parking lot and said "Turn it on!".

There's now 6.3 miles on it. After dropping the car at home, then returning the trailer to "Pushrod" Craig, I got back home, had dinner, then made a run to the gas station and filled it up. Spent the next 20 minutes toodling around the neighborhood learning to drive the thing. Got a few clunks & rattles I have to check on, don't know yet if they're just it's noises, or I've got some work to do.
Brakes feel good, and were getting better as I drove. Lemme tell ya it accelerates like a scalded cat! I "rolled into it" a bit through 1st and 2nd and WOW.

Having taken LESS than a year from delivery to driving, I can image how others on the FFR forum feel, that have been putzing with their kits for many years. Maybe you have been an inspiration for others to get off their duff and put their cars together.

When do you take it for paint ?

I don't recall reading the final color either.

We have been looking at a shiny copper color for the '38 for a long time. I really like that color.
Yep, Pearlescent White or your idea of a cream color would blend better with copper than black to me too.

Copper and pearl cream gets my vote. 

Just got back from "The Alignment Guy" in Hopkins. He was recommended by Derek, and several other "cone manglers" that do a lot of AutoCross.
Jeff's an interesting character... not PC/WarmFuzzy, and says what's on his mind. He likes a challenge, and recently set up an FFR 818 for a local guy.
He's very methodical, and will chase an nth turn to get the numbers dead on - spent 3 hours on my car.

(It was nice to see that my strings, tape measure, and 60 year old bubble camber/caster setup wasn't too far off the mark. Completely safe & drive-able for the short time it took to get a professional alignment.)

Pay no mind to the "Lotus Elise" at the top of the page... he had to punch in a similar suspension layout to baseline the machine/software:

Just got back from a 96 mile run with #9365. Absolutely flawless.
The alignment Jeff did was perfect... the car is not twitchy, tracks where you put it, hands off the wheel and it just rolls along.

I did the I-494/I-694 loop, starting at the west center (I-394), and went clockwise. At the south end I veered off onto Cedar Ave, and did a cruise around the lakes. It's a 25mph interconnecting loop around all of them, with a bazillion stop signs, then cut back home via Lake St.
I figured this would give the car the best test of all situations... highway cruising, then seriously nasty stop-n-go.

#9365 was perfect. Again, the temp never got above 85C, oil pressure was about 20psi/thousand (normal for a Coyote?), and it just loves to cruise!

I think I nailed it on the selection of the gearbox final drive/OD ratio. I'm running the 3.15 rear (where most seem to run the 3.55). At 65mph in 5th, the Coyote is loafing along at 2100rpm. Don't even have to downshift for passing, just press a little harder, the torque comes in, and the speedo climbs... RAPIDLY!

According to the "tell-tale" on the speedo, my max mph was 96 on this run... How'd that happen?? Musta been when two C6 Corvette weenies wanted to play a little off a stoplight... hmmm. After dusting them off, I had to remind myself there's less than 100 miles on #9365, and take it easy John...

The clutch has bedded in perfect... it's just totally smooth and predictable (Thanks Mr. Forte), doesn't feel like a "juice" clutch - more like a light mechanical.
According to the witness marks on the rotors the brakes are settling in as well - getting better and better with every run - and nearing full contact patch.

Hat's off to FFR. With a little time, patience, tools, and sweat you CAN build yourself an awesome car! 

Did you have Jeff put it on the 4-corner scales too?

The hiccup was a hot-start problem...

Got a IM from "Enganeer" John who was up-nort at his place in Pequot. So I took advantage of the offer of a concrete floor and a helper. Drove the 30-ish miles to his place, and wouldn'tcha know the problem wouldn't replicate itself.

Whatever. Got a nice tour of his (Wow) place, enjoyed a home-brew, and initiated John to the world of FFR with a little jaunt in #9365. (He's got the honors of the 1st non-family rider!)

Let's say you planted a seed. Lots of thinking.

That car is a blast and far more comfortable and well behaved than I would have thought.

Have been pondering selling the 64 for awhile now. They elky is mid process for the camaro dash conversion setup up that it would not sell worth anything, so that will stay.

A mildly boosted LSx would be fun.

I don't know, the hat is kind of cute.
Reminds me of the helmets roller derby girls wear...

SOOOOO, at 500 miles, you now have a better "feel" for what the car is capable of ??

Reminds me of the helmets roller derby girls wear...

I don't have the boobs for it... Raquel does!

SOOOOO, at 500 miles, you now have a better "feel" for what the car is capable of ??

It's capable of a whole lot more than I'm comfortable giving it!

Just east of us Hwy 87 winds through the woods toward Longville, and it's a great stretch of 2-lane... no cross-streets (but a lot of driveways), several 90* 15mph corners, and a few 35 & 45 mph "twisties", then a 1/2-mile dragway.

I ran through the corners pretty conservatively eastbound (scoping out gravel, etc.), then on the straight got up to 60, 70, 80 several times and did really hard braking (not quite panic stop but on the verge of lockup). I wanted to get the brakes HOT, and verify my Front/Rear balance adjustment. I think my adjustment is spot-on. The rears juuusssttt start to lock a millisecond before the fronts and you're in a full slide. It doesn't want to swap ends, or pull either direction, just slide whatever direction you're pointed... relax the pressure a touch and it slows down like you snagged the #3 wire. Even after 5 or 6 of these crazy stops I couldn't feel any appreciable fade. I'm using the 2018 Mustang brakes, and they're sized for a car weighing TWICE as much. With no power assist they really feel good - great pedal feedback, and easy to modulate.

Cornering is like on rails. This thing just STICKS, but I'm really aware of how unforgiving it COULD be. Coming back westbound I got nowhere near potential on the twisties (no runoff and too many trees!), but cut some apexes and near tripled the DOT recommended speed on the signs. It's common knowledge that these things don't give a lot of warning, they'll snap out from under you, then being such a short wheelbase "overcorrecting" is the death sentence to a save-able goof. It's a totally different feel than a "traditional" car, as you're basically sitting on the rear axle... lots of nose in front of you. I'll wait until BIR or Dakota County to push the envelope. I need to practice my Heel n Toe!

-- Edited by John D on Saturday 6th of July 2019 05:44:38 PM

While underneath for the oil change, that little monkey nagging about the start issue kicked in...

First... Removing the starter from a Roadster with a Coyote & FFR headers is a breeze! Basic tools to remove the electrical connections, and a 14mm on a 12" extension w/ a swivel and it's out in 10 minutes.

 

Backtrack... I'm guessing I inadvertently "fixed" my problem when I was poking around under the car. I tugged/pulled on the solenoid trigger wire, which "tightened" the post into it's bracket. The terminal was tight on the post, but the dang post wasn't tight in the bracket!

I'll guess again that the terminal post is a "D-shape", or maybe a "star" and its pressed into the bracket and staked in place. Mine wasn't tight, and my tugging on it bound it (by rotational friction) tight enough to maintain enough contact to work. Enter road vibrations & heat/expansion and it worked itself loose again.

Enter the MIG, two quicky zap/tacks, a minute with the Dremel, and I've got a post that'll never work loose again.

 

Two projects knocked out on #9365 today... footrests.

 

One of the things noticed on a longer drive with the Roadster was my left leg was getting sore... and it wasn't "clutch leg". The driver's footbox is pretty cramped, and there's really nowhere to rest your left foot. You don't want to put it under the pedals, and that's not even really comfortable. I realized I was holding my foot kinda "cocked & ready" over the clutch pedal. I needed some sort of dead-pedal/footrest.

I cobbled up one of the unused hood pin brackets, and fashioned a dead-pedal. It's bolted to the outside footbox wall with some nutserts and 1/4-20's.

Sheryl also noticed a need for something. Even at 5'10"+ she had another five inches of room to the back wall on the passenger side. Same thing... nowhere to comfortably rest your feet against, or "bolster" yourself. I had some leftover foam sheet from Glovebox #1. I glue-stacked it together, shaped it, and had her give it a try... Good but not great. The seats in the Roadster aren't straight forward, they parallel the trans tunnel. They're canted outward about an inch. I added another piece to the right side of the bolster and now it's perfect. Some leftover trunk carpet and it's done.

Well done on the first 2K!

Can you zero that out for when you get "visited" by the constable ?

Lost in the 60s wrote:

---

Can you zero that out for when you get "visited" by the constable ?

---

 It was a track day.... at Power Cruise I'm sure. Yeah, that's a closed track, so I'm sure it was then....

Yep, renting the one I took to Virginia kind of cured me of wanting an enclosed. They are nice to protect the vehicle being transported, but you are right on about the wind resistance and low fuel mileage. Side winds blow the TV around more than an open too.

Be alright if he kept it all winter and you had your full garage to use... Pick it up next spring, when the roads are clean again. Fly out and drive back ?

Just got back about 1/2 hour ago...

1200+ miles in 72 hours is a bytch. For those of you with stock in oil companies, your quarterly dividends will reflect my contributions to the product. Barely cracked 9 mpg hauling a box of air on the way home!

I'm/We're still bending towards a coppery/orange color, with off-white/cream stripes. I've got awhile to look around and submit a few choices to Jeff. Once I do that he'll shoot some samples on little plastic model car blanks and send 'em to me. This is the color family I'm thinking about, but with white instead of black stripes.

 

I REALLY like the copper. Maybe look at the pearlescent white of Cadillac/Escalade from a few years ago for the stripe. Might add a little bling to the copper.

Yeah, the empty box doesn't improve aerodynamics or fuel mileage...

-- Edited by Lost in the 60s on Sunday 18th of October 2020 09:36:19 PM