Fred's Build

[freds]

Lucky man.

Yes indeed!

Reading the pain some other states put builders through.....I certainly got lucky....Maybe I should buy a lottery ticket and see .....

[AZPete]

How about recap of your first year of driving? Any issues? Performance? Miles driven? What reactions or questions have you received? What has been the coolest thing?

[freds]

[QUOTE=AZPete;211958]How about recap of your first year of driving? Any issues? Performance? Miles driven? What reactions or questions have you received? What has been the coolest thing?[/QUO

As they say...."Thanks for asking"

I have 1,950 miles on the ODO now and got it registered at the end of November last year.....so 10.5 months.

The first few months I was finessing the body and rattles. No mechanical or electrical problems (TG)
Then I paid attention to the wheel alignment and had to align the rear lateral links to be parallel ....that helped enormously, as has been reported by many.
After that it was still not stable so finally I bought a cheap do-it-yourself alignment kit and added caster to get to about 6 degrees....Bingo, since then it has been a pleasure to drive!
I have been concentrating...at my leisure on getting the best out of the stock intercooler (see my other posts) and that has been gratifying.
I haven't / don't race, but drive it hard when conditions allow, and have had no problems at all.

So all in all a fairly dull report....that's why I haven't posted about it before you asked.

Oh ....one thing, I had a very minor slow drip of oil from the oil filter. When I finally got to it I noticed that the face of the oil cooler that the filter should seal against, had a very slight dimple. The filter I had used after my first oil change had a rectangular cross-section rubber seal which could not compress enough to conform...that is where the leak was. I replaced it with a Subaru filter which has a round (O ring) type seal which can easily compress for the tiny amount needed to conform to the plate...End of leak! Take home...use only filters with "O" ring type seals!

[tmoretta]

What was your procedure for aligning the lateral links? How did you get 6 degrees caster? And, that is front alignment right?

[freds]

What was your procedure for aligning the lateral links? How did you get 6 degrees caster? And, that is front alignment right?

Rear lateral links:
1.My forward & rear links have different diameters, so the first thing was to make a spacer to clip over the smaller diameter link
2. I fitted the spacer as close to the inner bushings as possible.
3. I laid a rigid (thick, about 3/16 ths) straight edge on its flat side over both links, and placed an accurate machinist type level on it.
4. Then I adjusted the length of the upper trailing link to make them level
5. Moved the spacer outboard as far as possible and repeated steps 3 & 4.
6. I went back and re did step 1 thru 5.

Front Caster:
1. Loosened the bolts around the triangular upper ball joint plate.
2. Loosened the lock nuts on the two "A" arm adjusters.
3. Slacked off front one (i.e made it longer) & tightened the rear one (i.e made it shorter).
4. Checked the alignment...then did it all again...and again... until my alignment specs were met, but with the increased Caster.

I used a "Fastrax" DIY set to do this and was satisfied with the results I obtained based on the car's handling now. I'm sure a professional job would be more accurate...but I'm not racing.

fred

[AZPete]

Thanks, Fred. Useful stuff on alignment. But, how about the questions and reactions from people who saw your "strange and unknown" car? When people guess what it is, what do they say? Do guys see it as a kit car or a production car?

[tmoretta]

So - one must not only make the lateral links parallel, but also, level with the chassis?

[freds]

So - one must not only make the lateral links parallel, but also, level with the chassis?

If the car's ride height is is set and the weight of the car is on the wheels, I guess that is implied.

[freds]

Thanks, Fred. Useful stuff on alignment. But, how about the questions and reactions from people who saw your "strange and unknown" car? When people guess what it is, what do they say? Do guys see it as a kit car or a production car?

Sorry missed the last question....

I get "What is it?" all the time..parking lots at stoplights, gas station etc.. No one has said "Is that a kit car?". By the time they take a look inside the cockpit, I've already told them it is a "Built by owner" etc.
The external doesn't look a at all amateurish IMO.