Hindsight's build thread

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Thanks Tamra and Bob. Good info.
Bob, after sealing all that stuff off, are you no longer getting exhaust odor in the car?

I have had no issue with exhaust smell. Mike drove 30 mile round trip to high school many days last year. No exhaust smell. We seal up the cockpit to keep out engine bay heat.

If your smelling exhaust fumes. You need to fix it right away.
Carbon monoxide (CO) is a deadly, colorless, odorless, poisonous gas.

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Educat...-and-Answers-/

Bob

[fastfox]

Yeah I know, first post here, but IRT the exhaust fumes in the cabin, try extending the exhaust tip an inch or two longer out the back and see if that helps... I know that can be a real issue in cars and especially trucks that have the exhaust pointed straight out the back rather than to the side.

Liking the build, looking forward to starting one of my own (hopefully next spring). Planning to do a coupe as a summer daily driver.

[Hindsight]

Thanks for the input Bob and fastfox. I may give my exhaust an extra turn so it comes out the side instead.... will see if that helps.

[Frank818]

Little more details http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...l=1#post242173

[Hindsight]

Thanks Frank, I saw that last night. I just finished a new emissions testing exhaust (pic on previous page) and it has a rear exit beyond the bumper. If that works to cut down the exhaust fumes, I may re-work my other system. I will post updates.

[Hindsight]

I wrapped up the emissions exhaust with the rear exit today and took it for a spin around the block. First thing I noticed was that the cat REALLY cut down the odor of the exhaust in general (when standing outside the car directly behind the tail pipe). No huge surprise there. But during idle and during the very short drive, I didn't small any exhaust in the cabin anymore. I will need to drive it for a few more miles and in varying conditions to be sure that the new exhaust exit point fixes the issue, but if it does, it means my old turn-down style tip was probably the culprit. Even though it has some reward rake to it, I'm sure as the exhaust hit the ground, it would spread out and some of it would rise up into the engine compartment, filling it with exhaust. From there, as others have noted, it will seep into the cabin even as the car is in motion.

So that means I need to re-do my previous exhaust system so it exits through the back of the bumper. Shame because I like having symmetry.... center tip, dual tips or no tips! My oil cooler is in the way of a dual setup so unfortunately, I'm just going to have to go with a single tail pipe.

[Hindsight]

Going to spend the three day weekend entirely in the garage.

Decided ultimately I will do a transverse single 3" inlet, dual outlet muffler over the top of the transmission with dual 2.5" pipes exiting out on each side of the bumper. My oil cooler is in the way of this now so I'll have to figure something out there. Will probably tackle that in a month or two. This weekend will focus on interior and adding Craig's louvers which are now back from the powder coater. Also will try adding balsa and fiberglass to reinforce the hood, engine cover, and trunk.

Anyone else spending time in the garage this weekend?

[Mechie3]

I have a two day race Saturday, Sunday, but Monday will be garage time all the time! With my wife and daughter gone all week most nights have been garage night from 7pm to 12pm. Definitely needed some caffeine at work. haha!

[STiPWRD]

Decided ultimately I will do a transverse single 3" inlet, dual outlet muffler over the top of the transmission with dual 2.5" pipes exiting out on each side of the bumper.

Sounds like a good plan, I think you'll love it
IMAG1565.jpg
Here's a more recent pic from we were doing some brewing
FB_IMG_1467390010129.jpg

[Hindsight]

Cool Craig, I have been working in the garage during weekday evenings as well. I can't work until as late as midnight (getting old) but even working 6-9 really chisels away at the task list. Good luck at your race.

Thanks Slava - what you did there is exactly what I am planning on. Thanks for posting a pic. I was planning on having the muffler flipped though, so the inlet is forward of the right side outlet. Did you put it to the rear to give yourself more room for tubing bends between the turbo and the muffler? Also, I might not be able to route my tips where you have yours due to my remote oil cooler obstructing the left side, so I may opt to cut holes in the bumper just outside the existing vent opening. The oil cooler and oil cooler lines I have really get in the way. Do you like the sound of your setup? I like the sound of my 3" single muffler though it is a tad loud.

[STiPWRD]

It took me a bit of mock up to figure out the exhaust routing. I basically started out by resting the muffler on a few pieces of wood above the trans and going from there. My requirements were to have smooth transitions, no sharp curves for best flow, and equal pipe lengths coming out of the muffler. I also had to fab a hanger that attaches to the back of the trans. It sounds great and is a bit load but certainly not as load as with a straight pipe.

One thing I discovered afterwards is that the 3" exhaust pipe on the passenger side ended up kinda close to the rear tail lights so I wrapped it with DEI titanium wrap and may also but a heat shield there later on. I tried to keep the muffler reasonably far from the AWIC so just be mindful not to put it too close to the fiberglass.

More details here:
http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...l=1#post215344

[Hindsight]

Awesome, very helpful, thank you Slava. I like your mount with the dual hangars. Might have to copy that!

[Hindsight]

Added a fire extinguisher mounted just in front of the passenger seat. Has quick release bracket.

[Hindsight]

Spent way too much time staring at the back of my car last night. I think I came up with another exhaust idea. This will allow for dual 3" tips (right next to each other) right behind the transmission, centered in the lower rear vent.

Pardon the crude MS Paint drawing. There is actually room for this. It would be tight, but it will fit.

[AZPete]

Like the Boig system that exits below the trans? I haven't bought this yet, but I'm circling.

http://thefactoryfiveforum.com/showt...ms-for-the-818

[Hindsight]

Yes, very similar, only it would exit behind the trans instead of below. The issue with the under-trans tips is that it prevents you from using the diffuser. I also worry about ground clearance and there isn't enough room there for a muffler. I have measured everything and with the setup I drew above, you could fit a 12" or 15" long oval/rectangular muffler (I have a 12" on my previous setup and it will fit fine).

The only issue with the new idea I came up with is that the tips themselves would be very short... maybe 2 to 2.5 " long max and you couldn't do anything fancy due to the short length. You could polish the stainless steel but that's it. No room for an add-on tip. Just two 3" pipes coming to an end. Or if you wanted, you could just do a single, centered 3" pipe etc.

[07FIREBLADE]

Just where I put my fire extinguisher too. I just flipped it around because of my mount. I can reach it very quickly once the harness is released.

[Hindsight]

Another hot day in the garage.

I trimmed down the side sails where they rise above the frame and added the little aluminum kick panels as well. I covered them in carbon fiber vinyl wrap. Turned out pretty nice I think.

I mounted Mechie's large trunk and hood louvers. I decided against a permanent mount because when painting or wrapping the car, I wanted to be able to remove them. So I used #8 bonding studs. First I drilled some mounting holes into the louvers, then layed the louvers in place and moved them until happy with the position. I made a mark through the holes onto the body panels, then removed the louvers. I cut down some of the base plate on the mounting studs so they would fit, then glued them to the body panels over the marks using epoxy thickened with cabosil.

I also got started on reinforcing some of the body panels. I started with the engine cover by adding a 1x2 balsa plank with some slits cut into it so it can flex. Got that idea from another forum member. The epoxy is curing overnight. Tomorrow I'll fill in the slits with thickened epoxy and cover it with some glass cloth. When I do it on the hood, I see no other way to hold the balsa in place than to run screws into it from the top of the hood. I can't glue the balsa in place with the hood off the car and upside down because the hood won't have the proper curve. So holes it is. I guess I will try to fill the holes with some white gel coat, then sand and buff.

[07FIREBLADE]

How much of a lip is there left on your hood? Im currently trimming mine down and was thinking of doing the same thing to mount my louvers too. Also I thinking I'm definetly going to copy you one the balsa wood for reinforcement in key areas. Espeically the hood and your method of screwing them in and filling holes later. Any idea of what thickness you plan on using for the hood? Same size as the rear engine cover?

[Hindsight]

On the vents, i cut the hood flush. There is no lip left at all except for on the front. The front of the hood has a littlevramp up which raises the return there about 1/4" or so; I left that much there or it would turn into a gap.

Yeah, I just bought a bunch of 1x2x48" balsa planks. Will use them all for stiffening panels. I feel they are just the right size but we shall see how they work. I will post pics of where I layed them. Coukd use body filler for the screw holes but since I probably won't paint or wrap the car until winter, gel coat will keep it looking presentable.

[07FIREBLADE]

Got it. Let us know how it turns out with the stiffening I'm really looking into doing it right at this point before I start priming and painting. Im only looking to do the hood since I have the hardtop already.

[metros]

Vents look great! Very cleanly installed!

[Frank818]

Anyone else spending time in the garage this weekend?

3 days me too, although not the same as yours. And it paid off on the body for me!

[Frank818]

On the louvers, look really nice, did you get those fasteners with them or you bought them separately?

[Hindsight]

Thanks for the kind words guys. Frank, I bought the bonding studs from McMaster - they don't come with the louvers.

[Hindsight]

I spent some time today on the balsa engine cover brace. Tomorrow it will be ready for it's layer of fiberglass cloth and then should be done. I need to do one for the trunk lid too, but I'm not sure if it will work. The trunk likes to sag in the front-middle edge as you open it via the hinge. That causes it to rub against the engine cover as you open, and in some cases, it will bind. It needs stiffness on the leading edge but the vent lovers go all the way up to the leading edge, and there are also those little cutouts for the engine cover humps to recess back into the trunk. Those two things prevent you from adding a strip across the front side. I may add some braces diagonally, routed around the louvers, and if that doesn't stiffen it up enough, I may try bridging them with some angle aluminum (below the louvers).

I got the belly pans all installed and also made some brake duct "deletes". Tomorrow I start work on the center console, switches, and gauges.

[Hindsight]

Three sweltering days in a row. Today was just as hot but much, much more humid. Did the best I could but after a few hours I just needed to sit down in some conditioned air.

Today I added the second and final coat of fiberglass to the engine cover reinforcement. It seems to be holding it's bow very well so far. I just need to trim off the flash once it's fully cured.

I spent most of my garage time working on the console. Wasn't happy with FFRs and I couldn't use their tunnel cover or shift cover anyway since my shifter and e-brake are completely different. I used cardboard to make templates until I got the fit that I wanted. I am going to have to make, or have made a custom shift boot and e-brake boot. My momo racing seat side bolts rub the center tunnel frame and overhang it a bit on each side which is going to make covering the center tunnel sides between the seats nearly impossible. I may just leave it open since no one will see down there and I don't plan on eating any french fries in this car. I transfered just one panel to aluminum and cut it out today. That's about it. Had to order some more aluminum sheet on eBay and it won't get here for probably 7 days but for now, with just the face of the console made, I can start cutting and mounting my gauges and controls to it, as well as adjusting the wiring harness as needed. I will put four gauges into the FFR dash, and the other two in the console.

Hoping the safety inspector shows up this week so I can get this thing on the road.

[Hindsight]

The balsa rear brace turned out really nicely. I still need to sand off the fiberglass flashing, but the rigidity is very good, the cover no longer dips in the middle when laying flat, and especially when being opened on the rearward hinge. I need to do this to the trunk and hood next. I do have some issues with the glass cloth not sticking to the balsa on the sides and near corners - it lifts off because it wants to remain flat. A properly setup shop, I believe, would use vacuum bags for this. Not sure if anyone on here who is good with fiberglass has any tips on avoiding lifting glass cloth without vacuum bagging?

Found a really nice local custom auto upholstery shop that will make me a custom eBrake and Shifter boot for a reasonable price.

I want to use the FFR-provided aluminum door panel inlays, but on the padded door panels, they don't fit... too big. I can't remember if I mentioned that before or not, but I will need to cut them down with a jig saw I guess. I'm thinking about making some inlays for the dash that look similar and fit into the dash center recess.

[Frank818]

I must have been missing something. How did you bond the black hinge brackets? Epoxy or glass from FFR or fiber+glass from FFR?

[Hindsight]

Hey Frank, the hinge brackets are bolted to bonding studs. I got 1/4" bonding studs from McMaster, glued them to engine cover with epoxy, then laid several layers of glass cloth over that and wet it out with resin. Then the brackets bolt to them. It allows me to adjust the placement and height of the brackets as needed.

Very excited: Just got a call from the inspector and he will be here tomorrow morning from 9-9:30.

[Harley818]

good luck with the inspection.....

[Frank818]

Epoxy and resin. The resin comes in those 3-4 cans FFR provided with the kit?

2h countdown!!!!!

[RHITME03]

For the Balsa braces, have you thought about using VHB tape to hold the curve and glassing over it? Another option would be to use some mounting studs, drill the bow, and glass over... When finished, remove the nut/washer, and trim the protruding stud.

[Hindsight]

Thx for the well wishes guys.
Rhitme03: Chad actually suggested the same thing but I want a strong adhesive bond for the wood. Bonding stud idea is pretty good! I may try that.

So, I passed the inspection no problem. The rest of the process on getting a vin plate, title, and license plate are not extremely clear and the dept of revenue tells me something different every time I go or call. I ended up having to just mail my paperwork in. They told me in 4-6 weeks I'd get something in the mail. That could mean a title and vin.... not sure. So it looks like I still have a while to wait before being street legal. I am so ready to be just driving this thing.

[Blwalker105]

The best way to solve your glass lifting problem would be to sand down those fairly square corners into a much more rounded profile and within about 3/8"-1/2" of your structure, then use a cabosil-thickened epoxy mixture (peanut butter consistency) to create a fillet down onto your structure and glass over it. I have an old credit card with 4 different corner radii that I use to get the desired fillet. As an alternative, wait till your epoxy starts to pop and most of the tackiness goes away, then use a heat gun to get it malleable again. Keep working it down with a disposable paint brush as you remove the heat and it will harden very quickly and keep it's shape much more easily.

[Hindsight]

Thanks for the tip blwalker! At the suggestion of another forum member, I am also going to try using a lighter fabric. I will give your suggestions a try as well.

[Blwalker105]

A lighter fabric will definitely help. Go to uscomposites.com and take a look at style 7725; it's what I used a lot during my plane's build. It can make some TIGHT bends.

[UnhipPopano]

If you are going to remove what you did and take another attempt, there are a couple more things you can do to get a better result. First, wood likes to absorb the resin so apply some plane resin [resin with no hardener] to the wood a day before. When more resin is applied with hardener, the first layer will set up with it. Also, you should not need such a thick piece to stiffen it up. You reach a point in using a thicker center where you are just adding weight and not strength and rigidity.

Also, with polyester you need to deal with the wax thing, so working this type of mod with epoxy resin is easier, but you need to be careful not to get it on the gel coat.

[Hindsight]

Thanks for the tips guys.

Bwalker - I actually did end up ordering that exact 7725 from uscomposites. Should be here on Monday.

UnhipPopano - I don't plan on removing what I added on the engine cover. I just need to sand off any glass cloth that didn't stick to the balsa - there isn't much, just a few spots. I like your idea about coating the wood the day before... thanks for that tip! So you think 1" is too thick? The balsa I'm using is 1" x 2". I'm attaching the 2" side to the fiberglass part so the height is 1". And yes, I am using epoxy resin for everything.... West System.

[UnhipPopano]

Deck Hatches on boats use 3/8 inch plywood and you can step on them. In strength of Materials Lab, a group covered a 2 by 2 in fiberglass and put in in a beam tester. It failed in sheer of the wood rather than tension-compression of the fiberglass. We repeated the lab, but did a better job on the fiberglass. For us, we were able to take the fiberglass to its failure point in tension. We soaked the beam for a day as I described, and had no trouble with air bubbles and fiberglass delamination.

A 1 by 2 should be fine for what you are doing and you can also go thinner. They sell foam sheets for fiberglass cores that are thinner than the 1 inch. As you can cut them to size, you can reinforce hood type panels leaving areas open for the vents and hinges. How to deal with the hold down pins and hinges would be off topic, but the foam would make those easier to reinforce.