GTBradley's build - Still Kick'n!

[GTBradley]

I bought the Hunziker shoes and have had a chance to drive a couple of hours over 3 or 4 trips. They are really well made; they are thin enough for the pedals, have a nice rigid sole and look great. My one concern is for hot weather as there is no venting in the shoes I got, but so far so good in spring temperatures.

[PeteMeindl]

Looks good, Bradley! Also good point about being thin enough for the pedals - not every shoe can fit with our pedal situation, that's for sure!

[GTBradley]

That’s mostly true, Pete. Since I bought the AC pedals from Mike Forte and really don’t have an issue with my wide shoes either, but I have size 9 feet, so that’s the biggest advantage.

[GTBradley]

Okay, so I’ve been very curious about my weight, self conscious, you might even say. My car’s weight, not mine. I’d rather not talk about the added weight I’ve put on since this stay at home thing went into effect.

I didn’t really want to spend the money on four-wheel professional scales for corner weighting, but I did want to know how close I got on the corner weights. I also wanted to know how much the car weighed total as I splurged for things like breeze seat brackets and 40 pounds of Thermo Tec in the cockpit. I also removed the glass windshield and replaced it with plastic. I bought the Coyote partly because it is a lightweight engine. So while not freaking out about every pound, I always had it in the back of my mind and avoided a lot of things that would make my car heavier than it needed to be.

I bought a cheap scale capable of 660 pounds that had good ratings indicating it was accurate:

660 pound scale

I checked the scale for repeatability, both with my weight and the car’s. I figure if it gives the same number over and over it has to be a decent scale.

I am pleased to say that I stayed below 2300 pounds, which was my objective: 2277 is the car’s weight with ¾ tank and no driver.

[GTBradley]

My setup was to place three wheels on concrete blocks and the fourth on the scale - all had doubled up plastic between the tires and block or scale. The scale has adjustable feet so the height of it can match the blocks and compensate for any unevenness of the floor. The plastic is important so the tires and shocks won’t resist settling in. The front wheels are turned left and right and the front and back are pulled up and down smoothly to avoid damage to the scale. This helps settle the car on it’s shocks and normalize the angle on the rear wheels after it is jacked up and back down. I experimented with this and found the weights are different when the car is not settled in. You can even get small differences in weight if you push down or pull up a small amount on the car after you have it settled in.

Corner weights came out at:
LF 544 RF 546
LR 603 RR 584

I weighed the car four times and got very similar numbers, except when I tried off-center weight on the scale, but even then the numbers were less than 5 percent off.

I’m guessing the LR being 19 pounds heavier than the RR is a result of having only one roll bar?

I guess I’ll leave well enough alone, seeing as how the weight distribution is 48% front and 52% rear. Unless you weight and distribution experts see something wrong with what I did. Please weigh in if you do.

[Bob Cowan]

Your cross weight is about perfect, too. I wouldn't touch anything.

[Jeff Kleiner]

I’m guessing the LR being 19 pounds heavier than the RR is a result of having only one roll bar?

No, it's a result of how you have your spring collars adjusted but as Bob said you're setting really good as is and I'd leave it alone!

Jeff

[GTBradley]

No, it's a result of how you have your spring collars adjusted but as Bob said you're setting really good as is and I'd leave it alone!

Jeff

That’s what I suspected, based on what you guys have written about in the past. I understand that the weight on the LR is related mostly on the RF, it’s just that the RF is so close in weight to the LF, so if I were to fix the LR the fronts would be uneven.

Anyway, thanks for the input. And thanks to all the heavyweights who have posted on how to set the car up in the first place. I had to do it three times, but it looks like it paid off.

Bradley

[GTBradley]

Your cross weight is about perfect, too. I wouldn't touch anything.

Great! So when do we hit the track?

[Bob Cowan]

Great! So when do we hit the track?

Next planned event is 16 May, in La Junta. Unless it gets cancelled.

https://nasarockymountain.com/2020-schedule/

[GTBradley]

Took a drive to test out my half tonneau and heater a couple weeks ago. It worked pretty well even on the highway. It brought back memories of my 63 MGB from back in the 70s, albeit 4 times the power, about the same weight and way better handling.

[GTBradley]

I recently found a phone mount that works well with the dash support. It makes navigating much easier:

[GTBradley]

I took a trip through Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday to celebrate the graduation of the car. I made a video of it and it came out pretty nice:

[TMartinLVNV]

I took a trip through Rocky Mountain National Park on Monday to celebrate the graduation of the car. I made a video of it and it came out pretty nice:

Man, that is beautiful! I have to get up there. Thanks for sharing.

[GTBradley]

Let me know when you do, I'll show you around.

[TMartinLVNV]

Let me know when you do, I'll show you around.

That sounds fantastic. I rode a motorcycle for 13 years and put over 60,000 miles on it. I loved doing overnight trips to the Grand Canyon, the national parks in Utah, and northern AZ. I always wanted to do SW Colorado but never made it that far. I plan do with this car. I found that a 500 mile day with lots of stops for sightseeing was about the limit for my butt on the motorcycle. I should be able to do similar numbers in the Roadster. There are some others here in Las Vegas that have already expressed interest in joining me on my planned trips. Have you been through Utah?

In Colorado, I want to see Rocky Mountain National Park, Telluride, Silverton, Durango, Dinosaur National Monument, and whatever the locals have to suggest. Maybe separate trips that are 3 nights in length. One to the SW corner and one to the NW corner. I built this car to drive, not bring to shows or look at in the garage

[GTBradley]

My philosophy as well. In fact, my current project is a spare trunk lid with luggage rack - so I can swap it out when not needed.

I rode my 77 Gold wing motorcycle through RMNP once and on another 3000 mile whirlwind trip To Oshkosh, WI for the air show and then just headed west. Did all the monument stuff through South Dakota and ended up in Yellowstone and back to KC. I much prefer the relative comfort of the roadster and it’s outfitted pretty well for the long trip, though I’d like to investigate lumbar support bladders.

I have not done a car trip to Utah, definitely on the list though. I had planned to drive to London this month, but that’s obviously out now. 500 miles is a good number, especially if getting out a lot to see sites. And don’t even get me started on SW Colorado amazing! The “million dollar highway” is a must!

[Papa]

Big Thompson Canyon on the way to or from Estes Park and RMNP is a must. The back way from Breckenridge to Keystone around Lake Dillon is a short but fun drive. Durango, Mount Evans Highway (closed this year), all beautiful drives. I want to do a loop from Parker up to the Black Hills to see Mt. Rushmore and then head over to Devil's Tower in Wyoming before heading back home. I think that would be a great three-day trip.

[GTBradley]

Big Thompson Canyon on the way to or from Estes Park and RMNP is a must. The back way from Breckenridge to Keystone around Lake Dillon is a short but fun drive. Durango, Mount Evans Highway (closed this year), all beautiful drives. I want to do a loop from Parker up to the Black Hills to see Mt. Rushmore and then head over to Devil's Tower in Wyoming before heading back home. I think that would be a great three-day trip.

I like the way you think!

[Bob Cowan]

I want to do a loop from Parker up to the Black Hills to see Mt. Rushmore and then head over to Devil's Tower in Wyoming before heading back home. I think that would be a great three-day trip.

We did this with the club a few years. It was a great trip, and we had so much fun. My wife and I also went up there for the big car show and parade one year.

[Papa]

We did this with the club a few years. It was a great trip, and we had so much fun. My wife and I also went up there for the big car show and parade one year.

Bob,

Is that the show in Deadwood? I've got a friend that just moved near there a year or so ago and has told me I need to head up there for the big show.

Dave

[GTBradley]

Wow! That looks like a big show. Loads of categories, but 73 and older and I didn’t see any category for kit. We could steal the show just parking on the street though.
https://www.deadwood.com/event/kool-deadwood-nites/

[GTBradley]

I’m getting my car ready for overnight trips. So far I’ve bought a spare trunk lid, a luggage rack, handle, license plate bracket and light. I just need to get it painted.
Here’s the idea:
6587052B-ED41-485C-944C-C6EDECE66E26.jpeg

F70F0F08-0541-4534-B734-DBD16400F4B6.jpg

I even bought an old Somsonite bag made in Denver:

C56B0986-F67C-425C-93D2-CC1AF73AC46B.jpeg

[Bob Cowan]

Bob,

Is that the show in Deadwood? I've got a friend that just moved near there a year or so ago and has told me I need to head up there for the big show.

Dave

Yup, that's the one. Many many cars of really high quality.

[GTBradley]

Looks like there’s a good trip to Buena Vista this coming Saturday with the group...

[Papa]

Looks like there’s a good trip to Buena Vista this coming Saturday with the group...

I'm planning on going if the weather looks like it will cooperate. My wife will be coming with me, too.

Dave

[Bob Cowan]

Looks like there’s a good trip to Buena Vista this coming Saturday with the group...

I'm planning on going if the weather looks like it will cooperate. My wife will be coming with me, too.

Dave

Me too!

Had a great day at Bandimere today. Took a trip to Fairplay on Friday.

[GTBradley]

Looks like there’s a good trip to Buena Vista this coming Saturday with the group...

...and good it was:

[D02G]

Great video!

[GTBradley]

I didn't give much thought to the foot box vent modification while I was building the car and it's the one regret I have. It would be so much easier to do this with the body off. I don't need the ventilation that bad as the boxes are quite well sealed against air coming in from the engine compartment, but on really hot days it still gets pretty stuffy sitting at a traffic light. I have always held off adding things as I wanted to avoid the extra weight of unnecessary add-ons and mods that were of low benefit. I have now decided that the vents are valuable and I want them.

So here goes, I installed a pair of light-weight blowers and blast gates to both foot boxes. I know this has been posted before, but I did a couple of things differently.

Parts ordered from Amazon:

(1) 10' of 3" heat resistant hose

(2) 3" plastic blast gates

(2) quiet marine bilge blowers

From the hardware store I purchased:

(8) 3" stainless band clamps

(1) 3" hole saw

And one package of cable stops and two choke cables from O'reilly's Auto Parts. The toggle switches are from the leftover pile.

I like the 3" hose because it's clear and heat resistant to 176 degrees F and at less than $30 dollars it was a lot cheaper than the other hose I've seen for this application, though I have a lot left over. We'll see if it holds up, but if it doesn't it will be any easy thing to change out. I chose the Seaflow blowers because they were rated highly and reportedly quieter than other blowers. All the blowers had similar amperage and CFM ratings. The blast gates are corrosion proof and very light and seal tightly when closed.

The first thing I did was paint the blowers black, as they will be in the wheel well and would be more visible if left white. I then cut a 3⅝" hole in the elephant ear at the top, inner corner. This had to be done with a Dremel and leaves a jagged whole but I was using a split ⅜" fuel line to pad between the sharp metal and the 3" vent hose so no issue there.



The 3 inch vent hose fits perfectly using the fuel line. I used a couple strips of foam rubber under the feet of the blowers to defeat some vibration noise and it does reduce the noise significantly



I'm using pictures from both fender wells here because the procedure to this point has been identical on both.

[GTBradley]

Next I cut the 3" hole in the right side foot box. I had to remove the Coyote computer to gain access. This hole is cut using a 3" hole saw and is made easy by cutting a pilot hole from the bottom side first. This ensured that it would fit fully in the corner of the passenger side foot box.



On the right side blast gate I trimmed off just enough to make it fit next to the ¾" tube.



The choke cable I used is very difficult to operate until some of it's length is removed and lithium grease is run through it. To navigate from the dash to the location of the right side vent I looped the cable. I added cable stops to both sides of the blast gate and clamped down the cable sheath with a stand off to raise it a bit.

[GTBradley]

On the left side things got more difficult. Working space is minimal and on a hot day this is not enjoyable.

The optimum spot to cut through the foot box is right where the plate is mounted that covers a slot in the firewall on the MK4. The blast gate is then put in place with caulking and a short peace of vent tubing and a band clap on the inside to secure it in place. I might have used screws or bolts for this had I done this back when the body was off, but this method seems to work fine. I did have to have another person hold the gate in place on the outside while I slipped on the vent hose and band clamp.

The routing of this choke cable worked best by arching up through the roof of the foot box and then down the front side of the foot box firewall.



I cut the hole in the dash just a little small with a step bit so that I could thread the choke cable into it. This gives it a little more rigidity. I finished it off with a couple of Ashly Hinton, original pull knobs.

[GTBradley]

I have to purposely look for the vent tubes in the engine bay and they don't take any room that was needed for anything else.



I mounted toggle switches to the dash supports using a five amp fuse on each. I just left them hot-wired to the battery because there is simply no chance I'll forget that these are on once the engine is off, as they make plenty of sound to remind me. The air that these fans push is pretty impressive, so I'm glad I went with 3" instead of the 4" that others have used.

Here's a demonstration of how they work

[GTBradley]

I wanted to demonstrate how much air they push when the car is still, but that isn't easy to do, so a shopping bag will have to suffice



The entire setup cost me just under $200 and that includes the brake duct boots and $20 for two pull knobs though those came earlier with other knobs, so I think it's totally worth the effort to do this modification.

I'll edit this later to show the connection from the front of the fans to the brake duct openings. ********** has not shipped my duct boots in over a month now, so I'll have to wait on that.

[PeteMeindl]

Great idea and execution, Bradley! Thanks for sharing that. We're having a heat wave in the 90's here in Connecticut and, just like you said, the time I feel the heat the most is sitting at a stoplight in the sun. Whoa, it is hot!

Great work.

[GTBradley]

Sure thing Pete. Yeah, unfortunately I did the work on the hottest days we've had and really worked hard to get it going before Evan and I were to drive up to the Shelby American Collection the next day. Fate had different plans though, since I didn't have it connected to the opening on the front of the car yet the air came from the wheel well which is maybe half as hot as the engine compartment. Oh well, we'll be cool soon.

How have you all been?

[Papa]

Straight from the Shelby American Collection to Dave's place:

[GTBradley]

Hey, there I am yammering on about my car! How unusual...

Thanks for having us, that was a fun day.

[toddhack]

Thank you both for showing off your cars. Just the inspiration I needed to get mine finished.

[GTBradley]

Glad to help and it was good to meet both of you. We’re looking forward to seeing the finished product.