Star Mobile 1 Build

[JOP33]

Sure! I will send u $20 for shipping by paypal if u want.

Rick - It's on its way!

Thanks

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[JOP33]

So the last couple of days I have been just cleaning up some final to-dos. I have the alignment re-scheduled for Sunday and I also have the Safety Inspection scheduled for Monday morning. I believe the key to the inspection is that you must have a ASE "Master" Technician (not just an ASE Service Technician) perform the inspection and they must provide a copy of their certifications in all areas. I went and spoke to the Technician that will be performing the inspection on Monday and got the feeling that I might have offended him a bit when I asked if he was a "Master" Technician as he raised his hand above his head to point out all of his certs, but when I explained some of the challenges that WRP (thanks Bill) has gone through he understood. There is a CAT Certified Scale just up the road from me, so as long as the weather cooperates I will try to get by there today or tomorrow for a certified weight. I have tested all headlights, turn signals, brake lights, license lights, wiper (see attached video), door pops, safety locks, radio, horn, etc.. I did find where one a set screw from one of my steering joints was rubbing slightly on my lower radiator hose. So I pulled it back out of the way a bit more (very little room to run this through) and I am also 3D Printing a "Rub Shield" for it. I haven't had any luck getting the front facing camera going, but I need to dive into the manual a bit more...as I believe it is just a setting. The sound on the car for me is above average, but not superior...but IMHO there are not too many stereos that will sound good over the engines in these cars. There is a manual release for the door safety locks in the door, but because of the tight placement, I am really having to scratch my head to come up with a functional aesthetic solution for the knob handle. As you can see in the photos there is absolutely no room to use the knobs that came with the system, so I am having some modified ones 3D Printed to see if they will work. They have to be extremely compact and low profile so that the door will still close. Worse case, I may have to weld an "L" shaped rod onto the ends or pop the door panel off, weld a nut on the rod recessed a bit and just carry a socket in the event I ever need to use it. I still have a lot of cleaning to do and yes there is still plenty of touch up that needs to take place (shop is aware), but these are the "fun" little projects for me. Also, fellow builder MBB Larry came over this last weekend to help with the Toe issue and brought me a set of FFR Floor Mats...said he got them with his kit - I didn't get a set of floor mats with my kit! But they are excellent quality mats and fit like a glove...thanks Larry! I had just gone to HD and picked up some cheap office carpet to use sacrificially when needed (and probably still will unless I am at a show).

Manual Door Safety Pin Turns...
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FFR Floor Mats...
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I will post the wiper video later.

[JOP33]

May hold off on the Safety Pin Knobs...I have been having some issues the last two days getting the electric safety pins to engage. I don't know whether it is an alignment issue or something else. I hear the solenoid, but doors still open. I will look into this a little more this weekend. I think knowing what I know now - given the difficulty Kory and his team had installing the electric pins - I think I would just op for a vinyl or leather strap from the side pillar to the door (or something a little more simple). In all honesty, I may still do something of the sort long term and grind both the pins and turns down and cap the small holes. It's early though, but these things in particular are items you don't want to have to worry about going down the road at 70mph .

I ran the car for about 5 miles yesterday after getting home and things went really well. No leaks, cooling good (cool now though). I have noticed a bit of whine or pulsing moan when the brakes are applied or when I am going extremely slow. If I remember correctly, several had posted some moaning or noises coming from the use of the FFR Bushings...it's not constant or annoying and not grinding, but I found that with everything being "new", I am super critical of everything I hear or see (probably not a bad way to be on a first build).

I have been spending a significant amount of my time cleaning the chassis & engine compartment as well. All of those tubes that make that frame strong have nine months worth of shop dust sitting on them as well as all of the heat shielding. And who knew buffing compound could get in sooooo many places! Call me crazy, but the cleaning is therapy to me...it's mindless, you understand the job at hand, what has to be done and know when you have achieved the result and can move on - like mowing the yard!

Many have commented on the paint. As you can imagine, if you are any kind of football fan at all, I am taking a pretty good beating (yes even down here), but it's all in good fun - I have been a boys fan since the late 70's and we've had worse seasons - and like I tell everyone that says that can't believe I painted a star on the side of the car, "at least I didn't air brush a picture of Jason Garrett on the deck lid"! When it is all said and done, most people look past the subject matter and see the car for what it truly is.

Will try to put a few more miles on the car today after work and I am going to actually try to move up the inspection to tomorrow, if I can - whoops, Friday 13th, maybe I'll keep it for Monday !

[JOP33]

Made it to the scales today...came in at 2820, of course I forgot to step off the scales and I do have about 30 lbs of tools in the trunk (just in case), but 2590 still seems high for this car. Could be all the heat shielding and sound deadening I added or as someone else already mentioned it could be the weight of an under achieving team! . Anyway, I am sure I will have to weigh again as in my haste to go inside and get back out to make sure no one was jacking with my car...I told them it was for personal use (don't know that that mattered) and forgot to give my temporary plate number, so license doesn't show on ticket. Oh well, a $12 lesson right...at least it is less than two miles away.

A drive to work and inspection slated for tomorrow...one step at time, right Brothers?

[JOP33]

So today was a busy but productive day. I had an appointment for the Safety Inspection @ 10, so I drove the car to the local shop about 11 miles away. This was the first time I had taken the car up on the highway and above 40 miles an hour. In my opinion, the car is moderately loud - I was able to listen to my stereo at a medium level. The ride is slightly more than moderately rough - I have the DA Koni's and I am sure there is some tweaking there, but currently it rides much like a Fork Lift - very rigid and stiff. Finally, the car is very warm inside - today was a beautiful 63° degree day and seemed pretty warm to me, almost to the point where I was going to turn the AC on (but I didn't). As for the car itself, it drove and handled well. The brakes got extremely spongy on me after my first jaunt on the highway...to the point that I was having to use the ebrake to stop the car completely. I had not bedded the brakes yet and although it was a bit dicey there for a while, the brakes started getting better the more I applied them. When I got home I ran up on a road behind the house and sped up to 40 and then applied the brakes for about two seconds, I did this repeatedly and the brakes seem to be responded pretty well (and no leaks).

The Safety Inspection went well...I had a couple of nuts that needed tightening (they allowed me to do this) and everything else was pretty straight forward. Apparently the key in Texas is that it must be performed by an ASE Master Technician and you must submit a copy of his certification with the form for application. I will tell you that the first 10 minutes I was at the shop, I spent getting the car in front of their sign so the manager could take a picture of it!

Once I was free and clear from the Inspection Shop, I made my way to work and let some of my colleagues see the car. My company was gracious enough to powder coat the entire chassis for me and also had made a few of the parts I used in the build. Up to today, they had been calling it the "Unicorn" - they thought it didn't really exist!

After leaving there, I went ahead and went back by the Scales for another weight. This time I came in at 2580 lbs, which still seems a bit high. I also remembered to have them put my temporary plates on there.

Then it was back to the house. I hope to get it on the lift tomorrow and just go over everything as post drive check. One thing thing that became very apparent to me early on in my drive, I may have to get a Traffic Signal Finder. It is extremely difficult if you are the lead car at a light to see the stop light change if you have the hardtop on. Now I am 5'11'', so some of the other guys may not have that issue, but if you are 5'10'' and above, I would be prepared...and believe me it's not unmanageable, just challenging. All in all, I put 35 miles on the car today.

I think I had mentioned that the steering linkage was extremely close to my lower radiator hose. Last night I formed up a thin piece of aluminum to put around the hose to help prevent any rubbing.

Safety Inspection being performed...
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Lower Radiator Hose...
Lower Radiator Hose.jpg

Rub Shield...
Rub Shield.jpg

Rub Shield Installed...
Rub Shield Installed.jpg

[FF33rod]

Will be interesting to hear how the suspension tuning goes, I have the same upgraded shocks...

The interference between the rad hose and the steering couple is the same with my SBF. Found some rub marks after the go cart runs. I've managed to move the hose a little but good idea on putting in the extra protection.

Congrats!
Steve

[JOP33]

Yeah, Steve I don't really know where to go on adjustment. Most builders, I believe, have opted for the QA1's, so I haven't found a lot of information out there on the KONI's...I guess like most things just trial and error.

[JOP33]

So over the last few days I have put about 70 miles on the car...good miles, with all good results (well there was those few miles where I had forgot to close the truck and happen to look in my rearview mirror and see that my trunk was open ). The car seems to be cooling good (it has only been 70 degrees), the suspension seems to be settling in a bit. Still no luxury ride, but no more rubbing in the rear. With the top on, the passenger compartment is an oven. I have been trying to methodically go through all systems one at a time to verify proper function. I have not ran the AC/Heater, but will do so this week. The front facing camera and back up camera are working great and to be honest with you, I don't know how you back this car up in any high traffic areas without one (especially with the top on). The view through the petite rear window is limited to say the least. In the event I do ever get pulled over, unless the cruiser has grill mounted lights...I would likely never see it. The ride height has worked out well so far. Stereo is working well and interaction through the smart phone for navigation is good as well. I had to install a new front camera Saturday as the other was bad, so I also took the time to route the USB for the phone as well as the Mic for the hands free. This was probably just more about me being able to check something else off the list as completed, because I am not sure anyone could actually here a conversation being had on the phone through the speaker with the noise from the car. Anyway, I have mounted the Mic on top of the steering column as it seemed like a good (least invasive) area. After the adjustments that Larry and I had made to the steering last week, the final alignment fell into place this week. I say fell in, it took nearly three hours of Caster, Camber, Toe, Caster Sweeps - Repeat, but all is good and steers well. Still a lot of cleaning to do as dust just falls off the chassis with any brushing.

I would like to ask if anyone is familiar with the Ceramic Coating process of paint? This has been suggested to me by several Hot Rod buddies to help protect the paint. My concern would be how does it react being applied to something more flexible than steel like fiberglass. If anyone has any details or information on this, I be grateful for your input.



Alignment...
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Cameras...
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[JOP33]

I think I have mentioned previously working on a bit of a display for some of the larger car shows I may attend. Yesterday I received my "turf in a box". I will let it settle for a day or two before actually seeing how it looks under the car. I still haven't decided whether to stripe or not...if done to scale it would only be two full lines and then some hash marks.

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[peterh226]

I think I have mentioned previously working on a bit of a display for some of the larger car shows I may attend. Yesterday I received my "turf in a box". I will let it settle for a day or two before actually seeing how it looks under the car. I still haven't decided whether to stripe or not...if done to scale it would only be two full lines and then some hash marks.

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Should be crossing the goal line!

[sethmark]

Should be crossing the goal line!

Not this year!

[JOP33]

Not this year!

Come on man! We're right where we need to be...flying in under the radar!

[sethmark]

Come on man! We're right where we need to be...flying in under the radar!

Thank goodness for the Redskins and the Giants. They make you guys look like Superman in the NFC East.

[JOP33]

Thank goodness for the Redskins and the Giants. They make you guys look like Superman in the NFC East.

You know what they say, "if you want to look handsome, surround yourself with ugly people!".

[FF33rod]

I think I have mentioned previously working on a bit of a display for some of the larger car shows I may attend. Yesterday I received my "turf in a box". I will let it settle for a day or two before actually seeing how it looks under the car. I still haven't decided whether to stripe or not...if done to scale it would only be two full lines and then some hash marks.

Definitely needs a couple of lines on the grass, would look very cool
Steve

[JOP33]

Agreed! Definitely needs some lines...

Field View 1.jpg

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Field View 3.jpg

[JOP33]

So I had some stencils plotted off at work yesterday to aid in the "marking" for the Star Mobile One field. I will try to get that done this weekend. I have just hit ~100 miles on the car and things are going well. I was able to try out both the AC and Heat the day before and yesterday (one of the benefits of living in Texas - freezing one day and 65 the next), both seemed to work really good and neither takes very long to work in such a small area. I am still extremely aware of the safety pin issue I think I had mentioned previously. The pins are aligned to engage the chassis at the door sill with a push of the button, but I have been having some difficulty getting them to engage and I am not sure whether it is with the tweaking of the chassis after driving some or if the mechanism itself just needs some lubrication. Kory advised me yesterday (and I witnessed first hand) that they were working extremely well prior to coming home. I am not ready to give up on them just yet, but I have had several instances where as I hit a larger bump in the road the door latch will move to the integrated safety catch built into the latch itself. Will feel much better once I narrow the issue down and gain some confidence in the system, still brainstorming some backup plans just in case though. The cars temp seems to hover between 180 and 200 degrees, ambient temp around 70, so it will be interesting to see if it maintains at the higher temps through the spring and summer. I am still trying to come up with a door sill solution too - very little room between the door lower face and the door sill, so I think my idea of Linex is probably out. I might be able to put a "L" shaped piece of 22 or 24 gauge stainless in there or I have also thought about having a chrome vinyl wrap applied to this area. The cowl area of the car takes a pretty good beating as well and is extremely visible when the hood is open. I have placed some inexpensive adhesive backed rubber stops temporarily in there to help with any scuffing, but due to the heat they tend to move out of place, so I will be looking for a better solution for that area as well, maybe a thin layer of delrin just in that area...lots of small details to fill the time now!

[JOP33]

Worked on the display a bit more today...actually I am very close to being done. I just need to get the stand powder coated, which I hope to have done later this week. Here are some pics of the stenciling process...

Field Tape Off.jpg

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[FF33rod]

Almost done? what the heck are you going to do with yourself?

[JOP33]

Almost done? what the heck are you going to do with yourself?

I’m almost certain they’ll always be something to do!

[JOP33]

I have been having issues with the safety pins engaging on the doors...the process is suppose to be, once the doors are closed I can (by switch) engage the pins that stick through the chassis wall of the door pillar. I think alignment has been the main issue, but this morning I was able to get the passenger pin to engage, but now won't release. It does have a manual turn on it (in a very inconvenient location) but it is extremely difficult to access and then turn, and even after turning with a set of vice grips the pin stays. I believe the pin has come loose from the collar that holds it and is now floating in the engaged position. I will have to likely take the door panel off (with the door closed) to research this a bit. I believe the long term fix on this is going to be just a two inch leather strap with snaps on either side that attaches from the top of the dash corner to the top of the door. I have no confidence in these pins engaging when needed and not when not. I will update with pics and what I am able to come up with for a solution...in the meantime NO PASSENGERS ALLOWED!

[JOP33]

So as expected, once I took the door panel off, I could see that the pin that is actually suppose to engage the door pillar was loose (at least on the passenger side)...on the driver side it was just a variation of the same problem, but the pin that attaches to the solenoid had actually come loose. The reasoning for both, was the "C" clip that holds both pins in place had pop off or out of groove allowing for the pin engagement to be off. I actually ground a much more substantial groove in the pivot rod, chopped the length down, so it would sit behind the door panel and then finally I slotted the top of the rod. By slotting the top, now you just have to put a flat head screwdriver in and turn it in the event something goes wrong. I will also now be able to just put some caps over the access holes. All seems to work pretty smoothly now, both electrically and manually.

Here are various pics of the actual mechanism and then the fix, I have also attached a link to a video showing how it is suppose to (and now does) work.

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Drivers Side.jpg

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https://youtu.be/HF9IokNcZmE

[JOP33]

Thought I share this pic that a friend sent me after the "game" last night...just proof that I am not the only crazy person out there!

Merry Christmas to everyone and here's hoping you have a very productive New Year!

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[Bgardner]

LOL

You buddy must have been sitting on that one a bit

[JOP33]

Final pics of display (minus monitor & powder coating)...

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Here is a link to a walk around video as well...

https://youtu.be/-umEI2apnR8

[JOP33]

I worked on the cowl area a bit this weekend. This area seems to take a beating with the design of the hood, so I had thrown around a couple ideas of felting the area, Linexing it or covering it in rubber or vinyl. I ended up going with some rubber. I think it turned out pretty good and covers the unsightly scratching and marring that was already occurring from the hood...

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Also added some under chassis LED's this weekend...

https://youtu.be/IJ6BOi3UqIw

[progmgr1]

The car is looking good! I like your solution for the hood fitment. What is the part number and source for the rubber edging, please? Keith

[JOP33]

The car is looking good! I like your solution for the hood fitment. What is the part number and source for the rubber edging, please? Keith

Keith, I’ll look for the part number on this, but any L shaped window wipe seal will work at least 1/2” x 1/2”.

[JOP33]

So after putting the first 200 miles on the car, I wanted to get it up on the rack to re-torque and check out everything. The car is still performing well and no cause for any concerns, but just want to make sure all is as it seems. I have heard mixed responses from other builders on this topic, but I am able to remove both the front and rear wheels/tires with the fenders on...some have told me they are not able to do this. I am almost certain it is dependant upon a whole list of variables that include tire/wheel size, fender cut, etc.. I am running 285/35-20's in the rear on 20" x 10" with 7" Backspace and 1.535" Offset. In the front, 245/35-18' on 18" x 8" with 5.625" Backspace and 1.102" Offset. Because of my backspacing in the rear, I am also using 2" Wheel Adapters, that by recommendation, should be re-torqued every 500 miles or so. I should be able to run through most items for checking this evening and report back any issues, if they exist.

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[JOP33]

All fluid levels and hardware seemed good and torqued to specs. Everything looked good underneath the chassis. So just to clarify, I was able to remove the tires and wheels with the fenders on...I did have to remove the front fenders to get the front tires and wheels back on though. To be honest, I think with a little more patience and maybe not two previous back surgeries, I may have been able to manage getting them on with the fenders, but they were easy enough to remove, so opted to do so. My wife and I took it out for a short ride today and what I have noticed (my opinion) is that the car seems to be a smooth traveling car. My thought is that the wrenching and torquing of the aluminum floor panels and an occasional rattle or vibration, makes the car ride seem rougher than it truly is. My wife likes it as she says there is just enough cool air that seeps in the holes and cracks that when mixed with the heat of the heater, it feels very comfortable! . I am scheduled for my theft audit from the local police next Wednesday. This will be the last administrative step in the registration process. Once this is complete I will just need to present all of my documents to the tax office for titling and registration (hopefully). At the end of next week, I taking the car back to 121 R & R and they are going to perform some final touch ups over the course of the next two weeks. The hope is to have it home by the end of February so I can begin to get it ready for Autorama on the 14th (provided my application is accepted).

[sread]

Hey JOP - Can you update us once you get the theft audit done. That is the only part of the process that I am apprehensive about as I bought my kit unfinished and the previous owner provided me with a receipt for his purchase of the used engine off Ebay, but it doesn't actually ID the engine by serial number. I know in some states that is a deal breaker as they require the VIN from the donor vehicle. I am in Texas like yourself and I believe they are a little more lenient but I don't want any surprises at that point in the game.

[JOP33]

Will definitely do that!

[JOP33]

I had previously mentioned that I am working with someone extremely familiar with the Titling and Registration of Assembled Vehicles here in Texas. I am just about to hand over the docs/photos for their review. The only reason for the Limited Power of Attorney is so they can handle the process, otherwise it would not be needed...

Docs.jpg

[FF33rod]

That's an impressive collection of documents! good luck....

[JOP33]

That's an impressive collection of documents! good luck....

Thanks...I will need it! If things don't go smoothly, it won't be because I didn't have the document they needed!

[HVACMAN]

All fluid levels and hardware seemed good and torqued to specs. Everything looked good underneath the chassis. So just to clarify, I was able to remove the tires and wheels with the fenders on...I did have to remove the front fenders to get the front tires and wheels back on though. To be honest, I think with a little more patience and maybe not two previous back surgeries, I may have been able to manage getting them on with the fenders, but they were easy enough to remove, so opted to do so. My wife and I took it out for a short ride today and what I have noticed (my opinion) is that the car seems to be a smooth traveling car. My thought is that the wrenching and torquing of the aluminum floor panels and an occasional rattle or vibration, makes the car ride seem rougher than it truly is. My wife likes it as she says there is just enough cool air that seeps in the holes and cracks that when mixed with the heat of the heater, it feels very comfortable! . I am scheduled for my theft audit from the local police next Wednesday. This will be the last administrative step in the registration process. Once this is complete I will just need to present all of my documents to the tax office for titling and registration (hopefully). At the end of next week, I taking the car back to 121 R & R and they are going to perform some final touch ups over the course of the next two weeks. The hope is to have it home by the end of February so I can begin to get it ready for Autorama on the 14th (provided my application is accepted).

Theft audit?? This is the first I've heard of this in Texas. Is that standard procedure?

[JOP33]

My answer to that is I am uncertain. What I do know is that some builders have had no issues getting there vehicle registered without and some have had issues. I was told both by the tax office and the "specialist" I am working with that in the State of Texas you may be able to use the Serial Number that FFR issues as the VIN, however the procedure to do this is that a member of the local Theft Task Force must verify numbers (Engine, Chassis, etc) on the vehicle and then provide a specific form stating that the Serial Number can be used as the VIN. I think if you have the patience and choose to fight the good fight you can register without this process (my opinion only). I chose to err on the side of caution and as I mentioned since I am working with a third party, I am following their guide on this. Wished I could provide more certain & specific insight regarding this.

[HVACMAN]

My answer to that is I am uncertain. What I do know is that some builders have had no issues getting there vehicle registered without and some have had issues. I was told both by the tax office and the "specialist" I am working with that in the State of Texas you may be able to use the Serial Number that FFR issues as the VIN, however the procedure to do this is that a member of the local Theft Task Force must verify numbers (Engine, Chassis, etc) on the vehicle and then provide a specific form stating that the Serial Number can be used as the VIN. I think if you have the patience and choose to fight the good fight you can register without this process (my opinion only). I chose to err on the side of caution and as I mentioned since I am working with a third party, I am following their guide on this. Wished I could provide more certain & specific insight regarding this.

I apologize Jamie. When you said they were going to do a theft audit, the first place my mind went was theft deterrent. I was thinking your alarm system and shop. lol When I read the rest of the posts I realized my mistake.

[JOP33]

No worries...I should have called it what it truly is which is a VIN Verification...happens this morning, will provide more details if anything significant comes up.

[JOP33]

VIN Verification took place this morning, pretty uneventful and seemed more a formality. Several pictures taken and just a verification on the chassis (serial) number, which the officer said he will advise in his report to be used as the VIN on the vehicle. Next step, finalize paperwork and a trip to the Tax Assessors Office.