winter changes prepping for 8.xxx 1/4 mile times

[speeding-g60]

update 12-17

did some floor work. mounted pedals. need fittings now. still gotta put a heel rest in, and maybe a dead pedal plate. also have to decide if i want to finish the floor to the front of the seat area, its not detrimental now.







made bracket mount for throttle pedal, learned when you move the firewall inward your throttle cable needs to stretch haha.





and expanded the collection of nutserts. i like cool lil trinkets like this.



got the new fuel cell pump mount plate.



new candle(s) in ze garage.



working on wiring cleanup and remounting ECU and such. first i cleared some work space, and found some things i have been misplacing along the way haha

[speeding-g60]

did some wiring work today. i have T-10 days to finish this car, or wait until March to do work on it.

made a framework for the relay plate.



man this is still cramped for a workspace! i really need to finish this project up LOL



spent a lot of time going thru old pictures, to try and remember what goes where haha. i did make a "map" but i lost it. its been 4 years since i first built it. i built this harness from scratch, so there isnt any rhyme or reason to it at all haha. just a guy with ADHD and Shiny-itis.



old plate versus new plate











and an idea of how it looks in the car. i am only about 40% done at this point. gotta love it!

[speeding-g60]

oh, i do work. i just dont really post much here as there really isnt much traffic that i see. and no responses = no posts.

so lets see. since that last picture.

polycarbonate rear windows done.

never will i just "sit still". and yes, i am taking things very easy, only doing little bits at a time, light stuff.

but, i replaced the rear quarter glass with polycarbonate, and saved 10lb 3oz!!!! that is decent for a couple hours of my life and $20 in material!

the V8 A6 haul-mobile at it again!



made a pattern, checked it and modded it, then copied it for the opposite side.



then i laid out a trimline, just like OEM does, to hide the under crap. and i only do it on the inside so it stays unscratched and looks smooth and no paint line. peel back and hit it lightly with some 600 grit to promote paint adhesion.







spray ultra super mega flat black, and let dry.





test fit, and fab the brackets that secure it in place

[speeding-g60]

the shift tower got some building done to it, and it is ready to be finalized. had to make my own rivnut/nutsert installer to do these 8mm ones.

Joey helped me pull the hatch from the Pick n Pull, and wifey helped me pull it from the car at home. i CAN do it myself, i just really SHOULDNT. this whole "downtime" and "light duty" stuff is killin me, it plain SUCKS!!!!









and Derek came over as he wanted to try and save the glass. so we spent a lil time and got it out in one pc.

full hatch with trim and wiper = 62lb 12oz. gutted my way with no glass 28lb 9.2 oz.

but a solid measure on the bare glass itself is 21lb 4.2 oz..... and if i spent $100 for the new hatch AND the polycarbonate sheet to fill it with and saved 25 pounds, it would be a great trade off, one that i would do multiple times over if i could.

[speeding-g60]

and this hiatus..... i had a herniated disc, so i had an open spinal surgery to fix it on Dec 28th. and i am not supposed to be bending/twisting or lifting >5 pounds for at least 8 weeks. but i cant leave well enough alone. i am limiting it, but i just cant quit altogether.... i take it as easy as i can, but have pushed it some recently, with this stuff right here the past two days in fact.



like, i had wifey put the block in the truck to take to the machinist for him to start the bottom end. and wifey and i pulled the hatch together.

i am TRYING MY BEST to limit myself to what i do.... but it is hard for me as i am not really a "lazy" person. i GOTTA be doin stuff always.

lastly, been researching stuff. and i am going to order fiberglass doors pretty soon, that will save 50 pounds together right there. and i weighed up all the crap i took outta the car so far, >100 pounds. and i havent put 55 pounds back in.



tore down another AEB head to send in to IE for cnc work.



also touched up the wiring a little bit, turned on the power, and got things back up and working. i had a no-ignition situation to the ECU. i took out the regular COP harness, and i traced it out to the ignition wiring went out to that harness and looped back to the ECU. no big deal, spliced/capped it, and its done.

[djh]

Brilliant work, absolutely brilliant

[andrewcoupe]

Awesome Awesome Work!!! well done.. looking forward to the next installment

[AndyP]

Stunning work

[campbellWS]

Wow!!! Just fantastic mate! Making the best better,truly inspiring for us all!!

[quattro84]

Oh no he didn't just grind the entire front half of the car...

Good effort, despite the back injury
How about the rear window, is the polycarbonate pliable enough to get a good curvature?

Lexan prices have gone insane here...

[speeding-g60]

thanks guys!

and oh yes it bends easily enough. NHRA requirement is 1/8" ( 0.125 ) and i just ordered/bought a whole sheet 48" x 96" for $108. that will be enough to do the hatch and the door glass the piece for the two rears cost $30 and i managed to save at least a third of it. so my rear quarters in polycarbonate cost $20 and saved >10 lbs.

remember, i have had poly on the windshield the entire time, same stuff. and i do think the front is more curved that the rear. i am redoing it from rivets to rivnuts now. this was the first time i removed it but who knows i may want to remove it again in the future.

[GazzaG60]

top stuff and still got a rado lurking in there

[Biturbo]

Awesome Work!All with foto and comments,very good to learn

[Acidburn]

Not tempted by a carbon roof? I know quite a few of the ford boys over here have gone that route to get weight down.

[speeding-g60]

not sure really. where does one find it?

and how much weight could the roof save??