2140 replies to this topic

[Heath]

Here's the cringe shot boys! Snip snip!


So much room for activities!

 

Then a bit of a tedious process of trimming the inner panel to match the profile:

Then just bent up a bit of panel steel and cut it to the profile

 

Got it fitting really nicely inside and out:

Welded it inside & out:

 

Then made a little triangle to join the (lower rear bit) of the original lip to the new strip of metal, and make it look as factory as possible:

 

Vuola:

[slar]

Nice Heath.....look very neat....good job.

Its a shame so many of us have to cut the flares to make them fit correctly....it wastes a lot of precious time stuffing around when you could be doing more important stuff on the car.

Its gonna look great Im sure....well done

[SmacT]

No cringing here! Good job, nice 'n' neat. 

[Heath]

Mirrored on the other side.
 


 
Bad news is... I think I need a shorter diff. This is an 18x9" wheel, 0 offset. Not exactly a strong dish game lol

[TempesT]

hey heath neat job, were those flares the extra wide 140mm ones?

[Heath]

As far as I'm aware they are just standard A9X units. Honestly I don't have much to compare them to. I want the draft on the flare to match front to rear from an aesthetic point of view (the extra wide ones may also do this? but I know that A9X sedan ones do not), and I'll just make the wheels suit whatever I can get away with. Even without touching the inner wall of the tub with the flares I reckon I can use a pretty wide wheel so I'm not awfully concerned. I'm not going to have big bulgy side walls or anything.

Edited by Heath, 13 May 2021 - 11:16 PM.

[Heath]

Time flies. Been busy with work and haven't spent much time in Melbourne. Glad to be home.
 
Sourced a holey turbo pattern Holde V8 block and some engine mounts for a trial fit. Also sold the six banger motor on Friday night to make some room.

 
Turned the top of the shifter around and it lined up with the hole in the floor within a few mm. Tail shaft yoke was 30mm off the floor in this position. I'm sure it would have been okay but can do better.

 
Opened her up!

 

Jacked the box up until the tailshaft yoke hit the floor and dropped it 5mm. I'll make it all work at this height and then it should relax down to give me a bit more clearance? Never done anything like this before lol. Also ordered a Dellows crossmember which should arrive later this week.

[Heath]

I could knock up a steel crossmember very easily. But this one ain't steel hahaha

[76lxhatch]

Looks good Heath and I think your positioning is good, I've got somewhere around 20mm clearance to the yoke with the weight on the trans mount and definitely wouldn't want to go any lower. Hopefully the cross member doesn't sit too low, no doubt you will need a spacer of some sort.

[Heath]

Thanks guys. Yeah I'm expecting to just make a spacer to lift the gearbox up from the gearbox crossmember which is no problem. I don't expect that it'll sit at the perfect height by default - it's a pretty universal part.

 

Who knew the trans tunnels weren't symmetrical? lol

[wot179]

If you have access to a spare tunnel you might be able to cut the whole thing out and drop it over the top so it looks kinda stock.

Cut a wedge out of the sides towards the back so you can bend it down to marry up with the tailshaft tunnel.

I think Id have tried to split yours along the sides front to back and lift it and put some infills in.

Too late for that now.

Whats your plans for filling the holes?

[Heath]

My intention is to still have mine looking like it belongs there. I don't think I'll need that one Darren, but thanks for the offer.

 

Just got a sheet and rolled it over some exhaust pipe offcuts that were lying around, and then I realised that the trans tunnel was not symmetrical and I was designing it for the side that had way more clearance hahaha.

 

So then I had to belt the shit out of it to stretch it and make a complex curve on the passenger side and now it's gonna be a good shape. I used the same exhaust offcut mounted in the vice as my anvil and gave my new 'flipper' a bit of a go at the end.

[wot179]

Cool.

A gas bottle laying on its side makes a great anvil for tapping stuff like that up too.

Neat lookin Q-ee in the background....

[Heath]

Ahh good suggestion Craig. Yeah it's a fairly original HQ Statesman, 308/Trimatic with the cool lacey looking blue trim. Mostly unrestored apart from some patches of paint. Not mine.
 
Got the new tunnel piece fitting mickey:


New Dellows cast aluminium gearbox crossmember arrived. Bit rough on the surface but a cool looking piece I reckon.

[BIG KEV]

Heath....I tried that very same Gear box X member and it sit the gear box way too high ,but see how you go
So of the others guys on here are using the same motor/gearbox setup and never cut the floor tunnel ,not sure what x member they are using .....keep up the great work

[76lxhatch]

Heath....I tried that very same Gear box X member and it sit the gear box way too high ,but see how you go
So of the others guys on here are using the same motor/gearbox setup and never cut the floor tunnel ,not sure what x member they are using .....keep up the great work

I think people prefer to compromise on the gearbox position to avoid cutting and work around it with headers and driveline angles, I reckon it will still be around 20mm too low with that cross member and need a spacer, so it should work well

[wot179]

That floor came up well.

[Heath]

Every gearbox is different I guess, but yeah this will need a ~20mm spacer having looked at it roughly last night.

 

Really stoked with how I got a long with the repair last night. Keen to get some more done after work.

[Heath]

Spent ages makiing this thing, then gapped it all up nicely around the edges and tacked it in with the MIG (I'm finding that a lot quicker and easier for tacking).

Then ground the tacks flat and fully welded with the TIG:

 

Now... what's next!?