#351
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I've read with great respect the work and admiration your thought process and work quality. In post #343 might I suggest the use of shouldered bolts that would be snugly fitted. That would secure the crossmember very tight; since that is a structural member. Nice work
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Ed Hughes |
#352
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Quote:
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#353
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Reworking Gas Tank
So I thought I was all done with the gas tank after welding it up and conducting extensive leak testing to prove out its holding effectiveness. The tank had been designed to maximize holding capacity within the space allowed for it which in theory is great. The side effect of this is that the fill opening is very high in the chassis and right up under the bottom of the windshield. It sits so high that the front clip would need to be raised in order to fill the gas tank or alternatively a hole put in the bodywork to expose a gas cap. I don’t want to break up the nice flow on the top of the front clip with a gas cap so I’ve discarded that option.
After building out the front clip framework, and lifting it up many, many times, it’s become clear to me that opening it up every time for a gas fill will be a non-optimal experience. The original Miura’s had their gas cap positioned under the left side vent in the hood such that the vent could be pivoted open and the gas tank filled without lifting the whole front clip. I did some checking with a level and determined I could also position the fill cap under that vent if I lowered to top of the gas tank. The gas tank itself cannot be lowered (it’s already sitting at the bottom of the chassis) so that meant chopping off the top of the tank. Out came the saw and off came the top. I cut it in a stepped shape so the fill tube could be positioned away from the tank front and thus keep fuel from surging up the fill tube upon heavy braking. I also added in a ¾” vent tube that will be connected with a hose back to the fuel fill opening. Given the only slightly sloped fill pipes, this venting should help prevent fuel spit back while filling. Well my tank welding skills are getting much better as evidenced by no pinhole leaks in the new weld seams. I did have 1 pinhole in the vent tube weld up under the tight section. I re-welded to fix and introduced a new pinhole while fixing. At that point I broke out the O/A torch and some aluminum braze and fixed the last pin hole for good. During leak testing I checked the new tank capacity. It used to hold 24 gallons and now holds just over 22. So I lost a little capacity but 22 gallons is plenty for this type car. The hassle and lost time to rework the tank should be more than worth the better ownership experience for being able to easily fill the gas tank through the vent opening. This is yet another example where real world practicality far outweighs theory.
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#354
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Very cool, Mr. Heinke.
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Kent http://www.tinmantech.com "All it takes is a little practical experience to blow the he!! out of a perfectly good theory." --- Lloyd Rosenquist, charter member AWS, 1919. |
#355
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Great to you were able to sort it out and in the original location and all. Was looking into the filler problem on mine today.
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Marcus aka. Gojeep Victoria, Australia http://willyshotrod.com Invention is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less materials you need. |
#356
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Gas Tank/Coolant Pipe Mounts
While re-installing the gas tank I decided to take care of some other issues I had spotted. Specifically, to protect the tank from chaffing and finish up the coolant pipe hangers that are integral to the gas tank mounts. When I removed the tank to lower the top, I had to pry it downward as the sides had started to chafe against the aluminum plates surrounding it and this appeared to be making the tank stick in its compartment.
Here’s a picture of the compartment where the tank goes. There is of course a cover over the top of the gas tank that is not in place when the picture was taken. After tank removal, I verified that the tank sides were chafed/scratched and to a degree they should not be given the car has only been moved around on a trailer and never driven. It was apparent that the aluminum to aluminum contact needed a cushioning layer in between. I bought some marine grade vinyl upholstery material and lined the tank compartment with it. Unfortunately I forgot to take an “after” picture prior to installing the tank. Hopefully this material will also prevent any banging or squeaking that might have occurred from a metal to metal contact point. The gas tank installs from the chassis bottom and is held in its compartment by 3 sheet metal plates that also hold the coolant and AC pipes as they pass under the chassis. The plates that came with the chassis are made from Al 5052 .063 and were very nicely cut out on a CNC router. I had two concerns with them; 1) the 1 ½” coolant pipes pass through and are suspended by holes that are only two metal thicknesses wide (so 1/8 inch) thus susceptible to extensive wear at those points, and 2) there was no protection from road debris contacting and damaging the aluminum pipes. My solution for more robust coolant pipe hangers was to add rounded sheet metal saddles into the front and rearmost plates. I think the smaller heater and AC pipes will be fine with rubber grommets inserted into the holes. To keep all the plumbing safe I decided to make some debris shields. They act as a “skid plate” if you will and provide full coverage for the pipes. To keep the shields from flopping around in the wind, the sides were bent up and a half round bead rolled down the middle. With the debris shields in place, it adds a nice finishing touch to the bottom of the car.
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
#357
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I like that set up. Nice.
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#358
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Good you were able to see what was needed early on. Would have be a pain to correct later.
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Marcus aka. Gojeep Victoria, Australia http://willyshotrod.com Invention is a combination of brains and materials. The more brains you use, the less materials you need. |
#359
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Nice forethought and nice result. Looks sharp under there.
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- Tom D |
#360
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Quote:
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Joel Heinke Be original; don't be afraid of being bold! |
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