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Fairmont drag car build - Hanging/hinging DS door 8/10/16


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Thanks to all of you who have commented. I really appreciate them, as I guess we all do.

I'm going to try to devote more of Sundays to "fun" building and stay as much away from "business/work" stuff as possible, so hopefully that'll provide more time to make progress on this project.

Al - your question is a great one, and it is one that I have "battled with" regarding different aspects of my entire Fairmont project. I'm going to go off on a rabbit trail, but I promise I'll come back and answer your question...

I have had a vision of what I want a finished product to look like, whether it be my Fairmont, the strut front end, or whatever, and have worked toward those goals, sometimes successfully, sometimes not. My long-range intent has been to offer my Fairmont as a high-end multi-media "staged" kit. The builder/buyer purchases as much or little as he wants and fabs or kitbashes the rest. In my mind, it should go together like a mass-produced kit, thus some of the locating pins, etc, I have incorporated.

What makes this project different from one builder building one model is: as I master a set of pieces that assemble together as a larger unit, I must reproduce them before mockup, so I am not potentially damaging/defacing the master - in case everything goes as planned and I can use it for remolding. If stuff goes together like it is supposed to, I can proceed; if not, I get to rehash and tweak things until they are right. That's what happened with the original bare front frame rail system I began, then abandoned. They were to hard to successfully cast, and even when they came out okay, they did not offer the strength they really need. My bad. My most recent frame rail/tin set will work for strength and look nice but I discovered after I had cast a few sets and started assembling the front end that the front wheel/tire placement didn't look right. It wasn't realistic in its appearance. I am currently reworking the aluminum tinwork and have tweaked it so the upper strut mounts will locate approximately .060" farther inboard. I have also made one other change to it. I have made the downward sloping (forward) part of the tin angle more steeply down toward the frame rail. It will permit more radiator setback which accomplishes two things. It will create a bit more radiator/hood clearance, which was virtually nil and will also help me achieve a more accurate spacing between the fan shroud I intend to incorporate and the engine/fan. In this case, less, literally, is more.

Now, to answer your question, Al... I'm thinking out loud, here... There are at least two places in each piece of tinwork where there will likely be interference that will require holes/reliefs: steering and headers. Should I do it or should I let the builder do it? Since I haven't gotten the new tinwork/tubing pieces finished I can't mock anything up, plus final placement of steering arms and steering rack aren't set, so steering linkage reliefs can't be added. When I do figure it out, I may be able to use a punch and create clearance holes for the tie rod ends to go through - not certain of that. Food for thought. Similarly, header clearance is guesswork. IF I knew everyone was going to use my 351C with the headers I intend to provide, I could make cutouts for headers, but what happens if someone wants to use the big block and headers from the '56 Ford top sportsman kit, or perish the thought, a BBC? (LOL) I don't think there will be ground clearance for under chassis headers, but... In that regard, I may be safer not cutting out for headers, but I know that leaving them intact and making the builder figure out where to cut them away will be a real challenge without cutting out more than necessary. Another option may be what I mentioned earlier in the thread and remove much of the resin tinwork have custom PE panels designed to fit different headers (if there's that much difference).

Sorry for rambling, but the above is why I lose as much sleep as I do... LOL

By the way, here is an example of a modern day Fairmont that I'm sort of envisioning as the model for what I'm striving for, with different wheels and scoop.

fairmont109a_zps39378f44.jpg

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Scott, 1st off stellar work brother in all aspects of it.

2ndly, you're over thinking and making life difficult for yourself ! I understand (I think) where you are coming from BUT you cant second guess how everyone/anyone else may want to build your kit. Yes offer various sub assembly's etc but offer it as a "intended with use with" your engine. Anyone liable to build a multimedia kit such as yours will understand and should be prepared for the work involved if they want to "mix it up" a bit such as you do when using for example a flashpoint resins drag body. I'd just hate to see you bogged down and/or lose momentum, worrying about stuff you dont have to worry about. Besides, if you have the parts cast, finish one for yourself as intended (that'll get interest up again), then worry about making the x motor version or the y motor. Hope this helps a bit otherwise ignore and carry on :D , either way a lot of us will be watching.

Brett

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i kinda gotta agree with brett on this scott. concentrate on one thing and get it done.

you are doing an absolutely stellar job on this futura. i'm blown away everytime i look at this thing!!!!!!!!!!



i kinda gotta agree with brett on this scott. concentrate on one thing and get it done.

you are doing an absolutely stellar job on this futura. i'm blown away everytime i look at this thing!!!!!!!!!!

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Brett and Dave – I’ve thought about what you said and I think you are correct. I was spending too much time trying to make this an “all things to all people” kind of deal. I need to restrict my build (and design considerations) more to reflect one perspective and trust that others will adapt it to fit their own personal goals. Thanks for the wakeup call. I was on the verge of tying myself up in knots. LOL

I’ve not made much progress on this, this week. I do have a shot of an original resin version of the original with a comparative shot of the revised panel, which I haven’t molded and cast yet. You can see a bit of a difference in the angle of the fore side of the panel. This will permit a bit more radiator setback and more accurate placement of the radiator/shroud I hope to use. Radiator setback will also generate a bit more radiator to hood clearance since the frame rails slope downward as the rails move rearward.

fairlanebrktsstrutSTs003_zps962cf816.jpg

A miniscule update showing what a strut looks like with the spring and retainer added. I ran across some very fine stranded cable from RB Motion that I’m using for braided brake line hose.

fairlanebrktsstrutSTs008_zps95214007.jpg

fairlanebrktsstrutSTs006_zps9a16742b.jpg

Looks like I need to get my tweezers out to defuzz my spring! Thank goodness for macro lens. LOL

Next step is get the new tubing/tinwork molded and cast, then I can get back to making some real progress on the front end.

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Thanks Chris. To answer your question from your thread, I was able to view the file you sent me, but so far I haven't been able to open it in my program. BTW, I have seen you do so much rework on your car, that I feel that I need (and should!) correct things as much as possible to reflect how it really needs to be done. I don't have a specific 1:1 I'm building toward, as you are, but your patience and diligence toward "doing it right" has definitely played a part in how I'm trying to treat this build. For that, I thank you... :)

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Great work Scott. I'm really liking your attention to detail.

About your pleasing everyone....I know sometimes builds have these hangups and its a matter of personal preference, happening to me on several of my pro mod bodies. You get to a point where there are too many ideas to ever implement and bam, everything stops. Of course a step back doesn't hurt, but I have found (very recently) to just build something different, box-stock....I built an Acura NSX Japan GT car in 2 weeks. This and the Outlaw Camaro have helped me more than anything with focus. And, of course, make it simple....something that can be finished. Just a thought.

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Thanks for your kind words and interest, Steve. They're both much appreciated.

Jeff - There are times I feel a bit overwhelmed with this. For one thing, the duration of this project is getting well up in years. It's a wonder it doesn't have any gray hair yet, LOL. I try to mix a few things in to give me a bit of variety, but I still feel driven to keep after this as much as possible. I truly appreciate your sharing your thoughts about the whole "pleasing others" and burnout. They have definitely made their presence known on this project... :)

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OK. Onward and upward...

I made some progress with my revised tubing/tinwork pieces for the front end of the car. I ended up fabbing my new tinwork out of styrene rather than aluminum sheet like I did my first ones. There is not a lot of contact area between the back side of the panels and tubing, so was having some difficulty with the dissimilar materials holding very well. It seems like the all-styrene setup is considerably stronger. Maybe it is just me... Because the two sections of panels were pieced, I am in the process of blending them together so they appear integral.

The panels are now slotted for header clearance. More tweaking of the openings will be necessary. In the first pic, you can see small locator nubs on the outboard side of the frame that will locate the lower PE A-arm tabs.

TinworktrunkFairmontshots001_zps124e5df5

I’ve got a mockup Fairmont going that I have been using as a test mule to see how well parts are working before adding them to my real build. It is that test mockup car that helped me catch the front end issues before they got further along. I used my mockup car to establish where the header cutouts go.

TinworktrunkFairmontshots008_zpse3da9293

TinworktrunkFairmontshots009_zps075482e3

When I originally discovered the front panel problems, I initially drilled new holes inboard of the old ones in the firewall, then decided that wouldn't do because the intersect points of the upper strut tube and A-pillar bar wouldn't match. That is what prompted me to re-do the panels. Then, of course, I had to go back and plug and fill the unused holes, as seen by the glazing putty. I need to piece a small section of panel in at the lower firewall to fill the gaps that are still present. They probably wouldn't even be there on a 1:1, but they will add strength in this case.

TinworktrunkFairmontshots010_zps1d01dfbb

Something I have been intending to do is open up the trunk.

TinworktrunkFairmontshots004_zpsc352aace

TinworktrunkFairmontshots005_zps4ebb8e49

The resin is very thick in the upper trunk lid area to avoid a major undercut in the mold plug. While I got the trunk out, it wasn’t as clean of a removal as I ideally would have liked. Still, it will be fine by the time it is all finished.

TinworktrunkFairmontshots007_zps2dc191d5

Got a ways to go, but here’s a start! This build will have dual pumps, and duel braided line, with each carb supplied by one pump/line. “Floating” frame rail extensions will come through from the kick up over the rear end. I intend to mount the pumps on the passenger side frame rail. I have drawn up lightened PE frame rail supports that will tie the rails and trunk floor together and strengthen both.

TinworktrunkFairmontshots011_zps53d06c41

Edited by futurattraction
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Scott your attention to detail is second to none and you seem to be a bit of a perfectionist which is ok but don't beat yourself up on this because what you have achieved is simply amazing. I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from building right now but I will definitely order some of your great parts sometime soon. Good stuff!!

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  • 1 month later...

I finally got the engine compartment panels molded, cast, and mocked up, sandwiched around a bout with being sick and trying to get ready for a show. The fit, uniformity and spacing all look like they finally suit me, so I can hopefully start making some decent progress.

frontend_wide_12hi_zps3980a35d.jpg

The driver side doesn't want to set down into the jig as nicely as I'd like. Adding the front cross member and gussets, I trust, will care of that.

frontend_12medcu_zps61f9a758.jpg

I still need to add the upper strut gussets.

frontend_10medcu_zps82b20eae.jpg

This is the stance I'm shooting for.

chassis_mockup_wide_9lev_zpsc8789fa9.jpg

Closeup of the rearend mocked up.

rearend_mockup_zps848c80d6.jpg

Comments welcome...

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