Inside The Skeleton -
Well if this bit manages to get build without breaking a leg, or at least a spraining ankle, things should be good. Working inside the chassis without a safety net (floor) is, to say the least tricky. But peddle boxes, brake pies, master cylinders and steering columns all need to be mounted. This is like doing engineering work while stuck inside a kids climbing frame. Well here goes....
First things first, put a seat temporary in and drop in the new Prop shaft.
The complete Prop Shaft
The good news is the drawing and measurements worked out perfectly and the even better news is the adapter plate for the gearbox flange fits, and looks, beautiful.
A very nice clean job at an excellent price these people know their stuff, Dunning and Fairbank highly recommended.
Tomorrow the steering column and mounting the SAAB switchgear to the steering head. Mmmmm interesting......
After bring the good old vernier callipers back into play again, these are going to be worn out by the end of this project, the switch gear (indicator, beam control & cruise control stalk) and steering column were measured in detail. The original Ford switch gear had all been removed, including the bonnet release. These just looked tacky when compare to the SAAB equipment, probably all to do with size more than anything else. Not only the aesthetics but also the wiring loom demanded the use of the SAAB equipment. So a mounting adaptor bracket had to be build. This was not as difficult as first envisaged but did entail the modification of the SAAB switch body. Removal of the switch clips and lugs and one line of the front slot arrangement had to be filed flat. Then the bracket itself could comfortably fit around the switch body. By using separate mounting lugs the on the column the height of the switch could be set so that the original indicator cancel collar functions on this type of switch.
Prop Adapter at Gearbox end.
Switch plate. Red, don't ask, damn blocked nossels
With few clamps the column is temporarily mounted and the switch gear installed. Good job done that all works well.
SAAB switch on Ford Column.
Now for the steering column modifications. Some hacksawing of the original shaft. A bulk head bearing and and engine bay U clamp bearing plus two miniature universal joints (small but tough both capable of taking 250NM of torque) and some 1" diameter steel tube would all be required. However unlike "Blue Peter" there is not one that was made earlier and will probably never be another quite like this. If this is to be done again the steering rack should be modified so as to move the steering input 20mm toward the offside wheel. This would vastly simplify the steering column. Ho hum never mind....
So while waiting for the UJ's to arrive the gear shift needs attention. The original gear shift mounting would be wonderful if it could fit around the chassis members. The gearbox mounting points and the shifter UJ and shafts are, of course, perfectly aligned using the original mounting plate. So a cut and shut needs to be performed to get the mounting plate into the drive shaft tunnel. Using a aluminium block to rejoin the plate means it becomes a serviceable item where as welding would have made the plate a permanent fixture. As future gearbox upgrades are on the cards a permanent mounting plate was not an option. The rear of the gear shift plate is now held in place with an aluminium extrusion with T slot channels. T nuts and T bolts are then used to align and fix the gear shift in the correct alignment to the gearbox. A new gear knob is on order and that should complete the shift mechanism.
Gear Shift mounting and mods.
The cockpit moves along and the staggers to a crawl as the hydraulic clutch causes grief. The existing pipe from the gearbox has a GM / SAAB quick connector that uses a clip to hold it into the master cylinder. Searching all over the internet has not managed to a) identify this union and b) find the female version that would take a 3mm copper pipe. So requests are out to Hydraulic hose manufactures to see if a braided hose can be built with a Female Quick Release at one and and 2 3/8 UNC male union at the other.
OK it is official, GM decided to rob thier customers again. Money by menaces. Make a part and close out the market then milk your own customers. The Clutch hose union is a GM part and so is the clutch master cylinder and no one else has them. So stuff GM, time to take out the gearbox and re-
This is the nice thing about building your own car, you are not in the hands of corrupt car giants. Cool!
OK it is official, GM decided to rob their customers again. Money by menaces. Make a part and close out the market then milk your own customers. The Clutch hose union is a GM part and so is the clutch master cylinder and no one else has them. So stuff GM, time to take out the gearbox and re-
This is the nice thing about building your own car, you are not in the hands of corrupt car giants. Cool!
Click Here to Crawl Around Inside in Part 2
GM Quick Release Union.
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