Radiator removal and Steering setup

Well another busy night on Ratty. I needed to clear room for where I want to trial the location of the steering box. Of course this wasn't a simple task. I first needed to remove the radiator, wiring.

To remove the radiator I needed to drain it first. To get a larger enough container underneath I needed to jack it up.

That should be large enough :)

Remove the lower hose as this radiator didn't have a drain plug.

Remove the top hose, and temp sensor for the electric fan.

Start unbolting all the surround and then the radiator.

Job done, radiator all gone, now i have access to the frame where I want to place the steering box and check to make sure I can get the radiator back in.

Surround, Radiator, over flow bottle.

First I need to remove the pivot arm from the steering box, I had to go get a set of pulley pullers, when it did come off it cam with a bang.

Test fit with a clamp holding it, checking the clearances.

Now checking what the angles look like for the connecting arm. Not even close. I will need to get the pivot arm extended about 70mm, That will require an engineer, as the spline will need to be removed and welded into the new arm. The Spline on the arm also has key ways which only allow it to be place at certain angles. So when I get the new one made I will need to have that setup correctly. Im going to take it first to the Certification man first, then if I get the green light Im off to an engineer to fit out the cost of getting a new one made up.

Measuring what length I will need the now pivot arm, it worked out to be an extra 70mm,

Also the three mount holes wont fit the chassis, So I will need to talk to the engineer on how best to get the bottom mount sorted. There other two are easy, Drill a hole through the frame, weld in an insert with the correct diameter hole for the mounting bolt. So the insert will be about 15mm and a 8mm hole. Will need to talk to the engineer about that too.

Well that was it for tonight, another busy night. But more slow progress.

Steering ...

OK, after a number of chats to a number of people and three changes of mind, I think I have finally come up with the best solution to the buckets steering. I now have a conventional steering box out of a Datsun 180b, and a collapsible steering column.

The plan is to mount the Steering box so the the control arm will attach to the pivot arm via a connect rod, (I will add photos). But to mount the steering box where it needs to be I have to move the radiator about 40mm to the left. Then make a surround that make it look centered. Not a biggy really as I had to remount the radiator anyway as there are just a couple of really ugly temporary supports holding it currently. The person who put the Gilmor belt drive on had to move it forward to allow room for the belt, and it was a rushed job.

I also found out what block I'm running, a Ford 302 E7TE-CA. So slow progress, but still moving forward.

The tear down begins

Well I bit the bullet and have got stuck into tearing down the T-Bucket, The following shots show what was hiding underneath.

I now believe I will have to make a steel sub frame and put a new floor into the body, as you can see there isn't much left of it. Also I plan to change how the steering is located and functions so there will need to be a sub frame for that.

Battery under the seat, and the rough plywood floor.

Ready to remove all the flooring

Seat, note that the seat belts were mounted to the underside of the seat ....

Battery cage removed.

Tin remove from around the trans bell housing

All the removable flooring parts that can be are now gone.

As you can see that there isn't much floor left. I want to strengthen the floor, I think that I will completely replace it with new marine ply and make a much stronger mount system for the body. I will need to visit the certification man to find out what options I have.

But progress, and a lot of learning as I go.

Selling the Tunnel RAM setup

Ok, after a few drives and wanting to keep the T-bucket nice and simple I have decided to sell the excessive tunnel ram setup and go for a simple 1 holly 600.

I'm sure it will still have enough kick, since it only weights 820kgs.

So why am I selling, I am just learning this whole hotrod thing and want to be able to do all the work myself, a tunnel ram dual carb setup is supposedly a nightmare to tune, and from what I have seen to date that seems very true, and for a t-bucket excessive. So the the last thing I want is a misbehaving toy, I want it reliable. low maintenance as possible and streetable, As I want to use as much as I can. I'm sure later after owning it for a while I will kick myself for selling this high performance setup. But at this stage if I sell it, I will be able to purchase a new Holley 600, inlet manifold, filter and have money in the bank to pay for the steering upgrade, more on that to come.

holy batman ...

Ok got Ratty T back today, the tune isnt 100%, as we had chewed up alot of $$$ to get to this point. So there is a flat spot if you floor it for a second or so and then all hell breaks loose.

Ill get to that soon. First what was done, The belt drive main pulley was cut to fit properly, new dipstick put in and temp gauge, timing sensor, oil, plugs, coolant, an a 90% tune. and 10hr labour. So it wasnt cheap, but gives me a good base to work from.

So back to the drive home now that it runs pretty good. Well I must say she has some pick up and go. Above 70mph shes a real handful all over the place and really touchy. I have been told that is common on tBuckets. So will look at the steering toe in/out, caster, and even a steering damper. And since the turning lock is completely useless, if you did get out of shape there's no real way of getting it back.

So going along in third... the one with the whine, floor it .... pause and then boom ... front wheels jump airborne and you are off .... wiggling all over the place .... scarey at first ... but like anything it will take a while to get use to. So once I sort out a few of the wof items, and the $$ have built up again Ill get the tune 100%, but like Chris said that may take a while, and that costs dollars.

When I did get home I went about taking off the screen just to see what the wind would be like and the look of it. (Photos to come) then went for a quick drive .... brrr it was bloody cold and the wind was not pleasant. Even though the screen is not my favorite thing. Driving with out it was very unpleasant. So I will have to think how to make one that I'm happy with.

Ok what have I let myself into ...

So the Ratty T was taken into the doctors, Blackwood Motors, A well known V8 man. So dropped it off this morning, was running rougher than it was Saturday .... not good. So I get a call as 4pm .. Hmmm you better come in for a chat. Now when it comes to cars that is not a good thing.

So with a large amount of trepidation I head back it to discuss the Ratty-T. Chris gave me the lowdown, The timing belt keeps throwing off, and its mainly due to the bottom pulley not been setup properly. The pulley has just been put on without proper adjustment. It needs to have the boss plate cut back to have the pulley run in line with the other pulleys. So he wasn't able to take it for a good test run as the belt kept coming off. To correct the problem it would require the removal of the radiator and a lot of time. So the translates to $$. So we are going to try a new belt and see if that corrects the problem. Here's hoping.

The main part of the coughing and farting around wasn't tuning, but the ignition. It would seem that the Mallory ignition has an electronic eye sensor that had gone on holiday. So once that was fixed Ratty-T ran a lot better, But now it was running better a full throttle blip threw the belt. So we have to wait for a new belt now this one has stretched. Read $$

Then comes all the little bits, The dual carbs are setup wrong, and will require complete removal to correct. It is not a large job, just requires time which equals $$$. Then once that part is fixed a proper tune can happen. The issue is that someone set the carbs up wrong and we cant adjust the idle speed enough, so it idles way to fast.

Then the oil pan is wrong for the block, So there is no dip stick. The oil breather wasn't done right so when it ran OK it built up back pressure and sprung an oil leak at the back of the intake manifold.

The speedo is now stuck on 80km, and when you put the lights on full the rear lights go out. An the temp gauge isn't working. That is just the items found to get it running, let alone getting the darn thing through a WOF.

There was some good news, the engine seems to be in good nick. So the bill will be larger that I had hoped, (read way more) but if it gets it running reliable, and potentially a WOF, I can then start on the other stuff I want to do. I don't hold great hopes for a WOF

All this work will take about a week due to shipping times & parts, maybe longer. I asked if there was any chance of getting the pulleys & belt changed back to something less bling, to reliable old school, Chris was going to see what he could find. Would rather have a more reliable runner than a fussy beast.

So plenty of time to research this week and also start on the new logo. But my next purchase will be an idiots guide to 302 Ford engines. :)

The Ratty T Bucket arrives home

So after a little trip with a large wad of cash, I return with no cash but I am now the proud owner of a rough little 1923 T-Bucket. She already has a name Ratty-T. So will need to create a logo for it.

First things first, she needs a really good tune, I have booked it in on Monday to get that sorted. At the moment I believe its over carburetored, As it farts and coughs and splutters when you use anything more than little throttle. So one I get that sorted, I can the work on whats required to make it legal to drive on the road.

Then once I have that sorted, I can then plan the changes I want to make.

So here she is in all her uncleaned dusty glory .... I present Ratty-T

Engine = Ford 302
Weight = 820kg
Gearbox = Manual, Toyota 5Speed
Diff = XB Falcon LSD narrows 6" 3.5 to 1 Ratio

So once the tuning is sort it should go ok ....

Thats a large lump of V8 ... :) love it

Interior needs a lot of work but is usable

Its new home in the newly created space in that garage

Its a tight fit, but is in and covered

Right beside my wife's Leotard and glittering studio ...

So first impression on the drive home .... It was hard to tell with it coughing and farting so much. But it was fun, and man did everybody look at you. Its pulling a little to the left so needs a wheel alignment, after that's sorted and the tuneup it will be an absolute blast to drive. The turning circle is rubbish, but there is no bump steer which I was worried about.

Once I get all the drivability issues sorted the next port of call will be the sorting of screen. I will be taking that off. The next will be how the body mounts are configured, want to double check those, then I need to alter the accelerator pedal position. The list goes on, I think I have already got a list that will take 6 months... But hey thats to whole point ....
I cant wait ....

Very cool Post-it stop motion

New blog to detail the new project

Yip I have a new, big project underway

http://www.possum.geek.nz/2009/06/so-long-my-little-sv650.html

It should be fun ... I hope.

So long my little SV650...

So the day has come to pass that I have sold my bike and am now bike less for the first time in 12 years. I am still not sure about this path, as I truly do love bikes. and the black SV650 (my third SV650) was darn near perfect.

So why sell ??

There are a number of reasons, first a number of close calls, none of which were my fault, there just seems to be a larger number of idiots on the road at the moment. So after the last u-turn carried out in front of me (I have previously t-bone a van that had done a U-turn in front of me) got me thing and I started to not really enjoying riding as much. Some of this is due to only doing city commutes and not getting out on the open road enough. But once you start thing what if's i found that riding become less enjoyable. I must be getting old :) But now that I have my daughter I would like to be here a lot longer.

The other part is that when I did go for a Sunday ride it was by myself and it wasn't something I could share with my daughter. Which I would really like to do before she thinks dad is an idiot, maybe to late on that one.

So with my long term attraction to V8s and wanting a hotrod, and only been able to afford one toy, the hard decision had to be made. Sell the bike to finance a hotrod of some description. So after months of looking and missing out on a couple I finally found one with in my limited budget and local to boot, more details to come.

There is a back out plan of course. If this hotrod thing doesn't work out as planned, and I find it to hard to be with out a bike, I will invest and get a track only bike and just do track days to fulfill my bike needs

So its with a sad heart I bid farewell to my beloved little SV650, and move in to the world of hotrod.

New toy on its way

Its a sad day, and a apprehensive day. I have sold the beloved little SV650, and gone mad and purchased a t-bucket. There will be photos and all the fun stuff to come .... just a quick update.

Ken Blocks new video