The Willomet Charger

[AgDieseler]

I’m taking November for family and shop updates.

Here’s an in-progress reorganizing snap with some light scope creep. I’m looking to get out of the cardboard and into clear sterilite bins, with engine parts going into some heavier duty totes. All the Charger interior stuff has been consuming valuable space in a ground level cabinet, but that’s about to change. Also, I upgraded all 10 bulbs to LEDs with great effect, and only need to replace the 150W CFL to get fully lit.



Fewer shadows, more work, less frustration.

David

 

[AgDieseler]

Back at it.

Passenger rail is welded and blended. I spent Saturday dialing in the welder , and getting back in the groove. It’s been 4 weeks since I’ve struck an arc.





And then there’s this. It’s looking more and more like the car will be a mid-front engine. The LS is just so compact.



I’ve been working on a revised plan for the rear chassis and the front suspension, and hope to have some clear updates on that in the next couple of weeks.

David

 

[JoshHefnerX]

Have you been tracking how much weight you're adding w/ the chassis reinforcements?

 

[AgDieseler]

Have you been tracking how much weight you're adding w/ the chassis reinforcements?

I have a rough number.

The unibody itself will be 175ish lbs heavier than factory. Roadster Shop’s chassis weights in at about 600lbs without suspension for a net increase of about 400 lbs. I want to stay under half that figure.

Inner chassis members will step down to .095 or maybe even .083, and there’s no more 1/8” plate going on the car. The rear will likely get a back-half (weight and space efficient), and the rest of the front gets thinner 14ga overlays. There’s a chrome moly version of the axle housing, links can be 7075, maybe I’ll smarten up and find an aluminum 6.0 block, I’m working a strategy to shed 30-40 lbs from the front K-member, and strategic carbon fiber is still part of the plan. I’m thinking a lot about aluminum for shear plates and crossmember braces, and even floor pans.

3500 lbs dry weight remains the target. Maybe I’m aiming high.

David

 

[Smokinthehippies]

3500 lbs dry weight remains the target. Maybe I’m aiming high.

David

Or low as the case may be.

 

[ClassicStyle]

Excited to see more progress!

Horsepower is a easy cure for weight....

 

[AgDieseler]

Christmas break progress.

I cut out the unibody bracing I had originally setup, and repurposed it to be a basic support to the chassis.

So much room for activities.


I closed the expanded rocker shapes, and will blend them down tomorrow.


New tool addition - engine hoist I scored off Craigslist. Free.99


Eager to pair these two together and get them roughly stabbed into the chassis, and start measuring the floor support.


David

 

[AgDieseler]

Foot wells underway. Everything from here on (pretty much) is 14ga (.0747). There’s plenty of 1/8 in the rails already.

Cut these two holes just to pull some weight (1/2lb total):


Internal assembly. The L gusset ties the outer frame plate to the yet-to-be-fabricated inner chassis rails and trans mount. I should be able to pickup that steel tomorrow.






Kick up of the floor-to-firewall profile is 33ish*.




All for tonight.

David

 

[JoshHefnerX]

Can you get a couple of shots of wider view? Would like to see how it fits as a whole.

Also, are you going to coat that torque box area before it's sealed up?

 

[AgDieseler]

Can you get a couple of shots of wider view? Would like to see how it fits as a whole.

Also, are you going to coat that torque box area before it's sealed up?

Will do. I’ll get a wide shot when I finish the other side.

The footwell enclosure will get primed/sealed before burning it all in. It’s hard to see inside the 2.5” holes, but I’ll use that same green primer.

David

 

[Bent77]

Nice work and progress David

 

[AgDieseler]

Nice work and progress David

Thanks man. Good to be back in the groove. Hoping to stab the engine and trans today.

I posted some of these blending details on the ‘gram, and it’s a refinement from a process I shared in Greg’s MAW thread way back. For posterity and feedback, here’s what I’m doing now.

It starts with a decent weld, with a consistent profile and penetration, using an intermittent air quench to control for heat. I don’t care if it’s welding 14ga or 1/4”, clamp the snot out of it and air quench along the way. For this example, about a 65A TIG with a simple “gas barrier” so my 30cu ft of argon didn’t run away.




You can see the stop-starts where I quenched


Blending:

• I use 3M Cubitron roloc discs (mostly 3”) and go from 36 to 60, taking care not to overgrind. One of my mentors consistently reminded me, “it’s easy to take off material, and a good bit tougher to put it back.”
• Once the weld is 95% level to the work (just barely proud), I use a Scotchbrite medium to smooth the work to the newly dressed weld bead.
  • A 3M strip disc is sometimes useful to dress down the last profile details, and inputs very little heat into the panel - useful on thin and large stuff like quarter panels
• Only once those two are level, blunt the corner with the 60 grit to a 45* angle up to the thickness of the other plates (in this example, 0.0747”, or 14ga).
• On corners, I will often use a flat file to get the edges crisp and straight
• Finally, the 36 grit DA dials in the texture and gives the final shape. It works slowly but is very effective.

The brand of abrasive doesn’t really matter, and you could do most of this with an angle grinder and a selection of flap wheels. It’s more about technique, blending only in the two planes that come together to make the corner. I just like the control of a roloc, and that it’s easy to swap pads.

It’s a bit more work, and no one is going to see the detail here on this passenger side footwell, but it’s a good opportunity to practice.

David

 

[AgDieseler]

Finished assembling the other footwell, and tacked everything.





For @JoshHefnerX, here’s how the torque boxes and footwells tie together.


Then...

I did a thing...




My friend said, “with all this space, this is where the bar goes.”


So much room for activities.


Forwardmost shifter is perfect at mid-thigh.


Mid-front engine status.


Fully depressed clutch on the left, lifting throttle on the right. Feels correct.




It was a good day.

David

 

[JoshHefnerX]

Those torque boxes look pretty beefy. Interested to see how the rest of it turns out. Lots of wheelwell room. You're planting that engine seriously midship. pretty cool. You gonna move the dash/seats ect back too?

 

[NorCal69]

Beautiful blend work, David.

It’s nice to see that you stabbed the engine in there. That should give you a nice motivation boost to get ya by until the next one is completed.

 

[blazinzuk]

Remember if you need too you can offset the engine to the passenger side. With you in the driver's seat it can actually help side to side weight and can give you that extra 1/2 inch if needed

 

[KirsL]

Looking pretty good .

Biggest thing I'd add is to run a really good scatter shield.

 

[AgDieseler]

Those torque boxes look pretty beefy. Interested to see how the rest of it turns out. Lots of wheelwell room. You're planting that engine seriously midship. pretty cool. You gonna move the dash/seats ect back too?

The whole driver assembly pushes back several inches. The original seating position put the steering wheel in my chest, and I could have piloted the car with my man bits. I’m a tall guy, so a rearward bias is just right.

Beautiful blend work, David.

It’s nice to see that you stabbed the engine in there. That should give you a nice motivation boost to get ya by until the next one is completed.

Yessir. Big motivation. That was a primary objective for the holiday break.

Remember if you need too you can offset the engine to the passenger side. With you in the driver's seat it can actually help side to side weight and can give you that extra 1/2 inch if needed

True. I still have to finely place the powertrain, and may take up that 1/2” or so. The original 440/833 was offset by 1.5”. I’m borrowing a friend’s sport seat to get the driver position further dialed.

Looking pretty good.

Biggest thing I'd add is to run a really good scatter shield.

Right. I’ll run the Quicktime bellhousing for sure - looking to keep those sleek work boots attached to the rest of me.

David

 

[blazinzuk]

I just know from past experience that screwing up your driving position will make you hate driving the car. So while weight distribution is important. A driving position that is correct is more important.

I'd imagine you know this but really it's importance cannot be overstated

 

[AgDieseler]

I just know from past experience that screwing up your driving position will make you hate driving the car. So while weight distribution is important. A driving position that is correct is more important.

I'd imagine you know this but really it's importance cannot be overstated

Your reminder is timely, and greatly appreciated.

Now is the moment to take a step back, and think clearly and deliberately about ergonomics. I can become a bit myopic when it comes to goals and what I think something should be. Knowing and Doing don’t always follow.

To that end, I’ll start making some marks in that 2x8 spanning the rocker beams and get down the old steering column for mock-up. Along with the borrowed seat and a shifter, we should be able dial things in.

David