My Teksid Project - Orange Nightmare

[Ares]

Looking really good Ed, can’t wait to see it finished and racing again.

Me too! I can't wait either. Once this cage is out of the way. It should be much easier with what I have to do.


Top shot of eyebrow bar. I have a fingers width to headliner at the bends on it. Not sure if I should massage the joints and let it slide up a little more or just leave it alone.

[2000GT]

It's looking good Ed! What is your time table when you will have it ready to go?

[Dan B.]

It's looking good Ed! What is your time table when you will have it ready to go?

The next track rental.





Too soon?

[Ares]

The next track rental.





Too soon?

LOL

Next Ice Age soon enough. I did rename this Project Glacial Speed.

[Ares]

OK so I tweaked the Eyebrow bar. Added a 5* bend in center(correction....ended up being a 4* bend, did not have tube zero'd in bender properly). Which let it slip up roof bars a little more and then follows roof line nice and tight.





Front floor is prepped and ready to burn in the roof bar. So next weekend it will be time to be one with the welder and melt some friggn wire and knock this thing out once and for all.

[Ares]

Dear god I should have put in a roll bar. I really, really, really hate trying to weld at weird angles or hard to see spots. Can't get to top part of eyebrow bar unless I pull windshield. Then top of roof bar about 3/4" area where it meets main hoop. I could not get headliner off. Apparently some jackass at Ford thought it would be a good idea to use glue to hold it to roof and it appears to be backed with friggn cardboard. Had every fastener out before finding it was glued in. Just need to get it shifted away from weld area so I can get it welded. Heck if I can get it moved I may even reach top of eyebrow bar, I think. Need a smaller mig gun or something.

Ahh well it's mostly in before my patience wore out.

[Ares]

I did end up removing windshield. Unfortunately it did not survive the removal. Picked up a cold knife and it worked great along top and bottom. Very little room between glass and body. Cutting along top and making turn down A-pillars it only went about 6" before blade could not be pulled. Think the angle of metal on pillars and the glass was binding blade. Needless to say it cracked, real easy. Rest was history. Think I spent 4 hours removing it and cleaning up the mess it made. Glass just gets everywhere even when being careful

That eyebrow bar is fully welded. Seat belt bar in and just have D-bars, door bars and still not sure to add rocker bars or not. I might since I have the tubing to make them. Finish this up tomorrow

[Martin0660]

Excellent use of the word finish ... can’t wait to see it out

[Ares]

Not sure where the time goes when I am working on this heap. I got it nearly done today before it got dark and needed to clean up. Door bars are roughed in. Just need to get them finished and then figure where I want the swing outs to go on them. Couple small gussets I want to add and paint it up. Next is decide the put a glass windshield in or an Optic-Armor one. Get carpet ordered and move on to wiring.

[Ares]

Pretty much done with cage.....finally. Got door bars setup so they are 1/16" from door panel when closed. Worked out perfect. Get seat in final position and add seat brace. Can get this cleaned up and painted now.

[Ares]

Finally got back to this after all the recent crap past few months. Did add two 3/4" .120 wall gussets off back side of eye brow bar to roof bar. I know it didn't need them but felt better adding them. Used saddle(taco) gussets anywhere else I felt the need to add. Got a seat brace fabbed up and welded in and cut up a piece of 3/16" plate for a helmet hook.Cage is done, painted...did I say done? WHEEEEEEEEEE! Finally can check that off the stupid list. VHT satin black roll cage paint. Must say that stuff covers nice, drys to nice finish.

So need to order carpet,windshield and driveshaft/yokes. Then put interior together. Last welding to do is install rear sway bar which is next and few minor things underneath. Modify opening for shifter since trans is pushed back 1/2" and can't get shifter in currently. Then wire this thing up. I can almost see the end of Project: Why you take so long?

[yeahloh95]

that is looking great cant wait to see it at the track

[Martin0660]

lookung great Ed, can’t wait to see it out for shakedown

[Ares]

So new windshield is in. Course Safelite tells me they could have removed original and reinstalled it when I was ready. Oh well I nearly had it out at the time before cracking it but good to know in future. Still need to decide what I am doing regarding wipers and street use or not. Factors in on what type of cowl panel I end up using. Original cowl cracked in 4 places.

Got rear sway bar installed. Shortened up ends and added 3/8" plate to chassis to make it removable.

Now on to the wiring. So don't want to do this but now I must. Should get this done by time there is a cure for Covid

[Martin0660]

It’s lonely bracket racing with a stick lately ...

[07v6vistablue]

Looking good

[Ares]

Slowly chipping away at this. Just getting things done that don't require spending money right now.

Got about 3/4 of the wiring done and only have engine harness to modify and pull wiring for battery and alternator to back of car. Cut interior chassis harness as it was in the way and pulled it thru rocker and then back out at in back corner of door sill area thru a 1 3/16" hole where it can be hidden by edge trim. Then ran it thru back bulk head where front edge of back seat would be. There was an opening where I cut a 1 3/8" hole to pull harness into. Only spent next few hours soldering all the wires back together. Which gets fun when there are multiple wires of the exact same color. Had to mark each one to make sure they went back together properly. Ended up working out real nice with harness tucked out of the way.

Got around to opening up tunnel around shifter. With engine set back 1 1/6" and then Quick Time bell and adapter plate pushed trans back a further 9/16". I couldn't even get shifter in place. Which is now corrected.

On that note I did for giggles try to see how badly my driveshaft was not going to fit. Not even possible to bolt to pinion flange. Had it shoved as far forward into trans as possible and it wouldn't even clear pinion flange. Will end up using Strange Chromoly trans yoke and pinion flange for the 1350 series u-joints. Just have to decide on aluminum shaft or a chromoly one.

Lastly, ended up closed off the opening at header panel and radiator core support. Cut and bent a piece of 22g steel and painted it satin black. Two screws/clips hold back edge and stock grill surround holds front edge.

[PaxtonShelby]

Can’t wait to see this all finished!

[Ares]

Really starting to run out of things to do that don't involve spending more money right now.

Pulled rear Eibach drag springs/airbag out and put in the cut stockers. Not needing them with the rear sway bar in place. Replaced all the lower control arm hardware. Fronts were never long enough and it bugged me. So all new 9/16"x5" long bolts. Course the rear LCA bushing were not turning in arm and basically were pivoting on the bolts. Those had to pressed out, cleaned up and relubed.

Also my highly calibrated eyes noticed that rear looked off. Found driver rear to be 3/16" forward and 1/4" to left. Which explains left front tire being bald on outside edge. Could never seem to get front aligned right and it would eat that left front tire up. Don't think I ever squared up axle to chassis when I put it back in after fixing it front spinning a tube back in 2010. Think I just matched up new LCA length to the old Steeda Hardcore lowers I use to run. Sucked looking for spots on chassis to use for finding a center to use for measuring to axle. Spent more time under car dropping a plumb bob and marking spots on floor. The not centered side to side is setting pinion angle and not centering it properly afterwards. Couple of plumb bobs and tape and got it centered.

Time well spent. Car actually rolls easier now. If it only ran

[somethingclever]

in the past I have used plumb bob's from axle centerlines and marked floor, and then measured criss-cross F/R as a good check for square.

If it's within an 1/8" it should be easy to align.