pope_face Posted October 22, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Yeah I saw that thread after I posted here... That'd be perfect for me, seeing as I only need a couple extra inches. The only issue is actually finding the damn column... There's not many trucks up on this side of the border, so I'm a little strapped for options. My only real choice is to find someone reliable in Washington (like Ted) who has a good column that's already been pulled. I don't have the time to drive down and go junkyard searching for a decent column... maybe I could convince Redeye or someone to pull one for me next time they're at the dismantlers. Quote Link to comment
yello620 Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 Yeah That'd be perfect for me, seeing as I only need a couple extra inches. QUOTE] Dont we all:lol: Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted October 22, 2008 Report Share Posted October 22, 2008 I have a spare but I have no idea how I would ship something like that :lol: PM me, maybe we can get somethin worked out. Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted October 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 30, 2008 Alright, I haven't really done to the truck itself in the past week, so there wasn't much to post. However... I brought the seat home with me last week to work on making a mount for it. I managed to work something out (although it cost more than I expected), and I finally got to test it out last night. Verdict: Great fit. The seat is a one piece, so I can't adjust the angle of the backrest, but at least I can adjust the height and tilt the whole thing backwards and forwards to get it to fit. It's a bit labour intensive, but once it's dialed in I won't need to adjust it anymore. And now, pictures! The seat, as it sits now. Close-up of the mount I made. The mount is made from 1 1/2" angle steel... I think it's 14 gauge, so it's pretty stiff, but I'll reinforce it by putting little triangle brackets on the inside of the angle. The flat bars are "repair" bars from Home Depot... they're pretty thick and had the holes predrilled. All the fasteners are stainless steel. I just need to drill the holes to mount it and bolt it in, and I've got a seat. Other than that... I've got my Nardi wheel mounted on the Momo hub, but the damn thing is way too close to the seat, so hopefully that 620 column makes enough of a difference (Steve...) that I can finally get it put in and start working on the rest of the interior. :D Quote Link to comment
denveratsun Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Holy contraption Batman:eek: Adjustable=YES! Comfortable=YES Nuff said!:rolleyes: Quote Link to comment
INDY510 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 (edited) Safe?= no I hope your seat doesn't fly through the windshield.... sorry, but that is not strong enough Edited October 31, 2008 by INDY510 Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Indy: You sure? Any recommendations on making it stronger? I know it doesn't look like much, but I was testing it out in my house after I'd put it together, and it was pretty strong... there's no back and forth motion, and very little lateral motion, which I'll be reinforcing. As long as I can mount it firmly to the floor, I think it should be enough, especially with a seatbelt. But... I'm willing to listen to any suggestions. :) Denver: Thanks for the comments... and yes, it is very comfortable... :D Quote Link to comment
slodat Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 I would not trust my life to that seat. If you are moving at any speed and hit something hard or suddenly stop, you are putting your life into a very tiny bolt on it's shear side. Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Makes sense... how about something like Grade 8 bolts? This was originally intended as just a temporary setup so I can play around with heights and angles until I made a permenant one, but if I can get it to work I'd like to keep it. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to improve the safety and still keep the function, or is the general concensus that it needs to go and a "proper" mount needs to be installed? Quote Link to comment
SHADY280 Posted October 31, 2008 Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 use 1x1 sq. tube steel and weld together a frame, then mount the seat directly to that. seats are part of what saves your life in accidents, the better the seat the more chance of not getting hurt or as hurt. i got my seat mounted right to the floor with a tube frame. Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted October 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2008 Shady: Yeah, you're probably right, unfortunately... I was hoping for an adjustable mount, but I suppose I won't be able to pull that off. Although, I suppose I could adjust it slightly using washers between the seat and the mount. C'est la vie. I suppose the verdict is that this mount will stay until I get the pedals, steering wheel, and shifter mounted, then I'll pull the seat, take the measurements, and weld up a new mount. Until then, I've got a bunch of exterior work to do, as well as figuring out the gas tank... Has anyone tried increasing the capacity of the stock tank without getting an entirely new one made up? I figure there's three ways of doing this: cutting the stock tank in half and welding in an additional center section to expand it, mounting another tank on the other side of the frame and linking it using large fuel transfer hoses, or mounting another independant tank and switching between the two when I need it. I figure the second one would be the easiest because A) I can work around the driveshaft and anything else that might get in the way of an uber-tank, B) I can use all the stock fuel hoses, fuel level sender, and filler neck, and C) it'll more or less equilize the weight of the fuel on both sides of the truck. Only issue would be putting in baffles to prevent the fuel from sloshing from one tank to the other and starving the engine on turns. Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted November 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2008 Yay, mini-updates! No new pics today, but I managed to get a few things sorted out over the weekend. First off, I've decided to scrap the custom taillight idea... it's going to be too much money and too much of a hassle to make them how I want, so I'll just stick with the stock lights. I might still put in a rollpan around the stock lights, but I haven't decided yet. Other than that, I've been toying with the idea of a moonroof or ragtop for a while, but I'll leave that idea until I've actually managed to get most things installed and sorted out. I bought some used dash vents off a 2000-something Ford F-150, so I'm going to install them. They're round with black centers and a chrome ring around the outside, so they should look pretty good. Windows down and dash vents on FTW. And finally... I should be getting my engine tommorow! :D It's been waiting for me in the shop since the first of August so the guy could clean it up and get it ready to install. I've been meaning to go for a few weeks, but I've been busy with school and work, and I need to go with my Pa to use his truck, which is even harder to coordinate. But, he said he might be able to stop by there tommorow and pick it up, so if it gets here then I can actually bolt it to the transmission and start the install. :w00t: Quote Link to comment
1fstdat Posted November 4, 2008 Report Share Posted November 4, 2008 I had an '85 VW scirocco and the back of the seat would raise or lower with a lever, what if you where to take the lower seat frame and mount and fit it to yours ??? Quote Link to comment
impala_631 Posted November 5, 2008 Report Share Posted November 5, 2008 i cant wait to see the motor transplant:) Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted November 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 (edited) Finally, some updates! Alright, I've been super busy the last couple weeks, so I haven't had any time to do any work to the truck. However, I finally managed to get out to the shop and pick up my engine today! :D I'm thrilled... I've finally got the motivation to go ahead and pull the J13 and attempt a test fit of the rotary. I found out a valuable piece of news today as well: The motor mount for the Mazda 12A rotary is a horizontal bar that goes between the frame rails and uses four bolts to attach to the front cover of the engine. The owner of the shop said he'd try and track down a stock motor mount for me, so as soon as I get ahold of one I can bolt it to the engine and figure out where I need to weld brackets for it. Through talking to the guy, the plan is to strip most of the emissions components off the engine, leaving just the carb/intake, distributor, and exhaust manifold (more or less). I may go with a header at some point, so I've gotta figure that out before I get my exhaust piping done. On another point, the plan to use old-style VDO gauges has been scrapped for the time being... To get a full set in the style I want I'll need to dish out about $500. It's a good price for a full set of good gauges, but I've decided that money could be put to better use, like upgrading the handling/braking. Maybe I'll try to find some way to swap out the front suspension and steering setup for something a little more modern, maybe with disc brakes. Same with the rear... Toyota rear axles have been suggested, so I may try to find one with LSD and discs. Which brings me to the question: Front or rear disc brakes? Which would be more useful? IIRC, the standard is front discs, but I could be mistaken... The other thing I haven't figured out yet is the fuel tank... I still want to run "dual tanks", but I need to find some way to keep electronics to a minimum. I'd rather not use an electrical switch to go from one tank to the other, in case it fails. But... I suppose there's plenty of cars with dual tanks I can cannibalize for parts, like the Jaguar XJ6's or Ford F-Series pickups. As for the seat issue: I appreciate all the comments. I'll probably just do a permanent mount rather than something adjustable. I've still gotta see how it all fits and feels once I get the pedals in place. I've still got the seats from the '69 510 that I can install if all else fails. One way or another, I will get the truck drivable, likely before the summer. Edited November 20, 2008 by pope_face Quote Link to comment
SHADY280 Posted November 20, 2008 Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 id put the discs on the front, it kinda is what does 80% of your stopping. doing just the rear would most likely be dangerous, as the back may lock and loop you around. the back has to stop less than the front to prevent this, although you could do a proportioning valve to help, but if your gonna disc the rear do the front too with hardbody parts. Quote Link to comment
pope_face Posted November 20, 2008 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2008 Hardbody parts for the front? Do you know if it's possible to replace the whole front suspension with Hardbody parts? I mean, without excessive cost or fabrication? I'm sure there's a write-up on this somewhere... I keep hearing that balljoints are the way to go over kingpins. Quote Link to comment
SHADY280 Posted November 21, 2008 Report Share Posted November 21, 2008 should check if beebanis upper control arms fit on a 521, then your golden. then use 620 lowers, and hardbody spindles and brakes. it works for the 620, but i dont know how simmilar the 521 is. search the threads and do some research Quote Link to comment
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