mygasser
Well-Known Member
with all the work you're doing for him it'd be nice if he bought you a gear vendors kit for your barracuda, lol.
he doesn't seem scared to spend money twice on the charger and after all you only want/need one o/d kit.
Charger
- Thread starter 1967 'cuda
- Start date
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he doesn't seem scared to spend money twice on the charger and after all you only want/need one o/d kit.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
As much as I'd like to be wrestling a Gear Vendors OD under the Cuda, I can't complain about Spencer's generosity. He bought me the sweet sounding Borla exhaust that upsets the local tree hugging crowd whenever I decide to make the ground shake. I've got him to thank for the Miller mig welder too.with all the work you're doing for him it'd be nice if he bought you a gear vendors kit for your barracuda, lol.
he doesn't seem scared to spend money twice on the charger and after all you only want/need one o/d kit.
My fondest memories are of the two of us sharing misery in extreme heat, cold, dirt, etc...
Every time he's made a major course change my initial reactions are horror and disbelief. Eventually it occurs to me that I'm going to be able to play with the type of big buck toys I never could otherwise. - And I like building stuff.
Now the penny-pinching cheapskate side of me still gets squeamish each time the floodgates open and I watch (previously completed) parts get washed away.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
As mygasser noted, Spence isn't scared to spend $$. The new front brakes are Wilwood now. The prior decision to buy from RIGHT STUFF DETAILING was made by me when Spence was still in Iraq and I was still determined to keep costs down. - Another really big factor was (at that time) we couldn't find other brand disc/caliper combos that would clear the 15" Keystone Klassics he wanted to use.
Not only did Spence order discs & calipers but he also bought dual master cylinders for the brakes and a 3rd cylinder for a hydraulic clutch.
The cylinders included plastic fluid reservoirs. Spence thought they looked cheesy s0 he purchased some nicer aluminum ones. The combo brake/clutch pedals are also Wilwood items.
Not only did Spence order discs & calipers but he also bought dual master cylinders for the brakes and a 3rd cylinder for a hydraulic clutch.
The cylinders included plastic fluid reservoirs. Spence thought they looked cheesy s0 he purchased some nicer aluminum ones. The combo brake/clutch pedals are also Wilwood items.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
I found even more pics of the core support modification.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
Those little brake cylinders seemed like they would be the perfect solution to the cylinder head to brake cylinder clearance issue.
I should have known better.
Besides the pedal assembly Spence ordered a mounting plate that also aligns those pedals with the cylinders and acts as a 'pass through' for the actuating rods.
The location option on the firewall is pretty limited because of the steering column.
Had this been a race car without a factory dashboard we would have had a lot more leeway on location.
Applying pressure to the clutch and brake pedals should not result in the firewall flexing. It was obvious early on that we were going to need more strength there. O.E.M. pedal assemblies aren't attached directly to the firewall but have a framework incorporated into the dash. A race car would attach to the cage assembly.
The spot we had to mount to didn't have a large enough flat surface and was very weak. It was time to do more cutting.
I should have known better.
Besides the pedal assembly Spence ordered a mounting plate that also aligns those pedals with the cylinders and acts as a 'pass through' for the actuating rods.
The location option on the firewall is pretty limited because of the steering column.
Had this been a race car without a factory dashboard we would have had a lot more leeway on location.
Applying pressure to the clutch and brake pedals should not result in the firewall flexing. It was obvious early on that we were going to need more strength there. O.E.M. pedal assemblies aren't attached directly to the firewall but have a framework incorporated into the dash. A race car would attach to the cage assembly.
The spot we had to mount to didn't have a large enough flat surface and was very weak. It was time to do more cutting.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
The piece we were putting back in was going to be thicker and flatter.
After forming one bend to get it to conform to the firewall we tacked it in place to test fit.
At this time we were still waiting for the 3rd cylinder to arrive. Originally Spence had bought a clutch cylinder but it had a different design that just used a plastic snap on cap. The one we wanted was on back order.
Spence was adamant that we retain the factory original pinch weld seam. Importunately it left us with less of an appropriate area to mount our reservoirs.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
At some point we got around to putting the valve cover on and saw we didn't have room for that right cylinder.
Time for some more heavy head scratching....... if only the cylinders could be mounted further away from the engine...... Hmmmm maybe.....
OK. I figured out a way.
These are the 2 pieces that make up the mounting flange.
Those 2 pieces sandwich the firewall. I've got a buddy with a mill who I trade favors with. By buying a thick chunk of aluminum I could have him machine it so I could recess the cylinder mounting surface away from the motor.
One more problem overcome. There is enough adjustment with the pedal linkage that moving this mounting surface was not hard to compensate for.
Time for some more heavy head scratching....... if only the cylinders could be mounted further away from the engine...... Hmmmm maybe.....
OK. I figured out a way.
These are the 2 pieces that make up the mounting flange.
Those 2 pieces sandwich the firewall. I've got a buddy with a mill who I trade favors with. By buying a thick chunk of aluminum I could have him machine it so I could recess the cylinder mounting surface away from the motor.
One more problem overcome. There is enough adjustment with the pedal linkage that moving this mounting surface was not hard to compensate for.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
Our plan had been to use those aluminum reservoirs. I knew we were going to be limited for space trying to clear that firewall pinch weld but I thought we'd get by by making a small notch in it. After recessing the cylinders further back into the firewall we now were going to have to mount the reservoirs remotely instead of directly on top of the cylinders.
Spence ordered 3 clamping brackets. - One for each reservoir.
I cut a solid chunk of steel to mount the 3 clamps next to each other and drilled & tapped it so we wouldn't have to mess with nuts behind the firewall when attaching or removing the reservoirs. The bar I made would also act as a spacer so the reservoirs wouldn't be so close to the firewall and now clear that pinch weld. Obviously, the bar would be welded to the firewall and add even more sturdiness to it.
Spence ordered 3 clamping brackets. - One for each reservoir.
I cut a solid chunk of steel to mount the 3 clamps next to each other and drilled & tapped it so we wouldn't have to mess with nuts behind the firewall when attaching or removing the reservoirs. The bar I made would also act as a spacer so the reservoirs wouldn't be so close to the firewall and now clear that pinch weld. Obviously, the bar would be welded to the firewall and add even more sturdiness to it.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
Short nicop (nickle/copper) lines will flow fluid to the cylinders.
After getting the Wilwood clutch & brake pedal location figured out on the Charger the next thing we'd tackled was the throttle pedal. Spence wanted it to match the stuff from Wilwood but we couldn't find anything available. He did decide to buy an aftermarket assembly made by Offenhauser.
It provided us with a pivot assembly that would exit the firewall at a higher location which was better suited for the height of the blower carbs. The workmanship was poor but we were confident that we could bush it to give it a smoother action. The pedal itself did not match the Wilwood pedals so our best bet seemed to be to make one ourselves. It's just roughed in right now. We had to extend the arm to make it feel right when sitting in the car. When we're done we'll clean the assembly up more.
We cut a heavy piece of aluminum for the gas pedal drilled and countersunk the holes to make it look similar to the other pedals.
After getting the Wilwood clutch & brake pedal location figured out on the Charger the next thing we'd tackled was the throttle pedal. Spence wanted it to match the stuff from Wilwood but we couldn't find anything available. He did decide to buy an aftermarket assembly made by Offenhauser.
It provided us with a pivot assembly that would exit the firewall at a higher location which was better suited for the height of the blower carbs. The workmanship was poor but we were confident that we could bush it to give it a smoother action. The pedal itself did not match the Wilwood pedals so our best bet seemed to be to make one ourselves. It's just roughed in right now. We had to extend the arm to make it feel right when sitting in the car. When we're done we'll clean the assembly up more.
We cut a heavy piece of aluminum for the gas pedal drilled and countersunk the holes to make it look similar to the other pedals.
1967 'cuda
Dropped on Head as a Baby
In an attempt to reduce weight and open up more space in the engine bay Spence bought a Braille battery. It's only a few pounds lighter than the factory group 27 battery but it's considerably smaller.
O.E.M. Battery Dimensions: L- 12 x W- 6.81 x H- 7.87 inches
Braille Battery Dimensions: L- 6.8 x W-4.0 x H- 6.1 inches
The car did not have a battery tray when we got it so we'd ordered a new repop from AMD early on.
Due to the downsized battery size the tray was way too big now. I began constructing a battery box custom made to fit the Braille. 1st thing I did was to make a paper mock up of the battery so I could determine the best mounting location.
Then I began fabricating. We decided to make the box large enough to get our fingers in both sides to enable us to lift the battery back out when needed.
An insulating rubber mat was cut for beneath the battery.
O.E.M. Battery Dimensions: L- 12 x W- 6.81 x H- 7.87 inches
Braille Battery Dimensions: L- 6.8 x W-4.0 x H- 6.1 inches
The car did not have a battery tray when we got it so we'd ordered a new repop from AMD early on.
Due to the downsized battery size the tray was way too big now. I began constructing a battery box custom made to fit the Braille. 1st thing I did was to make a paper mock up of the battery so I could determine the best mounting location.
Then I began fabricating. We decided to make the box large enough to get our fingers in both sides to enable us to lift the battery back out when needed.
An insulating rubber mat was cut for beneath the battery.
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