Projects An Amateur Chops a Brookville Coupe & More

Great thread! Your attention to detail is awesome and inspiring.

 

SO, are you guys saying my exhaust is not neat? It's totally tucked up under the car and the tips are no lower than any of yours.

 

Here are the baffles I'm using for the lake pipe headers. I located the flanges on the center tube so that they fit tight to the inside of the header cone and tacked them in place. I'll hold the baffle in place with a couple of screws from the outside. I'll also be using sound deadening wrap around the baffles if they are to loud.

One part of the exhaust system that I was worried about was that when it is installed on the car, it is very rigid (no play anywhere). I was worried that motor and chassis flex would be putting a lot of stress on the exhaust. I found a short flex joint to use to solve this problem.

I didn't like how the exhaust pipe would have to be welded to the flex joint flange along the edge of the inner braided part. I made some stainless steel "covers" to hide the joint and give me a better way to weld to the exhaust pipe.

 

That's what The HAMB is all about, seeing what others have done and using that information for your own builds. I've done it many times myself.
I'm glad my thread helped.

 

maybe start a separate thread on the matter ?

 

I forgot to add these photos of the front frame horns getting boxed in like the rear of the frame. I don't like the open look of the frame horns like the factory left them.

I added threaded fittings to the front frame horns to bolt the headlight stands to.

 

Impeccable as usual. Your car is going to be one that I cant stop looking at - amazing details hiding everywhere!

 

Here are some mods I made to the brake and clutch master cylinder and pedal mount bracket. I was looking for a way to add the return springs for the clutch and brake pedals, and wanted to hide them from view. Here is what I came up with.
I made a cover to go over the bellows on the clutch master cylinder that served as a perch for the return spring that is in line and over the actuator rod.

I did the same for the brake pedal.

This is a nice neat and hidden way to add brake and clutch pedal return springs.
I have to play with different stiffness springs to get the right amount of return pressure.

 

Thanks, I've been following your roadster build and it is looking real nice. I wish my car was painted and I was finishing up the wiring already like yours.

 

I really like the idea of using a neutral safety switch in the starter circuit. I added a switch to the clutch pedal so that the starter motor won't engage unless the clutch is disengaged. The switch is pretty stout and also acts as a pedal travel stop.

Would it be a good idea to run this switch to a relay that would then be used to energize the starter solenoid, rather than energizing the starter solenoid through the neutral safety switch.

 

If the switch used is tough enough to act as a nss then there seems little point in adding further complication in order to try and protect it. On the other hand, you might like to consider the accessability of it when installed as this might make you lean towards the relay route should the switch replacement be a difficult task!

Liking your return springs. I tried something similar but failed and went another route (VW bug clutch arm springs, works great!). Have you opened up, or at least checked, the holes in the mounting where the bellows pass through? Typically they're a pretty tight fit which could be too tight with access now to only one side?

Chris

 

I can't find any specs on the nss switch, so I don't no if the contacts will handle the current that's needed to energize the starter solenoid. That's why I think it's safer to use a relay to energize the solenoid.
Your right getting to the mounting bolts for the clutch master cylinder can be a problem. I welded the heads of the bolts on the bellows side of the bracket. I only need to tighten the nuts onto the bolts from the master cylinder side, and there is enough room to do that.

 

I'm using an adapter from Ross Racing to install the T5 trans to the 303 Olds bellhousing. The adapter has the usual large hole for a clutch fork. Since I am using a hydraulic throw out bearing a large hole wasn't needed to route the hoses. I made a cover for it and added grommets to protect the hydraulic hoses running thru it.

I added a bracket to the trans to hold the bleeder fitting.

 

Great looking project and workmanship!!! Whose pedal assembly are you using?

 

Cool set up! I’ve always liked this speedway one they sell for dirt track racers. I assume
You tighten the nut to get more tension on the spring to adjust it.

really like your neutral switch as well, I’m
Going to mount my brake light switch in a very similar manor.

 

I ordered the frame from Brookville and the pedal assembly came with it.

 

That's a nice setup, I never saw one like that, if mine didn't have the bellows on it I could have made it the same.

 

The harmonic balancer for the 303 Olds doesn't have any degree markings other than a notch to indicate 5 Deg. BTC and O Deg. I'm going to be running with more than 5 Deg. of advance, so I needed to add additional degree markings to the pulley. I don't now if they make a stick on degree tape for this diameter pulley so I decided to make my own markings the hard way.
I set the pulley up on a rotary table in the mill and used an engraving tool to scribe lines every two degrees.

I made this fixture to fit through the pulley bore to hold the number stamps to mark the pulley in 10 degree increments.

Here's the finished look. Now I'll know exactly where the timing is set and be able to track both mechanical and vacuum advance.

 

The dash didn't fit well at the sides where it meets the A-pillar, I didn't like the big gap. I made a cut on each end and added a wedge shape filler piece.

I think this is a lot better.

 

The coupe has suicide doors, so I will be using safety latches to keep the doors closed when it matters the most. The latches come with micro switches, and I will be connecting them to a light on the dash and also a buzzer that will warn me if I try to start the car without the latches engaged.

I had to come up with a way to route the wiring out of the doors to the area under the dash.
You can buy wire conduits to run wires to your doors, but all the ones I looked at require large holes to be drilled in the doors and jams for them to fit. I wanted something smaller that would fit better in the space I had, so I made my own conduits.
Here are the fitting I made for the rear of the door and the hinge pillar wood .

The gap between the door and the hinge pillar is very small, so the fittings needed to fit flush so that the door would close. I made a dimple die to countersink the B-pillar metal cover and door.


I used -4 braided fuel line for the flexible conduit. One end on the hose was glued into the fitting at the B-pillar and the other end was free to slide through the fitting in the door.

 

Food for thought (just in case you’re doing an interior with windlace around the doors at some point).



better pic to show what I’m getting at

 

Joe Walsh beat me to the windlace clearance!

I fitted my safety latches to the scuttle / A post principally because of the fear of closing the door with the latch pin protruding. I can live with paint damage to the door jam rather more than to the outer surface of the scuttle. Limiting the action or length of pin might help with it in the door. I don't envy you trying to fit the latch in that rather inaccessible frontal area in the door!!

Chris
.

 

One more little nit.
I went down a similar path with switches for clutch (neutral safety switch) and brake light switches. Might want to consider reversing your concept. Rather than building in what basically turns into mechanical stops (restricting travel of the pedal on the downstroke), you might consider building the mount point so the switch compression occurs when the pedal is at full rest. You’ll know the pedal can’t move any further up as the floor acts as mechanical stop as well.
As both brake and clutch may need a little more downstroke in various conditions, a mechanical stop preventing further compression may not be great (think of what happens when a small fluid leak has occurred). Or inversely, what if you get full clutch/brake engagement before you compress the switch enough.
So rather than the switch engaging at bottom of stroke, you consider switches at top of stroke (so ‘normally closed’ versus ‘normally open’).
Not trying to bust balls, just suggesting a slightly different path.

 

I'm actually trying to eliminate using any windlace around the dash and doors. I like the cleaner look of tight fitting pieces without the windlace filling the gaps. Kinda like my 55 Chevy where the windlace ends just below the dash. I talked to the upholsterer and we are going to try to finished the interior without the windlace for a more custom look.

 

Thanks Rocky, I don't mind when someone points out a potential mistake that I might have missed. Your way would certainly work also.
I'm using a hydraulic brake switch plumbed into the brake lines to activate the lights. I get full brake pedal and master cylinder piston travel with my setup.
For the clutch setup according to the instruction that came with the Tilton master cylinder, a pedal stop is needed to prevent the piston from reaching it's full travel. I have the switch set up to stop the piston stroke just before full travel.
Will this work perfectly when the car is finished, I don't know. There is some adjustment available in the switch, it can be threaded in and out on it's mounting tab. Also if needed I can add an adjusting screw on the tab that contacts the switch if less pedal travel is needed.

 

Glad you’ve already considered these factors.
Wasn’t trying to point out mistakes, just giving you things to think about that you may have not already thought about. My experience with these cars is pretty limited (I’ve only built a few) and was just trying to help out.
I’ll shut up now.

 

This is my first coupe build, I'm learning as I go. If you see anything that you think is not right in future posts on this thread, let me know.

 

I'll be routing the wires for the headlights and turn signals through the frame to keep them hidden. I couldn't find a good spot to bring the wires out of the frame into the cowl area under the dash. The only place that worked was to come up through the top of the frame into the passenger compartment behind the door down by the support for the B-pillar wood. An access hole was needed in the frame so that the wires could be directed up through the top of the frame. I made an access hole on both sides of the frame just below the rear of the door.

The holes will make it easier to fish the wires to the front of the frame for the headlights and turn signals. I'm also running the battery cables from the trunk to the starter motor and ground lug through the frame on the drivers side and the access hole will help with that also.
Of course now I need to make a cover for the hole. I made a die and stamped out the covers for the access holes.

Here is a shot of where the wire conduit will come up from the frame through the floor.

I found that the conduit can be routed up along the wood support up over the top of the door and fished down through the A-pillar to get underneath the dash where the connection need to be made.
A long way to go for headlight wiring, but it will work and the wires stay hidden.

 

OUTSTANDING work overall and attention to detail

 

Thanks Loudbang, I'm trying to get all the details finished before the painter gets the car. The less work I have to do around a freshly painting car the better.