I know what the goal is per the class Cheep will be running in. However I’m having a hard time accepting this build vs your other 1/4 mile racers (never mind the Lemons, those are neat). Too “Road Kill” for me.
Don't worry, he's going to surprise us all with a Tweed interior and Pink paint to go with those Teal highlights!
heh...I have a strict no paint/cosmetics policy with this one. But I am fixing the driver door so it closes, and the window will go up again, and even adding the extra bonus vent window that this base model didn't get. Oh....roof rack! but you had to be at the Duct Tape Drags to get it
Oh....roof rack! but you had to be at the Duct Tape Drags to get it They give away roof racks at the Duct Tape Drags? Dan
no....something about being qualified for the "$5k Beater Race" if it has a roof rack. Like I said, you had to be there
I thought about making one out of 1x2s....cheap and light. But I found some original Jeep stuff at the junkyard yesterday, when I was shopping for door parts. The drivers door is back together and functioning properly now, too. Playing with wiring. I made a battery tray, and I'm replacing the original power distribution center with a couple cheesy aftermarket fuse panels. Still some work to do, I might change how the wires are retained on the big one, using terminal rings and screws instead of set screws, so it's more secure.
Ain't a thing worng with 'gorilla welds' (Big-strong-ugly) The trick to welding anything that's thin especially...skip around and take your time. BUT with cast iron you want to keep it hot until finished and then cool it ssllllooowwwly. I like to bring temp back UP after welding and then wrap it in fiberglass cloth (several layers) I occasionally 'warm the material' as it is coming down in temperature. It seems like a lot of trouble but worth it to prevent cracking all your hard work... Amazing work BTW ! 6sally6
thanks! I did wrap it in a blanket as it cooled, but it didn't take too long to get down to 100ish degrees. I'm not gonna worry about it.
Cast steel doesn't have the kind of problems cast iron does. Your welds on that rear end are going to be OK.
Good! Got the exhaust almost done, just have to put the down pipe back in and clamp it. And make the block off plate for the stack. The only other kind of time consuming fabrication project is building a shifter. Unless I can find one nearby for a reasonable price. it's looking rather dorky with the huge tall truck cooling system...but it might work? Got the brakes working, the wiring is about done, except for the computer stuff. There's water in the cooling system. Still need to test the fuel system for leaks.
The Cheep looks great, the roof rack will fit it perfectly too. I think it needs a cow catcher like the old steam trains had, below that inter cooler! It should fit into the duct tape drag format really good, and be a bunch of fun. That was the goal, correct? I'm surprised there isn't a Jeep with floor auto shifter in a yard near you. That era 4.0 Jeep should have had a OD auto trans with a floor shifter that could be adapted to the GM trans.
I got most of a floor shifter from a Cherokee at the junkyard, but I haven't really looked at it to see if I can make it work for me. It's a cable shifter, but didn't have the cable, so I have to get one and adapt it to the transmission (which I should be able to do). But the plastic rod inside the lever is broken off at the top, and the handle was off and looks kind of beat up. I was planning to modify the transfer case shifter to work like the shifter I made for Plan II. I think I could probably do it in a few hours, just need to get my brain back in gear.... (never miss the opportunity for a pun) I could also do some research and see what other shifters were used in cars that I might find at the local junkyard Monday, and that could be adapted. although making it work for racing can be a challenge...I need to be able to bang it into 2nd and 3rd, without going into the next gear, or neutral. That's why making one with a zigzag gate is probably what I'll end up doing. sample pictures of the Plan II shifter, as I built it:
My friend drags a Fairlane GTA. He has a small hinge with one side bolts to the shift top plate. Once he is staged, he flips the other side of the hinge. It covers the neutral, reverse and park positions preventing disaster.
a few pictures of the underside, so you can see what's going on. No shifter or driveshaft yet, need to get some more hangers on the exhaust pipe. A few more wires/lines to connect on the engine.
The wastegate is now plumbed, and the exhaust hung so it feels like it won't rattle. I spent a while on the shifter, it's working but still needs the gate, lockout, and NSS. But that can all happen with the car back on the ground, so I'm going to swipe the driveshaft out of the truck, see if it fits, and if so get it in and set the car back down, and finish up the wiring.
I like “pprather” note about use of simple hinge flip over to block P R N on shift gate. Fits “chjeep” idea
Now days Shifters are very expensive!! Most are junk & 400 plus , Old Hurst 1/4 stick simple & reliable
I had a side shift gated shifter in a truck once. It was great when I was playing race truck, but sure got tiresome when I wasn't playing, and just driving normal like. Unfortunately, I was just driving it like a normal person most of the time. The guy the bought the truck from me really liked the shifter though. The shifter was used with an OD trans. 1st gear only really pulled it into 2nd, which worked out well for that truck. This one was a Winter's Sidewinder Shifter (don't know if they still make them or not) and I was told this was the only shifter they had for the OD transmissions. I had the choice of low gear, and no OD, or OD and no low. The truck needed the OD worse then the low gear.
The Jalopy Journal
