Nostalgia Dragster Rebuild

[Preen59]

This is such a wicked thread. My question to you now Mr Preen is yes ok you are doing some work on this car but when was the last time you actually did any work at work? Seems the old fridge factory isn't making any fridges but has turned into a workshop for making old drag car components.
Cheers,
Trent

Hahahaha! Funnily enough most of the work i do is at the workshop using MY gear! I only use the machines at work that i don't have at the workshop. I'd like to buy a Mill in the next couple of months and a better drill press (although the Mill would be OK for both..) and then the only stuff i'll really need to do at work is CNC machining.

[Jarred]

nice one preeny, all coming together.

looking good.

what's the go with wiring up the drive bolts?

[Preen59]

nice one preeny, all coming together.

looking good.

what's the go with wiring up the drive bolts?

Its a great trick for positively locking bolts from coming undone. If you have a look, they're all wired up so that the wire tension is pulling them tighter.

[GoLfMan]

i LOVE the thread bro.....

count me in for a road trip up when its done... cant wait

[Preen59]

i LOVE the thread bro.....

count me in for a road trip up when its done... cant wait

Haha, you guys can organise that...



We got a little more done yesterday and today. Dad polished up the rocker covers, and we also polished and fitted the steering wheel.

I've started working out the blower idler pulley bracket spacers. I've got them pretty much sorted, just need to make some small water jacket block off plates (at work ) tomorrow.

My uncle and I got the starter together this arvo, which was a pain. It's a 36v planetary drive starter off a bell helicopter (the original blower drive starter my old man had back when he built the rear engine car!). Because of the way it goes together its a pain to get all 3 planetary gears lined up in the right orientation for both the gear sets, and we had a bastard of a time working out how to get it to all line up. Once i came up with an idea, and it worked (I think it was some what of a fluke that it lined up pretty much straight away...), it all went together with minimal fuss and we were very happy about that!

Sorry, no pics this time. I'll take a couple tomorrow.

[Preen59]

Here's a shot at Surfers Paradise. I think about '72 or something. This is when Morrie Carlton had the car (he ran Top Fuel in it), the pic is running as A/FD rather than AA/FD but this is similar to how the car should look when finished.

[Preen59]

Got a couple of things done today. Knocked up some water jacket block off plates for the block, that double as spacers for the blower pulley tensioner, and machined the clearance in the rear blower cover for the magneto.

Here's the rear blower cover, the block off plates and the gasket i copied the profile from..



Here's the side of the block off plates showing where i trimmed them on the disc sander..



And here's the block off plates all finished and polished up (ontop of our newly arrived Enderle hydrometer kit!)

[Jarred]

hmmmm...

polished...

[Preen59]

hmmmm...

polished...

Hmmm, polished or MMMM polished??

[Jarred]

Hmmm, polished or MMMM polished??

yea sorry, MMMMMMMMMMM polished... that kinda thing

it's been along week mate...

[Preen59]

Started machining the fuel pump extension today.

Round aluminium in the diameter i wanted was unavailable at the right price.. So i chopped up a square billet.



And roughed it out..



I should have it done tomorrow with any luck..

[Jarred]

just have to do everything the hard way don't ya preeny!

[Preen59]

just have to do everything the hard way don't ya preeny!

You must sit at you PC and wiat for me to update this thread.. I swear! haha


It's not the hard way, it's the fun way!

[Preen59]

Got the fuel pump extension finished today.

Dad had a stumble with the fuel pump drive- The drive he got was for a Donovan gear drive, and ours is Milodon. Rick thought they were the same, but as usual, they aren't. The bolt PCD is bigger on the Milodon gear drive, so the pump drive won't fit. I've got to machine up an adapter tomorrow...

Anyways, onto the pics. I took some pics at various stages so you can see what is involved in turning something like this..

Going back to the very start (I know i've posted these pics previously)..

Blank rectangular 6061(Grade) T651(Hardened and tempered to T6) Billet.



Roughed out..



Machined part of the centre out. One radius completed. After this i parted it off, turned it round and put it in the three jaw chuck to machine the opposing end.



Both ends done, both radii done.



Completely finished. Clearance for pump drive and both location registers machined in either end. (With another billet in the pics for a before and after comparison).







Assembled (for a mock up) with the timing cover and the fuel pump.




All that's left now is to spot, drill and tap the holes in each flange. I'll do that tomorrow aswell as machine up the drive adapter.

[Jarred]

looking good p-dogg.

can't wait for the next update!