Above 1200 Sq/FT The Warthog Hidey Hole

[jbmatth]

Well work continues, little by little I'm checking things off of the list. Alex has the new bearings on his axles, he is installing them today. The center section is already in and the only thing that'll remain after today is the speedo gear that he forgot about. (I may have failed to mention it as well but let's not dwell on that part of the story.) Part of the reason for the hasty upgrade is because he recently found out he will be leaving for 6-9 months and will at minimum be out of state or potentially out of country depending on what the Air Force requests. If he stays stateside he plans to take his Mustang along for the ride.

I have some sad news that developed late last night, I replaced the fuel pressure regulator on the Festiva and although it now runs better...it also knocks louder. Not one of those gentle pecks on the door saying hey want me to come visit. Oh no this quickly went from howdy neighbor to HHHEERRES JOHNNIE!!!! Does anyone have a Festiva for sale that could use a lift kit?

In better news I made a little progress on the kart/cart, it is hard to see but here is the original shifter on a bracket I made:

It still uses all of the factory parts to shift and will give it compliant angles for the shift rods. The stock shifter will get holes drilled in it for another shift rod going to the shift handle mounted between the seats:

That uses the Honda handlebar cut off and welded to 1/2" pipe and a bracket at the bottom for a pivot point. I'll need to figure out a longer clutch cable at some point so the shifter and clutch will be in a more comfortable location but this will have to do for now. A couple of small parts are still needed but I'm getting much closer. The new brake line parts showed up and I should be able to install them this weekend.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: i've passed on many many Torch set ups with the two tanks and carts for $300 or less mainly cause I don't have the space to just have it hanging around for a job that might happen maybe a few times a year. that said i've got plenty of plumbing torches with MAPP gas that sometimes can heat up things enough which might be a temp option for you until you decide you'll use a torch more.

i'm not sure putting several tons of pressure on wood that can shoot out at you is a good thing, but you survived. I watched a log splitter shoot a piece of wood off a knot about 20 feet into a log pile that would have left a mark had it come at me instead.

take care and looks like life is good in your world (except maybe it could be warmer) so I'll hope you get some good sun and warmth soon.

 

[jbmatth]

JB: i've passed on many many Torch set ups with the two tanks and carts for $300 or less mainly cause I don't have the space to just have it hanging around for a job that might happen maybe a few times a year. that said i've got plenty of plumbing torches with MAPP gas that sometimes can heat up things enough which might be a temp option for you until you decide you'll use a torch more.

i'm not sure putting several tons of pressure on wood that can shoot out at you is a good thing, but you survived. I watched a log splitter shoot a piece of wood off a knot about 20 feet into a log pile that would have left a mark had it come at me instead.

take care and looks like life is good in your world (except maybe it could be warmer) so I'll hope you get some good sun and warmth soon.

Drives,
I do have a MAPP style torch setup, and use it on occasion when I need a bit of heat but just haven't ever felt compelled to buy a full torch setup just yet.

My thinking with the wood was that I was putting all of the pressure perpendicular to the grain and if it were to fail it would most likely go down toward the cross/support beam in the direction of force. I further tried to reduce the potential consequences by limiting the pressure in the bottle jack. That isn't to say there wasn't any danger, and I'm sure all of us have stories that started with "I didn't expect..."

It was a cool 29°F (-1°C) here to start with this morning, but has now warmed up to 61°F (16°F) now.

I had a nice visit from an old friend that I've only known a few years.

Thanks for dropping off the harnesses Denis (Rian will have to say his GJ name) gifted me that were expired racing harnesses that'll still help save me if things go south. For that thank you Andy and thank you Denis. I should also be seeing a set from another GJ member (bowtiguy), one set or the other may find their way into the off road cars either the Festiva or a replacement.

JB

*edit* Don't be distracted by the handsome gentlemen in the foreground, those are two very yellow cars in the same photograph. Andy was sure to get them both in the shot for ya'll.

 

[Grizz1963]

Excellent work Dennis and Andy.

I will message Dennis and tell him to comment, then you can see his username djones

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Sux to hear about the Festiva. A buddy sold one about 2 months ago, and it is on Marketplace already. I attempted to get in side it once - and only once. Excellent fuel mileage IF you could get in and out of it.

 

[Nlped]

I'm going to mention something here I haven't said very often on this forum...I don't own a torch setup. I know. I need to get one but have made due without one this long. Some day I'm sure I will go ahead and splurge but for now I'm taking the long way around.



JB

LoL!!! Well, once you have one, you’ll never look back. So handy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: i've started a couple SAFETY threads trying to help you young guys maybe learn from some of mine and others mistakes and shortcuts and if you want to see a little ****** video check out the first post on GRINDER 101 safety thread.

here's the link for that one and the one I started that is just SAFETY 101 and while I know you know your way around the garage i'd like to see you helping your grandkids learn how the right way, cause my dad and grand dad never wore safety anything except my gramp cut old growth trees and wore a little metal helmet that wouldn't hardly stop a branch from knocking his head off.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263083&highlight=grinder+safety+101

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338827&highlight=grinder+safety+101

BTW i'm a bit jealous I don't live closer to you and Andy cause it looks like a great spot to hang your hats.

have a great weekend!!

 

[OutlawDrifter]

JB, I did notice in your shifter fab pics, an opportunity to wire up some air horns.....the button is there.

 

[djones1a]

Glad to pass the belts on,i just had them laying on a shelf hoping one day someone could use them. Now that i think about it, i have whole shop of STUFF laying around that maybe some day someone can use. Lol

 

[Finallygotit]

Glad to pass the belts on,i just had them laying on a shelf hoping one day someone could use them. Now that i think about it, i have whole shop of STUFF laying around that maybe some day someone can use. Lol

 

[MoleVerde]

Some of those lines are not DOT "approved" so I always check before buying. Not sure what happens if they aren't DOT approved -- is there a DOT jail?

DOT does not "approve" anything.

 

[Bob Heine]

DOT does not "approve" anything.

MoleVerde, welcome to the Garage Journal. I apologize for upsetting you and I'll try to avoid posting misleading statements in the future. I've been misled on the subject by others, including Amazon and Summit Racing.

 

[MoleVerde]

I've been misled on the subject by others, including Amazon and Summit Racing.

Excellent observation!

 

[jbmatth]

Excellent work Dennis and Andy.

I will message Dennis and tell him to comment, then you can see his username djones

Glad to pass the belts on,i just had them laying on a shelf hoping one day someone could use them. Now that i think about it, i have whole shop of STUFF laying around that maybe some day someone can use. Lol

Dennis and Grizz,
Thank you both for looking out for me, I now have plenty of harnesses to help keep me secure. I'll post some updates below on the progress of the cart. I also have a bunch of stuff someone could you, but normally that someone is me.

Sux to hear about the Festiva. A buddy sold one about 2 months ago, and it is on Marketplace already. I attempted to get in side it once - and only once. Excellent fuel mileage IF you could get in and out of it.

War Wagon,
We've met, you know I don't have much of a problem fitting in small cars. I have a plan so fear not.

LoL!!! Well, once you have one, you’ll never look back. So handy!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

In the words of Tom Hanks in Cast Away, "FIRE!!"

JB: i've started a couple SAFETY threads trying to help you young guys maybe learn from some of mine and others mistakes and shortcuts and if you want to see a little ****** video check out the first post on GRINDER 101 safety thread.

here's the link for that one and the one I started that is just SAFETY 101 and while I know you know your way around the garage i'd like to see you helping your grandkids learn how the right way, cause my dad and grand dad never wore safety anything except my gramp cut old growth trees and wore a little metal helmet that wouldn't hardly stop a branch from knocking his head off.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=263083&highlight=grinder+safety+101

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=338827&highlight=grinder+safety+101

BTW i'm a bit jealous I don't live closer to you and Andy cause it looks like a great spot to hang your hats.

have a great weekend!!

Drives,
I try to do my best when it comes to safety and usually do a very good job. Ear protection at all times in the shop, eye protection when needed, and safety toe'd shoes at all times. Heck I even wear fire retardant clothing most of the time courtesy of work. I did pick up another helmet this weekend so now I have 3.

JB, I did notice in your shifter fab pics, an opportunity to wire up some air horns.....the button is there.

Hmmm, I have an extra set of air horns...I also have the horn that came on the bike.

Always...sometimes.

MoleVerde, welcome to the Garage Journal. I apologize for upsetting you and I'll try to avoid posting misleading statements in the future. I've been misled on the subject by others, including Amazon and Summit Racing.

I do know if you get pulled over on a bike without a DOT sticker on a helmet in some states it doesn't end well.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

I had a very busy weekend and I can feel it in most of my muscles this morning. It started off with me picking up the replacement engine for the Festiva, but I ended up getting the Ferrari instead, see below:

It ended up working out to just buying the entire car, he also threw in a helmet and a few other odds and ends. I am not the owner of two blue '91 Ford Festiva's, one is the rare Ferrari edition. I did nothing with them this weekend in hopes I could get the go cart finished.

I installed the '86 corvette seats:

Finished the shifting mechanism, built the braided SS brake hose and installed it (I still need to bleed it), and installed the seats:

The next thing on the list was to install the chain which needed to be cut to length. That is when things went downhill. I designed the engine to axle dimensions based on the go cart sized chain ring very early on. The chain ring I'm using is bigger which changes the angle the chain comes off of the drive sprocket. That in turn causes interference with the frame crossbar and the casting on the engine. Basically this means a re-design of the frame is in order, so apart it came:

Feeling slightly defeated I decided to turn my attention to the cobra, it was going to be a beautiful day and I set my goal on having it running and driving by the end of the day Sunday. All of the odds and ends reinstalled I filled it with oil and went to prime it:

The drill wasn't happy and smoked a lot...Okay fine, it is old and has had lots of use so it is to be expected. Continuing on I installed the engine and started to put the trans in place. That wasn't happening either, after the 4th attempt I decided to pull the engine back out and do a dry run with the engine out of the car. Worked just fine so back in the car it went but this time with the engine installed. As I got it tilted enough to start dropping it in I noticed a drop of oil on the flywheel, that let to drops of oil, then dripping oil. Out it came again and I found this:

The rear main seal is leaking which bums me out as that was the machine shop that installed that, I'd much rather it have been something I did wrong. I called it a day and went inside to cook some salmon for supper.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

JB I understand the frustration! Hopefully the salmon was good...


Just a thought, is it possible to run and "idler" of sorts to help with your chain issue? Tough to tell from the pics.

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: we all know setbacks or bad days happen so maybe the next time you walk in the garage things will go better. at least you are finding the issues and i'm sure you'll figure out how to fix or make them work better soon.

good luck!!

 

[jbmatth]

JB I understand the frustration! Hopefully the salmon was good...


Just a thought, is it possible to run and "idler" of sorts to help with your chain issue? Tough to tell from the pics.

The salmon was pretty good, not bad for the first time I've cook it in years.
I'm looking into it but haven't found any good options yet, still trying to figure out exactly what I want to do, but suspect I'll be extending the frame, or maybe add a Z to it.

JB: we all know setbacks or bad days happen so maybe the next time you walk in the garage things will go better. at least you are finding the issues and i'm sure you'll figure out how to fix or make them work better soon.

good luck!!

All in time and part of the fun, but of the 4 big projects going on right now I would sure like to have one or two knocked out soon to free up some space.

Thanks for the encouraging words guys.

JB

 

[Pressingonward]

I installed the '86 corvette seats:

JB

Hi JB,

When you get a spare moment (next year or so is fine lol), could you take a couple pics of the back of those seats. They look vintage-ey enough that they might work in my uncle's 27 model T rat rod that I inherited. The beige BMW seats he put in are just out of place and fugly...


That ***** about your rear main seal, but glad you spotted it now.

You played it wrong on here; you should have told us that you got a good deal on an older Ferrari

 

[mybigwarwagon]

Feeling slightly defeated I decided to turn my attention to the cobra, it was going to be a beautiful day and I set my goal on having it running and driving by the end of the day Sunday. All of the odds and ends reinstalled I filled it with oil and went to prime it:

The drill wasn't happy and smoked a lot...Okay fine, it is old and has had lots of use so it is to be expected. Continuing on I installed the engine and started to put the trans in place. That wasn't happening either, after the 4th attempt I decided to pull the engine back out and do a dry run with the engine out of the car. Worked just fine so back in the car it went but this time with the engine installed. As I got it tilted enough to start dropping it in I noticed a drop of oil on the flywheel, that let to drops of oil, then dripping oil. Out it came again and I found this:

The rear main seal is leaking which bums me out as that was the machine shop that installed that, I'd much rather it have been something I did wrong. I called it a day and went inside to cook some salmon for supper.

JB

Tell you what. Put that POS Cobra in a shipping crate and send it here. I will keep it from breakign down in your shop any more.

 

[jbmatth]

Hi JB,

When you get a spare moment (next year or so is fine lol), could you take a couple pics of the back of those seats. They look vintage-ey enough that they might work in my uncle's 27 model T rat rod that I inherited. The beige BMW seats he put in are just out of place and fugly...


That ***** about your rear main seal, but glad you spotted it now.

You played it wrong on here; you should have told us that you got a good deal on an older Ferrari

I'll get you a photo hopefully tonight, I even set an alarm for that as well as getting some plates together to mail off. I've been slacking on that, I apologize.

I have been thinking about getting La Ferrari sticker so it would be the Ford Festiva La Ferrari the Ferrari. (I made it half way through typing that then spent too much time looking at funny stickers, I have a few on the way.)

Tell you what. Put that POS Cobra in a shipping crate and send it here. I will keep it from breakign down in your shop any more.

I think I'll just grin and bare it War Wagon, I'm sure I'll get it figured out eventually.


All,
I've made a little more progress and currently have the engine back in the frame and the frame attached to the car with the chain on, wheels on, and most of the cables connected. I received one of the longer clutch cables so I decided to try to fit it up. Everything was great except it had about 2" too much cable on the end outside of the sheathing. After some google fooing I came cut the cable, drilled a hole in the old end and tried to solder them together. I didn't have enough heat on the end so I hit it with the torch and it hit the floor.

Next try use the lathe to turn one down from some 3/8" (9.5mm) then drill a hole and try it again. Still no luck with the solder. After a few attempts at positioning and clamping I was able to try to weld it on with the TIG and a little filler:

Worked like a champ with very little cleanup needed. That is installed and I'm ready to install the cage, gas tank, seat belts, and bleed the brakes. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll be able to test drive it tomorrow.

JB

 

[Nlped]

The 351W I just built for a buddy of mine ended up with a leak that we identified as a rear main seal leak. So we pulled the newly installed T56 Magnum and all the other related pieces & parts, pulled the originally installed rear seal (which looked fine btw) and put a new Ford seal in. Reinstalled all the related pieces & parts and fired her up...

So, after we realized that we still had the exact same leak...I remembered a little factoid...the flywheel to crank bolt holes go all the way through. So out it all came again and sure enough...leaking from around 5 of the bolts. Stupid mistake, but we are awesome at pulling that trans now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bowtiguy]

I’ll have to check the tracking on the harness(s) I know you live in The stix but they went out on the 24th......

These little buggers come in handy for braided cable termination. I Installed (2) at the gas pedal in my aluminum LS 5.3 swapped 68 C10 restomod. Plenty of full throttle blasts & Colorado canyon carving. No slippage yet!

https://www.ebay.com/i/132401935673?...iABEgLy1fD_BwE

 

[jbmatth]

The 351W I just built for a buddy of mine ended up with a leak that we identified as a rear main seal leak. So we pulled the newly installed T56 Magnum and all the other related pieces & parts, pulled the originally installed rear seal (which looked fine btw) and put a new Ford seal in. Reinstalled all the related pieces & parts and fired her up...

So, after we realized that we still had the exact same leak...I remembered a little factoid...the flywheel to crank bolt holes go all the way through. So out it all came again and sure enough...leaking from around 5 of the bolts. Stupid mistake, but we are awesome at pulling that trans now.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Good information to have, I will be sure to seal those bolts before re-installing them with the new gasket. I'm pretty sure the gasket is what is leaking based on the above photo. I really hope so, I'm tired of pulling the engine/trans in this thing.

I’ll have to check the tracking on the harness(s) I know you live in The stix but they went out on the 24th......

These little buggers come in handy for braided cable termination. I Installed (2) at the gas pedal in my aluminum LS 5.3 swapped 68 C10 restomod. Plenty of full throttle blasts & Colorado canyon carving. No slippage yet!

https://www.ebay.com/i/132401935673?...iABEgLy1fD_BwE

No need to check Bowtiguy, the belts did arrive, and thank you once again for them. It is great having friends willing to potentially help save your life. Usually the only time I have delays getting stuff delivered is when we have rain, luckily it has been dry lately.

Thanks for tip on those, I knew they existed but didn't have any and wanted to get it done "now". I ordered them so I'll have them next time. Thanks for the link as well.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Pressingonward, you can find the seat back photo below, if you need anything else please let me know.

Bowtiguy, I finely remembered to get the plates and I'll try to get them in the mail today for you.

All,
I made great progress in getting the go cart on the road lately. I installed the roll cage, it required a little trimming to fit over the air intake, then installed the gas tank from the bike temporarily. Five point harness installed on the drivers side, all of the wiring is installed and positioned in the passenger seat also temporarily. Hit the started and feathered the gas and boom it came to life.

Put it in gear and (Closest I could find for killed it) After a few more attempts I knew there was something wiring related I missed. It ended up being the kickstand switch, wired them together and I was golden. I went to bleed the brake and was stuck there until I had to leave. I swear if I had my own personal anti-hero it would be brakes. Still trying to figure them out. Here it is now:

Maybe a test drive tomorrow as tonight will be a late night.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

It's ALIVVVEEEE!

 

[jbmatth]

I hope I'm still in as good of shape come Monday when I report back.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: AWESOME!!

now before the test drive in the dirt do you have engine protected enough to not clog up on your first FUN RUN?

it looks like Dennis' safety straps have been installed and should keep you inside that cool machine.

best of luck and I hope to see a few smiley faces in your next post after your FUN RUN.

cheers

 

[jbmatth]

JB: AWESOME!!

now before the test drive in the dirt do you have engine protected enough to not clog up on your first FUN RUN?

it looks like Dennis' safety straps have been installed and should keep you inside that cool machine.

best of luck and I hope to see a few smiley faces in your next post after your FUN RUN.

cheers

Drives,
I believe it'll be fine, the air intake still has an air filter after it and other than that there aren't any openings to the engine to speak of.

The one I used so far may have been Bowtiguy's, the others required tabs I haven't made or welded on yet, slight over site on my behalf.

If the girls get to ride in it this weekend it'll likely be later this weekend as of now there isn't room in the passenger side or a harness. Plus I need plenty of test time before letting them join.

JB

 

[zmotorsports]

Looks like a fun ride.

 

[jbmatth]

Thank you Mike, I've been really enjoying what you have been sharing lately, some beautiful stuff. I know this doesn't compare but I like to tell myself I'm going to come back and finish it later.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

This weekend ended up being very productive all in all, spent a good bit of time cleaning up the shop and recovering from the mess created by the go cart build. It was time to get The Ferrari in to do the suspension swap:

I only have 8 jack stands and 4 are in use on the cobra so I did the suspension swap one end at a time on the Festivas. Looks pretty funny with just the rear lifted:

I finished up the front too eventually:

Some of the stuff they did to lift the front is shocking, I corrected a few of the problems and made it a little more serviceable. I'll have more to share later, but have to run now.

JB

 

[Grizz1963]

Festiva started life as Mazda 1 ??

 

[jbmatth]

Festiva started life as Mazda 1 ??

It very well could have, I know it was originally worked with Mazda and Kia of all things.

JB

 

[jbmatth]

Okay now time to tell ya'll about the go cart. After a lot of fiddling I was finely able to get the break bled and operational. Pulled it out for a couple of photos before the test drive:

So the test drive, obviously I survived and wasn't hurt in any major way. I did get some video but haven't gotten it loaded up to youtube just yet. I know of a few issues, one of the big ones is rear spring rate, I don't have enough of it. I have been having a tough time finding out actual details on the rate of others available so unfortunately it may be a case of testing a few out.

The other major issue is traction. In 4th gear on gravel it gets loose when floored. It is a blast to drive and a ton of fun to play around especially in the dirt. On to the next project now, have a good one ya'll.

JB

 

[OutlawDrifter]

I bet it has no shortage of power!

 

[mybigwarwagon]

That is some mad max looking stuff there.

 

[jon72vega]

I slacked last night, but I did get my new personalized plate in the mail for the S10:

It stands for ***********, the majestic natural ***********, they are bleached to white and cooked to brown. DO NOT SEARCH FOR ***********, I'M SERIOUS DON'T DO IT ESPECIALLY FROM WORK.

If you still did, I'm sorry, but the plate is a very mean joke.

JB

jb,
I'm glad you got your plate.
The state of Michigan denied my attempt at humor.
Initially the online availability search said it was available.
Denied lic plate by jon72vega, on Flickr
..
After my application it is now no longer available.
Denied lic plate by jon72vega, on Flickr

 

[jbmatth]

I bet it has no shortage of power!

It doesn't appear to lack in that department except when at very low speeds. It doesn't like to idle slower than 5 MPH.

That is some mad max looking stuff there.

Wait until I have a chance to add a few little special parts to it, it should take shape in time.

jb,
I'm glad you got your plate.
The state of Michigan denied my attempt at humor.
Initially the online availability search said it was available.
Denied lic plate by jon72vega, on Flickr
..
After my application it is now no longer available.
Denied lic plate by jon72vega, on Flickr

That is great, I am still surprised they gave it to me. I have another on the way that is still funny but not in the same way.


All,
I found out the issue with the oil leak on the rear main seal on the cobra...one of the seals was backwards. Both are replaced now so no issues I hope. I plan to install the engine tomorrow if the weather cooperates.

I also have been installing the new tires on the Festiva rims, I think I have a bent rim, I'll do some measuring and see but I don't have many options as you just don't find many 12" rims for sale.

JB

 

[drivesitfar]

JB: looks like you've had a few better days getting R DONE around your place. great to see the go cart or whatever you are calling it running around and i'm sure there will always be a little tweaking to get that design to perform at it's best.

good luck with the Cobra and happy to hear you (or did the machine shop) found out why it was leaking.

carry on and wish I had a 12 inch rim to send you if that's the issue cause that new FERRARI looks bad ****.

cheers