Canuck 289 scratch build

[old willy]

Ok kids gather round, it’s story time again,

I hope my northern friends are finally getting over this long winter and my southern friends.......... well I guess that is not really too much of an issue.

So then, the weather is warming here and work is still progressing on the roadster so a quick update.

A bit of a mixed bag this time, a bunch of things that just needed to be addressed and now was the time.

Some time ago I was checking on some of the other excellent builds on our site here and saw a really excellent cooling fan idea. I reached out and was given the info on this fan setup.

Yes, I would like to try and stay original but those old Lucas fans are expensive and really kind of crappy.

Even though it would be more efficient for cooling I really did not want to use a modern puller style fan so this seems like the best solution for me. They are made to fit early Jaguars and be better than the original with a modern can motor and thin multi blade fan.

I fabbed up a cross bar mount from some preformed ¾ square tube pieces I had in my metal pile and made a quick bracket for the motor.
Then just attached it all to the chassis in what seems to be the correct location relative to the rad.




I hope it works well in the end

I also decided to address an issue I had with the front brace tubes. I waited to install them until I had created the foot boxes, as Chuck had suggested.

However when I wanted to remove the boxes again I found it almost impossible, worse on the drivers side due to the pedal box .

I asked around a bit but still no luck. I could not imagine needing to remove the tube to fit the boxes every time and I really wanted to slip them in and out a few times during construction so a better idea was needed.

I noted there is a space between the firewall and cowl tube that will be hidden so it seemed like a good place to hide a joint.

I turned some bar stock to fit the tube and milled it halfway and drilled it for a tight fitting grade 8 bolt.
Then cut out the section of tube and welded them in.




Works great, I can remove the bolt and flex the brace tube just enough to slip the foot box in or out then just bolt things back together again.
SO problem solved for now .

I might ream the hole one size larger on final assembly or even weld it solid but for now I can fully weld the brace tube and keep working.

I also thought it was time to finally build a sheet metal brake wide enough to deal with the interior panels and other things, just a smidge over 40 inches wide.
The main pieces are really heavy 3/8 inch thick angle iron I ordered for this project the rest was just off cuts and stuff in the shop. I wish it was a pan brake but it works great for what I need.



I also had an issue with the trunk liner, yet again I just can’t seem to get it in or out with the fuel tank mount in place.

I tried both through the fuel tank area and through the trunk opening. It’s so close but I just don’t think it is going to work without cracking something and certainly won't after I paint the chassis.
I am really not sure why but it is what it is and I need to be able to remove it, so just like the brace tubes I decided to make the fuel tank mount removable.

So with a slight modification involving making the rear part from more ¾ square tube and a few more bolts it is now removable and again won’t be seen after final assembly, win, win I guess.



The other thing I have been waffling on is the roll bar, Chuck has included the drawings for it but I really don’t know if I want to have one .

I already had the material in the shop and after taking a few measurements I realized that I could add the mounts and make the bar then decide if I really want to install it later.
The 2 main hoop mounts are located behind the interior panel and the brace tube mount is under the floor so unless I cut the holes they simply are there just waiting to be used.

The main issue turned out to be getting the main tube bent.
My bender is the right radius but only has a 90 degree shoe and buying a new 180 degree shoe for one bend was just out of the question.
The other fellow with a bender near by didn’t have the right radius and then the other promising option had the right radius but he only works in stainless and did not want to contaminate his bender .
I understand his concern so I just put the roll bar idea off to the side for a while but now I decided to do something about it.

SO..... I made 2 90 degree bends and carefully cut and lined everything up with a couple of spacers and clamps and a turned alignment slug in the tube then welded it up and moved on.




It looks the part for now but if I am ever going to actually use it I will get a new hoop bent and for safety.
However for now I could build all the mounts and make sure things will fit should I want this option in the future.

The hoop is easy to make but adding the mounts later would be somewhat more difficult .




While I was at it added the seat belt mounts in the indicated location as well as I added a threaded anchor point for a sub belt on the driver’s side should I want it, along with the roll bar. Then I added 2 points for shoulder belts in case my wife wants them.
They will be old school non-retracting belts the type that use to be in old MGB’s and such.

Perfect, no, but they do work if you want one and are safer than badly done 4 point belts.

So after all that I think it is time to weld things up again. I believe that I might need to add a few small tabs but the main chassis is actually DONE

So back onto the floor to weld up the roll bar mounts then all the way over to get stuff on the bottom.




Then back up on the table for a final look over, BTW the chassis is somewhat heavier than last time I had it on the floor, so glad I have that chain hoist.



So there it is, I like it, I almost can’t believe it exists right in my own garage, from a pile of tubing to this really cool thing!

So now all I have left to do is……….

Everything else!

Take care my friends, be good to one another.

Cheers,

Hudson



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[1795]

You're making great progress Hudson. Can't wait to see it in the completed form.

Jim

[old willy]

Well, well, well,

A long overdue update,

I am somewhat use to the various issues we have had on the forum but honestly I thought it was really gone this time and was seriously considering joining the so called “social media” and looking for some community there. Fortunately it seems we are back up and running again here saving me once again from the evil facebook

Many thanks to whoever was responsible for fixing things, this is such an amazing resource and I hope I am adding to it with my rambling posts about my project.

As I stated before, I have gained so much useful information from here to help me I hope perhaps my story can perhaps help somebody else with their build.

So then I hope everybody had a good summer, I am going to post some shorter catch up posts but if anybody wants to know more please let me know and I will expand on things if I can…… So on with the show…..

So with the chassis basically done short of a few bits it was time to get to get to the wonderful world of sheet metal.

As always I have Chuck’s drawings to start with and I had already fit up a lot of the interior pieces in cardboard so it was a case of transferring those shapes to 3003 aluminum sheet and cutting, bending and trimming till they fit.
I started with the dash panel in 0.060” and laid it out complete with all the gauge and switch hole centers but have not cut those yet.
I took a detour in my fabrication as I did not think I could accurately form the turned edge around the curved areas due to my lack of skills and the thickness of the material. Those areas were made separately and tig welded to the main panel then the weld filed to match the formed area.
I think it looks OK and will be covered with leather in the end.









The dash went well ( first try) so I had a bunch of 0.060 left over and decided to make the floor panels from this as well for a bit of increased strength.
The original drawing has the outer side panel as part of the floor but I have made them separate with a flange to rivet them together later. It should make it easier to install in the end too, and again it is going to be covered in carpet so only we will know.



I then went ahead and created the rear panels and the transmission tunnel, using my existing card patterns. I saved the upper firewall panel for later.





Then turning to the trunk area I printed the drawing patterns and transferred them to cardboard to try the fit up.
I also needed to make a small change in the front corners of the boot area to clear my rear anti roll bar mountings if I want to install one in the future.
It is not much of a change but the sharp eyed among you will notice.



And then also made from sheet stock, this time 20 gauge steel is the fuel tank.
Using Chuck’s drawing I made a template in cardboard to check the fit and did need to drop the top outer corners for a bit more clearance to the chassis tubes but otherwise it is pretty much stock.
There is a fitting made up for the outlet, a mounting ring for the sender and a couple of internal baffles / stiffeners.
The side mounting brackets and other parts are riveted with solid metal rivets and the filler neck is welded to the rear panel. The outer seam is a classic hemmed edge done with hammer and dolly then everything is soldered to seal it.






I tested it with a couple of psi and some soapy water revealing one tiny leak at the top that was quickly fixed with a bit more solder. It’s a very old school way to build a tank but it works.

So that’s it for now, stay tuned for more soon.

Cheers,

Hudson





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[PDUB]

...because of the issues here many have migrated over to talkcobra.com for their online Cobra fix! You might want to head that way for more consistent access to the group.


And, as usual, great work!

[old willy]

Well hello again all,

Thanks for the heads up Paul, I will go check it out Admittedly this wonderful place is getting a bit frustrating to navigate.

But for now......
In my effort to catch up here I will post another quick one.

Way back in the mists of time I did some figuring about the shifter placement, some of you were good enough to help me with ideas about tail housings and measurements. So after much head scratching I did come up with a plan but now I need to make it work…

So to recap, what I am working with is a late 80’s “world class” T-5 transmission from a Mustang. They seem to be designed with a tilt towards the driver for some reason but that’s OK for me.
I sourced the "short" shift lug from an S-10 type tail housing and the custom offset shifter unit from Modern Driveline designed to be used with their forward position tail housing kit. The shifter is the short FIA style from California Pony Parts for the original T-10 transmission.

So I checked over and reassembled the T-5 with new shift fork pads, seals and the S-10 lug and a bit of paint too. I then topped it with the MDL shift base and got it back on the engine and back in the chassis.



I figured out where the shift handle needed to be and with a bit of trial and error made up a custom mounting plate for the shifter from some 3/8 steel I had and then turned some shouldered bolts to mount the shifter from below and eliminate the original rubber grommets.






In the end it is about 2 inches forward and 1 inch to the left, pretty darn close to where Chuck has the hole drawn.
It feels good; the shift travel is nice, short and crisp.

As an added bonus to this set up I was able to make the reverse lockout functioning with a simple angled tab arrangement.
I like this arrangement because number one, it is just more correct, I mean, why have the trigger if it doesn’t do anything?
Second I am currently driving a 6 speed stick and guess what…… 6th is right below 5th, sort of exactly where reverse is in the T-5 so to avoid any confusion or horrible noises the functional lockout will be appreciated.

All the way to the right……



Lift trigger…….



Select reverse……..




In the end I think it looks fairly….. OK.

Till next time,

Cheers,

Hudson





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[PDUB]

Yup, many rue the day this site began to go north, but Brent does not seem to be reasonable about handing it off, accepting help, or selling it outright.


So, if you are able to pull your stuff over to talkcobra.com, it might be in the best interest of the thread. You never know when this will go down for good. On top of that, there are a lot of transfers who will recognize it and be able to continue to enjoy it over there. You can always update here too, when it rarely is up and running!