Gasdoc's ERA build - #813

[patrickt]

I think I have pretty much every option offered by ERA except the wool carpet and the windshield squirt bottle. There's not a single one that I would "trade back."

[GaryT]

i sprayed Lizard Skin Ceramic Thermal coating on the entire interior of mine, including the tunnel, foot boxes and fire wall and then put Dynamat on top of that. I also added the header heat shields and wheel well vents. A little excessive? Probably, but being in Texas i didn't want to subject my feet and legs to any more heat if possible.

Gary

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by lippy

Definitely get the heat shields and engine insulation from ERA. They don't cost much and they are effective. But as I mentioned before I'd also recommend adding your own CoolIt inside on the tunnel, floors, footboxes, and the back of the dash.

I forgot to mention the back of the dash - very important. My whole cockpit is lined in B-Quiet damper and Cool It - even lined the metal plate on the inside of the door under the carpet with B-Quiet so the doors sound solid. The floor pans and transmission tunnel are also covered with lizard Skin underneath. But I have undercar exhaust and I'm sitting literally on top of 500 deg mufflers. Added a few pounds to my car I'm sure.

[Gasdoc]

So Cool-It on the back of the dash too? I'll have to read about the lizard skin and B-Quiet. Lippy, I saw you replaced all your supplied fasteners with Pem nuts? Would you do that again ?

[Gasdoc]

Off the subject, but is anyone going to the London Cobra show this month?

[lippy]

Originally Posted by Gasdoc

So Cool-It on the back of the dash too? I'll have to read about the lizard skin and B-Quiet. Lippy, I saw you replaced all your supplied fasteners with Pem nuts? Would you do that again ?

CoolIt on the back of the dash, floors, rear bulkhead, footboxes, and tunnel. Probably should've done the doors but didn't.

On the fasteners, I really dislike self-tap sheet metal screws. They look cheap, are sharp on the underside, and only work well a few times. So I tend to use a variety of better fasteners, like these flanged button head socket cap screws McMaster-Carr with Pemnuts McMaster-Carr or Rivets McMaster-Carr.
Using cool fasteners really makes the build better.

I prefer to use Pemnuts when I can, but you need access to the back of the panel. If I do have access, I like to use a small anvil from HF as a surface, and I make sure the through hole is drilled precisely. If I don't have access, I use Rivnuts. You don't need a special tool. You can make one pretty easily.

[DanEC]

I used Rivnuts in a number of areas - probably should have used them in some more areas as Lippy makes a good point about sharp points exposed underneath. If we are covering misc materials useful for the build, a few I found:

- some industrial type, adhesive backed Velcro. Most of my carpet is secured with Velcro. I also used strips of it to fashion wire harness ties for underdash to keep things neat.

- If you use the rectangular taillights, I would purchase the aluminum shields/reflectors to fit behind them in the trunk. They do brighten the lights up and help shield them.

- I have Mcmaster Carr bookmarked on my computer and purchased all sorts of stuff from them from rivets, to weatherstrips of various dimension self-adhesive weatherstriping used to cushion and rattle proof various areas.

- A box of 3M Strip Caulk is always in my tool box to use to seal various areas such as around the heater hose nipples in the firewall, under the windshield and around the windshield posts and under the vent valves on top of the foot boxes.

- I coated all areas of the interior fiberglass body exposed underneath with truck bed liner to seal the fiberglass. I sprayed the wheel side of aluminum panels with Eastwood undercoating to black them out and protect them. It's not really necessary - more a personal preference.

- It's easy to overlook ordering battery cables as part of your order. They don't include them as standard since there are a couple of options on battery mounting locations.

- Highly recommend replacing the brake caliper bleeders with speed bleeder units. Makes brake bleeding a one-person, fool proof process.

- Although your car should arrive with all the brake lines in place, don't automatically assume all the connections are tight and leak free. You will need to go through all of them and tighten them up.

- If you are not paying ERA to rivet in all aluminum panels, use care when drilling the holes in the trunk floor panel. The top of the fuel tank is only about 1/8 inch below the floor. Consider investing in a pneumatic riveter from Harbor Freight or be prepared to suffer carpel tunnel syndrome from a manual riveter. A right angle drill (cheap at Harbor Freight) is handy for a few tight drilling areas.

- Invest in some various size serrated washers (McMaster Carr) for grounds as there are quite a few of them and good ground connections are important on a Fiberglass car.

- I think ERA recommends insulation on the underside of the transmission tunnel but I also applied it on the top side to 1) add a bit additional cushion and 2) to soften and round the sharply square edges on the tunnel top a bit more which makes for a nicer look.

- Lots of options available but you will need a tube (or several tubes if doing your own panel riveting) of adhesive/sealant to seal under the panels and joints at panels. I used a black marine RTV adhesive/sealant from West Marine but there are products being used just as successfully.

- If you don't have it already, get a tube of Dielectric Grease to apply over all spade type and bolted electrical connections. These aren't the expensive, weather proof type electrical connectors you find in modern cars.

Probably more I can come up with later but these are a start.

[patrickt]

That's a pretty good list. The only tweak that I didn't either have ERA do, or that I have added myself, and that I still need to do, and still want, is to add a trap door in the side of the tunnel between the passenger side seat and the wall of the tunnel directly adjacent to the front u-joint. A 5" x 5" square removable plate, under a lift up velcroed piece of the carpet, will allow you direct and easy access to the front u-joint after pulling the passenger side seat. If you have the ERA outboard braked rear, and have the emergency brake, getting to the front u-joint for maintenance and lubing is a real PITA. A ridiculous PITA, in fact. Eventually, I will add that trap door. But it would have been really easy to have told ERA to have done it.

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by patrickt

That's a pretty good list. The only tweak that I didn't either have ERA do, or that I have added myself, and that I still need to do, and still want, is to add a trap door in the side of the tunnel between the passenger side seat and the wall of the tunnel directly adjacent to the front u-joint. A 5" x 5" square removable plate, under a lift up velcroed piece of the carpet, will allow you direct and easy access to the front u-joint after pulling the passenger side seat. If you have the ERA outboard braked rear, and have the emergency brake, getting to the front u-joint for maintenance and lubing is a real PITA. A ridiculous PITA, in fact. Eventually, I will add that trap door. But it would have been really easy to have told ERA to have done it.

Or some nice Zeus fittings around the entire tunnel...

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Bernica

Or some nice Zeus fittings around the entire tunnel...

No. Removing the tunnel requires removing the driver's seat. My driver's seat position is not adjustable. It's carefully angled, shimmed, and set so that it fits me perfectly. Me, no one else, just me. And I don't like to remove it. A trap door on the passenger side would be the perfect answer. Yep, perfect.

[Bernica]

Originally Posted by patrickt

No. Removing the tunnel requires removing the driver's seat. My driver's seat position is not adjustable. It's carefully angled, shimmed, and set so that it fits me perfectly. Me, no one else, just me. And I don't like to remove it. A trap door on the passenger side would be the perfect answer. Yep, perfect.

Wow Patrick. Fitted the seat with the F1 guys?
I do agree that the the trap door is a good idea, but nothing like removing the tunnel.

[Large Arbor]

Gas doc,

I will be at the London Show if the weather holds out. I have ERA 714. If you want to see the finished product send me a message and I will give you contact information. You come to the show and the rides on me.

Phil

[lippy]

Personally I don't like speed bleeders. They are easy to break, and if they do it creates quite a hassle. I do it the two person way with my wife pumping the brakes and we can get through it really quickly and effectively.

[DanEC]

Originally Posted by lippy

Personally I don't like speed bleeders. They are easy to break, and if they do it creates quite a hassle. I do it the two person way with my wife pumping the brakes and we can get through it really quickly and effectively.

Lippy - what caused it to break? I installed some 1/8 inch ones on my Ply GTX drum brakes lately that were really tiny - but no issues.

[lippy]

Originally Posted by DanEC

Lippy - what caused it to break? I installed some 1/8 inch ones on my Ply GTX drum brakes lately that were really tiny - but no issues.

The walls are very thin so they are prone to breaking. You can tighten regular bleed screws without a worry. Plus I don't really see the reason for speed bleeders as it's so easy to bleed brakes the old school way.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by lippy

Plus I don't really see the reason for speed bleeders as it's so easy to bleed brakes the old school way.

My feeling exactly. Anybody can sit behind the wheel and follow your pumping instructions while you're under the car.

[DanEC]

Well - I've had good luck with them. Shouldn't have to crank down on any bleeder hard if the caliper seats are in good shape. And the less cycles of tightening and loosening during bleeding the better shape they should stay in.

Also a big advantage for the in-board discs in the rear because I can jack the rear up, slip under there on a creeper, crack the bleeder about an eight of a turn and put tubing on it and bleed away until finished and close it. Otherwise I would just have to pull the seats and rear access panel to do it.

But - I'm not a representative for Speedbleeders or Dorman. Different strokes for different folks.

[Bernica]

A I rarely get anyone to help when bleeding brakes, this is my product of choice. Once you get the right cap, it works great. Yes, different strokes....

https://www.motiveproducts.com/colle...ne-kits-marine

[DanEC]

I hope Dave (Davids2toys) isn't following the thread. We'll have to figure out how to properly torque caliper bleeder screws.

[Gregg(What's his name)?]

i have posted some pics of 813 in the thread any ERA's in the que.