Newbie in Houston

[WestTexasS2K]

Mold was sold to someone in North Carolina I believe.

[Blindcars]

Car is home. parts are on order and Loren has been going nuts with my questions LOL. I will post pics soon and then more as work progresses. I do want to let everyone know how lucky they are that Loren owns WCM as I have a funny feeling support for the Ultralight will never be lacking. What a knowledge base. Well,, sometimes he might have a fuzzy memory due to age :^P)!

[James A]

Welcome to the Houston area, there are a lot of 7 derivative owner's in the area.

Jim

[Blindcars]

Have a question on hiem joints, specifically the heads of the bolts and their fitment in the bracket. Im going to install the upgraded hiem joints and shoulder bolts. Are the bolts supposed to have a specific height ? Are the tops of the heads supposed to protrude somewhat from the bracket? The heads of the new shoulder bolts are .394 high. They are recessed in tge bracket and very little of tge head is actually inside the outside bracket ear. Is this fine? I got bolts that are just like the ones referenced in the upgrade manual.

[Blindcars]

Got the hiem joint bolt problem resolved although I am awaiting the joints (on back order with a three week wait). Meanwhile the hubs are at the machine shop getting new bearings pressed in, mods done to the new front hub, and lots of parts coming in everyday.

 

Soooo.. Its back to the drivetrain to wrap up some loose ends there. 1st, does anyone have the part number for the new serpentine belt I will need due to no AC? 2nd, anybody have pics of what their coolant recovery system looks like or recommendations on what to design in? The radiator is installed but my hoses are just dangling in open air, no filler neck or anything, so Im wondering what others systems look like.

 

Thanks

Leo

[RGTorque]

no idea on the belt part number but ill chime in and give my dash opinion.

 

1) after sitting in a sk2 with the wheel under the dash bar and over, i would 100% go with the over bar option. first it looks a hell of a lot better, and second you can see the gauges in dash better (my opinion).

 

2) stay away from any type of reflective surface. my s2k has a machined dash, which does not have a high shine, BLINDS me when the sun is high or behind me. a gloss finish carbon fiber dash will do the same. i advise aluminum with a vinyl carbon fiber look, or a low gloss leather/leatherett with a slight bit of pad to make the gauges look sunken in.

 

3) keep the fuses on the front of the dash, move them to the pass side. some of us (me) have always had little electrical issues and do pop the push fuses while driving. its nice not to have to get out of the car to push the fan fuse back in.

 

here is my dash (with the old maiata engine) tach is now positioned at the proper angle.

 

also, here it is when i first got it with classic gauges (if you considering that look)

 

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/12/cimg1153i.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/10/cimg2771resize.jpg

http://imagizer.imageshack.us/v2/800x600q90/132/cimg2762resize.jpg

Edited April 23, 2014 by RGTorque

[xcarguy]

If you don't have a fill port on your radiator, you might consider something like this:

 

http://www.jegs.com/i/JEGS+Performance+Products/555/53098/10002/-1

 

The small tube is for plumbing to the overflow tank. Also, the fill port will need to be (if possible, room permitting) the highest point of your cooling system to prevent undesirable air pockets.

[powderbrake]

I have a similar "T" port for my car. I drilled and tapped the bottom to allow me to install a temperature sensor in the fluid path and a ground wire screw.

 

The overflow tank is in the upper left of the pic. Also note the protective aluminum plate on the lower hose where it touches the steering shaft.

 

There is a bleed valve in the front top of the engine block, to help you get the air out after you do a radiator fill. Do this multiple times over the first few months until the level in the "T" remains constant.

 

I happen to like the lower steering wheel position

[m wirth]

mine is a little different, aren't we all, I also added the port for the sender as well as ground but I extented the neck so that it is above the bleed port on the block so as to be able to take the cap off without losing fluid.

[Blindcars]

Havent posted for a while but have been reading the archives and learning about our cars. Project wise on the car.... Lets just say there was a fatal mistake made when the body was designed for the car and it wasn't one that could be corrected without major expense and possibly not even then. It couldn't be adjusted out and would have required either reworking the chassis or substantial modification of the body. Soooo, if anyone knows of someone looking for a body to build a track car under I have one for sale.

 

All of the parts are going to be transferred over to a new frame that Loren had hanging around and a new Ultralite will emerge from this journey. I have a couple of ideas in my mind and cant wait to join the ranks of a running and driving Ultralight If it hadn't been for Lorens incredible patience with my endless requests for how this or that was made and Jerry Eddens assistance with pictures I might have thrown up my hands and abandoned ship. Anyways, when Loren gets some time to transfer a frame into my possession the quest will renew. When I get finished I swear there is going to arise a manual detailing the Ultralight (think Ultralight for Dummies) lol.

 

Final note.... Trust me when I say Loren is a rare bird!!!:hurray::cheers: