Brunton Stalker XL #22 Build

[toedrag]

Received my Alternator connector & pigtail today; I had found it on ebay under Item#151303054390. I wasn't completely sure it was the correct one, but it fits perfectly. In case that item number isn't valid in the future, try searching for 'nippondenso harness' (assuming you have the nippondenso style alternator from a '92 Geo Prizm as per the shopping list, of course)

 

 

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/$(KGrHqYOKpsE3tk9Qzu2BN9L5wTu5Q~~_12.JPG

[toedrag]

Plumbing milestone!! Cooling System plumbing & PCV system plumbing are complete, minus some hose clamps. Note that my coolant system plumbing is different from others because I think I might have the first XL chassis with a Mark Scott radiator (not too sure though)

 

First, the giant AN-16 hoses for coolant flow between the engine & Mark Scott radiator. A ratcheting PCV cutter worked great to cut the Aeroquip Startlite hose. Assembling those AN-16 hose ends was a workout.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27902&g2_serialNumber=2

 

Steam vent hoses complete:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27904&g2_serialNumber=2

 

PCV/Dual Catch Can hoses complete:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27906&g2_serialNumber=2

 

Coolant overflow tank hose complete:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27908&g2_serialNumber=2

[toedrag]

Woke up pretty early this morning and decided to head right to the garage. I think I was excited to start working on the mock-up for my parking brake system.

 

Let me caveat this with the following: never have I designed, installed, repaired, or really even looked into parking brake systems before this project. If you fine users see any mistakes or risks, please let me know.

 

I've been mentally wrestling with the parking brake solution for a long time. Brunton doesn't include provisions or specific instructions for a parking brake system. I know it's possible to use a hydraulic parking brake (i.e. line lock); however, TX registration requirements don't allow that on street cars, and I wouldn't be comfortable doing it that way either. I like the idea of a separate parking brake system.

 

Part of the challenge was also the calipers. All indications on the Wilwood spot caliper is that it doesn't have enough holding power. I ended up finding calipers from a company named IPSCO, as noted below. They are pretty pricey, unfortunately, but I bought 'em. They should arrive next week.

 

Plus, I've been sweating figuring out how to make custom brackets for the calipers to attach them to the car's spindle. Hopefully, once the calipers arrive, the design of the bracket will become apparent. I don't like flying blind, but there's not much I can do about it right now.

 

Here are the components I'm using:

• Lever: Lokar XEHB-7000F
  
• Cables: Lokar EC-80FUTB
  
• Calipers: IPS080-R, IPS080-L
  
• Caliper bracket: IPS080-BK (It may turn out that these aren't needed)
  
• Cable bracket at caliper: IPSCO is making a custom bracket with 7/16-20 thread to mate with the fitting on the sheath of the Lokar cable.
  

 

The focus of this morning's activities was the placement of the lever. I've considered lots of difference placements, and here is where it ended up:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27911&g2_serialNumber=4

 

So, why not put it on the tunnel like a normal person? Obviously, it's to allow room for cupholders....I kid.....sort of. In all seriousness, the space where it currently resides is pretty much wasted space otherwise. Given that the tunnel houses lots of other stuff (brake line, fuel line, electrical, driveshaft) and given that keeping the tunnel top flat is more comfortable for resting one's arm, the spot on the seat back panel between the seats seemed like a pretty great idea to me.

 

My seats arrive early next week, and if my measurements are correct, there will be plenty of room to use either hand to engage & disengage the lever. We'll find out.

 

Regarding the cables, the Lokar system is kind of cool, in my opinion. It's basically like the brakes on a bicycle. The inner steel wire slides easily inside the outer sheath, even around bends. There is no limit to the amount of bends you can make, just don't make such sharp turns that the steel cable can't move. One end of the steel cable is connected to the clevis at the parking brake lever, and the other end is connected to the caliper. The outer sheath is held stationary by various brackets, and the steel cable slides back & forth as the parking brake is engaged & disengaged. You cut both the sheath & steel cable to size to fit the application.

 

I'll have a welder add some flat steel straps where you see the scrap aluminum holding the lever. There's also no interference from the fuel pressure regulator, which means I get to retain what I've done on the fuel system thus far.

 

Some other views:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27914&g2_serialNumber=4

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27918&g2_serialNumber=3

[jevs]

You need to buy a welder your limiting yourself. It is one of my most used tools. MIG welding is not hard. TIG welding aluminum is.

Get a Miller that can run on 220 or 110.

[toedrag]

You need to buy a welder your limiting yourself. It is one of my most used tools. MIG welding is not hard. TIG welding aluminum is.

Get a Miller that can run on 220 or 110.

 

You know...my welding list keeps getting longer. It might be time to learn a new skill. I'll think about it and will research some.

[HOTTTCAR]

A Miller mig with a spool gun for aluminum is the best for me. It's easy. I am not coordinated enough to tig any thing.......using two hands 1 finger, one foot coordinated by both eyes in the dark......it would take a lot of practice for me to get an acceptable weld. I just don't want to spend the time when Mig is so easy.

Gale

[HOTTTCAR]

Have you thought of putting it in the passenger foot well just in front of the seat. It also keeps the cable out of the tunnel and is very convienent to get to. Mocked up it looks like this.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=17553

[toedrag]

Have you thought of putting it in the passenger foot well just in front of the seat. It also keeps the cable out of the tunnel and is very convienent to get to. Mocked up it looks like this.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=17553

 

Are the cables under the car?

[HOTTTCAR]

No, thecable runs inside next to the floor and the vertical tunnel wall basically under the seat and exits thru the back panel behind the seat. No good pics but here is one with out the protective cover, with the cable bracket clamped in place before welding it in place. I had to use the chain and clevis to allow the whole thing to operate smoothly and last thru many cycles without failing.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=17553

Gale

[toedrag]

No, thecable runs inside next to the floor and the vertical tunnel wall basically under the seat and exits thru the back panel behind the seat. No good pics but here is one with out the protective cover, with the cable bracket clamped in place before welding it in place. I had to use the chain and clevis to allow the whole thing to operate smoothly and last thru many cycles without failing.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=17553

Gale

 

I see; thx for clarifying.

 

---

 

Worked on the Alternator (Remy 14809) today. Couple of items to note:

 

• The ends of the long steel tube spacer that you see in the view below weren't quite perpendicular to the axis of the tube, which resulted in a noticeable angle of the alternator when installed. Some light touch-ups on the bench grinder were required to square up the ends.
  
• The 'hockey stick' bracket for my catch can shares the mounting hole for the long bolt that goes through the long steel tube spacer, which meant I needed to trim ~1/4" from the long steel tube spacer so that the alternator would remain aligned to the other pulleys.
  
• The bolt is also about 1/4" longer than necessary. I trimmed it to fit instead of using a bunch of washers under the head. My final measurement was 205mm under the bolt head, which allows 20mm of thread engagement. The threads in the cylinder head are about ~23mm deep.
  

 

Side view:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27921&g2_serialNumber=2

 

Front view with the air intake tube removed:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27924&g2_serialNumber=2

[toedrag]

Now that my engine bay is mostly full, I decided to go back to hood fitment, specifically installing the hinges & latches.

 

First off, I found an easy way to lift the scuttle upwards, which had eluded me on my last round of hood fitment. With the sides cleco'd in place, I used a couple wooden shims to lift the front edge of the scuttle to mate a little better with the hood and then screwed it in place:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27940&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Hood hinges installed:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27938&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Locking latches installed:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27934&g2_serialNumber=3

[toedrag]

Hood latched closed. Hood fitment is still not complete, however. I need to do a little more fine sanding on the hood edge at the scuttle. I'll also add weatherstripping in various places later after painting:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27942&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Hood open (no prop rod yet)

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27944&g2_serialNumber=3

[jevs]

Looks like yours does the same thing as mine. Once I get the scuttle shaped to match the hood correctly, which will fix some of this, I suspect I will be shaving some off the scuttle to match. I want my hood to line up right all they way around which is going to be a bit of a challenge.

[toedrag]

Took care of some small jobs this week due to limited availability:

-Cut the shifter hole in the tunnel top

-Received & installed the check valve for the brake booster vacuum line

-My seats & slider arrived, but I'm still waiting on the side mount brackets. Test fitting of the seats has gone well, and I really like the seats. Pictures later, once I have the side mount brackets.

 

Parking brake calipers arrived. I took some measurements to make sure the Lokar lever & cables would play nicely with the IPSCO calipers. I'm happy to say that the Lokar lever can produce more cable travel than the calipers require, so it *should be* easy to make the two work together. Did some test fitting and then promptly delivered them to a local shop to fab some brackets to attach them to the spindle.

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27947&g2_serialNumber=2

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27949&g2_serialNumber=2

[jevs]

How well did the check valve fit being 12mm barbs on both sides? We need a pic!

 

I am still hung up on how I am going to do the throttle...

[toedrag]

How well did the check valve fit being 12mm barbs on both sides? We need a pic!

 

I am still hung up on how I am going to do the throttle...

 

The elbow is a little big for the 12mm barb, and if I think about it the next time I visit a parts store, I might look for a slightly smaller reducing elbow. On the 1/2" hose side, it fits fine.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27955&g2_serialNumber=4

[xcarguy]

Brit,

 

Your build is really coming together nicely. Do you think you'll have it ready to track by spring of 15?

[toedrag]

Brit,

 

Your build is really coming together nicely. Do you think you'll have it ready to track by spring of 15?

 

Thx, Shane. I'm hoping to have it done a little before then so that I can get the break-in period completed before track season hits.

[toedrag]

Been head down for the last week+ working on the electrical system design. After finalizing the plan, it took another long while to shop for the right components. My lighting choices are pictured below. My wires, fuse panels, terminals, and other bits are on order. More to come when they show up.

 

So - lights, starting from the top of the picture:

 

-Halogen headlights with amber LED ring used as a turn signal

-Side view mirrors with turn signals (both on the outside and hidden in the mirror)

-Maxxima 3rd brake light (Stop & Tail)

-License plate LED light

-Maxxima LED lights (Stop/Turn, Tail, and Reverse)

-Trailer harness

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=27990&g2_serialNumber=4

 

In other news, my seat brackets didn't quite give me enough recline in the seat, so it's with my fabricator to add some extensions to the front to raise the front of the seat about another inch. Will do pictures when I have them back.

 

Back to the Parking Brake, the first parking brake caliper bracket is finished, and I should have the other one back in the next day or so:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28011&g2_serialNumber=2

 

When I walked into my fabricator's shop today, I noticed a familiar shape under a car cover...it happened to be a Lotus Type 41 to which he's doing a roll bar modification. I'll grab a picture when I go back in the next couple of days.

 

I started working on assembling fuel lines and am currently doing a 60 psi pressure test on the first line I assembled. I'll have to wait before I can finish assembling all of the fuel lines, however....because of this shipment from Summit Racing:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28007&g2_serialNumber=3

 

What's wrong with that picture? Couple of things...first off, Canton's fittings aren't blue. After opening the package, I noticed that the fittings had some stamping showing "FPS" which is the mark of Fragola Performance Systems. After talking to jevs and eyeballing the ones I have, I bought these Canton ones because they are a little shorter on the ORB-12 end so as not to interfere with the fuel filter, but as you can see, these blue ones are the same as the black Fragola ones I had originally purchased:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28009&g2_serialNumber=3

 

If you want to see what they should look like, look at jevs picture here. There's about 2 less threads: http://usa7s.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=7353&d=1416489758

 

So, I'll be returning these (and a great many other items) to Summit, and I went ahead and ordered the fittings directly from Canton Racing.

[toedrag]

If you want to see what they should look like, look at jevs picture here. There's about 2 less threads: http://usa7s.com/vb/attachment.php?attachmentid=7353&d=1416489758

 

So, I'll be returning these (and a great many other items) to Summit, and I went ahead and ordered the fittings directly from Canton Racing.

 

Quoting myself...seems odd...anywhoo.

 

As it turns out, the box of fittings I received a few days ago from Canton Racing (yes, I ordered them directly from Canton Racing) was identical to the box I received from Summit. Yes, that means another set of blue Fragola fittings. After a quick email exchange with Canton Racing, it turns out that Canton Racing doesn't shorten/customize/create the ORB-12 to AN-6 fitting like they do with the ORB-12 to AN-8 that jevs is using. Canton Racing just orders the ORB-12 to AN-6 fitting like everyone else does (and charge more for it might I add...I've already sent it back).

 

The guidance I received from Canton Racing was to just grind the fittings down....Obviously!:banghead: I wasted probably 2-3 weeks waiting for the proper fittings, which apparently don't exist. 20 minutes later on the bench grinder, and I was all set. I took off about 1/8":

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28052&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Here's a picture of it installed in the canister filter. The filter is easy to remove and has plenty of room to wiggle around. Btw, only one of the fittings needs to be shortened (the outlet on the side of the canister). The inlet on the bottom doesn't need to be shortened at all because there is no interference with the filter media.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28054&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Since those two fittings were the last open items on the fuel system, I was able to finish assembling my hoses and get everything connected. Pictures to follow....