Brunton Stalker XL #22 Build

[toedrag]

Making some progress on the windshield and hard top. I can say that, without any doubt, this has been the least pleasant task on this project because it's so ludicrously time consuming. The challenge introduced with the hard top is that the front edge of the hard top is profiled in both the horizontal & vertical planes. If I hadn't chosen the hard top option, fitting the windshield would be much, much faster. I think I'm somewhere north of 15 hours on it, and I still need to drill it and figure out how to finish the corners.

 

On the upside, the windshield to hard top junction is pretty darn perfect, the bulk of the profiling & shaving is complete, and I still haven't destroyed the Lexan yet

 

Close-up of the top edge:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28366&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Below shows how the windshield sits right now, which is ready to be drilled. The black things around the perimeter are short stubs of weatherstripping. Once it's drilled, I'll figure out the corners.

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28372&g2_serialNumber=3

[xcarguy]

Brit,

 

Can you post more photos of the windshield/top fitment from various angles? Would like to see these. Thanks.

[toedrag]

Brit,

 

Can you post more photos of the windshield/top fitment from various angles? Would like to see these. Thanks.

 

Sure thing, got a few more in my gallery here: http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=28356

 

Let me know if you want more and/or different angles.

[xcarguy]

Brit,

 

Thanks. The inside (cockpit) shot was what I really wanted to see. That's the best photos yet I've seen of how these are fitting overall. Looks like Scott has them dialed in pretty darn good. :cheers:

[toedrag]

Brit,

 

Thanks. The inside (cockpit) shot was what I really wanted to see. That's the best photos yet I've seen of how these are fitting overall. Looks like Scott has them dialed in pretty darn good. :cheers:

 

Well, to clarify...the included particle board template in the kit is a good starting point, but it's not quite plug & play in my experience. It really served me as more of a practice piece rather than an actual template. That's mostly because there is a thickness difference between the particle board & the Lexan. Plus there is some difference in how the Lexan bends vs the particle board. Those differences are significant enough that it necessitates adjusting all of the edges of the Lexan, including the bottom edge. As an aside, with the particle board template, the curvature could easily be adjusted by just pushing or pulling the sides of the template. With the Lexan, it wasn't that easy...the bottom edge of the Lexan played a much more significant role in determining curvature. It took me a while to figure this part out. Once I did, I spent a fair amount of time shaving the bottom edge trying to reduce the curvature of the Lexan so that the top edge ended up where it needed to be.

 

I talked to Scott a couple of times during this process, and his advice is that you just have to mess with it to get it right. There's no secret sauce or trickerations, other than: start with the bottom edge, then do the top edge, then do the sides. It's a test of patience. You just have to dig in.

[xcarguy]

Sounds similiar to what I went through when I first built my car. But with the classic style windscreen, I didn't have to monkey around any with the top side, just the height I wanted. Here was the template that came with my kit . . . . back in the day:

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_itemId=10614

[toedrag]

Been a productive few days on the windshield:

 

• Drilled & tapped the mounting holes for the windshield.
  
• Rounded off all 4 corners of the windshield with a 2.5" radius
  
• Remembered to trace the final windshield shape & hole locations onto some cardboard just in case I ever have to do this again
  
• Installed the weatherstripping around the windshield.
  
• Test fit the rear view mirror bracket, which also functions as an upper support for the middle of the windshield. I'll attach it once the hard top work is complete.
  

 

The windshield still looks more or less the same as a previous picture, so I didn't see the point in posting another one. Once the hard top is done, I'll post some more pictures.

 

I started work on the hard top hinges. What I decided to do was start with some 1/8" thick 2" wide x 36" long aluminum angle. I cut it in half to make two 18" long pieces. I chose to use 18" long pieces simply to give some longitudinal support to the hard top when opening/closing since the pivot bolts will have some tension on them. Then, on each 18" long piece, I cut most of one side off, leaving a small tab at one end. The tab will later hold the pivot bolt, which will act as the hinge when paired with the roll bar clamp. To bend the aluminum to the proper profile, I made a template out of cardboard to get me in the ballpark, then just used good ol' trial & error until the fit was satisfactory. After all the trial & error fitting of the windshield, this part was eeeeaaasy.

 

To attach the bracket/hinge to the hard top, I got to use fiberglass mat & resin for the very first time. Thx to jevs for his guidance on working with fiberglass. I only did some small fiberglass strips for now, just in case something goes horribly wrong and I need to remove the aluminum. If all goes well, I'll fill in the middle with more fiberglass mat. The driver side bracket is fully cured in place, so that's one side down and one to go. I've already cut & shaped the passenger side, just need to glass it in maybe tomorrow if time permits.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28378&g2_serialNumber=5

[toedrag]

Hard top is now mounted on the hinges; I was pleasantly surprised that the top opens up almost perfectly vertically. Plus, since the hard top sits above the roll bar by about 1.5", it allows plenty of room to mount my 3rd brake light directly to the back of the roll bar, and there won't be any interference during opening/closing.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28380&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Onto the hard top's latches...

[toedrag]

Hard top is done, minus some black paint on the inside:

 

Note that the chain between the two latches will be replaced with some wire rope, covered in something like foam or heat shrink tubing

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28392&g2_serialNumber=3

 

Side view, hard top closed:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28390&g2_serialNumber=3

 

3rd brake light done, which is an important milestone because I *think* it marks the last holes I need to drill before disassembling it for final chassis welding & powdercoating.

 

I cut a channel in the foam gasket for the ground wire & ring terminal. Sorry about the lack of focus; couldn't get the camera to focus on it. The brake (red) & tail light (black) wires go through a small hole in the roll bar, then inside the roll bar toward the driver side, then down and exit another small hole just above the left rear suspension components. I was able to fish a wire through the roll bar the traditional way: used some 20 gauge wire inserted from the bottom hole above the suspension components, then used a paperclip to pull it out of the hole where the 3rd brake light is.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28384&g2_serialNumber=4

 

3rd brake light installed with the hard top in place. The hard top already had the flared opening; the brake light tucks in nicely. The bracket you see below the 3rd brake light is the rear view mirror bracket, a custom piece from Brunton, held in place temporarily by a spring clamp. It's designed for the 14" Longacre mirror, which I now have on order.

 

Continuing on next post...

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28388&g2_serialNumber=5

[toedrag]

Continuing from previous post

 

I temporarily installed my driver seat again to measure for the custom 3pt belts. I'm choosing to put the retractor up on the roll bar. Why? Because I wasn't too happy with the belt routing of the traditional installation where the retractor mounts on the seat back panel near the floor, mostly because the webbing will forever rub the top edge/corner where the seat back panel meets the flat steel cross-member behind the seat. An alternate location would be on the flat steel cross-member, then have the webbing run up to a shoulder loop and then back down to the occupant, but that won't work for me since I'm also adding some harness bars:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28398&g2_serialNumber=2

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28402&g2_serialNumber=2

 

Side view. Note that Brunton does weld in some steel mounting plates for the lap belts, but with my seating position, the angle of the lap belt mounting point wasn't quite correct. Thus, I'm having my welder add some more steel plates where marked in this photo:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28400&g2_serialNumber=2

[toedrag]

Disassembly has commenced :party:

 

I also remembered to do the front fenders before I take apart the front suspension. I'm pleased with how they turned out:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28406&g2_serialNumber=3

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28404&g2_serialNumber=3

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28408&g2_serialNumber=4

[powderbrake]

I have been enjoying the build thread, and your attention to detail. Keep up the good work!

[toedrag]

Thx for the kind words, powderbrake!

 

Poked at the hood prop rods a bit more. I realized part of the problem was the prop rod itself, so I made some modifications:

1. File off about 1/32" of aluminum where shown so that it would clear the stop bolt
   
2. Replace the #10-32 hinge bolt with a button style head bolt to give more clearance to the frame.
   
3. Replace the two washers between the two pieces, which would bind occasionally, with a true thrust washer
   

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28418&g2_serialNumber=4

 

Another milestone:

I got the car torn down in about 8-10 hours over a few days, and it's now with the welder (who was very complimentary of the chassis design and quality of welds from Stalker HQ) for the following short list of items

 

• Side bars for roll cage
  
• Harness bars, mounted at the same height as the top portion of the side bars
  
• Lap belt mounting plates. It's worth noting that Stalker HQ does weld in some lap belt plates on the chassis, but they are too far back for my seating position and thus put the lap belts at a non-ideal angle. The new plates will be positioned as follows to allow the use of eyebolts for a clip-in harness. Each eyebolt is 1 3/8" tall from its base. If the plates were all mounted flush, the outer eyebolts would contact the seat bracket.
  
  • Driver Outer -> recess 1/4"
    
  • Driver Inner -> flush with the tunnel's outer tube edge
    
  • Passenger Outer -> recess 1/2"
    
  • Passenger Inner -> flush with the tunnel's outer tube edge
    

  [*]Retractor mount for 3pt belt: A threaded sleeve (7/16-20) through the roll bar with a rosette weld on the outside.

  [*]Safety Chain Loop for the hitch receiver

  [*]Driveshaft loop. Something like this: http://www.aa-mfg.com/drive-shaft-loop-795 but where the "U" section opening is closer to 8" tall and 4" wide.

 

While the chassis is getting welded, I'll take a couple boxes of goodies to the powder coater.

[toedrag]

Should be getting the car back from the welder on Monday. Then, it's off to the powder coater again to drop off the chassis for its powder coat treatment and to pick up the boxes of small parts I left with them last week.

 

Here's a teaser of my dash buttons. Unsurprisingly, I'm using a non-traditional approach: flag lapel pins, arranged in the timeline of the evolution of the Stalker (UK, US, Florida, TX). Granted, only two flag pins will be functional buttons since I only need toggles for high beam & low beam. The other two flag pins won't be functional, but they could be - should a future need arise.

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28420&g2_serialNumber=2

 

Bag of flag pins yet to be installed:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28340&g2_serialNumber=2

[toedrag]

I'm literally a thousand miles from my frame & its parts, but things are moving along. The frame welding is done and it's now with the powder coater. Hoping to have it back on Friday. I'll drive straight from the airport to pick up a trailer, then over to the powder coater before they close for the week. Should be fun

 

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28422&g2_serialNumber=3

[toedrag]

I'm stuck in LAX at the moment (and a little grumpy b/c of it). Another customer of my welder happened to spot the chassis after sandblasting, snapped the picture, and sent it to the welder, who then sent it to me, which gave me something to smile about.

 

It's funny how, even when naked, this car tends to attract attention.

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28424&g2_serialNumber=3

[toedrag]

Got the chassis back on Sat, and I'm lovin' the satin black finish on the powder coat.

 

I'm absolutely thrilled to declare that final assembly has commenced :party: It's moving along at a good pace. Although, I nearly had a mistake with the parking brake cables, which was that I almost forgot to take into account suspension travel when determining the final length of the cables & sheaths. Wisdom prevailed, and all is well.

 

The plan is to get most of the car assembled to the point where I can put it on the ground, add fluids, check for leaks, and fire up the engine.

 

This picture is a few days old:

http://www471.pair.com/stalkerv/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=28435&g2_serialNumber=3

[coffee break]

Lookin' good! :cooldude:

[Kitcat]

Looks like a steerable motor with a place to attach a seat:). And I mean that as a compliment!

[xcarguy]

. . . . . . I'm lovin' the satin black finish on the powder coat.

 

 

Yessir . . . . . :iagree: