nothingsfree Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 Brakes were always going to need upgrading. For the rears, Iv pillaged the calipers from my FC project. I needed rear calipers that still had a cable actuated hand brake, but preferably without using drums for the handbrake. I should be able to use the entire setup from the rx7 without too much modification, tho until its all fitted, Im not sure how much the cables will need to be changed. Iv picked up some new rotors and pads, as the ones on the FC were a little past their best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted July 12, 2011 Author Share Posted July 12, 2011 I didnt end up using that hilux diff, as I managed to find an extra short one from something like a Dyna which has the dualies on the back. So the overall length is 1370 compared to the standard ke70 width of 1410. Once you add brake rotors and 15x9 -20 wheels the track is still wider, but not over the top, so I will be able to fit the wheels inside the guards with abit of work. First the standard diff was removed and the mounts cut off, while leaving the standard arms attached to the body. This would work as a jig for setting up and positioning the hilux diff. Once the diff was sitting in place, the angles and measurements were checked, and the dx mounts which had been bolted back onto the arms, were tacked in place. With everything lined up properly, the diff was pulled out, and the mounts fully welded. Im now living above the workshop, so you should see more regular updates 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted July 13, 2011 Author Share Posted July 13, 2011 I redrilled my fc rotors to 4stud. Because they are 5x114, I used one standard hole, and just drilled the other 3 to suit. After sliding them onto the hubs, I threw the wheels on to confirm how much clearance I had with the caliper. Its close, but will work. Now I just have to figure out what I can make work on the front Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted July 15, 2011 Author Share Posted July 15, 2011 I bolted all my T3 arms in, and for the first time sat Kermit back on the ground with the new diff, rotors and wheels, to get an idea of how everything was gonna sit/fit. I still havnt welded the spring perches in yet, so its just sitting on the bumpstops. But this is the kind of height that I would like to have the back at when its sorted. It currently rolls ok, but there is no clearance between guard an tires for travel. Some time on a hammer should fix that tho.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted September 1, 2011 Author Share Posted September 1, 2011 In between working on other peoples cars, finally had a chance to do some more to Kermit. Simons race car is currently stripped down for a full rebuild, so I borrowed his Wilwood pedal box to make up the mounts for mine. I used more rollcage tubing to keep the flexing to a minimum. Then after cutting a couple of brackets out of 5mm bar, I bolted them to the pedal box, sat it in place and welded them to the bars. Its pretty tight under the wiper tray, but it all fits sweet after trimming a few bits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted September 7, 2011 Author Share Posted September 7, 2011 With the pedal box now mounted, I could sort out my seating position. Im using a pair of Racetech seats and brackets, so although the seats are solid mounted, the position is somewhat adjustable due to the brackets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted September 13, 2011 Author Share Posted September 13, 2011 Finally got some front brakes sorted! Its been abit of a mission trying to find some brakes to fit the front of Kermit. Mainly because the back face of the Longchamps is very flat, it makes it difficult to fit a decent size caliper, as they contact with the spokes. And I didnt want to use spacers to make something work, as with the negative offset/width of the wheel, everything is getting pretty wide. Anyway, I bought a setup locally that had been on an ae86, so it bolts straight on, which saves more time and money sorting out brackets etc. Its c33 Laurel single pots, with new 256mm rotors, pads, braided lines, and caliper brackets. As you can see in the 2nd photo, the outer part of the caliper is quite low profile, allowing clearance from the center of the wheels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted September 20, 2011 Author Share Posted September 20, 2011 Got the front brake setup all bolted on, the only thing that needed modifying was the hubs. Just had to machine a little off the outer edge so the disc could slide over. Got that sorted by a mate of mine Willie, who owns that badass little aw11 with the crazy 4age turbo. He is also going to freshen up my engine when we get round to it. Anyway, some pics of the setup... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted October 16, 2011 Author Share Posted October 16, 2011 Spent a hungover Sunday afternoon seam welding Kermit. The engine bay was done ages ago, so I got out the wire brush and cleaned up all the interior seams and then gave them all a quick zap with the welder. There is a noticeable difference in stiffness when jacking the car up from one corner now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted October 30, 2011 Author Share Posted October 30, 2011 Started cutting out the floor under the back seat to make room for new top arm mounting points. Drilled thru from underneath so I knew where to cut, and then went to it with the angle grinder. Once it was out I could see how close the arm was to binding on the body, and the diff, had about 4mm movement before it would connect. I extended the cut upwards, so the arm could rotate up till it was about level. Then tidied up the hole and ground the chassis rail back to clean metal ready for welding. Made a template from cardboard so I could mess around and figure out how high to mount the arm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 1, 2011 Author Share Posted November 1, 2011 Next step was tracing the template onto some 5mm plate. The outside plate welds to the chassis rail, which is why its so much bigger, the inner plate just welds to the body. After cutting them out, I bolted them to the upper arm, and then bolted the arm back onto the diff. Then I could just swing the front of the arm up, with the plates attached, til it was at a suitable height and tack it in place. Checked everything was lined up, and had plenty of clearance, then I welded the things in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 7, 2011 Author Share Posted November 7, 2011 More hungover Sunday progress.. Got the other side cut out, and welded the new plates in, much easier and faster when you can work off the other side. Then test fitted the rear seat back in, it fits without modifying anything which is great, will just glue some dense foam over the bulges and be done with it. Im not sitting in the back anyway . Then just cut out some 1.8mm steel to cap off the plates. I tacked them on the top, then just bent them down over the rest of the plate adding a few tacks as I went, then went back and welded them in. Pretty stoked how it fits, it doesnt protrude too far into the car, and has brought the upper arm back up to level. Surfab cat checking on progress.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 14, 2011 Author Share Posted November 14, 2011 Time to fill that massive hole I cut in this poor car about 3 years ago Took a few measurements, then Simon folded up a recessed firewall. Although I could have just got away with massaging the firewall with a large hammer, it was already cut out, so I continued the cut right up to the bottom of the wiper tray, as this allows plenty of room around the back of the engine. Spent abit of time with a hammer and dolly to flatten the curves and bumps along the edge of whats left of the firewall. Then sat the new one in place, and trimmed it till fitted in snug. Spot welded around the whole thing, and once the rest of it is all in place I will seal it up. Front part of the new gearbox tunnel that Simon folded up at the same time, waiting to go in next.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 16, 2011 Author Share Posted November 16, 2011 More shiny stuff! Picked up a set of Tanabe Altezza 3s extractors for a very good price. Turned up yesterday, so had a little play around to see if they will fit. Because I dont have the engine in at the mo, I cant confirm, but its going to be close, might just get away with it. The end will need modifying, but thats no biggy. Will get the engine back in the car shortly once the tunnel is finished, and then will know for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 I finished welding in the tunnel and trimming off the excess on Sat. Then broke out the grinder and cleaned up all the edges and seams before sealing it all up. Finally the engine could go back in, it shouldnt need to come back out before I get it running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 I held off cutting a hole in the gbox tunnel for the shifter until I got the engine and box back in, as I wanted to make sure I got it in the right spot, and didnt end up with a massive hole. Once it was in, I jacked up the back of the box till it was touching the underside of the tunnel, gave it a quick measure up and cut out whatever was in the way. Pretty stoked with how it turned out, there is no clearance issues with the tunnel, or the firewall. Infact, there is a little breathing space around everything, making it much easier to get to bolts etc if I need to take anything off. With the engine and box back in, the car is lower than I remember . The front needs to come up about 15mm for the sills to be level, which is fine, as I need the clearance under there haha. Just a shot to show how low the HSDs go. My car is at this height, with that much room to still go lower.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted November 28, 2011 Author Share Posted November 28, 2011 So with the engine back in, I could bolt the extractors on, and see how much modifying I was going to have to do to make them work.. None! Well nearly, I just had to cut a bracket off where they merge into one, that normally bolts to the gbox. It was just in the way of my gbox mount, other than that tho, they fit surprisingly well. Because of how low the car is, I may tweak them a little, just to make sure they are tucked right up inside the chassis rails, but will deal with that later.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted December 4, 2011 Author Share Posted December 4, 2011 Im modifying a rx7 radiator to suit, as on a 7, both inlet and outlet are on the drivers side. On my 3s, they are both on the passenger side. I could have just bought an Altezza radiator, but the size and shape of the rx7 rad, fits the front of the old corolla models really well. By cutting off the filler neck/cap, you can just rotate the rad around, then re weld it on the bottom of the end tank. On first inspection I thought they had failed miserably at making it a dual pass, and had welded in the divider on the opposite tank, but it turns out that its actually a 4 pass radiator.. After cutting off the large brackets on the end tanks that are used for mounting, I drilled a couple of holes thru one of them, and used it as the bottom bracket, bolted to the radiator support panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 I have been ridiculously slack in updating this thread, I had to dredge it up from the 9th page! Luckily, I have been slightly less slack in working on it, but only just.. So I'll try fill you in on whats happened, and do a bunch of updates over the next week or so. Sometime this year, I came to the conclusion that I didnt really have the time/space/money for two race cars, the rx7, and Kermit, which although a road car, is effectively a race car without a cage. So a decision had to be made, and this was the result... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nothingsfree Posted September 8, 2012 Author Share Posted September 8, 2012 So the FC is being parted out, and Kermit will be having a jungle gym welded in. Because I had spent alot of time and effort with the suspension trying to get it slammed without losing the handling, there isnt alot Im going to have to change to put it on the track. Remove rear seat, add a cage, harnesses, flares, and 13's with slicks! Im going to have to run flares to be able to keep the car low, while allowing room for the tire to move before rubbing on the guard. I didnt want to run the typical dx/modgie/bolt ons style, so I got a pair of CBY ae86 flares. These will be getting chopped up and modified to suit a ke70, mainly getting rid of the kink in the rear of the flare that fits the bumper. Once we are happy with them, then Mike and I will take a mold and pop out some fresh ones for the car. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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