|
4-2-08
This is the last post for this year. Tires arrived. They are Sumitomo HTR Z's. The fronts are 225/45-16
while the rears are 275/40-17. Again, these were the least expensive tire I could find in matching tread patterns with
such different sizes. They were $315 delivered from Tire Rack.
2-20-08
The rims arrived. They are Cragar Soft 8's. The fronts are 16x7 while the rears are 17x9. They are on the
heavy side, thick steel wheels. They were the least expensive wheels I could find in these sizes and bolt patterns. The front
is a Ford bolt pattern (5x4.5) while the rear is Chevy truck (5x5). The cost was $255 delivered from Jegs.
2-13-08
For the amount of money I spend on cars, I could buy Valentine's Day gifts for several girlfriends.
So, I've been spending money on the Morris again. New seats arrived, 16 gallon fuel cell and fuel system,
and a steering wheel and Ford Focus steering wheel hub adapter are on the way. I picked out the wheels and will order them
on Friday. A couple odd jobs I completed during the week are paying for the new goodies.
I'm building a short wheel base dragster setup for the road course. I like feeling lateral G's as much as
forward acceleration. Low profile tires, fat grippy steering wheel, and think bolstering in the seats are important.
1-5-07
I tacked in the rear frame legs and some mounting blocks. The body is now completely supported by the
frame. Now that the body is set to the frame, I plan to remove the body, and finish some welds.
12-5-07
Getting back to where I left off.... the rear legs to extend the frame and mount the body. The legs are
cut to drop below the floor and provide support. The problem I ran into were the shock cups and bolts. I made some adjustments
to tip in the corners and side. These will be welded inplace then brackets made at the ends to mount the rear body mounts.
The rear legs will also be fully gussetted before it's finished.
11-26-07
This is a simple drawing of my new tail light idea. Also shown are plans for a roll pan with exhaust cut
outs.
11-22-07
No progress... just a brief update. I've been debating on how to use the LED rear tail lights. They were
much larger than expected. Today, while walking around my grandparents' old house, I found a small trailer my grandfather
built many years ago to tow behind his Morris truck. It uses Morris hubs. The size is a perfect match for the panel truck
to use as a small utility trailer. The LED lights would be PERFECT on the trailer. I'll choose something else for the panel
truck.
9-28-07
Mike and I started early to get some serious work done on the Minor. We drilled hole in the front floor
boards and frame rails to mount the body bolts. We worked on finishing the rear frame rail legs to mount the box, and started
some fender wells / radiator shrouds. When we actually put our minds and backs to work, we can get a lot done! Some new ideas
always form as we move along.
8-21-07
Haven't been able to work on it lately, but here are some pics of the Corvette manifolds.
07-22-07
A couple very cool things... my buddy in OK City suggested I look into a set of '05 Corvette exhaust manifolds.
I found a like new set on eBay for $15 each... $85 after shipping. They fit excellently!!! Perfect for tight spaces. The other
nice little item I acquired is a '03 Ford Focus steering column with tilt and telescope. The switches were included, and only
cost $80 shipped. The neatest thing about this column is that the wiper and blinker switches just snap out.... since I don't
need the wiper switch, I can easily remove it from the column and leave the blinker switch in place... I will need to remove
the key lock mechanism. I was able to determine the pins for the blinkers and high beam flash and switch in about 3 minutes.
7-18-07
The aluminum radiator is 28" x 19". Two 14" fans, one pusher, one puller will be mounted. The rear floor
has been laid out. The tail light is sitting on the floor. I'm going to build a roll pan to install the lamps. I no longer
need the steel hoods and fenders for body alignment, so I dropped on the fiberglass front clip.
6-21-07
I chopped off the rear rail extensions. We put the body back on the chassis. Now we'll drill some holes
and mount it.
Doesn't the firewall look great! The shifter location worked great. I placed the driver's seat on some 3"
square tube. I might raise them another 2". Legroom isn't as bad as I thought. :D
   6-20-07
I started working on this a while back and never completed it. The
original shock bar across the rear of the chassis was going to create a hump in the rear floor. Mike suggested we cut that
out along with moving the rear diagonals forward. So we did. But I had to remount the upper shock mounts to something. I was
not about to change the lower shock mounts. I did not have much room to work with. I could not mount them directly under the
frame rails because I would end up with positive shock camber. 0° is good for drag racing, but I don't plan to do much of
that. I intend to drive the car... anywhere and everywhere, so I need a street setup. 5° is good. The closest I could get
without causing the joints to bind was around 3-5°. 3° is safe, so that's what I went with. The large sqaure tube welded across
the frame rails is temporary and holds the chassis square after the original shock bar was removed. The smaller square tube
is permanent. It should help to mount the fuel tank, give some strength to the floor, and added strength to the rear frame
rails. The frame rails are going to be cut directly behind the rear diagonals, turned down at 45°, extended down, 45° again
to make the rails parallel to the ground and squared off with a cross bar to tie it all together. The rear of the body will
mount to the rear cross bar.
  6-13-07
I haven't been able to work on the Morris at all since March. I made it to the shop a few times, but never
made any real changes. Mike did build the firewall, installed the floor pans, and the floor pan bulkhead.
Mike's building a frame for a 30's Chevy truck that's supposed have a huge supercharged engine.
|
