boatbum Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Had a great weekend - in addition to pulling out the boats here in MN and getting them winterized along with many other chores from the wife - we got the top cut off the VR project, and got the motor running. Thanks to Tom, another HybridZer from Minnesota, we figured out the fuel line problem and now the motor sounds good. We weren't even sure if it would start but it came right alive - Changed the oil, coolant, etc and then poured in Marvel Mystery Oil in the plugs and let it soak in for a few days. Turned it by hand with plugs out and then fired her up! Next step is a compression check and off to the welders for the frame supports. A few pics on the project are here: http://www.boatblender.com/cars/vr_project/vr_project.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nezzie76 Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Congrats, Now there isn't any turning back. So how did it feel taking a sawzall and cutting up the car? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 I had a blast cutting the top off my Z as well. It is pure testosterone! !!!CAUTION!!! Even if the car is solid with the roof off, make sure it is totally supported underneath the floor plans before you weld. This is a step mentioned in the VR installation guide that I mentioned to the guy that welded my supports. He didn't listen. Now, with body sag welded into place, I have to rehang the doors. I was a bit miffed, but he practically did it for free, so I bit my tongue. Heat warps metal and welds shrink. So does the hot tubing you weld. Needless to say, I bought a MIG welder and have learned to do my own welding. I have since welded custom motor mounts, custom power steering mounts, and a custom frame for my camaro fuel tank since I am putting in an LS1. Good luck, I am sure your project will be finished a lot sooner than mine. I just hope John Washington gets his tooling back by the time I have the rest of my mechanical done. I still need the front clip, door panels, and cheek panels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Teo.. good write up and picture story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
boatbum Posted October 7, 2002 Author Share Posted October 7, 2002 Thanks for the encouragement I do have a few questions if you don't mind. 1. There are 2 styles of reinforcement on the VR - the older style runs 1x4 along the frame rail horizontally with a diagonal tied to that and the rear strut tower. The newer style ties a diagonal to the rear strut tower down to a small plate welded to the frame rail without the horizontals. - any experiences either way? 2. Anybody got strut isolaters from a 240 for the rear struts. Using the short isolator will be easier then sectioning the rears and I am striking out finding them cheap - Don't want to pay MSA prices . 3. If you have a page of VR projects - let me know and I will get John post it on his http://www.reactionresearch.com/automotive.html Thanks for all the help and I am still trying to get ahold of the old GTORR newsletters with the instructions for a honda door tab pull. If I can't figure it out - I might just use the same VW trunk latch non functional with a shave kit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maichor Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Originally posted by Teo - Boatbum:1. There are 2 styles of reinforcement on the VR - the older style runs 1x4 along the frame rail horizontally with a diagonal tied to that and the rear strut tower. The newer style ties a diagonal to the rear strut tower down to a small plate welded to the frame rail without the horizontals. - any experiences either way? I went with the 1" X 4" because I am adding more than a cosmetic roll bar. Also, I will start off with 320 HP and will eventaully go over 400. I don't want to twist up like a pretzel and ruin the body work. I suppose that if you are keeping the stock Z setup, either reinforcement option would be fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted October 7, 2002 Share Posted October 7, 2002 Teo do the horizontals along the frame rail and allow space for a convertible top connection behind the seats. We just did 2x2 along the frame rails on Nate's Vello Rossa. You will have to trim the seat rails to get the 2x2 in place but hardly noticeable after seat installation except for the diagonal brace.. Nate's Z had a seat belt retractor pocket next to the frame rails which was not covered with the 2x2 rail.The seat belt retractor pocket caused many problems to work around since Nate wanted to retain the original seat belts. A 1x2 diaganal was attached to the 2x2 rails leading to a roll barplate that connected to the roll bar and an area just behind the door opening. Directly from the roll bar another 1x2 on each side went to the 2x2 brace spanning the rear strut towers. The roll bar had bottom plates welded to a shelf area behind the seats. The 2 1/2 inch roll bar was made detachable above the the jointed reinforcement brace welds. The removable roll bar joint was slightly below the body line to allow easy chrome plating in the future. The roll bar was also given a rakish angle to match the body curvature. The detachable upper roll bar may not be all that functional in a crash but all the bracing below the detachable section is very stout to stiffen the chassis. If installing any reinforcement or roll bar ALLOW space for a convertible top such as bows and rails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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