ramello

iTrader: (1)

alrite as the title states i have a RHD shell that im building and i have a donor car that im going to use to swap whatever it is that i need into it but the question at hand is what type of things should i do or check on while im putting the car together. i dont really mean in the aspect of building the engine but fo example i have to attach the a-arms to the front of the car so i was looking at replacing all the bushings on the arm.....would this be necesary or are they typically ok?
so in other words general maintenance type issues or things that on a 20 year old donor car may be on their way out and are easier to replace/fix now since the entire car is apart.
any advice will be greatly apprieciated!

Aaron Cake

iTrader: (1)

The bushings are 20 years old. They're dead.

While you have the car apart, think about what you're doing. Personally I'd seam weld the whole thing, even though many say that the benefits are negligible. Repair any rust, paint the underside with decent rust preventive paint (POR-15, ZeroRust), sort out all the extra factory wiring, etc. The key is to PLAN what you are doing first to avoid backtracking over existing work (ie. don't paint the underside before you seam weld).

ramello

iTrader: (1)

what do u mean by seam weld? like re-weld over any seams? or were the seams not welded to begin with?

yea defnitly agree on the planning part thats kinda why i started this thread so i could get ideas on what i should do and then plan it all out

any other recomendations?

TehMonkay

iTrader: (-1)

Do a wide body while your at it....

But actually, I think it might be a good idea to have the rear quarters cut out around the edges and redone to do double insurance against rust, that, and remove all of the sound deadening crap.

Replace all of the bushings and mounts.

WadeMCarter

seam welding is where you go along the seams of the car and weld every other inch or so ( not the whole seem or else it will contract and shift). it is a lengthy process, but the chassis is considerably stiffer when you are done with it, compared to that glue type material. Oh and aside from bushings and POR-15 the underside, clean the car extensively, it will make everything easier while owning the car. enjoy.

classicauto

iTrader: (3)

You do realise that the "glue" you're talking about is called seam sealer. It covers the exposed seams that are already spot welded together at the factory.

The "glue" just keeps debris out of the joint.

My list usually includes:

Bushings
Bearings
Lines (brake and fuel...especially inspect them where the clips clip onto the lines as it will hold moisture against them)
Anything thats rubber

Aside from that what you do will depend on what you're doing with the car.

staticguitar313

iTrader: (2)

prepeare to spend alot of money and listen well.

WadeMCarter

no i didnt know that. thanks for correcting me though

88rxn/a

iTrader: (6)

buy 1 part, need 3 others for it to work....
thats usually what happens to me!

YaNi

iTrader: (2)

Replace all the exterior hardware (nuts, bolts, clips, etc.), as well as use anti-seize. I've snapped so many bolt heads I lost count.

By the end you will be good at drilling out bolts...

Take you time and make everything look good, polish and clearcoat the control arms, paint the subframes, etc

Alex Rodriguez

iTrader: (137)

preach on brother amen!

Valkyrie

First off you should tell us if it's a race car, or a street car...

I wouldn't bother unless it's a race car, or if it's a show car, and you've got a LOT of time and money on your hands.

Assuming it's a race or time trial car and you've got enough money to buy a house with...

Step 1: strip it down to the bare frame, then take it to a body shop to make sure it's straight...

Step 2: Fabricate a frame rotisserie...

Step 3: Spend the next several months spot welding the frame... Also, weld and paint the subframes... reinstall, with a lower bar for the front subframe (it's basically a C shape afterall).

Step 4: Remove and repair all rust. Paint the entire body white (including the interior), then paint the exterior whatever color you want... Unless it's a show car, in which you should paint the interior too.

Step 5: Install roll cage (a full weld-in race cage, not a bolt-in tuner cage).

Step 6: Install pillow-ball suspension bushings, solid diff/transmission/engine/subframe mounts, reinstall everything except the interior (for obvious reasons). Install fuel cell and new plumbing.

Step 7: Install an adjustable floor-mounted pedal set with balance bar...

The rest is basically up to you.

A custom-spec'ed steering rack (fast ratio), with electronic assist wouldn't be a bad idea... but it will probably cost more than the average TII, if you're lucky...haha


If you're not willing to do at least 1/3rd of that, you might as well just buy a TII in good condition, IMO.

ramello

iTrader: (1)

its going to be more of a street car than race car i suppose
kinda along the lines of el nene's where it looks show but has lots of go

the body is straight and has absolutely no rust it actualyl looks a lot nicer than a bunch of california cars ive seen and its already stock white painted which is the color i wanted to go with from the get go

what did u mean by:
Step 3: Spend the next several months spot welding the frame... Also, weld and paint the subframes... reinstall, with a lower bar for the front subframe (it's basically a C shape afterall).

im not sure what you meant by 'with a lower bar'

also anyone happen to know where i can locate a RHD manual rack? it appears i have a power rack in the car and im just not interested in trying to hook it up....plus long term goal is to drop an RE into it
and as far as brake lines do you think it is ok to splice together lines?? i already kinda figured im going to have to custom bend some of the lines but the line that is running front to back was cut as well as the fuel lines coming from that area.....

Valkyrie

Don't bother with a manual rack. The ratio is horrifically slow.

By "lower bar," I mean a support member that goes between the two front lower arm rear mount points, and reinforces the front subframe.

lax-rotor

iTrader: (1)

Coming from some one who has already done this, and wishes he had a few things known before I give you this:

1)make sure you have enough time to do it right.
2)make sure you have enough space
3)make sure you have the right tools

If you've already secured those do the following:

on the roller (the car without the engine) tear it apart. Get it down to the frame. no interrior, no exterrior, remove the dash, the carpet, the boxes, everything. put it up on jack stands, (be aware that you might want to invest in new suspension while you're starting this project) remove wheels. Tear it down until you have almost nothing on the car.

Now go over the roller. Look for rust, crap (dirt, mud, etc), broken pieces, old worn out pieces, bushings. Everything. Inspect underneath the car: look for the same and if you have the "rubber" undercoating on it. Strip it off, and look for rust, holes, jack damage. anything that would keep it out of presitine condition. repair everything left on the car. Once you've done that, prep it for paint and paint it. That's not just for cosmetics. It's preventative maitnence, trust me.

once you've done all that, remove the big pieces from the donor car. If you're swapping in the engine (which I assume you are) clean it. If it's in need of a rebuild, do it now. save yourself the headache later. Clean and paint it. inspect the lines and everything else. Buy new motor mounts. basically inspect every individual piece you put in the car. this will insure you have everything up to date and ready to be broken in correctly and that you have first hand knowledge of everything on the car. This is what I would have done if I had the time and location, but then again i'm ****.

Look up the cerberus project to see what I accomplished in about a month or two. That should give you a good idea of what you'll have in store.

ramello

iTrader: (1)

its already stripped down to nothing
i bought it that way

it basically has rear struts and springs, with a hub no rotors, the power rack and front sub frame, the front a-arms are sitting inside on the floor....aside from that its the bare frame no doors, no glass etc

i guess mostly im looking for certain things to look for as i swap parts over like the above example was the bushings what else might i be missing out on besides the obvious

most of the obvious things i will be doing new upgraded parts example new upgraded rotors and upgraded shocks and new springs etc

also any advice on how to remove a windshield?? i need to put a windshield on the shell and the one on my donor car is factory original so i wanted to swap it over

ramello

iTrader: (1)

hmm just thought about this last night....
but since its RHD what type of issues might i run into when i run the harnesses....more specifically the body harness because ill being going with a haltech or microtech so ill have to fab that harness anyways
but the body harness to run the lights and all the other goodies is going to be an issue i would assume.....

any thoughts on this?
custom harness? what would be the bare minimum that i need to hook up (ignition, lights, wipers, windows, and then just a main line to the fuse box from the battery?)

DaBrkddy

I dunno if this matters but... any aluminum part you put a steel bolt into will have some electrolysis (sp) over the next 20 years. If you replace the bolts with some good stainless ones and use an anti thread locking compound on all of these bolts, (e.g. suspension, brakes, engine, etc.) it will make it tons easier to repair the next time you take the part off. Also, if you sell the car in the next 20 years, the next guy will thank you.

lax-rotor

iTrader: (1)

Which car is RHD? the Roller or the Donor? As for the harness so long as you're swapping in the ecu and what not I don't imagine any trouble with it (other than the lengthening of the shorter harness). You'll also have to redo the steering column and what not, but I'll stop my "suggestions" there becuase I have exactly zero experience with RHD.
that's answered above. From what I under stand modding the exsisting harness to increase length (since it will be on the other side of the ecu like it was used to)

For the windshield if nothing is wrong with it and it's street legal keep it on there and don't bother with replacing it. Windshields are fickle things, they crack really easy if you don't know what you're doing. What you will need is something to scrap away a little (and I emphasize a little) bit of the weather strip at a time untill there's a hole going through. don't use anything bigger than a razor blade as it will put too much pressure on the edge of the windshield if not enough of the material is removed. once you have a hole big enough to slide the piano wire through you'll be in business. you may want a friend at this point too, so make sure you have one. wrap the piano wire around some dolleys or something to secure them to. Saw the wire back and forth and putting a little bit of water on it when the wire gets a little too warm (make sure you have alot of wires cause they like to brake after about 10-20 minutes use). Go slow and methodical in it and you should be able to clear out a side. Once you've done that continue sawing around the corner taking care not to go too fast. After you've sawed all the way arond the windshield it should be easy enough for you and your friend to lift it out. expect to take around 2 hours or so if it's your first windshield. after which it may only take you around an hour or less.

Another suggestion I have for when you start swapping parts over is to clean them individually, soaking them in solvent or carb cleaner if necessary to do a deep methodical inspection of each piece. If you notice something wrong, it's easier to fix when it's out of the car and in your hands rather than tucked away under the interrior. While you're doing this rebuild your hydrolic system, which includes Clutch MC and SC, Brake MC and perhaps inspect the brake booster, as well as bench bleed them (don't forget to flush the lines with freash fluid!).

Inspection of and repair of the sunroof is perhaps the easiest now, since the headliner is removed. If you don't have a sunroof don't worry about it.