Troy Sloan posted:Tell us more about the car.
It is one of the bodies that was built by Beck in China. Has a stainless steel frame, beefed up bus transaxle, normally aspirated 2.5 Subaru, no radiator, and needs a lot of stuff and work. I don't know when the engine last ran, so tomorrow I will turn the crank. Do you think I should squirt anything in the cylinders to keep the rings and cylinders lubed? I don't know when I can get it running. It came with the ECU and attendant harness. Came with part of the exhaust, but I don't think all of it. I need to install the steering column, and that has me a bit confused. I have the piece with 2 u-joints to connect the rack and pinion to the column, but there is a bigger diameter tube that from my vantage looks like it goes over the approx. 5/8" diameter steering rod, but the two mounting bearings do not fit over the tube. I will attach photos later to make it more understandable. It came with two 914 seat buckets, but no upholstery, at lease none that is useable. The engine is temporarily mounted, and I will need to install more permanent mounts. That is a shame because I have no welding skills. The rear suspension is part swing axle, but no torsion tube or torsion bars. Instead it has coil overs. The sump is hanging way to low, so I will have to buy a shallower pan, If I had my druthers, I would go dry sump, but the cost is prohibitive. It has all the glass, but no rubber or trim. If you want to give me the low down on where to purchase rubber and trim, I would be grateful. So far, it seems frightfully expensive. It came with an unmounted fuel cell, but it does not fit anywhere without some modification, so ... who knows what I will do with it, ..., kind of depends on where I fit the radiator.
It was originally designed to run on electric power and the spacing behind the seats is much less than a regular coupe. The good news on that is that there is enough room to run a turbo, intercooler, all the plumbing, and Subaru 5/6 speed. Those will be in the future. I want to get it drivable first and then start playing. I will post photos of the engine/transaxle compartment, so you know what I am talking about.
The swing axle concerns me, but I will keep on researching work arounds. I watched a 356 race and they did not seem to have any jacking problems. Any and all opinions are welcome. Presently it has Fuchs style wheels and I like 'em, ..., alot. There are only two lug bolts installed per each wheel with the other 3 spaces empty, and I had a bit of a quandary figuring out what to order. I took one off, but it was the cone type seat and the wheels have ball type seats. The Fuchs are five lug, but not wide. I don't as of yet know the bolt pattern. If anyone wants to chime in, I am all ears. center to center, the lug holes are 75 mm apart. It has 4 wheel discs.
I am happy with the portion of the build that is finished, but don't know how to feel about the rest. It is overwhelming because I keep seeing what I need to do, and it is a lot. I am making a to do list, and I think I will be making it for awhile. I don't like the idea of putting the whole car together and then taking it apart to paint, but that is what I have seen is done with quality builds and I guess I already knew the answer and was maybe hoping I would hear something different. The front suspension is A-arms that the previous owner built from scratch and something existing parts. It will need coil overs, and I am unsure how to measure for them.
It came with 'made in India' VDO replica gauges, and that is just fine for now. It came with some very old ivory knobs and includes a cigarette lighter and ash tray. I don't like the Subaru air box/filter, but it looks like it may fit, so I may keep it for now. It came with a very old VW wiring harness and maybe I will purchase a new one, make my own, or use the old one to start. Any opinions on that?
Opinion needed: The roof is fiberglass, which does not lend to much protection from an accident. Should I install a roll bar? From what I can tell, mounting to the existing frame would not be a huge problem. I don't like roll bars that are prone to having a head hit them, so that would be the real obstacle.
Is that enough for now?
I will download some photos and then post them.
Troy, thanks for being interested.