Jump to content
Ultimate Subaru Message Board

Documented: The 1970 FF-1 Project car...


Recommended Posts

Yes/No?

 

Looks good to me but what does the stocker or other option look like (too lazy to re-read the entire thread)? As for your T-bars, what about completely shaved with just the stock openings? Or a simple 2 or 3 inch pipe chromed or silver in the rear for some rear end protection (think old school gassers).

Coming along nicely, wish I was in the area to check her out but wont be back up that way for a while.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks good to me but what does the stocker or other option look like (too lazy to re-read the entire thread)?

Stock one is in post 963. There weren't really any other options, other than other Subaru wheels which aren't any better.

 

I looked at all the Grant wheels I could, this was the best option I found in terms of being all black, not too small and made of a decent material (the cheap ones are a funky foam).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 1 month later...

Ya, I had to take off the suspension to do the filler...

 

PITA, but I kind of needed to take it off anyway so I could lower the suspension (had to move the rods a couple notches) and some additional painting/lubricating to make sure everything works right.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Kosta, have you solved your bumper delema, i was thinking of a rubber bumper that goes around the ends of the car, i am trying to think of a specific model of car but a ford commercial comes to mind could be others

Cheers Thierry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Not even thinking about the bumpers right now :P

 

Next up is getting the rear suspension back on, then adding some lube to the wheel cylinders I forgot to do before, and then the engine/transmission mounts and on to the drivetrain.

 

My guess is I'll have the car without bumpers for a long while :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Got my engine/transmission mounts sorted out finally. I ended up just putting bolts straight through in order to attach the rubber along with some sticky stuff to hold the bushings in place just enough. Its pretty sturdy, I stood on the motor and jumped up and down to make sure it was solid, LOL!

 

enginemounts2.jpg

enginemounts1.jpg

 

Anyway, I'm leaving the rear transmission mount alone for now. I still haven't figured out which transmission I have to use. I figure now I can deal with the rear transmission mount not being attached because I discovered it really doesn't do much and I can install it later or have one custom made if I use the frankenstein transmission I built.

 

I'm still not 100% sure the frankentranny will work, I still have to figure out what to do about the clutch spline and whether or not the larger spline will work with the throwout bearing and even if the flywheel has the correct number of bolt holes for the motor. I'll check more of this in the next couple days. I REALLY don't want to rebuild the original transmission... Its going to take alot of work to make it look pretty.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

OK, I have some serious drivetrain issues I need to figure out before I can continue...

 

1) Bellhousing issue #1: The original bellhousing will bolt onto the 1400 block BUT there is a 1mm gap of open space when installed meaning it doesn't seal properly and oil will shoot out and also not being sealed might mean less structural reinforcement.

 

2) Bellhousing issue #2: The original bellhousing is 16mm narrower than the 1400 bellhousing, which means in order to use the 1400 bellhousing, I have to move the front engine mounts 16mm farther forward (I figured out how to do this, but I'm concerned about the effects on the engine mounts and drivetrain weight distribution)

 

3) Flywheel: The 1400 engine has a 8 bolt attachment point for the flywheel, the original flywheel is a 6-bolt (but the 1400 flywheel is 8-bolt). The original flywheel only fits in the original bellhousing because its ALSO narrower than the 1400 flywheel by 16mm. If I somehow could use the original bellhousing, I'd either have to swap the mounting point for the flywheel with the original one (Can't do that myself) or have a custom flywheel made (also can't do myself).

 

4) Clutch: The original clutch has a smaller spline than the main shaft of the transmission I built (main shaft from a '83 FWD). So to use the transmission I built, I need either a custom made clutch of the right size or to swap the spline somehow. It does appear to fit the 1400 flywheel just fine, but I'm not sure about it due to the 16mm depth difference.

 

5) Transmission: The transmission I built I discovered several issues with...

#1 The clutch/mainshaft issue as mentioned.

#2 The rear housing is ~5" longer than the original rear housing, meaning the shifter assembly will move ~5" farther back inside the car.

#3 Also due to the rear housing, the transmission mount location is different, meaning I need some sort of custom job in there.

#4 Lastly, just discovered today, the actual connection point to the shifter assembly is 45 degrees in the other direction from the original transmission, meaning the shifter assembly won't connect correctly.

 

 

So basically, I have to either re-assemble the old transmission to bypass the transmission/clutch problems but end up with the original extremely high gearing, or have a custom clutch, transmission mount, AND shifter linkage made :unamused:

 

And the engine/flywheel, I'm just not sure about. The easiest solution is to move the motor mounts forward and use the 1400 flywheel/bellhousing, but I'm not certain how they will work with the original transmission. I'm not going to even try to rebuild the old engine. The other option is to have the original bellhousing modified to fit the motor, and a custom flywheel made.

 

My biggest problem right now is being unemployed, so the cheapest options are the best but often the most difficult and I don't have anyone helping me in-person with anything so its difficult to make decisions on the fly and not make huge mistakes (I'm sure I've made some mistakes I don't know about yet, it seems for everyone one thing I do I end up making 2 mistakes I have to fix).

 

Keep in mind I still have to have the heads rebuilt, and shave them in order to use the Weber manifold which might have adverse effects on compression that I'm uncertain as to the consequences about...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the clutch issue might not be as much of an issue as you think. there's a company here in Duluth (not a big town.....so I suspect you could find one close to you) that does custom clutches, and they're not any more expensive than comparable off-the-shelf options. I'm sure a disc with different splines wouldn't be difficult at all.

 

here's the shop I'm referring to: http://www.lakeheadclutch.com/index.htm

Link to comment
Share on other sites

the clutch issue might not be as much of an issue as you think. there's a company here in Duluth (not a big town.....so I suspect you could find one close to you) that does custom clutches, and they're not any more expensive than comparable off-the-shelf options. I'm sure a disc with different splines wouldn't be difficult at all.

 

here's the shop I'm referring to: http://www.lakeheadclutch.com/index.htm

"We are also able to rebuild any clutch that was ever manufactured. It doesn’t matter what type of vehicle. From Model A to Corvette, our turn around time on these custom rebuilds is usually only a few days. We are one of the few shops that can do all of these clutches in house."

 

Hmm, I'll contact them and see what they say. I'll take pictures of everything first of course.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...