Everyone loves a gaited shifter
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Stuff my dog says; on second thought I'll just build a race car
- Thread starter NashGTI
- Start date
Six hours of today to make the shifter. I hadn't completely welded the top gaited cover because I forgot my notes at the house today where I had measured the shifter pattern on the transmission yesterday. Luckily when I got it home and checked I had remembered the numbers correctly. Need time now at the other shop to be able to actually fit it to the trans tunnel and make the link rod to make sure it all works like it should.
Big changes today. Got the seat I ordered in last night so today it got mounted in the chassis and in between working on it I got the steering reversing gear mounted and the lower part of the steering column hooked up. The upper column is just held in place with C clamps for now, but you can turn the steering wheel and the wheels themselves turn. I had Jeff weld the mounting plates to the seat because I just don't weld enough aluminum to make it look decent without taking a day to brush up. After we got that done it was still not too late so I started messing with the shifter. By the end of the night I had the tube welded to the transmission side and had made more of the link bar to go from the transmission side to the remote side and just clamped it to a board and then the board to the chassis and was able to shift with it. I was going to go back tomorrow and mess with the shifter some more, but I'm thinking after working on it both days last weekend I might should stay home tomorrow.
Update: It's a fat pig....
1,917 American Pounds Total Weight
51.1% front 50.5% right
Those numbers are with me sitting in the seat and a few of the heavier bits left to go on sitting roughly where they would be once they are installed. So the caveat for the fat pig deal is that at least it's a relatively neutrally balanced fat pig. It's interesting to see that my thinking with the offset of the engine balancing the weight of the driver (me) more or less worked out.
The long and short being that assuming the weight of what's left it's probably going to end up between 2,300 and 2,400 pounds when it's done if I'm lucky.
1,917 American Pounds Total Weight
51.1% front 50.5% right
Those numbers are with me sitting in the seat and a few of the heavier bits left to go on sitting roughly where they would be once they are installed. So the caveat for the fat pig deal is that at least it's a relatively neutrally balanced fat pig. It's interesting to see that my thinking with the offset of the engine balancing the weight of the driver (me) more or less worked out.
The long and short being that assuming the weight of what's left it's probably going to end up between 2,300 and 2,400 pounds when it's done if I'm lucky.
It's not much, but it's progress. Had to take last weekend off and then been working overtime at my actual job and haven't had the chance to hop over after work until tonight. Got metal put in to mount the shifter just need to get the bolt holes done and then tweak the rod and that'll be mostly that. Got a surprise for it hopefully if I can get something worked out.
Oddball thing which is probably catastrophic damage inside the transmission manifesting in a funny way. Second gear needs to have a longer opening in the shifter gate than the other gears. Aside from that sitting there stationary the shifter is bolted to the chassis and I tweaked the link rod the needed bit and opened the gates up just enough that the pattern matches the trans very well now.
Then I added bars to the dash and toe board areas to support the bodywork and steering column, pedal assembly too when that gets in there. Then I did things I apparently didn't take pictures of. I cut a section out of the dash bar a little wider than the steering column and found a piece of pipe who's inner diameter matched the outer diameter of the steering column, cut a semi circle section of it and welded on a couple of flat bars off it and welded it into the dash bar to serve as an upper and lateral support for the top of the column.
Then formed a piece of angle to make the actual upper column mount. It will through bolt the dash bar and be welded to the column to lock the top side and keep the column from rotating.
There is the steering column mounting done. After getting the upper done I started to do the same idea for the lower end and thought there really wasn't any point to having something like that down there all I need is something to sort of anchor the lower end and keep it from flopping when turning so I took a piece of box section and cut a little sleeve out of it and then welded it to that toe board rail, added a couple set screws to it to be able to take up any slop that may appear but so far the column fits tight enough in the box that it doesn't really need them.
With the steering column and shifter mounting done I wanted to actually put a dash panel in to add the gauges. Didn't get real far before I was told it was time to go home though. I did get a piece bent to mock up the upper body radius, but bending it and then measuring center on the chassis to center that arch was all I got done. Here it is though.
So is there a transmission tear-down on the schedule?
Not at the moment. I've had the shifter off and drained the fluid and didn't notice an unusual amount of sparkles in anything so I think it's probably OK. Plus it was a usable piece when the truck came in, they were still driving the Gladiator the same as they had been for years to that point, drove it to the shop and we test drove it before tearing that truck down.
So I'm going to stick my fingers in my ears and hope it's fine.
Or turn up the radio...
Or turn up the radio...
Actually now that I think of it, the open exhaust means I won't be able to hear it failing anyway
Dash panel, minus on of the switches I bought because it broke about three minutes after I took it out of its packaging. I needed another momentary contact toggle anyway so now I need two and won't be buying another one from Painless. Didn't like their harness kits now I won't buy a switch from them either. And their relay kits are moronically over priced too.
Good looking layout!
Mounted the pedal assembly with the brake and clutch pedals and all the master cylinders today too. Got part way through welding in the dash panel and had to call it a night.
Unbelievable progress...
Just to remind you of how far you have come,
this is where you were on 24th January 2021!!!
Just to remind you of how far you have come,
this is where you were on 24th January 2021!!!
Unbelievable progress...
Just to remind you of how far you have come,
this is where you were on 24th January 2021!!!
Oh I know, and I've had the Facebook memory things popping up for weeks now showing that year to date progress.
Progress today, the fuel tank is mounted and I finished spot welding the dash panel. Also tweaked the bolt holes for the header flanges and did some exhaust laying out.
Also got a picture of what moved me across the shop, making a two story 1,000 square foot deck frame.
Amazing work and progress!
In that last photo I would imagine that adjustable clamp to be a little uncomfortable...
