Bringing out the dead Options

[Jeff Hail]

Bunch of little things to tidy up, fabricate... before I button the floor up....

1)FABRICATE THE PASSENGER SIDE TUNNEL REPAIR PART.

Fabrication is easy. Doing it twice with opposites is a challenge. Even know the parts are dimensionally symetrical they are not the same. ( Cutouts, notches etc)

Came out a beautiful piece of metal !!!

[Jeff Hail]

Now thats a SHIFT knob !!

Whatcha think?

[KELTY360]

Now thats a SHIFT knob !!

Whatcha think?

I can get behind that.

[Hontec]

I just read your topic and maybe I read over it, but the lower part of the firewall on the engine side, who makes that panel? AA or restoration design or did you manage to get an original one?

Thanks and I love the way you're doing this, extremely nice work!!!

[914outlaw]

Bunch of little things to tidy up, fabricate... before I button the floor up....

1)FABRICATE THE PASSENGER SIDE TUNNEL REPAIR PART.

Fabrication is easy. Doing it twice with opposites is a challenge. Even know the parts are dimensionally symetrical they are not the same. ( Cutouts, notches etc)

Came out a beautiful piece of metal !!!

Nice work Jeff. What gauge steel did you use by the way?

[Jeff Hail]

I just read your topic and maybe I read over it, but the lower part of the firewall on the engine side, who makes that panel? AA or restoration design or did you manage to get an original one?

Thanks and I love the way you're doing this, extremely nice work!!!

The lower outer firewall is a New Old Stock panel for an early car.

[Jeff Hail]

Bunch of little things to tidy up, fabricate... before I button the floor up....

1)FABRICATE THE PASSENGER SIDE TUNNEL REPAIR PART.

Fabrication is easy. Doing it twice with opposites is a challenge. Even know the parts are dimensionally symetrical they are not the same. ( Cutouts, notches etc)

Came out a beautiful piece of metal !!!

Nice work Jeff. What gauge steel did you use by the way?

16 guage

[obscurity]

I just read your topic and maybe I read over it, but the lower part of the firewall on the engine side, who makes that panel? AA or restoration design or did you manage to get an original one?

Thanks and I love the way you're doing this, extremely nice work!!!

The lower outer firewall is a New Old Stock panel for an early car.

Where did you find the part? Was it pricey?

[krazykonrad]

Jeff-

Your level of craftsmanship is incredible! Every time i see this thread, I'm just amazed.

Konrad

[Jeff Hail]

A bit of a hiatus after two back to back surgeries. Nothing major just time away for healing.


I have never been a fan of articulated headlamps. Loss of form when raised and aerodynamically handicapped. Added weight etc, etc, etc. I have been on the hunt for three years for a viable compact alternative to the original.

Hella offers a solution but not econonical at $1400 a pair including ballast. F that!

I have seen flush mounted lamps that frankly look and are cheap substitutes for a functional alternative to the original.

CRITERIA:
1) A more powerful lighting solution.
2) Improved illumination with less power draw on high beam than the original sealed beams
3) Cost effective and easy to fabricate/modify.
4) Able to fit into the original lamp bucket without cutting original material away (in case I ever want to revert back to the pop ups)
5) Somewhat plug and play.

Enter Bi-Xenon lamps: ake Daimlers "Xenarc" projector headlamp
A compact and short Bi-Xenon projector assembly

Both the 2010 SL55 and E class use the same Xenon projector assembly. The lamp assemblies are completly different as the SL55 has adaptive (pan, tilt) servos BUT the actual projector inside the lamp is the same identical unit. A friend at a Benz shop has damaged assemblies all day long BUT the projector is always OK.

I take a few junk damaged headlamp assemblies home and start destroying them for the guts. The high end cars have about 180 individual pieces that make up ONE headlamp assembly. I am only after the projector with the shutter actuator. Bi-Xenon lamps do not have a low and high beam. The lamp is always on. What differentiates high and low beams is a shutter or brow that blocks off a partial amount of light like a camera lens shutter or iris.

These are light weight, short and compact. I only need to fabricate a housing like the 944 flush headlamps and lens. Make sure it is servicable and sealed.

If Lamborghini could get away with using 92 Nissan 300ZX headlamps on the Diablo I can do this easily. (bet you never knew that)

[Loser_Cruiser]

any updates? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Jeff Hail]

any updates? (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Nope... busy elsewhere.

[saigon71]

Awesome work Jeff! I have learned a lot from this thread. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[Jeff Hail]

A little time to play last night. Been busy everywhere else.

The rear portion of the tunnel is done and welded. Spent a lot of time fitting the floor to the tunnel flanges and lower rear firewall. Lots of trimming here and there, leveling and self tapping screws for positioning. Then take it all apart again for the last time before I weld everything up.

1)Still need to weld in the mid bracing for both the clutch and throttle cable tubes rom the underside. Need to pickup some copper rod to shove inside the tubes so I dont blow holes.

2) Contemplating moving the shifter tower back a couple of inches.

3) Need to media blast the inside of the tunnel to remove the last of any scale.

[speed metal army]

Now thats a SHIFT knob !!

Whatcha think?

I think youre on the right track.Fu**in A! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/aktion035.gif)

[Loser_Cruiser]

Lookin good, I'm excited to see your lighting solution.

[enderw88]

If Lamborghini could get away with using 92 Nissan 300ZX headlamps on the Diablo I can do this easily. (bet you never knew that)

I had to see it to believe, wow!

[Jeff Hail]

My neck and left shoulder are killing me. Can't keep a good fabricator down.


The tunnel braces for the throttle and clutch tubes are fab'd and installed. Sorry no pics.. Ooops.

Fab'd some other parts. I hate buying stuff that can be made and love making stuff that can't be bought. Access to a 50 ton press is helpful.

Name those parts?

[majkos]

I LOVE the near "donut holes" shelf
(Don't know what to call 'em)

Better than original

[Scott S]

Now thats a SHIFT knob !!

Whatcha think?

Is that a real pool ball? If so, bad bad bad bad bad bad bad bad idea - please do not use that. I did the same thing on a 1981 full size blazer - built the thing in shop class in high school around 1984. I can still see some of the scars from the 20+ stitches in my hand when it shattered 3 months later while driving. Find a fake/wood ball - dont use a glass/ceramic.

Ugh. I remember having to call my parents from a pay phone to come get me in a parking lot and take me to the ER. Had a hand full of glass, a shifter covered in shards and blood all over the carpet and seats.