Glen Strightiff/Chris Wilson C3 build

[ChaseTruck754]

hmm - I'll have to start digging. Thanks Mark

*edit* for anyone else interested I found it --> http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showth ... er-Topless!

[PaulW]

hmm - I'll have to start digging. Thanks Mark

*edit* for anyone else interested I found it --> http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showth ... er-Topless!

======
And
Ramsey’s TTB/BellCrank rear Blazer
http://www.race-dezert.com/forum/showth ... ost1441965

I think its on hold while the Bronco gets all the attention.
Lots of good stuff comes out of that shop. I am very please with my Bronco.
PW

[baja-chris]

We added some more tubes to the front to triangulate the loads from the front suspension. All the front tubes are now fully welded and painted. To weld the intersection of the engine cage to the A-pillar we used a hole saw to make access so we could fully weld the tube joint. We will leave this hole open so we can inspect for cracks after each race. Under this joint we added a 5x5" gusset. The door bar will also terminate here.

[baja-chris]

I had a Scat chromoly flexplate left over from my prerunner (Ole Yellar) that was ordered for an externally balanced engine but I did not use it because the prerunner engine was internally balanced. The new crate engine for the race bronco is also internally balanced but this time I cut the balance weights off the flex plate, sanded it smooth and sent it out to be balanced. The shop had to drill a few holes to get it balanced. They did not remove much weight but glad I did it.

These flex plates usually break around the center bolts so instead of washers we cut out a disk of chromoly plate to help spread the loads. Will see if it works.

With the flex plate done, the engine now went back in for real with good bolts, locktite, and torque wrench. Even put the starter in.

[baja-chris]

Engine is installed, no plan to remove it until it has race miles on it.

[baja-chris]

We bought a nice steering column kit from ORW (Off Road Warehouse in San Diego) that consists of a 2" dia piece of tubing that is machined to accept spherical bearings and C-clips with locking collars to hold the steering column in place. The collars and bearings are machined off center so you twisted one onto the other to force a snug "cam lock" fit that prevents the steering column from pulling out or pushing in. We fabricated some plates to mount this kit off our dash bar at the location and angle we wanted it when sitting in the seat.

[baja-chris]

The steering quickener, 1.5:1, was mounted under the dash and the steering column was TiG welded to the U-joints and installed. The truck now turns with the steering wheel, but of course no plumbing yet.

[baja-chris]

Billet torque converter, 2500 rpm stall. The tranny is a C6 with a reverse manual valve body built by RDE (Rancho Drivetrain Engineering). I bought it used from another racer and had Steve Culhane go through it and make it new.

The odd cutout in the bell housing to to get your wrenches in if you want to use through bolts and nuts to attach the converter to the flex plate instead of threaded bosses on the converter. This is more common on applications that use a motor plate with spacers on the converter bosses to make up for the thickness of the motor plate. We decided a motor plate was not needed for this bronco build.

[baja-chris]

With the tubes for the front suspension installed, welded and painted, we put the shocks back in with proper hardware and the front of the truck is now sitting on the suspension at roughly ride height. I'll add a second coil spring above the one seen after we finish the truck and can weigh it to calculate spring rates.

The bypass shocks, coilovers, and air bumps are all Bilstein 9100 series. The Bilstein 9100 series bypasses have three compression tubes and one rebound tube which gives us 4 stages of compression valving and two stages of rebound valving. It should allow us plenty of tuning options. We plan to run quite a bit of valving in the coilover and have Bilsteins in-line coolers installed on the coilover reservoirs. This is the same shock package (size and config) that was on the front of the Armin Schwartz Class 1 car when they overalled the San Felipe 250 a couple years ago.

[baja-chris]

Now that all the major pieces are in place up front (engine, suspenion, cage work, and steering column), we can continue the header fabrication.

[retroblazer]

I have been to the Temple. The Temple of the BEAMS. TTB for short. The pictures don't do this Bronco justice... I pumped the jack to cycle the suspension while Chris marked where he was going to put the front bump stop pads. It is no wonder why they limited the front wheel travel in the class, fifteen or twenty years ago, to a max. of 15".

[baja-chris]

Headers built. Got a carb from C&J, the small line is to remove any excess fuel and pump it back into the cell with a faucet pump. Carb is a Holley 750 double pumper with side hung float bowls, extended vent, and porting. The mount for the CNC brake pedal and master cylinders is shown next to the steering quickener. The brake resevoirs are remote mount.

[ESHALLBETTER]

I've got the same carb and love it! Thsi project is turning out super rad. Can't wait to see more of it.

[cs_drums]

Any updates??

[gunit]

His project is on hold while we get ready to race the Baja 1000. Chris is in Baja now marking the course for SCORE.

[baja-chris]

Got back on the project this weekend. The tub is now complete, fabricated firewall pieces and everything is seam welded and all holes filled. About a mile of welding!

Rear suspension done (upper mounts for shocks) and support tubes for that.

Added some X braces at the back, made the rear cross member and fabricated the spare tire mount. That is a spare front spindle, hub, bearing setup used to locate the spare which will be held down with a Y ratchet strap. There will be a rear bumper behind this.

[baja-chris]

Now sitting on the rear leafs. Double shackle setup with a 3-link to locate the rear end. Other than the modified body, this build is totally class 3 legal. If the class 3 racers allow us to race with them (with the modified body) then we will leave the coils off the coilover and run on leafs only so there is no question of secondary coil suspenion. If we have to run with the Ultra 4x4 or in Class 8, then we will remove the leafs and put coils on the second shock.

[SteveG]

Looking good, Chris! So when running without coils, you'll still use the rear shock on the lower links?

[baja-chris]

Right, would run dual shocks in either case.

[AussieRod]

Now that Savage is history, I'd suggest a new body? Now that SCORE has changed hands, the rules might not allow what you are planning. I'd get approval IN WRITING now. Just saying.