Thanks fellas!

Lynn, nope, I do everything in that shop. I just clean up afterwards. It's like a hurricane in there while I'm working!

Front suspension shows up tomorrow, so more to come!:biggthumpup:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Looking great Dave!!

Glad you guys are enjoying the progress! I’m ecstatic. Can’t sleep, can’t think of anything except this build. OK, well I can think of a few other things and fortunately things I need to think about like eating, breathing, and such are autonomous so it doesn’t take up brain capacity. :cool2:

I fabricated the firewall over the last few days and will move onto the kick panels and footwell/toe boards next. There will be a hidden crossmember across this area that also will include the door pillars for hung mounting. I was this area rigid so no flex. I positioned it based on my measurements from a real one and it fits like a glove. I should probably stop there while I’m ahead! Nah, nothing ventured nothing gained. So how did I figure out where this gets positioned exactly? Welp, glad you asked? I took reference points on the firewall from spot welds that I replicated on mine, then measured from those forward and marked the fenders. These are all off a real 507. If you can believe this too, they are also off an unbuilt 1/24th scale model I have of the 507 that’s about 30yrs old I bought for reference. Scary how accurate it is. Everything is fitting so far!:headbang:

So with all of this and frame welding coming up, let’s talk motor and transmission. What’s the plan? I had several and they ranged from everything: small block Chevy, Ford, big block Mopar, and even BMW V8 power or straight six. I scraped all of those after really thinking of the car and what I wanted out of it. Putting a BMW in a BMW is a no brainer. But not only do I not know much about the aftermarket for those, I really didn’t want to buy a donor E30 or so just for the motor. Plus, the newer BMW V8s are too electro/techno for what I’m after. Ford and Chevy were just too run-of-the-mill, so what to use. EV? Pffllpp….no. I wanted something true to the real car that aesthetically matched it as best as I could. Stock power was an all aluminum small block V8 with dual Solex carburetors that had a distributor at about the 11 O’clock position when looking into the engine bay. So after hours of researching I came up with a perfect donor engine for it: (chime the Dan Vasic music….). The Buick 215 coupled to a T-5 transmission. A perfect combo!!! The 215 is the exact same size as the original V8, it’s all aluminum, has a distributor offset at an angle, separated exhaust manifold ports, and the ability to use a 2x2 intake. DONE!!!!!! So next week I’m headed up to Kansas City to visit with a guy who has tons of NOS 215 parts, a couple engines, NOS blocks, as well as a prototype 2x2 intake. D&D Performance makes a bellhousing that adapts for the T5 as well. I made a mock up based on dimensions for the motor/trans and figured out based on shifter position I’ll need the S10 version.

Suspension x-member coming today, so more frame follies forthcoming! So let's see, BMW: BuickMustangWhatelse? That about sums it up!

More pics to come over the weekend with fascinating frame fabrication!:naughty:

Cheers
Dave

Dave, love the firewall, it came out fantastic and the Buick 215 selection is a no brainer /autonomous :grin:

That is beautiful Dave

Thanks guys! I really appreciate the compliments. Can't wait for everyone to see the car when done. My original plans were to bring the unibody to MCACN this year, but that's gotta be delayed until next year due to the move, in-law suite build, shop addition, and planetary alignment :shocked:
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I'm humming right along though. Tons of notes and measurements. The final piece of the frame puzzle shows up today!

Cheers
Dave

Dave, you really should spend some time getting your garage more organized. /sarc.

Looks great! Can't wait to see more progress. You're really doing this project justice, great work.

Cheese and Rice man!!


You are blowing my mind!!!!


Ryan W31/VW

CROSSMEMBER!!!

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cheers
Dave

Rare BMW that hasn't left a garage for 43 years will go to auction

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world...a57262f2517ed3

I have spoken with this owner. His other car is the one I got all my measurements from. :biggthumpup:

Very small world, this 507 planet!

Cheers
Dave

Squares? Check. Indigimous levels? Check. Straight edges, micrometers, and gravity compensators? Check-a-Roo!!! Welp, time to weld up some stuff and see if it resembles a front end.:wink:

Starting off reading the instructions would be a great idea. But last I checked, that never helped any guy at any point in human existence. That comes right next to asking for directions when lost. Pfflllpp….you tell me when either one of those things actually helped out a problem. Let’s see. This should go here, but why is that angled? Does it angle backwards or frontways? Does the long thingy point backwards? This goes topwise, right? OK, OK, maybe just to set a good example for the lesser know’d people, lemme just bust out this paper packet here…..

So after reading the instructions ten times and mocking things up that equal amount of times or more, I have a front end! I will say that the instructions were really detailed but did leave out a few things. There are way more measurements than I had anticipated and I’m glad I did things three, four, five times to make sure I was on the right track. Get it? Track? Front end? I know…..stupid. :thumbsdown: Anyway, more on the front assembly.

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Remember, I’m starting from nothing so my front end frame rails aren’t anything but 2x4 stock. This will be a subframe that will be connected to the side rails, seamlessly I tells ya, forming the complete frame. So I set the measurements based off an inner frame rail dimension of 26-1/4” and a inflated tire size of 27-3/4" There’s a series of calculations that determine the notch size, distance, and spacing front to back on the rails. I set the axle centerline based on a distance from the front of the rails rearward. The crossmember gets placed rearward from the centerline which is marked on the rails. It’s a simple mathematical formula that I had jotted down in my notes shown here for thoughts who are curious….:scholar:
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Once level and square, I tacked it in place. Next comes placement under the front sheet metal. Using jacks, levels and the centerline marked on the fenders, I positioned the subframe in positioned and aligned it as close as I could. It didn’t have to be 100% accurate in placement since I don’t have it welded up to the main rails yet. But it needs to be square and level. But having it in the right space is a confidence booster for when I fit the wheels up and they actually fall in the wheel wells. Once that was all I placed correctly I then needed to tack the top hats on. It’s a simple process, really:

1. Measure 9/16th down from the outermost inner point of the centerline of the forward point of the coil over mount.

2. Using an angle indicator, scribe a line 3.27 degrees aftward from the previously described point.

3. Triangulate this with a point on the opposite side on the backend portion of the rearward top hat front shock inner mount. :hmmm:

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So after that simple calculation, a few tack welds and bingo….instant front end!!!!

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The wheels fit in the wells exactly as planned and everything is square and true. I’m extremely happy so far. Hopefully I can keep the momentum going for the rear. That’s going to require a whole other set of measurements along triangulatory longitudinal perpendicularousness. :dunno:goggles

Cheers
Dave

Dave, I can see why you were excited about that front end kit. It looks to be perfect for this build. Keep up the good work!

Thanks, Phil. Yes, it bolted up nicely. On the final trim out I’ll be making it look more factory without shiney polished parts and such. Heck, I may even add inspection marks!!:hmmm::tongue::bs:

I’m hoping the rear ships out this week. More to come…

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Wow. Next level stuff for sure. Makes the restoration work you've done look easy.

Thanks, Jake!:biggthumpup: It’s definitely a realm I’ve never ventured into. I’ve installed two front ends like this with one being in a 1951 Chevy 3100 and another is a 1966 Mustang convertible. But those were on existing frames. Always fun hacking out tried and true engineering for back yard bafoonery!:hmmm:

Up this week will be front frame to mid section joinification and floor pannous creatous!:dunno::laugh:

Cheers
Dave

Saw this article related to a 507:

https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/enth...ad3cae5a706107

----Geez, Dave! you should be able to eclipse 150 horsies without even breaking a sweat with a 215 GM. Bet you could keep it smooth a reliable with around 300hp!!!.....Bill S

Alrighty, moving right along. The front suspension is in place so now it’s time to join the front rails to the side rails. My frame rail/industrial pipe bender is in the shop getting fixed,:bs: so the best way to join these will be the form the connectors using plate stock and cut them to fit. How do you do that? I used the same technique I used forming the body panels; paper cut outs. Worked grea! Of course everything has to be level, plum, true, square, then checked again, and again……annnnnd again. When I felt comfortable that everything was where it was supposed to be, the Lincoln Mig 225 set on D and a speed of 7 laid down a few tack welds to hold everything in place.

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The small triangles are the lower radiator mounts.
One part of the suspension that I am still on the fence on is the steering. I don’t like the way the rack and pinion looks up front. Yet, the 507 does have the drag link in front versus behind. My initial plans were to switch out that system to a manual box of some kind and use the linkage to match. I haven’t welded the rack mounts on yet since I was sent the wrong end tie rod end links in my kit. This manual rack is centered and with a 60” track width does requires longer rods. I esplained’ this to the dude on the phone where I bought my kit and he says, “No, you need a rack extension, not longer tie rods.” To which I replied, “No, I need longer tie rod ends on both sides. The problem you are referring to is a result of an offset rack and improper steering Ackerman. My rack is centered which does not change the pivot points thus keeps the Ackerman angle intact. I need longer rod ends to reach the spindles.” So this goes on and on until a conference call happens with the tech who builds the kit and he says, “You need longer tie rod ends”. Ah, customer service. The next domino in the decline of societal values. Anyway, I have the right parts so now I just have to decide what I want to do. I’ll probably just use the rack for now and alter the lower fascia to hide the thing. Easy enough to do!

For the rear I decided 4-link was the best way to go since I didn’t want to see any goofy leafs springs and a drop in Jag rear was just way too overboard for this. So just throw the rear in and weld up for bars to hold it in, right? :burnout: Whoa, hold on Potsie. First you have to figure out the CG height of the car, lateral constraint points,:scholar: set the angle of the smaller top bars correctly both on the horizontal and lateral, verify percentage of length between the top bars and lower bars, cross measure for squarity (squarity?) and verify track by cross triangulating the measurement on the diagonal calculating an instant center (IC) that results in correct anti-squat. :scholar: See? Easy! Besides a few SuperDaveisms, believe it or not, all those terms are things one has to think about installing a 4-link set up. Yeah, I had no idea either. I’m pretty sure this was why Shawn said, “Call Art Morrison.” Time to learn more stuff!!!!:eek2:

So step one was to assemble the Currie 9” sporting 3.70s and a posi with 11” drum brakes. After that was assembled and positioned, I then bolted up the wheels. Then the problems started. goggles:rolleyes: My 5 on 5.5” bolt pattern has thrown everyone whomst I chat with for a loop. This is the old big Ford pattern but it Instantly gets changed in everyone’s head to the more common Ford or Chevy 5 on 4.5/4.75. And that’s what happened here. Sent a message to Currie who got the word from the front end people, and the following conversation ensued:

Currie: [rrriing…..rrrrring……rrrrrrrrriiiiing] “Currie Enterprises, Get your Rear in General and start here! This is Stan, can I help you?”
Me: “Yeah, hi Stan. I ordered a 9” rear for my project and it looks like I was sent the wrong bolt pattern axles and drums. It’s supposed to be a five on…”
Currie: “May I have the order number?”
Me: “…five and a half and…oh, yeah, Order is 543875JMFC”
Currie: “Yes, what is the problem?”
Me: “Yeah, as I was saying, I received the wrong bolt pattern axles and….
Currie: “You ordered a 5 on 5.5” bolt pattern.”
Me: “I know, that’s what I’m trying to tell you, the axles you sent are wrong”
Currie: “Those aren’t wrong, that’s what you ordered.”
Me: “I know that’s what I ordered, you sent the wrong ones to me!”
Currie: “Why would we send you the wrong axles?”
Me: “Why would I call you to discuss my axles if they were the right ones? Do you think I just wanted to compliment you on how nice they were since I have nothing better to do?”

So, after this “Who’s on First” round about, I finally have the right axles and drums coming this way. But in all seriousness, they were excellent to deal with unlike the front end people. It really was just a matter of a quick email with a photo and him saying, “What the….those ain’t right! We’ll ship the right ones out to you tomorrow with a prepaid label for the return.” Now that’s how you do it!

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Despite the set back, I’m continuing with the mock up and things are going well. More to come with details on how to set up a 4-link, why the links are positioned the way they are, and the decline of customer service.

Cheers
Dave

Wow - again.

Pfffttt....who needs a frame table when there are 2x4's around. Frame is looking quite cool.
Customer service...at least you got to talk to a real person. Seems most of what I get anymore are automated menus with automated choices that aren't what I called about and automated answers to their choices, that aren't what I called about.

OR.... I get some person whom I absolutely cannot understand no matter how hard I try.

Ooooooh, tank u veddy mooch for dat inforrrrrmation.

Then me: "I am so sorry; I am not trying to be rude, but I simply cannot understand you, so I will call back and hope I get someone I can understand."

OK, back to our regularly scheduled Super Dave Adventure.

My floor pans just showed up! I'm so excited!:hmmm::cool2:

Cheers
Dave

I've bought those same floor pans a few times.

Progression has progressed with progress! Despite the setbacks with the incorrect bolt pattern on the axles, I was able to get the rear set up and all calculations have been run, double run, and triple run with triangulatory and squarity preserved. I originally was going to design my own rear set up using torsion bars like the factory had and at the last minute just decided a 4-link was a better way to go. Not knowing about something leads me to searching for people smarter than I am to either learn by osmosis or the sponge effect and soak up all of their knowledge. While the previous got me through college using my textbooks, I can’t see calling a rep from a chassis shop and asking if we can touch craniums for a couple days.:blush: Besides being a pain to coordinate, it sounds creepy. Geeze, where was I? OK, moving on…..

It seems the off road crowd loves the 4-link set up. Check out any monster truck racing scene and you’ll see it. Rock crawlers sport them too. There’s a lot going on back there which I learned really quickly. This is such a fun project since it’s making me learn a whole new everything in regards to cars that I didn’t know before. Calculations a plenty!!!

The plan started by positioning the rear in the frame rails and then verifying it’s square to the front. This involved me pseudo-mounting the tires to the axle since my bolt pattern was not correct. I measured front to back and also triangulated the measurement to make sure it was perfectly spare in the frame. In other words, the axle is not only on the same parallel with the front track, but it’s on the same longitude and not offset from the front wheels. Once I was confident that I had that I tilted the axle to set my initial pinion angle. The pinion of the rear needs to be on the same plane at the tilt of the motor. I set this using the intake manifold by measuring the angle of the carburetor mounting flanges. It shows about 5 degrees. Angling the rear up 5 degrees gets the pinion and engine centerline angle the same. Fine tuning happens with the links later.

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Once that was set it was time to set the bars in place. Initial mock up showed that the upper bars will work but might be pointing high, and lower bars needed to be hacked shorter. So, back online I go….and then the sirens went off and arms flailed… “Danger! DANGER Will Robinson!!!!” Apparently you can’t shorten the lower arms nor do you want the upper bars facing upwards. Something called Instant Center which is a percentage measured from a starting paint of 100% based on an imaginary measurement of the suspension linkage to a point where it intersects that is effectively the point of pivot for that set up. :scholar: I know, I thought the same thing….”HUH?”:dunno: The fluorescent light bulb in my head displayed a weak ballast and was flickering. Well how in the heck does that get figured out and what the heck does that mean? Off to find people more smarter than me and luckily I was rewarded with an online calculator.

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The light went on full bright after finding that calculator. No more flickering! I had to weld up mounts for the lower control arms, but the uppers seemed to fall in place. A test of the suspension through the movements with a jack and an angle gauge verified the pinion movement being acceptable through the suspension travel. The other things that need to be considered during the position of the brackets are the angles of the top arms to the longitudinal axis of the car and that all the mounts are parallel to each other as are the bars. Too shallow and angle and you don’t have proper side play stability. Too steep and it’ll bind. About forty-five degrees, plus or minus a few, seems to be the best angle. Mine seemed to fall about at the forty degree mark. The left and right bars should be at the same angle and parallel to each other. In other words, one not higher set that the other. There’s one of those opticallical conclusions :eek2: happening on the rear since these Ferd 9” jobbies don’t have a centered 3rd member which makes the bars appear to be at different angles since they mount a little offset from each other. The bars are the same height. The mounts are not. Finally, after all those angles are achieved and the suspension is verified it doesn’t bind up, it’s welded in. I know….PHEW!!!!!!!
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So next up is floor pans, dash, steering column positioning along with the pedal quadrant and seat. So basically, I'm building the car multiple times and then one final time and then breaking it down for paint.

Yeah, I know... Another PHEW!!!:laugh:

Cheers
Dave

So today the frame is back on the ground and I'm going to install the suspension again. I'll then start with positioning the firewall and start in on floors. I final welded the rest of the 4-link mounts and notched the lower forward mounts for floor pan recess. Engine and transmission show up next week so I can get those mounted too.

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A cool thing I bought of eBay is a vintage Grady White aluminum steering wheel. This thing is EERILY similar to the 507's wheel. The handle reliefs in the grip area and the reverse side has knurles just like the original. I'll probably buy a 1940s Ford aftermarket wheel and graft the hub on to this. I'm so excited!! I love it when I find parts like this!!!

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Front and rear skins piled in the corner just look cool. More to come this weekend....
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Cheers
Dave

Moving right along, I mounted up the suspension and am now at the point where I need to start fabrication on the inner unibody. I'm starting first on the engine bay which consists of two large box rails that hold the body skin along the sides (with included drip troughs) and meet at the front which connects the hood hinges and doubles as a core support. I tacked the firewall in place so I can then start into the floors after this. I can't weld anything in place on those until I get the engine in place.

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Basically, one thing can't be done until another thing gets done before the other thing gets done.:hmmm:

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So more to come later this week with fabrication a plenty!!

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Exceptional Dave, simply exceptional. Love it! More, more, MORE! :biggthumpup::biggthumpup::biggthumpup:

Thanks, Samitron!!:biggthumpup: It's pretty fun trying to mimic the original structure. I think I'm going to be the world expert on the 507 after I'm done with this! :cool2: Well, the world according to Dave, anyway.

Maybe I'll open up a shop. "SuperDave's Coachworks. If you can think it, I can build it. Possibly.":hmmm: I know one thing, Mr. Ashton has already committed to having it on display in painted form on a rotisserie for all to make fun of, er, admire next year. :eek2: Luckily, it'll be in my usual spot back by the bathrooms in Hall G.:crazy:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

I wouldn’t be surprised if you were (or already have been) approached by some org wanting to buy your schematics on yr 507. Don’t sell for less than five THOUSAND U.S. American Dollars! :biggthumpup:

BTW, I have met some interesting individuals in Hall G back by the restrooms! :hmmm:

Well, the problem with that is if someone were to buy my blueprints and pay my inflated, bloated, and simply unrealistic asking price they would be disappointed when the packet shows up. Comments like “This is mostly done with crayons” and “All this seems to be is a collection of jibberish, and is that a smiley face where the wheel centerline is supposed to noted!??”:biggthumpup: would be the ensuing conversation between the business partners on their purchase. :eek2: Although is would be on large drafting paper with blue ink. So it’ll look cool:biggthumpup:

Don’t you worry, I’ll bring all my scribbles with me for display next year. All questions will be answered in regards to dimensions, design, and insanity.:rolleyes2:

Cheers:beers:
Dave

Dave,
I enjoy watching this project get built and appreciate being able to follow along - it's looking great. As an engineer, something caught my eye...

On a four link, all the force driving the car forward comes through the lower links (those are in compression) while the upper links are in tension. The lower four link brackets in their current configuration are cantilevered in two directions - horizontally inward, then hanging down. The suspension will be trying to "twist" that bracket off the frame rail anytime power is applied.

Can you tie those into the crossmember in front of it, gusset them to the frame rail, or run a continuous crossmember across the frame rails there? That is one of the most stressed areas on a chassis - right now it is the most flexible portion of that frame section.

I attached a picture of a Chevy II four link conversion with how the subframe connector gets tied into the LCA bracket - if you could do that to the large crossmember tube, it would help a lot. Just my 0.02...

Luke

Greetings Luke,

That's incredibly good advice. Yes, I can do that with no problem. I wasn't aware of that section being so stressed so yes, I can add something that way. The notch was due to floor pan recess but I can easily apply a gussett and a frame extension to that crossmember.

Thank you for the suggestion!:biggthumpup:

Cheers
Dave

Members helping members! :biggthumpup:

No prob - happy to help! Want to make sure you can fully harness all the fury the 215 can unleash; which in a light car should be plenty :D

Dave, a few things. First, what an incredible, insane job you're doing!!! I can't imagine taking something like this on even if I was retired and I had nothing to do!! You have unbelievable focus on your projects. :worship:
Second I'd also like to help a fellow member as well. When you're done I can offer you free storage for it!!! :shocked: :naughty: :smile:

Ha! Thanks Mark! The way things are falling into place, I may be bringing the thing completed next year to MCACN instead of just in paint but not completed.

Thank you for the compliments. It's definitely a test in patience. Case in point, the dash:

First, need to lay out the A-pillar crossmember and then get the measurements from the windshield base frame to the dash structure. Oh, and I need to make the windshield frame to boot!
With that, I need to make sure the wiper transmissions have clearance so I need three measurements on those. Oh, and since there aren't any, I need to find them!:eek2: Once things get measured up then I can weld the frame up but only before I make the mounts and verify the steering column sits correctly. It's truly a puzzle and it's so much fun to figure this out!!

I'm already starting to figure out what car is next on the agenda after this is done. I know...one thing at a time!!

Thanks for the thoughts fellas....

When I do get this done I want everyone that sees it to sit in it and enjoy it. You're all a part of this disaster whether you like it or not!!:haha:

Cheers,
Dave

So moving forward, I wanted to get the engine bay front support beams done along with a few other things. As you can see, the front skin goes back on again. I'm lucky to have a wife that understands this project (actually, I don't think anyone does.... Including me!:frown:) and she's willing to lend a hand when needed. Once that was back on it was time to run the side beams which serve two purposes. The first is to have a place to support and mount the front skins and the second it to tie the front end together. The beans consist of a 1.5" square tube that connects to the front post by the core support and the other connects to the firewall via a plate that connects to the A-pillar support frame. Everything ties together creating a rigid box.

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But before that was done I formed up the lower splash shield and here's where I may add an extra couple inches or so later to cover that steering rack. For now, this will work.

Onto the dash....

Cheers:beers:
Dave