Going KA-T

[Mattk]

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David
Here's the pict of the front of the frame. As you can see there's some pretty bad damage. When I bought it I just thought that someone had tied on to the sway bar for a tow and in turn ripped it off. But the damage was worse and I didn't see it. Oh well
But cktrap thinks he's got a good frame for me so that's the route I'm gonna go...and since cktrap is in the doghouse for gettin that gem of a roadster Im sure I'll get a good deal...right Keith

Alvin
Sorry to hear the picts aw gone. That really sucks and is such a loss. Thanks for the info. I believe Dan is down in Katy,TX. Which s about 5 hours from me. Not to far in Texas....but still not close.
Yes I do have the KA and tranny.

As for the project. I'm almost done stripping the frame to make room for the new one. Hopefully soon I can get to fabbing up the motor mounts.

Matthew

[Sudo]

Why wouldn't you just take it to a place that straightens frames? At least get a bid?
I guess since you're not keeping it a "numbers original" car, it doesn't matter; but would swapping out the frame have any title/insurance implications?

[Mattk]

Welcome to the forum Sudo!
The cost of getting the frame straightened is about the same as the newish one I might be getting. But there is little if no documentation on the frame out there. I have the drawings for the 310 frame but not for the 311. There's not much difference between the two but there're still differences. Plus the newish has not been knocked around like this one has....it's just easier in the long run.
As for the title and registration. I'm not concerned. Im not looking to sell the car ever or do a super duper resto, so a reconditioned title will be fine and our agent tells me there's no issues.

Just an up date. The frame is stripped and sitting on the side of the house. I am surprised at how light these frames are. I was able to carry it out and lean it against the side of the house.

Cheers

Matthew

[Mattk]

So this weekend I convinced cktrap that he needed to come and fix my frame issue....look at this I went from this,
to this in just a few hours!

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So he didn't actually fix the frame so much as he hooked me up with a new frame from the parts car. We spent the Saturday stripping the parts car and getting the good salvageable parts off. It was a lot fun and I can't thank Keith enough!

As for the frame....it is clean, it's straight and it is ready for a KA to be fabbed in. Again I can't thank Keith enough, my project had hit a snag that could have derailed it entirely. Because I'm not about to add gobbs of HP and torque to a bad frame...just not a wise thing to do!!

Now it's time to get movin'

Cheers

Matthew

Ps sorry about the pictures I'm doing this from my phone. I know the issue...I'm lazy

[Sudo]

Looks better. Plans for the frame-- POR15? Powder coat?

[Mattk]

I plan on powder coating the frame. I'm not ever planning on selling the car so I want it done right. I will take it in for media blasting and powder when fabrication of all things frame are done. And now I got some wild hair up my a$$ to do a four link tri rear end. Doesn't look hard to do; just time consuming to get it done right. Already been reading about it, I even dusted off some of the old text books for some info. But we'll see how it goes. For now it's motor mount time!!!

Cheers

Matthew

[Sudo]

Request stays the same: lots and lots of pictures! I'm right behind you...

[Mattk]

So some progress has been made. Yesterday I hooked up the tranny to the engine and set it on/in the frame. I then realized that i needed to see where the shifter hole is in relation to the frame. So I set the body on the new frame to see and measure the shifter location.

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The frame fit like a champ, made me smile . Then off came the body again!

Today I set out to do some notching. It was a cold and wet day here in the Dallas Metroplex. Its was 45 degrees F when I went out and 34 when I came in. I know its not as cold as the north but this is Dallas man, people here are just not used to this (I spent 10yrs in Milwaukee, soooooo) . This also meant that I coundn't roll the body out of the garage, so I had to work under the body rack today...so that was fun
I started by grinding off the original motor mounts cause I KNOW I'm not going to use them.

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Getting better at grinding...which I'm sure I'll get plenty of practice doing

I then turned my attention to the tranny mount. This is the plan. I want the shifter in the factory location; so that makes placing the mount for the tranny pretty straight forward. I have purchased a motor mount that Spriso uses (forgot the name, its in the wiki, $30 at Hi/Lo). Its for a GMC H-350 automatic transmission. So I measured it and the tranny, measured the frame again....and again....then I measured some more. You know the drill. Then the grinder came out. The beauty for me is that I have a second tranny that I can use for mock up instead of hoisting the motor and tranny together.

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I also found the biggest dirt dobber nest I have ever seen. It took up the entire inside of the frame. I wish I had taken a pict of that...oh well Thanks Keith!
My plan is to get the tranny mount done-ish and then use that as a locator for doing the engine mounts. For the prelim i'm going to mock up some rigid mounts to see positioning of the motor. Once the placement, exhaust and other items of interference are finalized under the hood then I'm going to fab up the final motor mounts using the rigids as templates. I'm going to do the mounts that I posted in my mounts post, they're fancy .
So it gave up after that but I have decided to carry the mount notch all the way to through the frame, box it in and then welding in a 1/4" plate for the mount itself, will post more later.

Cheers

Matthew

[Mattk]

So made a little bit of progress today. With the snow changing to rain and the temp climbing to the upper 30's I decided to box in the notch on the frame. Unfortunately the rain ment the body couldn't be rolled out of the garage, so had to work under the car again.
I decided to carry the notch all the way throu the frame so I can have easier access to the tranny mount bolts. So I cut it out and started making cardboard templates for the pieces to box in the notch. Got them cut and shaped to fit nice and tight which took a bit of time, but that's what you gotta do. My brother in law came over to help me with the welding. He's an experienced welder and this is literally my second time ever welding. His guidance was invaluable. Got them in, but will need some grinding to make it look pretty. That being said I think the welds where pretty good considering. Gave up after that...the cold finally got to me. I'll get to the speed sensor notch next week.
Sorry the picts are in no particular order as I am sending this from my phone.

Cheers

Matthew

[pebbles]

Although you rear mount is not complete, i would suggest trimming your 4speed mount plate flat and using it as additionel support, (not for the trans for the frame). Mine was a 5sp mount and may use it for another car, so I fabbed a plate that bolts in like the stock mount for additional frame strength.

[Mattk]

Damn...that's not a bad idea at all! I've been having some concerns about the strength of this mount. Thanks!
Now I just need to find it

Cheers
Matthew

[cktrap]

If you can't find it I have a spare one laying around.
Keith

[Mattk]

Thanks Keith i might have to steel that from you.

So I was bored and I decided to photoshop possibilities. This is what I came up with.......the wheels are Roto Flush 15. I have a couple more that I'm going do, but this is it for now.


Thanks for the picture Ken It is one of the best picts I could find for this!
Let me know what you think.

Cheers
Matthew

[Gregs672000]

I prefer the silver over the black personally. I'm with Will, as sometimes black wheels disappear. Just my 2centavos!

[Mattk]

Greg-
You and my wife are in the same camp. But I have another rendition I'll post later that I really like.

So I finished up the tranny mount and boxed in the speed sensor notch. I would like to say that....WELDING IS SO MUCH FUN!!
Anyway I got a piece of C channel and used it as the mounting shelf for the tranny mount. It worked out pretty well. I think that it will be more than adequate for supporting the tranny. So for now I'm going to put the use of the OEM tranny mount on the back burner. I had to flip the frame on its side to finish the welding on the bottom of the mount. I got the speed sensor notch done, but after getting it done I do have a very small concern about clearances, I'll mock it up next time with the actual tranny and engine combo to make sure.
Next step is to start on the motor mounts! Progress...gotta love it!

Cheers
Matthew