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Post by F3W on Jan 2, 2009 23:20:40 GMT -5
I am waiting for Spring to kick in...cuz I am going to convert my '95 Aspire into an RT!...yes, you heard me...it gets flip 'n hot here in Texas, from what I have heard....so I need A/C!!...the car in question is a 2 dr. sedan and has a salvage title, so hacking my cars value up won't hurt anything...besides, the car was rear ended with the PO and the cost to replace the rear bumper cost more then what the car was worth, so they totaled the car and gave him the value of the difference...funny uh? My goal is to remove about 400 lbs from a car that weighs only 2,004 lbs from the factory...the parts to get junked are listed: Rear suspension Rear struts Rear hatch door Rear tail lights rear quarter windows Rear bumper cover and supports I plan to cut the entire floor section from behind the seat out of the car while leaving the uni-body sub-frame intact...my plan is to narrow the rear of the car a full 2 feet...I will do this to minimize body overhang at the corners of the car so that I wont scrape the ground when I approach a steep driveway at an angle...this will also give the RT a more teardrop shape for improved aerodynamics...I will be searching the wrecking yards for smaller rear glass and quarter windows to replace what cant be used...I want to also use Ford Focus tail lights which mount up higher on the body for better visibility...the rear single arm suspension will be from a Ford counterpart (first choice) or one that will be easy to fabricate...NO rear strut will be used as I have seen with other RT builds...mine will utilize an air ride suspension with an adjustable gas shock...this way I can adjust the ride quality and not end up with a car that rides too stiff and sits to high or one too soft and sluggish...a small compressor will handle the job just fine with a small tank. I encourage thoughts on this project and will be glad to answer any questions you might have...thanks for read 'n! Dave I thought that you might like to see some pics of the VW trike that I built for my older brother who has done 5 tour in Iraq...while over their he told me that he wanted to build a bike when he got home...so I started this project for him...he will be home in 4 weeks so we can finish it together...enjoy ;D    All the suspension components were designed and built at home...the drive stub axles are modified Porsche 914 units...I also had to remove the upper forward arm to install a forward strut rod cuz my original design was not very stable...I hope you enjoyed the pics...I know it isn't an RT but it still has 3 wheels  |
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Post by srx660 on Jan 5, 2009 20:00:31 GMT -5
Looks like a great job on that VW trike. I admire your fabrication skills.
On the aspire build you need to be careful of weigh transfer. A junkyard friend did this on a toyota and ended up with a trike that would nosedive in the dirt everytime the brakes were stepped on. 400lbs of lead at the rear wheel kinda fixed the problem but defeats the real purpose if one was trying to build a lightweight trike.
SRX660
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Post by F3W on Jan 5, 2009 22:52:03 GMT -5
Thanks for the heads up srx660  ...since I am rebuilding the front suspension and have the bumper off, I can remove some unwanted metal on that metal support the factory used to hang the plastic bumper cover from...this should remove about 10lbs from the front end...it is basically a solid metal box that bolts to the cars radiator support...then they had Styrofoam in front of the metal box covered by the plastic fascia...this is almost all the weight that hangs in front of the car besides the radiator...I could also move the battery to the back of the RT...this will move about 65lbs of weight over the back tire. I also wanted to ask a question about the whole RT thing srx660...should I keep it a four seater or would you go with the 2 seater and just convert the back seat space into storage. Dave  |
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Post by F3W on Jan 7, 2009 0:24:01 GMT -5
I got my camera software uploaded again...I had a serious virus a couple weeks ago and had to have the whole hard drive redone...so know I am picture ready...since know one wants to see what a stock 63hp motor looks like, I will leave those pics out...the motor is filthy with layers of Texas dirt from sitting for a year...oh yah, that's my 1961 Ranchero sitting in the background...she's my pride and joy! ;D      So I thought one shot of the interior would be good for comparison...I did run into a problem trying to locate the front sway bar bushings...I have been searching for a week and have tried every possible place I could think of and ended up finding out that they just don't exist...so I had to go with a universal bushing from energy suspension...I guess that's enough info about my turd for now...I suppose I won't fit in around here 'til this thing only has 3 wheels I can't wait 'til summer gets here, but first I have to get the front suspension finished so I can start driving...the fenders are missing cuz they were destroyed when the PO son desided to drive really fast over a big curb and by doing this caused the tires to destroy the lower portion of the fenders.  Later Dave |
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Post by F3W on Jan 9, 2009 16:06:22 GMT -5
Thoughts on the build: I have to honestly say that after discovering the "Splinter" I may take another approach...I was so amazed by the design and use of using veneers...I think what I might do is pick up another Aspire front clip at the wrecking yard...I can use the clip to locate all the mounding points for the strut towers, lower control arms, steering rack and basically everything I would need to utilize my complete drivetrain from the Aspire when finished...Maybe I'm just crazy to think this way but it would actually be easier and would make for a lot more fun!...and I can keep my car on the road while building a new body. I was going to build a RT awhile back using similar designs of the Vortex...the Vortex is a foam, plywood and fiberglass composite construction...I was going to build something similar of my own design that incorporated aluminum strengthening stiffeners...just seeing how the back bone was done on the Splinter opened up Pandora's box for me...I just like the solid sound of wood over the ideal of a steel frame and fiberglass body...when you close the door, it should sound like a thump...not a hollow piece of plastic. And, the added benefit would be to incorporate the factory dash with A/C and SRS system...the complete wiring system and steering...this will allow me to redesign the exterior so that it will better suit my design criteria...I will get started on the drawing board and post some images in a few weeks. Thanks for read 'n Dave |
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Post by F3W on Jan 15, 2009 13:21:10 GMT -5
More thoughts: I will save the wooden frame project for a later date...I just don't have the patience right now...I think you guys know what I'm talking about...I want to see how this Aspire is going to turn out...I believe that I will be the only person to convert a full FWD car into a RT...it might incurage more to follow my foot steps if it turns out OK...the other thought on keeping true to design is one simple fact...since it will be currently registered, I wont have to jump through the many hoops to get it in the road, and it is mostly assembled and I will have it insured...now here in Texas, it will be a 3 wheeled car...according to their vehicle code, a 3 wheeled vehicle fully enclosed with passenger restraints is considered a 3 wheeled car and not a 3 wheeled motorcycle...later Dave |
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Post by F3W on Jan 15, 2009 20:33:35 GMT -5
Bad news...I finally got my sway bar/strut rod back in my car and found out that one side is 1 1/2 shorter then the other side...I did pick this car up for cheap and knew the lower control arm was bent but didn't realize the damage to the lower frame section...all the more reason to cut it up into a RT...since the sway bay is also my strut rod, it will push my drivers side wheel too far back...I can't drive it with a wheel being 1 1/2 inches further back then the other side...I did measure at the top of the fender to a reference point and they were both the same on both sides...just wanted to post this info in case you came across a good deal that looks like only a little work cuz it could turn into a lot of work. Dave |
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Post by F3W on Jan 18, 2009 12:02:46 GMT -5
Good news!...I was able to straighten my lower frame at home with a 4 ton porta-power kit...it also took some heat from my mapp gas...it would keep springing back into place and I was only getting a 1/4" of movement at a time...it wasn't until I heated up the frame panel that it finally help keep its shape...so know I should be on the road in no time. I hope you guys don't think this stuff is boring  ...but would think that if you did buy a FWD to convert into an RT you might encounter similar problems so I wanted to post this info to share on how to keep a panel from springing back into place. Dave |
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Post by F3W on Jan 21, 2009 1:26:00 GMT -5
Just another update...here in Texas the weather is getting very nice and I can't weight till it gets into the 3 digits...I am seriously thinking lately about cutting the top off and building a removable insulated hard top on after doing the RT conversion...the reason for this is that there is way too many days here that can constitute to having the top down and not needing to use the A/C...this would also remove even more weight which would give even more MPG!...by removing the top, it will open up more options for a more streamlined economy RT. My goal with this build if you haven't figured it out yet it to achieve a high mileage vehicle that was easy to build and had a multipurpose...if also making a convertible fits the build then it just makes it that much more attractive. Dave |
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Post by srx660 on Jan 21, 2009 14:43:52 GMT -5
Well, i thought you knew about this reverse trike. s294.photobucket.com/albums/mm82/tshtrikes/My personal preference would to make it a 2 seater trike. I wonder about weight transfer around fast corners with a 4 seater configuration. SRX660 |
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Post by F3W on Jan 26, 2009 1:33:19 GMT -5
srx660, yes I did see that one already...I like the final product a lot...however, I believe he made more work out of what he had to start with...I have also been thinking about the 4 passenger thing and will take your advice...I believe it would still do OK but I don't want to take that engineering chance...I will also do a removable hard top on mine...this will require extra frame stiffness to accomplish this feat...it may also aid in the way of tying the rear suspension to the existing front half of the car. Today I got my new fenders mounted and have some of the parts painted...my next task is to finish the paint process so I can get it assembled to drive...and once I get a job here, I will start designing the rear frame section and building...I plan on the initial deconstruction mod to only take a day to do...then I will hope to not have it down more then a few weeks as long as everything goes good as the only car stuff that I will have to deal with is the tail light wires and rear brake line...other then that I wont have to touch the rest of the car. Dave |
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Post by srx660 on Jan 26, 2009 12:02:43 GMT -5
You probably have heard of this already, but i thought i would mention it for other people. Some might not have thought of any problems switching brake systems from one application to a completely different one. A friend switched his auto-cross homebuilt car to 4 wheel disk brakes and could not keep the rear brakes from locking up at the slightest touch. A brake proportioning valve cured the problem.  Not cheap,and a bit of overkill, but when needed it works well. The auto makers can afford to have non-adjustable proportioning valves made just for their auto's. SRX660 |
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Post by jim99 on Jan 26, 2009 18:29:30 GMT -5
If you need a proportioning valve, check out www.SpeedWay Motors.com Race parts at a great price! Fast shipping and no hassle returns. Great company to do business with. SPEEDWAY PROPORTIONING VALVE, KNOB STYLE Item #: 91031355Price: $32.99 EA Jim |
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Post by F3W on Jan 26, 2009 20:54:07 GMT -5
jim99, I actually have one of these and was planning on using one...they are a great necessity to have when you want to fine tune your brake system. Thanks for the link. Dave |
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Post by F3W on Feb 6, 2009 0:50:43 GMT -5
On the road finally...wait a minute, what's that noise?...OMG the transmission is wasted...yes that's right...I bought this car under false pretense that all it needed was some front end parts...so again my project is further delayed...after all the hard work and doing a quick driveway paint job, I finally got to drive my car for the first time and the PO never said that the tranny was wasted...when I bought the car, I was able to fire up the motor and it ran great!!...along with a motor that looks brand new!...so when I did get to test drive the car, the tranny sound like a 747 going down the runway...LOUD as hell...not just a whining sound but a grinding noise as well...bummer for me  just because you can get a car for $250 doesn't mean it's cheap...hell, you can hear me coming down the road a few blocks away!...so I ordered a rebuild kit today and will have to fix this serious problem before moving forward...this totally sucks for me and now I have much more work to do...until next time... P.S. new pics coming soon! Dave |
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Post by 3verse on Feb 7, 2009 2:15:23 GMT -5
Man that's too bad...and after all that work.
We still want to see pics asap!
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Post by F3W on Feb 8, 2009 0:19:20 GMT -5
I'll try to get some pictures up tomorrow evening...the brats are finally out of the house and my brother from Germany is home and has his kids back...now I have to rearrange the garage and get settled into my new room...I will also take some pictures of the finished car...the good news is that I ordered a new rebuild kit for the trans and my bro has rebuilt FWD trannies before, so I have some expertise to back me up. ;D...a $250 car turned into a $750 rebuild  Dave |
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Post by F3W on Feb 12, 2009 12:01:09 GMT -5
I have been pretty busy here helping my brother getting settled in and all...I was going to loan him my 61 Ranchero to commute to base and back, about a 40 mile commute one way...so we got the Ranchero running good and drove it to his house and it used a half tank of fuel...well, that's too much for him to budget, so I decided to be the nice brother and give him my Aspire so he can use that instead. The up side to this is that I can now build my other project I have been waiting to build...my V8 FI 5.0 RT! Though I am still looking for work here in Texas, I can still design my project while waiting for a job to show up...the economy is slow here and finding decent work is really hard. Dave |
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...since I am rebuilding the front suspension and have the bumper off, I can remove some unwanted metal on that metal support the factory used to hang the plastic bumper cover from...this should remove about 10lbs from the front end...it is basically a solid metal box that bolts to the cars radiator support...then they had Styrofoam in front of the metal box covered by the plastic fascia...this is almost all the weight that hangs in front of the car besides the radiator...I could also move the battery to the back of the RT...this will move about 65lbs of weight over the back tire.
...but would think that if you did buy a FWD to convert into an RT you might encounter similar problems so I wanted to post this info to share on how to keep a panel from springing back into place.
