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| Project Build/Restoration Documetaries" Please do not post in this forum |
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12-09-2005, 03:32 PM
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Dick Bear's McBearen/Mclaren - by Dick Bear
Librarian's note: With Dicks permission I am combining the contents of posts from his original thread that he is using to document his project, as well as his thoughts and experiences along the way. The project is on-going and is a work in progress, as is this compilation. I have exercised a little editorial license for the sake of continuity and clarity.
I want to acknowledge and express a special thanks to Anders for taking the time to embed the photos that Dick has "Attached" in his posts, as Dick is unable to do so himself due to a technical problem. Anders has enabled the posts to be more complete and easy to follow. Also, I have attempted to embed pertanent "quotes" from others that evoked particular responces from Dick, to allow for "context" of some of Dick's thoughts and observations. Please feel free to contact me if you find something out of whack. For full context and discussion, the entire contents of the thread can be viewed here: http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/showt...8&page=1&pp=10 Table of contents Part 1 - Start thru October 27, 2005 Part 2 - October 30 thru October 31, 2005 Part 3 - November 1 thru November 13, 2005 Part 4 - November 19 thru November 20, 2005 Part 5 - November 29, thru November 30, 2005 Part 6 - December 1 thru December 30, 2005 Part 7 - January 1 thru February 28, 2006 Part 8 - March 1 thru June 3, 2006 Part 9 - June 11 thru July 6, 2006 Part 10 - July 10 thru July 26, 2006 Part 11 - July 30 thru September 8, 2006 Part 12 - September 14 thru Today Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 09-16-2006 at 11:50 AM. 
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12-13-2005, 09:14 AM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 1 - Start thru Oct 27, 2005
Original content provided by Dick Bear
10-16-2005 Hey! When I was young (a long, long time ago) I had a facination for the successes of Bruce McLaren in both design and winning with his CanAm Series cars. Those of you who remember his domination in the late 60's and early 70's can, I'm sure, understand my interest in this person's genius for design and as well as his achievements on the track.  Never being able to justify the expense of owning such a vehicle, I have long imagined that it would be great to someday build a "replica" before I make my trip to Alaska (reference Alaska's tourism promo). About 3-years ago I began to research and assemble the equipment, skills and pieces needed to accomplish the task. Involving myself in MM was one aspect of the puzzle I felt I needed to accomplish my goal and I'm thankful for all the information and instruction this site has offered me through contributing members. For better or for worst, right or wrong, I have over the last 24 to 36 months decided that my McLaren will be called a McBearen and will, due to cost(s), be powered by a Honda Vtech 2.0 Si engine and be based on a conventional, yet custom, chassis. The huge Chevy and Hewland transaxle are way out of my budget limits to say nothing of the costs involved in the special aluminum alloys and composites incorporated in the original version. Further, I want to create the McBearen as a street legal, sunny day driver that I can enjoy whenever I feel the need to silence the irritating whine of the rice-racers as they weave through traffic with their 8-inch diameter exhaust pipe extensions.    Fabrication began just a few weeks ago and has progressed nearly without a hitch. In order to bring you up-to-date this first post has several photo attachments which will be followed by fewer photos (per post) as the project continues.         I'm sure there are many methods of accomplishing what I am doing but my intent here is to first, share the project with those whom I have learned so much from on MM and secondly, to illustrate the methods and sequences I have determined to be of value to me in making this dream begin to become a reality. Perhaps in so doing, I will encourage someone else to begin planing their own dream project. I look forward to any comments you may have. However, I promise I won't start over even if someone feels I should have begun in a different way. (grin) Dick Bear 10-17-2005 Hey, Quote:
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In an attempt to compile the information gleamed from web sites, custom builds and other sources of reference, attached is one of the preliminary drawings I made for myself to better visualize what I would be building for the rear suspension on my McBearen.  Cheers. Dick Bear 10-20-2005 Hey Friends, I've been held-up at the shop for the last few days and couldn't check the MM site. Thanks for all the input from everyone. Doug your photos were fantastic and the experiece of sharing the track with one of those classics must have been thrilling. I hope I can pull-off shaping the body once the mechanicals are completed. The photos were appreciated! Quote:
Anders, I've taken your suspension drawing seriously and will incorporate your comments into my plan. The drawing I made was, however, not to scale nor with any serious perspective consideration. It was a simple attempt on my part to illustrate the primary components of the IRS for my own understanding. I have a problem in that until I get things down in a visual format I loose track of individual pieces and have found over the years that if I draw them out I can better understand their existance and functions. I I probably shouldn't have included that skectch but I wanted to demonstrate the process(es) I have used to develope the building of the McBearen to the full extent. Steve I'll look into the resource materials you listed. Things are moving so rapidly on the build right now but, as I mentioned earlier, I have other projects in the planning stage and the material will be helpful, I'm sure, in the future. No doubt I will make some errors in design on this one and will have the opportunity to cut, grind and re-fab components once they have all been identified. ugh! DanoFab, the Riley artical was a pleasure to read. Not only was it informative but it was also very well written. Even I could follow the author's mathmatics and his discriptions with diagrams were right down my visual alley, thanks! Travis, if I am able to address details such as anti-squat in the design of the IRS I will be able to call the mechanical portion of the project a success. The learning curve is steep but my desire to create is up to the task ... I hope. I finished the rear end and finally got the little wagon on the ground with all the wheels attached. Lowered the engine into place and using the 4-Honda mounting points was able to fabricate the necessary receiving brackets on the frame. The whole thing slid into the area without a hitch. Of course I had an advantage in that I calculated the space and left plenty of extra room. If it hadn't fit, I would have really been kicking myself. The photos with my friends around the vehicle give you some idea of the scale. The rear of the car is pretty well set with the inclusion of the engine but as you view it realize that the nose will extend out abour 24-inches beyond what you see in the photo.   It was exciting to finally get it on the ground as a complete roller! Thanks again .... Dick Bear 10-25-2005 Hey, I've been making steady progress having finally gotten the sub-frame outfitted with four wheels and set on the floor (lift). Fabricated the support frame for the lower mid-section of the car (attachment #51 and 52),   sketched in the front radiator and nose section supports which illustrates for the first time the overall length of the vehicle (#62),  cut, bent and welded one seat shell using 1/8" aluminum (#63)  and temporarily mocked-up the clutch and brake pedals before finishing the foot pedal compartment with aluminum sheet material (#66 and 67).   #58 is a detail photo of the rear suspension for those of you who have constructive criticism and or suggestions for what might work better.  Really getting anxious to get the thing moving under its own power but still have to purchase steering column components, radiator (custom no doubt), fab a gas tank and select the right coilovers for the rear end suspension. That is a lot to do but once it's all completed the real fun will begin with preparing the buck and finally shaping some metal. It is for that aspect I can't wait! Have to talk to Kerry about one of his magic machines. Maybe he has a demo available following MM05! Cheers! Dick Bear 10-25-2005 Quote:
The round tubing used for the rear and other structure, such as rollbar and braces are 1 1/2 x 1/8" DOM (drawn over mandrel) material. This material was used because I needed to bend many of the rear frame components. Cutting and welding those pieces would have created many shorts and welded angle intersections resulting in numerous possibilities for failure. You will note that critical triangulation of the tube frame was also used in this portion of the fabrication. Not illustrated yet (because I haven't gotten that far) are the many aluminum panels which will be riveted to the frame providing additional strength against bend, twist and flex. The outer most pieces of steel are for the purpose of attaching the body shell to the lower structure. These stringers are simple 1/2 x 1/2 x 14g sg. tubing. Although not depended upon for strength they too will add strength once the alluminum panels are riveted in place. I hope this answers many of your questions. Dick Bear 10-25-2005 Quote:
In viewing, one must keep in mind that the up and down travel of the rear suspension will be only 4-5" in total. 2-2.5" off of center in either direction. A fact that will result in a less than "air-ride" comfort for the driver but this is a take-off on a McLaren so I don't expect it to ride like a Lexus. Many assumptions and many "command decisions" have been made in the design of the RIS of the build. I don't pretend to have all the answers and am confident in only one fact: I have, or will have, made errors in my decisions. That's the fun of tackling something new. Thank goodness for testing sessions! Thanks to everyone for your interest, questions and comments. This log has been an added enjoyment to the obviously enjoyable process of the design/built McBearen project. Dick Bear 10-27-2005 Hey, It's great to read the many comments, suggestions and questions that have been received. I've tried to respond frequently so no one feels thwarted nor ignored. Steve, as Paul mentioned in his post, much of what is done is a result of necessary compromises and the fact that the lower arm is not paralell with the ground is because of the 4" ride height while reacting the fixed dimension (size) of the engine. I know it isn't ideal but I feel that the limited amount of travel of the McBearen's rear suspension, as apposed to a typical passenger car, allows me to make this otherwise questionable choice. Hickey, The gas tank will be a custom made unit placed directly behind the seats. The fire wall will separate it from the engine compartment and although it is near the driver and passenger that somewho seems to be the safest place to locat it. That is also the most logical from a weight distrubution standpoint unless you were building it for competition in which case you'd hang it all out like Bruce McLaren did and place twin tanks, one outside each of the main frame rails. I'm not going to do that for obvious reasons. I plan to locate the battery on the left side in an easily accessable spot just infront the passenger's feet, tho' outside the "cabin" (just behind the FIS lower cross member). I need front end weight and having it on the opposite side of the vehicle from the driver will help to balance the weight of the driver. The radiator will be in the front as well. After the air travels through the open grill it will pass through an aluminum duct directing it into and through the radiator. Once it passes through the radiator the air is deflected nearly vertically creating a 2nd or 3rd down force factor on the front end depending whether you count the radiator as one of those deflectors, or not. Paul, thanks for your thoughtfull critique. I am in the process of lowereing the upper arm chassis mounts per Anders' and your suggestion. I don't think they need to be moved very far down and out to achieve the upward angle you both have suggested. I was also planning to re-enforce each of the attachment point but had not done so until their placement was finally determined. I'm not appossed to cut and grinding but never like to do more than is needed, if you know what I mean. The toe adjustment bar is an issue I've wrestled with for quite some time. I have several choices in fabricating the final attachment points and have decided that I'll wait until I have the shocks mounted, allowing me to move the suspension in its' final state providing the opportunity to physically measure any changes and visually evaluate the most appropriate attachment point based on the movement. The addition of inboard braces to the lower a-arms will be made per your suggestion as well as a planned cross bar between each of the lower a-arms once the shocks are here and the appropriate location for each can be determined. FYI each of the a-arms consist of a full length 3/4 x 1/8 DOM tube sleaved with a slightly shorter 1 x 1/8 DOM tube welded at both ends. Judging from the bend tests I performed the single 3/4" tube would have been sufficient so the addition of the 1" tube sleeve is probably over kill. Hopefully I'll never know! Yesterday I removed the engine, rear suspension components, front suspension components and the rack and pinion leaving just the frame and the pedal pocket that I had fabricated on the front. I did this so that I could make the final welds on all placed members and then primer paint the frame. It was surprising to me how light weight the frame is even now with nearly all the structure in place. I don't want to say forsure but the final weight of the McBearen may come in significantly under my original estimates. If that is the case, the little Honda 2.0L vtech engine may be all I want for a street special. Wray, I'd love to post pictures directly to the post but have been unable to figure out how to do that. The alternative has been to provide them as attachments. Myself and computer lingo are like H20 and oil. Should have more pics soon. Until later, Cheers! Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 12-13-2005 at 02:30 PM.
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12-13-2005, 09:18 AM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 2 - Oct 30 thru Oct 31, 2005
10-30-2005
Hey again, Has anyone noticed that building a car from scratch is much like watching grass grow? It's a lot more fun but after you spend several days on it you look back and wonder what you have been doing all that time. Measureing, figuring, adjusting and planning the next steps take a much longer time than the actual fabrication does but without it, I guess everyone woud end up with an Aztec. After uploading the photos to the gallery and receiving about six (6) Fatal Error Messages I decided to update you with photos using the only way I have been able to do it in the past: attachments. I really envy those who have grown up with these incretable TV's that come with a keyboard, but I'm one dumb Tar Heel when it comes to getting done what I want to get done unless I've done it a million times before. Kerry asked a few questions that I want to address first. As far as titling the car goes it is my understanding that there are two ways of accomplishing it in NC. Ironically, the first method is to go out of state to return to NC with a title. I say ironic because the state that is used most often to begin this process is that great state that leads off the presidential nominations each 4-years: ALABAMA! NC doesn't recognize a first generation title from Alabama so I've been told to have a friend or relative living in VA or Florida arrange for an Alabama title, register it in FL or VA and then transfer it from there to me in NC. That's really going around the horn to finally arrive home! The second method is to request a VIN # from NC and then have the vehicle inspected by the NCDOT. According to several friends this is not a big deal if you politely jump through a couple of hoops, gingerly and one at a time. Fortunately I have a friend who has had a long professional relationship with one of the inspectors and he assures me that, "there won't be a problem". I hope he's right! The headlight issue is not a deal braker either 'cause the front fenders of the McLaren are surprisingly high and have an ideal surface into which the lights can be aesthetically inserted. My wife has a Z3. I measured her car to find a legitamate example and was pleased to find that I have plenty of room (height) on the fender to place the lights atleast as high as they are in her car. The idea of keeping a cost record is a good one and I'll do it in general terms for those who are interested. All I ask is that no one posts anything about how I paid too much for this or that. My feeling is time spent searching for the perfect deal is sometimes more expensive than just getting the item and going on. I didn't begin this project to boast about how cheeply I did it but rather because I wanted to do it tho' I'm not spend thrift either. One other concern I have is that my wife may read a post from time to time and if someone says, "Dick, I could have gotten that ball joint for you for half the price", she may question my judgement! So with that said, here's what I've spent in roughly rounded figures to date: 1. Steel and aluminum: sponsor donated by my steel supplier, Fishel Steel of Winston-Salem (estimate including about 40' of 4 x 6 I-beam material got the frame table $2,500.00. 2. IFS; Mustang II with ajustable coilover shocks, rotors, calipers, spindles, bearings, rack and pinion etc. etc. $2,500.00. 3. Rims and tires; 18 x 9's on the back and 17 x 9's on the front $1,750.00 4. Rear coilover shocks, steering wheel (13"), steering shaft univerals, quick release steering wheel hub and two hiems $1,000.00. 5. Rear wheel hubs (used; out of a jeep cherokee) with splines $70.00. 6. Four (4) new ball joints for the rear hubs $90.00. 7. Die cast metal scale McLaren M8B model for reference (ebay) $125.00. 8. Honda 2.0L vtech engine with computer and harness having 6-8,000 miles from a switch-out for a '02 Honda Civic $1,800.00. 9. Hydraulic CNC brand clutch and brake peddals and master cylinders $350.00. That's about all for now. I still have to get the CV's and length corrected drive axles with matching splines, battery, speedometer, tach, temp and amp guages, custom fuel tank, radiator, gear shift and cables, lights, horn, radiator fan(s), rear rotors/calipers and, no doubt, a hundred other items I can't think of at this time. Remember we had a deal. The only comment I want to hear from the "bargin hunters" is, "WOW, that was a deal!". If you don't feel it was a deal, please keep it to yourself! (grin) You will notice I haven't posted a total of what I've spent 'cause I really don't want to know right now. I'll leave the addition up to who ever wants to take the time to total it up. I'm kidding as I hope you know. I don't want to be foolish about this whole thing but now that all but one of my kids are gone and through college I don't feel that spending 10-12,000 dollars for my dream is out of line. Remember most people my age are planning their trip to Alaska while I'm planning what I can to tomorrow so that I can finally get started on shaping some metal! One final thought on this, have you priced a new BMW 1200 XL or full-sized Harley lately? To each their own I say. On to the photos. Photo #71: This week I found myself getting ahead of myself with constructing parts of the "tub". I hurt me to do so but I finally brokedown and stripped the frame of everything that I could so that I could give the structure a coat of paint. I was pleased with how functional the frame/chassis looked without the attached components on it. It also helps to see everything in one color rather than some lightly rusted surfaces, some painted and some freshly welded all mixed up together.  Photo #72: Finally I got to put some sheetmetal (aluminum) on the superstructure. This shows the first surface other than what had been done to position the foot peddals earlier.  Photo #74: I forgot to point out what I feel is a good idea in an earlier post (photo). That is my "revolutionary" design for the clutch peddal. Due to the fact that the space is so limited down at the peddals, I decided that in "the heat of competition" I might miss a shift due to not being able to depress the peddal completely. So, rather than the typical square pad I formed a convexed, smooth metal, vertical plate from the top to the bottom peddal shaft. My thought is that regardless of what angle or elevation my foot hits the peddal I can depress it completely because the rounded surface allows my foot to slide down the length of the shaft as I increase pressure. I first used this concept on a series of Nextel Cup show cars I was outfitting with twin video race games. Because the participants in those cars would range from kids to adults I didn't want the peddals' distance from the seat to be a problem for either group. It worked well in the show cars and when faced with the close quarters of the McBearen's peddals I thought, why not. Works well in theory and at a standstill so far.... we'll see.  Photo #77: This shot is for Paul Vander Linden (Alpha) and others who have given me valuable critique and comments on the rear suspension. It shows the reinforcement that Paul suggested for the lower a-arm by placing a diagonal brace from the a-arm's attachment point on the outer frame back toward the center portion of the rear frame. The other arm attaches to the bung point near the rear V of the frame and is held in place by a bolt which passes through a welded tube passing through the frame itself. If that moves it will have to rip the structure completely apart.  Photo #79: The second (actually third) portion of aluminum sheeting I was able to place is the floor panel shown here. I spent some time and bead-rolled several beads into the floor to add some design more than anything since they are not really need for strength in the panel due to the fact that there are plenty of frame members beneath the floor to attach the panel too (see photo 71). Before riveting the panels in place I am laying a bead of automotive sealant down to keep rattles and flex creeks to a minimum. I'm sure that also will help to increase the regitity but mostly it is for sound deadening purposses.  Photo #85: My daughter Erin surprised her mother and I with a 24-hour visit home from school. She came to the shop to see what her adolescent father was up to. I promise you I wasn't making motor sound when this shot was taken but I have been guilty of that when I am alone. That's better than drualing which is what I'll probably be doing sooner than I like to think. Hope I finish the McBearen first!  Photo # 89: I know it is not technically metal shaping 'cause it's only 2-dimentional but to-date this is the closest I've gotten to the real purpose of the build from a metalshaping point of view. Bending and then placing that panel on the outside extemity of the tub was exciting! Also shown in this photo is the dash cross member that the Hiem will be fastened to for the steering shaft. Keep in mind that all of the items relating to the movement and control of the car will be limited to the tub. The body shell will be completly removable exposing the mechanics and other compents of the tub. For that reason, the tub has to be completed entirely before I start on the shell.  That's about it for now. This is, no doubt, more than most of you ever wanted to know about the McBearen build. Cheers! Dick Bear 10-31-2005 Hey Metalshapers! Love the time change. Gave me an extra hour to work and I can make-up the overtime tonight when I go to bed. Spent the day finishing up some of the minor details on the frame primarily having to do with welding the small peices of square tubing in and around the main structure so I'll have something to attach the flat under covering to. A lot of measureing, cutting and welding of little pieces that would never show up in a photo. I also worked on the steering today. Placed the rack and pinion back on the frame and using 3/4" pvc pipe from Lowe's I mocked up the desired route from the box to where the steering wheel will be located. Drilled holes for the two Hiems, created the weird shaped hole in the "fire wall" and milled the double-d shapes into three pieces of 3/4" cold rolled steel. There are probably a hundred different ways to mock-up a steering shaft but using PVC and the traditional southern fastener (duct tape) for the joints works pretty slick. It's cheep to buy, easy to cut and has just the right amount of flex to allow a person to lay in the different lengths as you quickly arrive at the right combination of lengths and joints. Tomorrow I have a couple guys, bigger and younger than I, lined up to help me flip the whole frame onto its' back. I'm continually surprised at the lightness of the frame. I haven't tried to keep it light but anyone of you could pick up one end at a time and two guys can pick the entire unit up off the lift. I estimate that as it sits now it weighs around 350-400 lbs. Add in the engine at 250-300 lbs, all the liquids, aluminum body shell, wheels, tires and my 180lbs and it looks like it may be a light weight. I'm not an engine man but those who know more than I do about those things say it could be a dart. That's not really what I'm trying to achieve but since I've never owned a fast car it might be fun to experience it now. Tomorrow I should be recieving the standard 5-speed gear shift unit and cables from a wrecked Civic in addition to a set of jeep and Honda CV's and axle shafts. If I don't say those items correctly forgive me. I know where they go and what they do but as I mentioned before, I come to this project from a design background and not as a mechanic. Fortunately I have developed a great relationship with a few knowledgeable people in the industrial park where I have my shop and they are continually dropping in to see how the build is going. I love to have them visit and more often than not they leave the shop with self-imposed "assignments" to locate or deliver a piece of the puzzle that they have determined I will need in the future. That aspect of the process has been very rewarding with each person giving his opinion and then showing up in a day or two with some piece that I'm needing to include even though I may have been unaware of its need on my own. Meanwhile I keep assembling and they keep suggesting with enthusiasm for the project. Kerry, I hope you won't be too disappointed if I don't include a knockout sound system on this one. I do want to make some noise with it but not anything that could be construde to be music. I'm thinking of something like a high-pitched whistle. Some may remember when Richard Petty was the proclaimed king of stck car racing (that was a long, long time ago, now all he can do is inhail Goody's Headache Powders to brace himself from the lack of success Petty Enterprises has achieved under the backmarker Kyle). In the late 60's when the Plymouth and Dodge winged cars were competing I remember that Richard and his teammate Hamilton had a whistle sound coming from their two cars. It could be heard, but not really heard as they screemed around Daytona. I don't know for sure but I'm convinced that that whistle sound had nothing to do with their dominance but it always kept people questioning what they had that others had not discovered. So rather than a sound system I'm planning to do something that creates a whistle sound above the sound of the engine, just to create that question in people's minds. That's crazy, I know. But fun. Todd H, One of the really rewarding parts of the MM site is that we all are able to live vicariously as we share the accomplishments of others. I'm pleased that you are enjoying the build as I have enjoyed the many projects of others over the last few years. I'm very interesed in opinions and comments you, and others may have so don't hold back. That's the fun of sharing what we are doing on MM. Thanks Anders for spreading the photos out on the site for me. I don't think it is the size that is thwarting my attempts to upload 'cause I'm below 600 on each of them. It may be due to the fact that I am one of those odd guys who uses a Mac instead of a PC. That's the only thing I can figure although I was able to upload on the earlier site without any problem?! Bob (Tin Head), as I mentioned in my first post on this thread, I hope that having this going will motivate and stimulate others to carry through with a project they have planned or have placed on the back burner. Building a new shop area doesn't leave much time to create things but now that you have that completed share with everyone what you're working on. Paul (Alpha), it sound like you've been there, done that based on your advise for receipt storage. I hope I didn't lay it on too strongly about my spending practices involved in this build. Like Kerry, I feel that information about the cost(s) are of interest to others but I just didn't want to get bearied under a pile of guilt for not taking 10-years to accumulate bits and pieces at the lowest possible price. Heck, In 10-years it may be too late and then the cost doesn't make much difference! Hope you approve of the additional bracing I incorporated following your suggestion. I have yet to tackle the upper arm supports but will adjust them to have a greater degree of up-slope and increase their strength per yours' and Anders' direction. JL Russell, glad you're enjoying it. I've followed your input over the years and appreciate your involvement, as well. John boogiman, as you know I saw James' buck and body last year at MM04. That was one great undertaking, Sorry I was unable to see the finished project this year but hopefully I will be able to see it sometime in the future. Hopefully I will have more picture soon to share. It is great to get up and go to the shop with anticipation for what will be accomplished each day. Hearing (seeing) the comments, questions ad suggestions posted each time I open the MM site is, as I've said before, an added level of pleasure for me as I progress with the McBearen build. Thanks to all who have commented! Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 12-13-2005 at 10:29 AM.
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12-13-2005, 10:35 AM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 3 - Nov 1 thru Nov ?, 2005
11-6-2005
Sorry for the delay but build is going well. Hopefully I'll post a bunch of photos tonight or early tomorrow! Thanks for the videos, and ebay photos. Makes my head spin! Cheers! Dick Bear 11-7-2005 Hey again, I hope I don’t bore anyone with my description and photos of the last several days but because some have indicated they like the written text and others like only the photos I guess if I include both you each group will be satisfied. First I’d like to acknowledge the responses received. Thanks for your comments, suggestions and links. They have been great to read, view and make note of as reference material and just for fun. Thanks again. I mentioned in my last up-date that I was about ready to turn the frame upside down in order to apply the full underbody skin to the tub. That was an experience after only imagining what the bottom would look like as a flat surface of framing members (see photo # 91). I had hoped that there would not be any surprises with protrusions interfering with what I had planned for that surface and I was pleasantly surprised to find none. The various triangles of the framing members really became apparent when viewed from above the structure.  Photo # 93 is a detail of the rivets (about 200 in all) that attaches the individual panels to the frame. I could have covered it using one or two large pieces for the main area but decided that if I ever had to remove any of the panels for some reason it would be better to have the bottom made in several separate sections. Since I used my bead roller to create a lapped lip at each section break removing any except for the front section will be a pain regardless. Each panel is riveted using flush rivets. Before attaching each panel I ran a bead of automotive adhesive on all frame members. I hate the sound of aluminum vibrating and rattling so the use of a sealant between the two surfaces should keep that from happening. Gluing will also add a huge degree of strength to the overall structure of the tub as well.  Photo # 94 shows the central portion of the bottom covered with only the two side pods still exposing the frame. It reminded me of aircraft carriers’ deck at this point and I couldn’t imagine how big and flat it was going to look like once the two pods were finished!  Photo #96 was taken after I had cut and bent the first section of one of the pods and was making a cardboard pattern for the air release skirt directly behind the front wheel. I used my brake to form the uniform 2 1/2" radius for the outer piece bending or braking it into tangents of the quarter circle thinking that I could then file and sand off the ridges to arrive at a smooth round surface. It worked well and the filing needed was very little so I don’t feel that I lost too much material thickness in the process. The cardboard pattern that I am working on in this photo helped me visualize the issued that I had to confront with having two different radii coming together at the junction of the two pieces. As I mentioned the outer piece has a 2 1/2" radius but the diagonal panel has a 1" radius so a transition between the two had to be shaped in the diagonal piece to match up with the larger dimension of the other. The cutout in the pattern at the point where the two panels met is my unsophisticated attempt at picturing how I would form the transition.  Photo #98 illustrates the two panels laid together just prior to welding. I felt that they were ready and went ahead with the weld. Several months ago I had an opportunity to purchase a 3-month old, 10,000 lbs. asymmetrical hydraulic lift from a person who had thought he’d raised enough money to start a business but forgot to raise enough money to stay in business. I really didn’t need a lift ‘cause auto repair or maintenance is not anything I do but the price was right and I went ahead. Well, after starting this project I’m convinced that that purchase was the best purchase I ever made. With a bad back, knees and other aches and pains lifting is not something I relish nor should be doing. I’ve lifted everything except a car on it up to now but having it for this build is wonderful. When I began to weld the 2-panels of the pod, I simply pulled my TIG near by, raised the tub to eye level and went to work. No need to crouch, bend or find another contorted position resulting in fatigue and less than acceptable welds. It was (is) great and I need all the comforts of home when welding aluminum sheet!  Photo # 99 is an overall view of the tub with one pod completed. Getting pretty wide now and you can begin to visualize the full extent of the cars footprint, albeit up side down.  Photo #100 is simply a detail of he 1st pod finished. Wray will, no doubt, criticize the plastic fill but I know how long and hard I worked to get it to this point and came to the realization that unless I used a skim of Bondo here, I’d never get to the next one. My goal is to make each weld seam better than the last. If I accomplish that during the build, by the time I’m finished I’ll be making welded seams without any skimming required. I hope that the purest professionals will forgive me (grin).  Photo #102: I needed a break from drilling holes, riveting and fitting panels so I decided that I’d add a couple of fins to the back section. I doubt they will have any effect but perhaps they will form vortex swirls if I ever drive the McBearen in the rain. Also evident in this photo is the oil change removable panel that I felt I should include because if I didn’t have one the oil would form a pool between the frame members above, or below, depending upon whether it up side down or right side up. Hopefully after this process in the build the flat side will always remain down.  Photo #105 is a pic. of the 2nd pod on the bench after welding the two panels together. Actually three panels since this shows the rear panel, as well. The 2nd pod went nearly twice as fast as the first and for those who are keeping score, the skim required was less also!  Photo #113: my wife stopped by to see what I’ve been doing nearly 24/7 for the last month so I had her take a few pictures with me in them. Just for posterity! Here I am drilling the rivet holes in the 2nd pod to be attached to the frame.  Photo #106 shows the 2nd pod completed and smoothed. The width and breath of the vehicle is now complete. I wonder if I haven’t really made a miniature space shuttle or an X-something or another rather than the bottom tub of the McBearen. I’m pleased and proud so far!  Photo #111 illustrates (from the rear) the bottom completed. Man this is fun!  Photo #115: I called four friends to come over to help flip the tub upright. One other person and myself were able to turn it up side down but now that the aluminum panels were in place I didn’t want to take the chance of dropping it as we returned it to its upright position. Not much weight had been added but the surfaces are now a lot more vulnerable than was the case with just the frame. The radiator I’d ordered had come in and it is lying on the front section ready for installation… kind of.  Photo #117 shows the steering linkage and wheel completed. The routing was pretty much straight forward with just two short jogs between the rack shaft and the steering wheel. I used PVC pipe coupled together with duct tape (joints) to sort through the routing prior to ordering the joints. That system seemed to work pretty easily. PVC is cheap and easy to cut while duct tape holds its shape as one makes the necessary bend points over the distance. Fortunately I had only two shorts before I ran straight to the wheel location. The steering wheel in the photo is not the actual one I’ll be using but it serves its purpose as a mock up. The quick release is necessary since the driver will have to slide into position from the seat feet first.  Photo #119 is a shot showing the PVC pipe sections I used to establish the route and sectional lengths of the steering components.  Photo #121: since the profile of the front of the car is critical to the look of the McBearen as it relates to a M8A McLaren I didn’t want to mess around with that look but I also didn’t want to sped $8-900 for a custom radiator. I was fortunate, I think, to have located through a friend (gosh, friends have been so important to my being able find just the right things for this project) a radiator which is both large enough to cool the engine while being small enough to keep the McLaren look to the front. It’s a cute little thing measuring 13 x 22.5" and fits perfectly into the allocated space.  Photo #122 shows the radiator air duct. The nose of the car will eventually be about 4-inches in front of the duct’s intake. I’ll configure some sort of flexible connection between the actual nose and the start of the duct.  Photo #125. Now it is really beginning to look like a race machine of some sort! No one can tell for sure what kind exactly from the photo but it is unmistakably a competition vehicle. That’s what I’ve been envisioning for a long time! Should be a blast to drive and the building has been a ball so far  Cheers! Dick Bear 11-8-2005 Hey guys, Thanks for the kind compliment Wray. Coming from the master himslf that means a great deal. I'm at the point in my life that Peter can get as pissed as he feels he wants to be! I've been on a self imposed vacation for the last month and am planning to extend that period at least until Christmas! Thank you, also, Anders for uploading my last photos. Secretly I was hoping you'd do that for me. Try as I may my right and left click don't seem to want to click! I found it necessary to part with some more cash for the build so in addition to the expenditures I admitted to a few weeks ago, here is an up-date. $550.00 for CV half shafts (new), rear calipers and disks (new), rear spindels (used), Honda Civic 5-speed gear shift with cables (used) and a Honda Civic gear shift knob with boot (used). $75.00 for a Grant brand 12" dia. steering wheel (new). $18.00 for steering wheel quick release (new). $270.00 for an all aluminum 13" x 22.5" right plumbed radiator (new). Oh, and I got some decals with some of the above items for FREE! Today, I finished fabricating the radiator brackets and trimmed-out the air duct for the radiator. re-assembled the front and rear suspensions, re-installed the engine and got the wheels back on. Tomorrow I have a bunch of things to do but don't know what they are right now. Dick Bear 11-12-2005 Hey once again, This week has been a lot of work but I feel I have little to show for it. Many of the large visual changes have been accomplished and now minor details take time but seldom are photos justified. A few were taken and I’m posting them with the aid of Anders expertise (refer to his most recent post in this thread). Photo # 126: Finally I was able to drop the engine back in and re-attach the wheels so that I could remember what I was building. I’m real pleased with the appearance of the lower tub and if all goes as planned hope to have that component running by the 1st of December! IF MY ENGLISH IS CORRECT, THAT’S A FORTNIGHT FROM NOW. At that time, once I’m sure the tub is mobile, I plan to construct the buck frame directly on the tub and begin shaping metal. My business is usually hectic the 1st 6-months of the year due to the fact that that is when the old and new Nextel/Sprint Cup sponsors make changes to their mobile promotional assets. For that reason, it is imperative that I get the tub completed prior to mid-December.  #127: Had a friendly visit from the VP of Sales of Fishel steel who have thankfully contributed all the steel and aluminum for the McBearen build. I have to keep these folks happy and from the smile on Howard’s face I can only assume he is! Actually they are a great group and very easy to please.  #129: I think my last post showed some pics of the radiator scoop and the radiator as well. Here you can see the unit in place with the first lengths of 1 1/4" aluminum plumbing installed. Within the duct (scoop) there is a 12-inch diameter electric push fan. Not what the original McLaren had but because I’ll no doubt be caught in traffic, from time to time, I thought I’d be wise and include a fan on my street version. The water lines will run back to the engine via the passenger’s side pod. Originally I was planning to mount the battery in the nearly vacant area beside the two tubes but have discovered that the down plane of the body in that area would be interfered with if I did. Now I am planning to place it near the rear of the driver’s side pod. No interference there and it will be better from an electrical power stand point, as well, because the battery will be closer to the engine. The radiator is set at such an angle (nearly 45?) and is positioned much lower than the height of the exit bung on the engine that it became obvious that filling the system with water using the existing filer cap on the radiator would be futile. Being a pressurized system getting all the air out is important and for that reason I decided to seal up the filler cap on the radiator and plan to fill the system from the high point back at the engine. Excuse the jerky appearance of the caps weld. Actually I’m not that bad! The cap screw bung has threads to receive the cap and therefore when one welds a plate on it looks like a drunken sailor was doing the work. Some of my welds do look like that same sailor was busy but that’s not the reason for the looks of this one.  #131: Got the coil-over shocks installed on the RIS. Looks HOT! Hope it works as well as it looks. The jack is holding the tub at ride height since the springs I received weren’t stiff enough for the weight. I have to establish the right strength and exchange these weak ones for a stronger set. I know we’ve had a discussion already about the upper control arms concerning what angle they need to be. In the photo the arm appears to be in that ‘danger zone’ but if you look closely, you will see that the ball joint plate is angled upward to orient the mounting plate correctly with the ball joint to allow full movement of each. I’m not saying that everything is A OK or without a question just right but I’m confident that I can make the necessary adjustments beginning at this point after the tub is a moving structure. I’m sure a lot of tweaking will be required on down the line in many areas.  #134: Looking ahead a bit, I decided to fabricate a couple of new seats for the cockpit. I have the shift mechanism now and know that I need as much room as possible between the two seats to attach the modified Civic shifter. With that in mind I redesigned the seat(s) and this photo shows the cardboard mock-up that I will cut apart and use the pieces as the patterns for the aluminum components to be welded.  Well, that’s about all for now! Have enjoyed each of the comments made and am pleased that so many of you are getting enjoyment out of my activities. Can’t wait to begin metal shaping!!!! Cheers Dick Bear 11-12-2005 Quote:
Thanks Anders, If it is possible to interject them into my post, you have my consent! Thanks, Dick Bear Quote:
I'm glad you are enjoying the build thread but I can assure you that no one is enjoying the activity as much as I! I only hope that the final result will be as rewarding as the project has been to date. And that my abilities will rise to the vision that I have in mind for the final product. I have my doubts but am holding nothing back in the relm of desire and persistance. Thanks for your interest and encouragement. Dick Bear 11-13-2005 Quote:
Like so many twilight projects it would be hard to say exactly when it began since I have dreamed of accomplishing my McBearen build for years. Not until I became aware of MM and began to learn the techniques needed to really form the metal could I invision how I could create the build to a level of proficiency that would be acceptable to me. We've all seen 'home jobs' on the street ( trailers, campers, and other quasay metal shaping attemps) that were obviously dreams that became nightmares due to someones inability to bridge the gap between desire and ability. I didn't want to find myself in that position and therefore never really persued it until my MM exposure revealed the opportunity through discovering how to really form metal. Please don't misunderstand me, I'm not claiming to be an expert in this area by any means. I am only stating that because of MM I now have a basic understanding of the techniques, proceedures and tools needed to make the build happen. It is, as always, up to me to administer those assets to the best of my abilities in order to accomplish the goal. Further, due to MM I know that I have a great resource of experienced individual on which to draw when I find myself caught between a rock and a hard place in the process. Knowing that fact opens up a million possibilities for all of us that earlier we would not have attempted. So, to answer your question more directly, I began acquiring tools, building basic machines, designing and researching the project about a year and a half ago (see my first few posts in this thread - design, size and form). It sat dorment for periods during that time but on October 1st, this year I began the actual fabrication process. Haven't stopped except to sleep a few hours each day since. As I mentioned earlier the build has become a community project of sorts in our industrial park. Not that others are doing the work 'cause I've reserved that privilage for myself, however, it seems that many in the park have caught the same vision for the build as I. Now visits to the shop is as much a part of their daily routin as doing any part of their employment responsibilities each day. Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 12-13-2005 at 12:29 PM.
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12-13-2005, 11:29 AM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 4 - Nov 19 thru Nov ?, 2005
11-19-2005
Hey MM Members, It’s been nearly a week since my last up-date and as I look over the photos I have taken the progress isn’t as visually profound as has been the case in the past. Making brackets, modifying components and designing new method takes a lot of time but doesn’t change the appearance much. This week and next was, and will be, involved with installing the different systems into the tub. Things such as the cooling system plumbing, battery and cables, gear shifter and linkage, brakes and brake lines, clutch and hydraulic lines, seat (s) and seat belts, throttle pedal and linkage, etc. etc. Currently a good start has been made on this list but at my present rate I’m going to have to hustle to accomplish each item before the end of next week. I’m really not racing with anyone but I want to have the tub up and running by mid-December if at all possible. If that can be done the McBearen build will more nicely fit into my schedule following the Holidays. Unfortunately now much of the work involves modifying existing components that require special adapters and designs that sometimes don’t work just as one had expected so a lot of time is lost in the process. I worked for 12-hours designing and then fabricating brackets I felt sure would work for the transformation of the shifting cables to the shifter only to find-out that my initial assumptions were in error requiring me to begin anew. It all worked out in the end but it was darn frustrating having to throw the parts out and start from scratch the next day. It is ‘frustrated fun’ and when the final results are better than the original plan the adrenaline really starts to flow. That happened with the shifter/linkage issue this week and I’m thankful now that I had to start over but at the moment of realization I was expressing my displeasure verbally even though no one was there to listen! HERE’S WHATS NEW. Photo #135 shows the battery rack nearly completed. Nothing too exciting here but since I’m trying to compose a full sequence I thought I’d include this rather mundane item as well. I guess it’s mundane unless it’s a dead battery at which time it is pretty important to any operation.  Photo #136 illustrates the rubber padding I used to line the hard surfaces of the angle iron and cross member with to hopefully spare some wear ‘n tear on the battery. I also didn’t make any welds on the seams where they could damage the battery’s casing.  Photo #137 shows how the battery sets into and is fastened securely to the rack using a single cross member tightened with two vertical threaded shafts,  Photo #138 is a picture of the battery and rack positioned in its location on the driver’s side pod just in front of the rear wheel.  Gear shift and linkage: This was a real issue from the starting stages of the McBearen build plan. I was aware of the fact that the shifter for the engine and transmission I had elected to use was going to end up behind the driver rather than in front of the driver as it was originally. I knew I’d have to do some gymnastics to get the whole thing switched around without having a non-typical shift pattern or some other strange result that would make getting it licensed more difficult but being an optimist I was sure a solution would present itself. Fortunately it did and the results are pretty exciting! I bought a used shifter (5-speed) and cables from a recycling dealer (junk dealer) and after looking at it I knew some creative thinking would be called for. The cables were too short and if I attempted to mount it in the same attitude as it was in a Civic, the cables were going to be too tightly curved unless I had the shift knob at shoulder height. That was out of the question, of course, so after turning the shifter module left, right, forward, backward, upside down and every other direction and after calling for help and suggestions from my friends it was determined that: 1. If the cables came off the transmission points and looped backwards and then run forward beneath the engine they would reach just past the firewall. 2. If the shifter module was positioned backwards in the cockpit the shift pattern would be correct and typical, and (amazingly) 3. If I tilted the shifter module up and to the rear after turning it backwards a straight line was created for the connector rods back to the cables at the firewall. It took some time to make the brackets to mount the shifter into position and to fabricate the two connector rods for the gears and range but knowing that the results were going to be that satisfactory I worked 18-hours none stop until completion! Photo #139 shows the cables at their standard attachment points on the transmission (you’re viewing them from the back of the vehicle).  Photo #144 shows my set up for welding the rod stud onto one of the shifting movements. I had to disregard the ball joint that originally attached to the cable connector because I wanted to leave the nylon connector intact with the cable. This stud eventually had a rod end slipped onto it to which the threaded metal rods screwed into making up the distance between the cables at the firewall and the shifter module itself. You can see that more clearly in the following pictures.  Photo #145 is another photo of wider angle than the previous one.  Photo #146 illustrates the shifter module secured in the cockpit with the shift and range connector rods connected to their respective cables at the firewall.  Photo # 148 is the same shot as #146 from the other side. I had to cut off a portion of the shifters’ metal frame and replace it with a strip of steel in order to reduce the shifters’ width between the two seats in the McBearen.  Photo #153 is simply an over view shot putting everything into perspective inside the cockpit.  I had purposely left the IRS related issues ‘cause I was getting tired of those ‘opportunities’ and knew that I could always return to them later without holding up other processes that seemed more interesting at the time. I had never finished the steering (anti-steer) bar and if you’ll remember that part of the IRS was presenting problems as I didn’t know, nor have, the correct relationship between the lower arm and the anti-steer bar. Having it wrong caused the wheel to deflect inward or outward horizontally as the suspension moved up and down. Obviously that was not a good thing but because I felt that it was going to be a matter of finding the correct relationship I felt confident that when I returned to the issue I could build-in some adjustment and eventually the problem would be solved. I’d be the first to admit that other issues may (will) pop-up with regard to the IRS but until I’m able to drive the tub I can’t determine what they are, nor can I fine-tune the suspension. So for now I have to move on. Photo #159: illustrates the left rear suspension at road height with the anti-sheer rod in place. I attempted to replicate on the anti-steer rod the upward angle of the rear member of the lower arm. At this point it is just a visual setting but I’ve built-in about an inch of adjustment into the bracket so that I can fine tune that angle, if need be.  Photo #161: shows the right IRS with the wheel attached.  I purchased two 5-point belts this week and installed the first seat and belt. Now if I had a TV at the shop I could watch the final Cup race tomorrow belted in with my own 5-points. Cheer for Mark Martin if you don’t have another favorite. Photo #162 shows that first seat installed with the seat belt.  I know you might be getting tired of seeing the next shot but its’ become a tradition to finish with a high 3/4 view of the McBearen showing the overall appearance each posting. I plan to have my son create a morfing of each of these overviews when the project is concluded. #163  That’s all for now! Cheers. Dick Bear 11-20-2005 Quote:
Plans make fools of us all but inthis case without them I'd be foundering in the maze that is McBearen! Originally, I had been shooting for a weight of around 1,700 lbs. However, it seems to be coming in a lot less than that. I don't have any way of weighing it but without the engine and wheels two men can lift the tub. Assuming that weight to be around 400 lbs and the estimated weight of the engine at 250-300 lbs plus the wheels and tires at 40 lbs each the total so far comes to about 900-1,000 lbs. Add the driver, fluids and aluminum body and the final weight is estimated to be much lighter than planned. Maybe 13-1,400 lbs. Perhaps too light! May need some sand bags on the front end to keep the front from pushing straight through a corner. I guess it's always easier to add weight than it is to eliminate it. And, of course, when one needs to add weight those lbs can be added in the most advantages places throughout the structure. I hope I have that luxury in the end. Thanks (Jim, Bill and Todd) for your comments on the McBearen build. Beyond the actual activity surronding the project, as Todd said, 'this is my favorite part of the week'. Sharing with those interested in my project has become an added feature of he build for me. I know from the numbers that a lot of individuals are viewing (hopefully reading) the updates and perhaps they too will ask some questions or make comments in the future. I almost didn't post an update this week because the progress at this point is slow and doesn't show much in the over all appearence of the vehicle. However, after completing the update I realized how important to the integrety of the thread this post was. Without the details of how this and that developed, what failed and what worked the sequence would end up being simply a 'before and after' snap shot of what is really a project made of many interrelated and necessary compnents. It takes a lot of bricks to make a wall! Judging from the responses I'd say that several of you have experienced the excitement of discovery on similar projects. That is the most rewarding part of creating for me and I assume it is also why we are all so interested in the MM site in general. Sharing and finding others who have felt the frustrations involved in making something from nothing opens new avenues of friendships around the country and, in cyberspace's relm, the world. Thanks for your comments ... they make this portion of the workload worth the effort! Dick Bear Quote:
Be patient... as I must be too. It's only been a little over a month and a half since I started! Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 12-13-2005 at 12:40 PM.
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12-13-2005, 12:44 PM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 5 - Nov 29 thru Nov 30, 2005
11-29-2005
Hey, I’m a few days overdue but giving thanks interrupted my schedule and I found it difficult to get back into the routine following the Holiday. Bits and pieces summarize the activities surrounding the McBearen the last ten days. Designing brackets, and fabricating individual components for the throttle linkages consumed the majority of my time this week. So, as was the case in the last report, there doesn’t seem to be any huge visual difference between then and now but the parts are coming together and it won’t be long before I’ll have the tub moving under its’ own power! Due to the fact that most of the work took place within the 4-foot square area of the cockpit the photos are mixed up numerically. Having to continually install and then remove and then re-install components again and again in order to ensure that a new aspect didn’t conflict with what was done earlier the picture taking task suffered as it relates to sequence. Hopefully you will be able to ‘get the picture’ without having them in numeric order. Photo #174: pretty much illustrates most of he area of concentration for the week. One of the twin fuel takes is shown, the throttle cable linkage and firewall sub-panel, one of the seatbelt anchors, a portion of the cooling system and the completed floor in addition to the second seat are shown in this single shot.  Photo #164: shows one of the twin fuel tanks taped together prior to being TIG welded. I found it necessary to go with two tanks instead of a single one if I wanted to get enough storage space since the shift and throttle connections penetrated directly down the center of where I planned to place the tank behind the seats. In order to accomplish this I will connect the two tanks at the bottom and add an airflow connection between the two tanks at the top so fuel will easily fill both tanks simultaneously. Even with the somewhat weird triangular shape I’ve figured that the two tanks filled will hold nearly 14 gallons. At 28-30 mpg my legs and but will be ready for a stretch after traveling that far without stopping!  Photo #165: that same fuel tank after welding.  Photo #166: illustrates the two welded tanks positioned, as they will be in the car. In the picture, the left tank will be the "filler" tank and the right tank will be the "dispensing" tank having the dropped section on its’ bottom right corner.  Photo #170 shows the twin tanks installed in the vehicle.  Photo #173: is a shot of my design/calculations and drawing tablet. For many years I have always carried with me a tablet wherever I go. I now have file drawers full of the with dates on nearly every page indicating when and what I was drawing, figuring and/or designing at that particular time. I suppose it could be considered arrogant on my part to think they have any importance beyond the present but if for some reason my kids or their kids ever want to take the time to page through them they will have a pictorial history of the thoughts and ideas of their father or grand father spanning 3-4 decades. That’s another story of its own… but for here, I show it because all the design ideas, bracket designs, panel measurements, suspension ideas etc. etc. are drawn in quick un-scaled drawings from which I then cut material, re-design or adjust until a piece is completed. I’m sure others may have a means to the same end but this method has worked for me for years.  Photo #168: illustrates the two cooling system lines passing from the front of the car to the rear via the passenger’s side side pod. Refer to an earlier thread for shots of the start of the plumbing at the radiator and photo #167 of this post for the lines as they connect to the engine.  Photo #167: shows the plumbing after it enters the engine compartment and is connected to the hot and cold orifices on the engine. Notice that I ran the hot return line through the front motor mount just to the right of the center post in this picture and that the filler cap is now at the highest point in the system just as it leaves the engine on the hot side. You will remember that I welded shut the filler cap hole on the radiator because on the McBearen the radiator is the lowest point on the cooling system.  Photo #177: is a picture of the throttle cable (Honda part) as it connects to the throttle mechanism on the injection system. I eliminated much of the stock bracket leaving only what I needed to facilitate the connection. Originally there was a second cable bracket directly beside the modified bracket shown here. That clip was used for the cruise control cable. I eliminated that entire clip due its’ not being used at all.  Photo #175: show the simple but effective throttle pedal fabricated from an assortment of steel rod, tubing and flat stock. Very simple bell crank design with a ‘full throttle’ stop and a screw type throttle cable tensioner on the pedal.  Photo #178: shows the throttle link rod as it passes through the shifter mechanism located between the pedal and the firewall. This worked out as though it had been planned creating an opportunity to have a single length of rod connecting the Honda flex-cable (at the firewall) to the pedal at the front of the cockpit.  Photo #185: (front view) After finally finishing all the elements of the cockpit I was anxious to do some freehand work in planning for the division of compartments and interior facades. Using my cardboard crutch I began to construct the various surfaces that would be need to house the shifter, allow elbow room for the driver and establish a 3-D sketch of the head rest panel behind and beside the drivers’ and passengers’ seats. I plan to construct the seats and shift counsel into one removable part so that if need be I can get into the shift, throttle and gas tank connections without having to destroy panels in the process. Fore something different, I may incorporate my primitive vacuum form technique using a shop-vac to form the head rest and side panels of plastic.  Photo #186 (back view) shows the cardboard construction of the forward counsel leading to the dash area and the front floorboard. An assortment of necessary electrical switches will occupy the slanted triangular portion the counsel when the build is completed.  Well, once again the progress of the McBearen build is complete to date. Just received a phone call saying the CV axle is ready to pick up and that the brake line hoses are too so I’d better get them before they close for the day. If you have any questions or comments I’d love to hear them. Cheers! Dick Bear 11-30-2005 Hey gang! Taking a few minutes to respond to the comments and questions recieved after the last update. First, a big thank you to Anders for his assistance in making the updates easier to follow with photos inserted into the descriptions. THANKS ANDERS! Jeffery (Gonejunking), your question about the shifter cannot be fully explained until you see the relationship between the drivers' position and the knob. Photos are somewhat deceptive even when you try to compensate for their shortcomings. If you look back to photo #153 you might get a better idea as to the relationships. The seat is reclined at about 45 degrees and my hand falls just short of the knob. There is only about 1 1/2" total throw to the movement of the stick for any forward gear so once I'm 'loaded' into the vehicle (which is getting harder for me to do as the days pass) it feels pretty comfortable. The space is not expansive in any direction, but that's the price one has to pay when creating a take-off on a CanAm car. When shifting into 5-gear my hand intrudes into the passengers' leg space slightly but that won't all bad depending upon who the passenger might be! Kerry, to your question about time ... the answer is NO, but A LOT! As I mentioned in an earlier post I've reserved October through January 1st for the McBearen project. Literally every hour of that time, so far, has been spent on the build. 24/7, 18-24 hours a day! Sometimes I work for 18-hours, sleep at the shop for a few hours, get up and walk out to the work area and begin again. Only my wife could tell you exactly and I can only thank her for her kind understanding! John (boogieman), I've seen what you can do... so your comments are important encouragement to me, thanks! Ernie, your tool formed cycle tank and informative post are an inspiration to all of us on MM. Have you notice that the level and number of projects that include meaningfull descriptions have risen lately? Maybe, as Randy said, the number of nuts n' bolts project on the site will continue to grow with greater understanding of the details involved. Keep up your great work! Jay, I'm interested in your polyethylene forms for this and other (business) projects. Maybe we should communicate privately about that possibility. Contact me via PM. I have attempted to provide a general list of cost for the build but must admit that I'm not up to date on that portion of the post. At this point I can tell you that the monies are going out for bits n' pieces but, as you know, $20 here and $200 there and before long the 'little' items begin to mount up. I'll try to bring that aspect of the post up to date in the near future. Thanks to all who have commented! Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 12-13-2005 at 12:55 PM.
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12-13-2005, 01:14 PM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 6 - Dec 1 thru Dec 31, 2005
12-02-2005
Hey MM members, This entry could be tagged as, "egg on my face", but I can't stop now so if you can help it will be appreciated. I'm by no means claiming to be an expert an any of the following but I am committed and willing to spend extra time and effort to make up for any lack of expertise when it comes to: 1. shrinking 2. welding, 3. planishing, and 4. wheeling. Today it became appearent that there was a very inportant aspect of metal shaping that I haven't seen any info on and I NEED IT! That is the subject of finishing. I'm not speaking of finishing of the general shape but rather the last few steps in creating a blemish free panel of any sort. When, if ever, do you file the surface? When, if ever, do you sand the surface, etc. I've seen works (panels) in progress and incredible shapes being accomplished but then the demonstrator zoooooomz 'fast forward' pictorially to a beautifully completed panel without discussing the nuts and bolds of exactly how he achieved the final surface. That's what I need to have explained. Slapper, dollies and shrinking disks I understand in principle but what happens just beyond thise processes, what are the detail techniques used to finalize a panel. I hope you can understand my request. As a practicle matter it may be advantages to all members for the response to these questions to be posted as a separate thread so everyone who is interested can gain the knowledge without having to cet involved in the McBearen build. I see this as a universal topic to be addressed by 'the masters' in their faithfull guidence to the flock. Thanks in advance! Dick Bear 12-03-2005 Hey Guys and Gal, Thanks for the guidence so far. Perhaps it would be easier for you to make recommendations if I first describe what I have done so far to create the panel and a photo to show how it looks at this point. As you see in the attachment, it is a relatively small component that has a lot of shape to it. I roughed in the shape using my hammer and bag, plannished by hand consecutive hammer and bag processes, fit and adjusted the panel to accomodate a very close fit for the shifting mechanism that it covers. At this point I had millions of small but evident plannishing hammer markes throughout the formed areas of the panel. It looked and felt smooth and had the right shape but, it wasn't really (or finished) smooth if you understand. In other words painting at that point would be satisfactory if one was restricted from looking at it from less than 5', for instance. So at this point, I began to sand the panel smooth using 280 grit paper on a soft block. Worked well but it took a lot of time and the material loss was of concern. I then experimented with a file and that worked as well but again the material loss was a concern in addition to the act that the surface then had a million minute scratches that I felt I would then need to sand out. At this point, I began to wonder if all the finished work I had seen on the site (being low res. photos) were infact the same as the panel I had in my hands and therefore, asked for your help. At MM04 I saw many pieces being shaped and several finished (painted) pieces but it dawned on me that I had never seen the process nor surface finish between forming and painting. For all I know, what I have done so far is quite acceptable ... I'm just not sure. I didn't wheel the panel at all because I felt it was too small and due to the shifter below I had to form some subtle shapes that I thought would be eliminated if I wheeled it at all. http://www.metalmeet.com/forum/attac...tid=1159&stc=1 Hope this helps. If I'm on the right course, GREAT. If not, let me know what adjustments in my behavior you'd suggest. I'm open and will not be offended! Dick Bear A clarification is in order from me. Although the posts have been deleted from the thread, some of you may have seen them and I want to explain. Gene O responded with a post that I mistakenly took for one of his time honored creative insertions asking me to provide additional photos. I in turn responded to his post with a comment that taken out of context would seem to suggest that I was upset. I wasn't at all! My comment was made because I thought Gene was playing with me and responded in a negative way because I had specifically said, "I won't be offended" in the original post. I know this is a lot to say but I want everyone to understand what happened. I consider Gene to be a cyber friend and have always enjoyed his fresh take on things at MM. Just goes to show how important voice inflection and personal relationsips are when dealing with others in writing. The friendships established on the internet become so 'real' that we assume everyone is on the same bearing as we. In short... I have informed Gene of the error in my response and I'm sure the misunderstanding is now mute for both of us. Dick Bear Thanks John and Kerry, I feel as though preped primer will take care of it but obviously after spending the time I will be making the McBearen, I don't want to stop short of the goal out of ignorance, I hadn't thought about covering the center piece with anything but that is a real good idea. The seats will eventually have covers and a small amount of corner padding so perhaps the center panel can be incorporated into that whole covering. Good idea. Thanks Dick Bear 12-07-2005 Hey MM MetalShapers, Another week of bits and pieces associated with the McBearen build. Plumbed the brakes, purchased oil, amp, water temp and speedometer gages, received CV drives back from the axle specialist, bought new stainless steel muffler for which I will design and fabricate a new exhaust manifold, fabricated a slave pulley for the engine belt system and finalized the 2-seat/center counsel unit. Pictures of brake connections, drive shafts or a shiny new muffler aren’t very exciting so I’ll spare you the pleasure. The slave pulley was necessary because the engine originally had an air conditioning unit attached to it. Since I won’t have air the sequence of front-to-back surface of the serpentine belt was missing one pulley and also had no way for one to tension the belt once in place. To correct that situation, I purchased a 7-rib pulley and fabricated the bracket illustrated in photo #187 and #188. Photo #187: shows one side of the tension pulley that was added to the engine to provide a means of tightening the belt and created the missing inside surface for the belt to travel.  Photo #188: is that same tension pulley taken from another angle to show the tension adjuster and slide that works much like an e-wheel adjuster. Loosening the threaded pulley shaft allows the tension bolt to be loosened or tightened resulting in the pulley being raised to lowered along the slot in the bracket.  Photo #189: is, once again, that same bracket and pulley mounted to the engine.  Looking ahead in the build process I have begun to address how I will draw and then cut the buck panels for the upper body shell. Although not exactly what I will need, the following few attachments and explanations will illustrate my thought process for establishing these pieces at this point. I have been fortunate in this build to have many sources from which to draw pictorial and 3-dimensional information from for the McBearen. Over the last couple of years I have collected pictures, scale models and anything else including a magnificent coffee table book describing the life and successes of Bruce McLaren. These sources have been invaluable in my being able to create the McBearen with the subtle adjustments I desired to make it a truly 2-passeger vehicle and a street legal driver without destroying the McLarenness in appearance and function. Photo Grid web: was created by taking a digital photo of the top of a die-cast steel scale model I was able to buy. I modifying that photo in PhotoShop leaving only the image of the top view. I then scaled a series of cross grids to represent were the buck profiles to be located along the length of the body and over-laid them as a grid on the photo.  Having these cross points established on the model, I was then able to interpolate the contours of the individual buck pieces for each cross section based upon measurements taken from the die-cast model itself. Obviously, this is not a foolproof method but it provides to the best solution I have come up with based on current technical and mechanical assets. I can then make the necessary adjustments as the individual buck panels produced. Using this information, I was able to draw each buck panel as illustrated in the next attachment.  Photo Back, Middle and Front buck panels: is a single page of scaled buck panels. Each of them are labeled with a number/letter so I won’t get too confused when locating them onto the vehicle tub. These drawings will be enlarged nearly 600% from the original by a printer whom I will pay to print (plot) them on individual sheets as full size cut patterns. Using the cut patterns, I will cut each panel and place them at the designated location on the McBearen tub based on the original Grid described earlier.  Photo-Insignia: just for fun I’ve been messing around with several ideas for a McBearen logo/insignia. Every cool vehicle has to have its own identity so I thought I’d show you what I’m thinking of for the McBearen at this point.  Well, once again, this is all for this report. Next weeks may be even shorter on the visuals since I am going to be out of the shop for a few days this week. I’m excited about leaving tomorrow for what is expected to be a great 3-days of learning from the master. Yep, you guest it, I’m spending Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Wray at his shop in Sturbridge! My friends here in Winston think I’m crazy to travel north of the Mason-Dixon Line in December but I can’t miss out on this opportunity to learn, share and associate with one of the great men in metal shaping. Besides, after spending most of my life growing up and living in Cedar Rapids, Iowa it is about time I experience what a few days of winter is like again. I’m sure it will make me even more happy that I live in NC! Dick Bear Quote:
I guess you can't go wrong when you choose a classic like the 60's McLaren. We who grew up while Bruce was blazing CanAm history were fortunate. The number of people who have indicated their facination with those very special cars has made me feel less than unique in my life long appreciation for the cars, the man and the history. Glad to hear from you and to know you are enjoying the updates. By the way, how is that boat coming along? I've seen your posts on some tools recently but nothing about the boat. Bring us all up to date on that incredible project! Thanks for your comments. Cheers! Dick Bear Quote:
You're right Hall did have a second motor that drove fan that did in fact suck it to the ground. It was later outlawed. He also installed a brake light tht was activated by a manual switch to confuse competitors that he was braking for a corner when he infact was not. Those were some of the good days in racing. Fortunately we still have them in racing today. A bear and the kilt would be half right ... Bruce McLaren was an Austrailian and very proud of it! I'm more interested in a bold simple design for the logo/insignia. I kind of like the profile shape of the McLaren nose and the extended front wheel well which was a hallmark of the M8A and M8B's. Don't you like it? I think it will make a great polished stainless nose plaque and be knockout as embroidry (sp) on sweaters and jackets. Cheers! Dick Bear 12-10-2005 Hey guys, Sorry I haven't responded to all your post lately but Wray is keeping me busy beating and forming metal. I'll respond more in detail the when I return home the first of the week. If you haven't scheduled your encounter with Wray's 3-day, hands-on, informative and valuable metal shaping course, you are missing out on the best educational opportunity I have ever experienced! Ask any attendee and I'm sure you will get the same response. Later Dick Bear 12-19-2005 Hey! Would it be braggadocios for me to say that having returned from a 3-day crash course in metal shaping under the expert supervision of Wray has resulted in my knowing everything there is to know about forming metal? Probably! However the experience gained and the know-how dispensed by our leader-of-the-pack cannot be over estimated and I’m confident that I am much more prepared now for the tasks that lay ahead for the McBearen build simply because of those 3-days in Sturbridge. Thanks Wray!! The weekend in Mass. was perfect except for the fact that I lost my faithful Sony digital camera in the Hartford airport and that has dampened my ability to share any photos with you in this report. I went out and purchased a new camera tonight (5-days before Christmas) and promise to be back on track with photos for the next post. In lieu of photos I have prepared a cost update for those of you who are interested in that aspect of the project. In the past I have just given a spattering of cost off the top of my head but here are the real and actual figures for the project. After compiling the list I was amazed at how close the total figures match what I had expected to spend. With nearly all the cost behind me, except those associated with the body shell and its’ attachment to the tub, it looks as though the imaginary budget I had set for the build will be spent but not much, if any, beyond that amount. Keep in mind, as you look over the data that to the final cost would normally include an amount for the steel and aluminum. I have not listed any of those expenses since, as mentioned before, my friends at Fishel Steel in Winston-Salem have graciously provided me with all the steel and aluminum for free. To date the figure for metal is nearly $2,500 and I still have to create the aluminum body panels. I had a pleasant day last Thursday! Kerry P. delivered one of his bright new Imperial Wheeling machines. Although the area was blessed with the seasons first ice storm for the year, Kerry and I had a good time setting up the machine and were able to visit a couple of my customers’ places of business before he had to head back over the mountain for Alabama. After suffering through my original, but technically inferior shop-built version of an English Wheel it will be a treat to use a real one during the next few months of creating the shell. I think I’ll keep my home-made shop version around for those who drop-in just to turn the upper wheel with their hands. That way I can keep the handsome new Hoosier wheels free from hand caused imperfections! Now all I need to round out my metal shaping arsenal is to build the Tom Lipton Helve Hammer from the plans I purchased from Tom nearly a year ago. I sure wish I had that ready to go right now! Sorry about the lack of photos but there are several shots waiting to be taken! Things have been happening… the engine turned over under its own power tonight! It didn’t start but that was a computer issue that has to be dealt with over the next few days. My luck with computers may be my downfall! I’ve discovered that there are many Honda geeks who can switch-out one engine for another and then plug in the two connections at the end of the harness. However, there doesn’t seem to be anyone around here who understand the wiring harness well enough to determine exactly what function each of the leads within those plugs actually do. At least not enough to provide insight into the rewiring of a stand-alone engine and computer installed in a totally new vehicle. Fortunately I have a friend (Dan Bailey) who is determined to figure it out so right now, I just stand back in amazement as he works his electronic magic! Honda 2.0L vtach si engine 1,800.00 Wheels and tires 1,783.28 Mustang II: IFS, brakes, coil overs shocks, rack/pinion 2,252.14 Rear coil overs shocks 478.00 Steering shaft and joints 561.83 Misc. parts .83 Brake line connectors and fluid 16.88 Hydraulic emerg. brake 208.96 Fuel line, clamps, filter and connectors 50.75 Performance racing catalog 5.34 Misc. parts 8.65 Cooling system hoses and clamps 66.49 Battery and clamps 114.27 Radiator fan 51.04 CV shafts, R brake rotors, calipers and pads 270.04 Auto sealant 31.89 Honda axle shafts, hubs and shifter 321.00 12" dia. Steering wheel 81.31 Cherokee hubs 60.00 Ball Joints 120.00 Micro-V belt 12.62 Idler pulley and misc. parts 53.91 Honda EBX plug 21.40 Misc. parts 27.05 CV axle modifications 110.00 Shift cable clips 2.94 Fuel hose, filter, clamps, fittings 137.00 Throttle cable 27.95 Custom length SS braided brake lines and fittings 203.97 MagnaFlow muffler, oil, water, amp and speedo meters 260.36 Assorted fuel tank quick connects 71.07 Fuel tank bungs, in-line water filler and fittings 113.95 (2) 5-point harnesses 148.54 Gray primer paint 52.27 Assorted rod ends 24.20 Rivets, nuts and bolts 19.57 Clutch and brake master cylinders 270.71 Assorted nuts and bolts 52.80 Total to date: 9,884.02 Well, once again I’ve wasted too much of your time, so get back to beating some metal into something beautiful! Cheers! Dick Bear 12-20-2005 Hey guys, Enjoyed reading through your 30's build project Sesalt. Many of the processes you've illustrated there have a lot in common with things I have had to do. It is always interesting to see what and how others attack similar issues. Anders, I have the diagrams and we've been assisted in our endeavor by a local Honda dealer's 'team of experts'. I'm confident this hurtle will be cleared but am personally impatient for the result. Here is the engine number:SHHEP33503U401627. Not being the lead on this aspect of the build, I'm been told that the problem is 'several of the leads into and out of the computer will not be used... Identifying which ones to eliminate without affecting those that will remain', is the challenge. I'm sure persistance will win the battle. However, I never feel that I'm in combat garb when it comes to all those little green, white, red, and multi-colored wires staring me in the eyes. Dick Bear 12-22-2005 Hey MM Members (and others), Since the last installment of the McBearen project, activities have been centered on brake lines, clutch line and fuel pump. Once again not especially interesting subjects for pictures but important things to have right when the wheels begin to turn on their own. Originally, I had planned to use an in-line fuel pump but then discovered that the Honda si engine had a "no return fuel system" so I had to do some retrofitting. This was an interesting project that involved two separate recycled pumps I more or less bastarsized to construct a single in-tank pump. To get all the components needed for this change including the ‘no return’ feature, electrical connections and in-tank placement required my combining two pumps cut down to their basic/essential pieces in order for them to fit into the fuel tank. Needless to say, I learned more about the operation of a ‘no-return fuel system’ during the process than I’ll ever be asked to explain in the future. I’m still confused and somewhat suspicious about the fact that the pump and its electrical wires are submerged into the fuel. I hope that all the connections are fully connected so that there is nothing to ignite the fumes at the top of the tanks. Somehow placing all that stuff into the fuel gave me pause to think! Because I had no mechanical lever available on the Cherokee front hubs (I am using front Cherokee hubs on the rear of the McBearen) for connecting a traditional emergency brake cable to I had to make other arrangements for an emergency brake. I anticipate the inclusion of an emergency brake will be required by DOT in spite of the fact that I can’t remember the last time I used one. To accomplish that we found a nifty little in-line unit that uses a one way valve activated by a lever. When the lever is moved to the ‘on’ position the rear brakes are locked by pumping up pressure to them using the brake pedal. Once the pressure is great enough, a switch is activated and power is interrupted to a light I’ll place on the dash telling me the brakes are set. Unlocking the brakes is a simple act of moving of the control lever to the ‘off’ position. I’m sure many of you have seen this product before but I hadn’t and its’ simplicity was interesting to me. After connecting the brake lines from the master cylinder it was discovered that the 3/4" bore on the master was not large enough to activate all four disk brakes. Now I have to purchase an increased bore size or switch to a double cylinder version. Haven’t done either yet but will before we hit the road! The clutch promises to be a learning experience. I’m using a racing clutch pedal connected to the OEM hydraulic clutch activator on the transmission. I now understand why most racers are young people… the clutch pedal has about 1 1/2" of movement and takes a hefty push to activate it. It’s nothing like a normal passenger cars’ pedal movement… at least not one I’ve driven. Now that all the required connections have been made to the front side of the engine and transmission I was able to install the firewall. Since the wall will be directly behind the occupants I decided to pad the wall with some foil insulation to deflect the heat of the engine from the cockpit. It might help to dampen some of the noise as well. Noise however, isn’t a great concern to me in the over all build package of the McBearen. There promises to be plenty of noise, and wind and driving excitement when the project is completed! Photo #195: is NOT one photo clipped from an insurgent’s bomb instruction sheet. Rather, it is the bastarsized fuel pump assembly I created from two separate Mustang fuel pumps. Surprisingly, it works like I’d hoped it would! The only issue was the fact that I had to cut an opening in the top of one of the twin tanks to insert the pump into the tank. That ended up looking less than perfect but the alternative was to construct a new tank and I didn’t think that was necessary.  Photo #196: illustrates the working side of the hydraulic parking brake. The wire leads visible will eventually be connected to a signal light on the cars’ dash.  Photo #197: shows the switch handle of the emergency brake inside the cockpit. I placed in an area below my knee and out of the way as I’m sitting in the car.  Photo #198: is a picture of the firewall panel with foil insulation glued to it prior to being installed in the car. The two slits in the panel are for the shoulder harnesses and the rubber grommet is for the fuel line to pass through to the engine.  Photo #201: shows the newly installed firewall with the twin fuel tanks positioned in front of it. The blue hose connecting the two tanks is a pressure release between the two units so that fuel filling the first tanks will flow easily into the second.  Well that’s about all for this report. The engine-starting saga continues but headway is being made. The problem seems to be nothing that money can’t correct! (New chips, creative programming etc. etc.) It doesn’t look like I’ll make the deadline of Christmas for starting and driving the tub but it wasn’t because an effort wasn’t made. I’m so close!!!!!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE McBearen BUILD! Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 01-14-2006 at 01:17 PM.
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01-30-2006, 03:14 PM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 7 - Jan 1 thru Feb 28, 2006
1-1-2006
A Humble reply to kindness shared! Hi MM Friends, We just returned from a few nights in the mountains and upon opening my computer I was overwhelmed at the responses posted to the McBearen build thread. I was completely blown away with Wray’s (and son’s) incredible effort to provide the video in a form that you all could view. Thank you Wray! Obviously I am pleased with the results of the last 3-months! That should have been apparent from my smile in the video! Those of you who have had the opportunity to build anything from scratch and then operate it for the first time know what a thrill that is. Those of you who haven’t experienced that thrill yet have a world of excitement ahead of you. The sense of accomplishment that follows hours, days and in some cases weeks or even months is something we who are members of this great site (MetalMeet) have in common. In my case it currently involves the building of an automobile but the same exuberating thrill can be realized when any of us produces a metal shaping project to pre-conceived specifications. The physical size of the finished product has little to do with the personal satisfaction felt because the creative experience is not measured in ounces, pounds, height or length but rather, creative accomplishments are measured internally and have more to do with feelings than they do with science. That is why hearing (seeing) comments made by others is so rewarding to me as I attempt to bring this project to completion. I know that you know the pleasure any creative endeavor brings to the person involved. Further, I know that you know and understand the disappointments felt when wrong decisions are made and it is necessary to step back in order to move forward again. I’ve been fortunate throughout this build in not having to step backwards too many times but I’m sure those frustrations are waiting for me in the body-shell portion of the McBearen project! Throughout the project I have attempted to respond to questions and comments directly. Now with two separate threads to monitor I’ve decided that it would be best to limit my responses to the original rather than try to keep two going simultaneously. Since our faithful Librarian (Friar Tuck) is also compiling a separate (short-form) thread of the build at the same time, my doing this will make his task easier, as well. So, for other than this response (which will be posted in both threads) and perhaps a new video from time to time, I will be posting updates on the original thread. Wray, thanks for your computer assistance! As far as the slow-mo or morph of the build, I have several hundred pics that I plan to use in someway toward that end. Rhet (my son) has produced several interesting pieces using that technique and I’ve already made him aware of my wish to do that at the end of the project. You know however how hard it is sometimes to get sons to cooperate with their fathers on things like this so we’ll both have to be patient. Gene, I think HotRodKid showed you how we (Rhet) rigged up the camera for the video. We made several videos that day ranging from 1-3 minutes in length. Using simple tools (Vise grips and a 6’ section of 1” sq. tubing) he attached the camera from nearly every angle imaginable in front of, beside, above and behind the vehicle. It was all his ability that made the short you saw. I had it easy… all I had to do was smile and make sure the camera boom didn’t scrape the ground or get caught on anything along the way. You might find it interesting to know that when Rhet first saw the McBearen in the shop, his wheels began to turn and immediately and he set out to plan a cross-country journey, which he wants to document in video. Originally he wanted us to drive from NC to LA with the hopes that his father’s butt would be so sore by the end of the trip that I’d leave the McBearen there for him. Realizing that that wasn’t going to happen he has been persuaded to cut the journey’s distance down a bit. He also suggested that I should be prepared to drill holes, weld on brackets and create other disfiguring attachments to the body, frame and else where in order to accommodate the secure mounting of camera(s) as we travel our merry way. I was shocked and a bit skeptical of those suggestions and told him the documentary would never happen if drilling hoes in the body was the price I had to pay. After making the short un-edited videos shot that day, I’m actually planning to provide brackets myself and may even authorize a hole or two to be drilled into the body once it is completed. After listening to Rhet’s sells pitch, even I can imagine how cool it would be to have a short film produced that depicts the McBearen’s maiden voyage starting perhaps from Winston-Salem followed by an afternoon excursion on the Virginia Int’l Raceway track followed by an mid-night visit to the narrow colonial streets of Georgetown, and a Sunday afternoon’s cruise up New York City’s 5th Avenue and through Central Park culminated with a sunrise run at Pocono? It couldn’t get much better than this or a million other suggestions one might have for places the yellow-orange McBearen might go! For now I’d better get back to the moment. Having a running tub by Christmas was my goal and that was achieved. Now I have several business interruptions to deal with and therefore, the next phase of the build may not be as fast as has been the case in the last few months. Even my wife is showing some concern as she asked me this morning, “Are you going to begin those Tire Change Activity units this week?” I mumbled a disgruntled “yes” in response to her question, but John, the Boogieman, and the rest of you can know that I will be working on the McBearen every chance I get! Thanks again for your comments and interest! Dick Bear 1-2-2006 Hey MM Friends, Just got two links for you to view from Rhet. One is for Mac and the other for PC. If one doesn't work for you, try the other! http://www.rhetbear.com/10_2005/family/mcbearen.htm http://www.rhetbear.com/10_2005/family/mcbearenwmv.htm Cheers! Dick Bear 1-8-2006 Hey Metalmeet! After nearly two weeks of Holiday(s), guests and wearing out the tires on the McBearen, I finally got back to doing some work. Deciding to do so was difficult ‘cause I know that once the buck components are cut and in-place my driving activities are over for some time. Driving the McBearen (tub) up and down the couple three blocks in the industrial park proved to be so much that my knowing that that activity will end influenced my work ethic the last few weeks. But back to the sweatshop… As I mentioned I was planning to do earlier, I produced a PDF file of the scaled drawing(s) for each buck stations I had prepared using crude measurements taken from the 1:18 scale model of the McLaren I’ve been using as one of my primary references. A friend who owns a large printer/plotter then plotted full-size drawings of each of the stations. Realizing that these shapes were originally drawn using crude and un-exacting methods (scale model and ruler), rather than go directly to producing each shape in wood, I have instead made rough-cut panels of cardboard so that I could position them on the tub to determine any adjustments that may be required before committing them to wooden form. This has taken a great deal of time and as I was cutting-out several last evening, I could hear Wray saying, “See. See, I told you that SolidWorks is the future!” At this point, I have to agree with him but since I’m not fortunate enough to have that tool available, I’m going to have to be content with using my straight edge, utility knife and scissors. No doubt after completing the task of cutting everything in paper, then from cardboard and finally in wood, I’ll agree with Wray even more! Photo # 202: shows the full size plotted drawing of the buck component. Well, I agree, it doesn’t show much of anything because the line on the paper is so fine it didn’t imprint for the camera… but it’s there none-the-less.  Photo # 203: shows the paper shape for one of the buck stations ready to be outlined on the cardboard which will then be cut by hand and positioned in its correct sequence on the tub.  Photos # 204 & 205: illustrate the cardboard profiles positioned on the tub. Seeing them together I will be able (hopefully) to determine what, if any, adjustments in their shapes are needed for establishing both a smooth transitional body form as well as identifying any obvious errors committed in their original shapes. Correcting them now in cardboard will be much easier than having to make corrections in wood later on.   Once the cardboard panels are fine toned, I will trace and cut each from wood or another suitable material. Ideally, I would like to have the buck form removable from the tub but I’m not sure at this point whether that is going to be possible to attain or not. If I can achieve it…. Then I can drive the tub from time to time prior to the body shell being finished. That would be a good thing! That’s all for now. Cheers! Dick Bear 1-8-2006 Hey, The issue of buck formed panels, and the lack of information is obvious without a donor car to pattern from. If I had an original M-series McLaren I probably wouldn't be buildig the McBearen at all. There wuld be no reason to do so. The fact that I'm going to have to push, pull, stretch, shrink and cuss a bit during the body shell process is part of the fun, I guess. I'm not sure what the alternative is except to continue driving the tub up and down the street. That however is not an option! Stretch, shrink, cut and redo.... the McBearen will be finished to the best of my ability! If I learned anything from you [Wray] during my recent attendance at your class in Sturbridge, it was patience! I remember that long after any other person would have called it "finished", you continued to wheel, check with the pattern and adjust some more Bob's side panel into the wee-hours of the morning. You did that until you were completely satisfied that it was perfect. So patient were you that by the time we closed the door to the shop, I decided I'd just have enough time to drive directly to Hartford without sleeping before catching my flight home! In addition to the many skills you demonstrated and encouraged us to explore your lesson of perfection and patience was one of the most important. Both Bob and I were impressed! So, even without soft patterns taken from an original and without a fully modeled template to refere to, I am (based on the confidence recieved from and the huge pool of talent that exists in MM) now entering the dark tunnel ahead of me seeing only a very dim light far beyond! (perhaps someone should recite the Lord's Prayer at this point) "... though I walk through the valley of ...." The McBearen is a creative endeavor! Nothing ventured, nothing gained! etc. etc. Cheers, Dick Bear 1-19-2006 Hey All! It’s been a while but I finally have something to post on the McBearen build. The way things are going it seems I’ll probably end up with two pieces for every one piece I keep! Not being experienced in metal shaping, I decided that the first components I’d make were the two door pieces. They seemed small and relatively straightforward so I constructed a buck using the plotted full-sized paper patterns I described in the last update and making sure everything was vertical and square, I glued and pinned the stations together. So far so good… Believing that, other than the NACA vent, the general shape of the door consisted of relatively straight, flat surfaces with some minor curved edges, I thought I’d be brave and make the unit out of three pieces with the NACA inset inside the basic inverted “U” off the door. Well, after about 10-hours of work and a lot of frustration I realized that the panels were not really that flat and not nearly as straightforward as I had first envisioned. Stepping back I re-assessed the situation and began anew. This time I was prepared for the fact that the top surface of the door had a very slight, but important upward curve that when combined with the outer curved edges created a subtle compound curve. I also realized that I would be wise to form the NACA vent first since it was basically a flat surfaced channel that could be more easily Tig welded as a single unit along the outside edges of the outer shell pieces of the door itself. That worked much better! Though’ still not completed as shown in the attached photos, I have the top, NACA and inside surfaces welded together (not seam finished) and will attaché the outside panel along with the two end pieces in the next several days. My plan now is to complete the right door completely and then make a soft pattern from that unit to use in creating the left door. This may or may not work but if it doesn’t I can always re-use my paper patterns to make a left buck and proceed the same as I have for this side. Had a visit last weekend from a neat young metal shaper named Brendan who lives in Moorehead City, NC. Brendan is a freshman at UNCW and is full of enthusiasm for the craft. It is great to see a young person like him getting excited about the possibilities and opportunities that exist for everyone who wants a challenge. He came with his father and, of course, we all took a ride in the McBearen!     That's it for now..... Dick Bear 1-19-2006 Quote:
Yup, I could do that! Suggestions like that make a man feel real stuppid!  But they are the reasons this forum is so successful! Thanks! Dick Bear Quote:
Hello MM! Finally found some time to work on the left door module of the McBearen. And other than the time it will take to smooth-out and plannish portions of it, I am pleased with the results. Unlike the original McLaren M8A model that opened the door units outwardly to the sides, I plan to open the McBearen’s door modules upward and to the front feeling that that would be less obtrusive in a parking lot situation as well as make entry and exiting the vehicle a bit easier. “Easier” as it relates to getting in and out of the McBearen is becoming a relative term since doing so is proving to be more and more difficult for me as the days and confinement of space within the cockpit develop! Because the door components will open in this way I curved the rear portion of the door so that they will nest with the rear body panels and open, up and away from the rear panels. The two doors will be the only portions of the upper body shell that will be permanently attached to the lower tub. This attachment will be made through the hinge arrangement for each door. Having this lonely piece of the upper body offers a sneak preview of the true size or volume the upper sheet metal will add to the lower tub. From the perspective of the builder, it was an exciting moment when the door was fully shaped and place on the tub according to its’ planned location. It did however; point out in a very graphic way just how much work I have left to do. Being optimistic I prefer to view my glass as being half full rather than half empty and am counting on the interim excitement of each small step in the shaping process to keep my enthusiasm running strong until the last component is in place. THEN WE’LL PARTY!!! What you see is what you get in this update. Not too much to write about and explain. Oh… Gary I didn’t mean that I thought you thought that I was stupid. I meant that your suggestion of reverse stacking the stations of the door module buck should have been obvious to me. Since it wasn’t until you mentioned it… I was stupid.     Cheers! Dick Bear 2-4-2006 Hey MM! Two weeks between reports is too long for me to keep quiet about the McBearen but unfortunately revenue-generating projects have had to take priority right now. Today however, I was reintroduced to my fantasy world, a world I would spend all my time in if given the option. I’d been planning for some time to request an “informal” visit from a member of the NCDOT and decided that I was getting to the point where having an official of the state looking at the vehicle could provide information I will need regarding inspection, licensing and titling. Originally the visit was to be handled by a friend of a friend but it seems my friends, friend passed the call off to another. As is usual for bureaucrats and Sear’s delivery trucks, I was given a window of sometime between 10am and 5pm for the meeting to take place at my shop. I assumed that the guy would take an hour lunch, so I ran out to grab a bite to eat between 12 and 1 o’clock. Shortly after my return, in walked an expressionless, gun slinging man with a badge dangling from his non-descript golf shirt. He introduced himself as Sergeant … and said he was with the NCDOT Auto Theft Dept. Obviously that was not the department I had expected to visit me but knowing I hadn’t stolen anything I (almost without hesitation) introduced myself to him in return. I could tell that this was going to be a very formal informal meeting lasting only minutes when he quickly said, “I’m here to look at your kit car”. As I write, I’m still wondering how he said that without his mouth moving at all within his sculptured granite face. It was like the sound came from him but there was no evidence that he had produced it. I told him that it was not really a kit car but rather a vehicle I was in the process of building from scratch. He walked over to it, around it, and then stopped saying nothing for what seemed to me to be an eternity. I finally broke the silence with, “Well, I thought it would be good idea to have you come and tell me if there is anything you would suggest now as I’m finishing the frame and drive-train toward making title and licensing possible”. Slowly he raised his right foot from the ground and placed in on the front wheel of the car and said, “You’ll need to have head lights, turn signals, brake lights, horn and emission controls.” “It will be licensed as a 2005 vehicle and when you call for your inspection we’ll prepare the paperwork necessary for title application”. “You will be required to have an annual safety inspection but won’t be required to have an annual emission inspection.” The only other thing he said was, “Do you have a Bill of Sale for the engine/transmission?”, I answered yes and he said, “Good, keep all your paperwork”. That’s all! He was in and out in less than 5-minutes saying, “Give me a call when you’re ready for the inspection”, as the door closed behind him. After he left I kept asking myself, “Was that a good meeting or a bad one?” I’m still not sure but at least he didn’t say my plans for getting it legal for the highways and byways of NC is out of the question, so I guess it’s going to happen! I guess, I just have to ‘give him a call’ when I’m ready. Two other things happened this week regarding the McBearen. I finally got my second set of coil over springs for the rear end of the car but unfortunately they aren’t strong enough either so I’ll have to go up at least once more notch on the spring weight, darn! And secondly, I got my Imperial E-Wheel adjusted to perfection thanks to Kerry Pinkerton. Now if I can get some time to play again I’ll be ready to shape some aluminum! That’s it for now. Dick Bear 2-5-2006 Hey MM! Took some time yesterday to roughly calculate the weight of the rear-end of the car. To this point I had only estimated the value and have gone through two different spring set-ups neither of which were correct. Unfortunately I don't have access to any scales and the weight is greater than could be determined by using our household scales so I retreated to using the old fulcrum and lever method. Placing the fulcrum 1' from the rear of the car, I measured out 6" increments along the 6' lever and then stood on the lever working outward until the weight of my 200# body lifted the rear-end off the ground. At 3.75' out my 200# lifted the McBearen's rear-end. Based upon that: the ratio is 3.75 to 1 meaning that my weight (200#) x 3.75 (distance from the fulcrum) = the weight of the car's rear-end. So, 200 x 3.75 = 750#. I will factor in the angle of the coilovers from vertical (which is 20?) to arrive at the final spring stength neede for the car on the back. The result of the weight calculation is even more interesting when I roughly calculate the front end weight to arrive at an estimated total weight for the car. 750# plus an estimated 300# front end = 1,050#. I may have to add some lead bars to the front end! Assuming this is pretty close to being accurate the running weight of the McBearen with two average size occupants will total only 1,400#! Peter asked about the parking brake issue. When the NCDOT agent visited, I didn't go into to a Parking Brake vs. Emgergency Brake discussion with him. He looked at it for a while but mentioned nothing so I'm hoping that when it comes down to the final we'll be able to agree that the set up is for "parking" and not for "emergancy braking".  Thanks for your questions and comments. Dick Bear 2-6-2006 Hey MM! I didn't have time or should I should say, I didn't take time, to 'weigh' the front end of the McBearen before my previous post but did take time to do so today. I used the same fulcrum technique describe previously. The front wheels came off the ground on balance at 2.5' from the fulcrum indicating a 2.5:1 ratio. Therefore (2.5 x 200# = 500#) is the weight of the front end. 500# added to the 750# of the rear equals a vehicle total (without driver or passanger) of 1,250#! If I estimate the four wheels, tires, hubs, rear axles and brakes (unsprung items) at roughly 45# on each corner and subtract that 180# from the 1,250# the total sprung weight of the McBearen is roughly 1,070#. Just for fun calculations: 1,250# ÷ 140hp= 8.92#/hp 410# ÷ 1,070# = 38% front end weight 660# ÷ 1,070# = 61% rear end weight Do you think the 2.5L Honda V-tech engine will have a problem moving that weight? I'm not sure but I think someone said earlier that 60/40 was an optimum relationship for a rear/mid-engine set-up. Is that right? If so, it occured without any genius pre-calcs on my part. Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 06-12-2006 at 11:03 PM.
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06-12-2006, 11:10 PM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 8 - Mar 1 thru Jun 3, 2006
3-2-2006
Hey MM, Got some quality time in on the McBearen build the last couple of days and worked on the door panel hinge and lift. As I’ve mentioned in the past, the door panels (one on each side) will lift up and forward rather than swinging outward. The two primary goals I had was to create a mechanism that is sturdy (since the aluminum door panel lacks any weight) and provide for an air lift to activate or at least assist in the rising and lowering of the panel. Since the door is attached at only one end of the 24” long unit I didn’t want a flimsy hinge that would make me nervous every time someone lifted the. Working at the computer, I draw out the radii and necessary clearances for the moving parts. Having that information I then drew in the crescent shape of the hinge so that the door would rise without hitting any of the surfaces throughout the arch. I milled plastic insert bushings for the points of rotation feeling that doing so would accomplish the best results for a smooth working and tight hinge joint. Keeping things parallel and perpendicular was the biggest issue in fabricating the many component parts. After the hinge and door panel were mounted to the tub I mocked up the air-lift to achieve both the lifting motion and an off-center stopping point that holds the door in the down position. With a few minor adjustments it all worked out well. The door stays down and is slowly lifted to the maximum open position by the airlift with a slight initial lift by an occupant. Hopefully I won’t have to incorporate any latch! The photos illustrate the door at 1/2-way open and fully open in addition to a (not so clear) detail of the hinge and lift arrangement with the door completely closed.    Cheers! Dick Bear 3-3-2006 Quote:
Ernie, Your point about a latch for the panel may be something the DOT will identify as lacking but in reality, latched or not latched, the thin light-weight aluminum door panels will offer nothing of value in the event of an accident. With a mere 5" between the pavement and my butt, .060 aluminum body material (sides, top and bottom), 1,300 total vehicle weight and my head rising just 31" above the ground the result of an accident with another vehicle would be catastrophic. The fact that the doors opened might be a blessing... making the EMT's effort to release me from the seat belt harnesses a bit easier. In any case, I won't be in any condition to be concerned about the doors being open at that point.   Dick Bear 3-31-2006 Not much to comment on in this update since the process is familiar to most of you. I worked on the buck stations for the right front fender (a major project for those of us who have only seen photos of the stations completed) and began to form the outside panel. The buck began as paper cutouts based on the enlarged patterns illustrated earlier in this thread. From that basic information I cut cardboard stations and once I felt confident in each of their progressive alignments I cut MDF panels and glued/nailed the separating spacers in place. I created the buck over and in some cases around the vehicles’ tub making sure that I could remove the buck from the tub so that I could take a few drives through the industrial park now that the weather is ideal for a flat-out spin to calm my frustrations! It looked so simple, one long piece of aluminum with a radius long the upper edge curved to the nearly straight plunge down to the front grill area. 6-hours later, after wrestling the flat panel partially into shape I realized that I have a lot to learn! But learn I will even if it kills me!  Following the bucks’ shape and loft revealed many subtle curves that are important to me since it’s those subtleties that I feel will make the finished body most attractive and therefore, worth the effort. Stretching here, shrinking there, plannishing, wheeling and then repeating the process over and over trying not to take too many steps backwards for each step forward kept my attention during this first real metal shaping session. I had done some prior to this; the side pods, seats, shift counsel and left side door module but the tackling of the outside edge of the fender measuring a little more than 6’ was (is) a new experience for me. I’ve come to fully appreciate the patients demonstrated and taught by Wray during my weekend in Sturbridge last fall.  Well have a look…. The McBearen is finally getting an upper body, I think! Cheers! Dick Bear         4-3-2006 McBearen Update Two steps forward, one step back… but the top and side curves of the right front fender is roughed in. The photos of my last post showed the side panel of the same fender being made but after looking at it I decided that it would be better to form the curves first as individual pieces and the fill in the flat panels (back to front) so I hung the first fender attempt on the wall for posterity and went at it anew. This way seems a lot better in that I could do all the hand forming on the edges and not disturb the relatively flat surfaces of the top. Each of the three top pieces required only a small amount of wheeling to form their 2-dimensional curves prior to inserting them each between the edge pieces. Keeping the “heavy” shaping (shrinking and stretching) isolated to the curves resulted in my not having to “work” the flats much and will save a lot of work when it comes to finishing the completed fenders once they are shaped completely. At least that is my plan! After finishing the welds I removed the partially completed fender shape from the buck and set it on the car to get a peek at how it looks… Wow, I’m pleased! I just hope I have left enough bump clearance for the front wheels. May have to crank-up the coil-over springs to ensure that the tire doesn’t hit the inner fender but that shouldn’t be a problem since I’m going to have to conscious of speed bumps, driveway rises and other road level impediments anyway due to the extended and full width nose of the McBearen. Well, I wish I had more to show you but my metal shaping skills don’t allow me to work real fast. Don’t tell anyone but you are looking at approximately 28-hours of shop time just for what I’ve done on this one fender. I know this is not a race but if you assume I have twice that much or more to complete the roughing out of one fender you can mentally calculate the hours I will have on all the different panels ahead of me. If it weren’t so much fun to see a flat sheet of aluminum become something, I’d probably be sick. But it is fun and so I’m not! I’m just sick that business keeps getting in the way of working on it 24/7!    Cheers! Dick Bear 4-10-2006 Hey MM, McBearen Update I never realized how much down force was desired and achieved in Bruce McLaren’s M8A design until I actually began putting the front panels together in real scale. Although the use of broad surfaces to keep the front wheels firmly planted on the driving surface is common place today the extent of his design in the late 60’s was revolutionary when you consider that for the most part front ends of other cars were not much different than normal street vehicles with an afterthought air dam attached to the front bumper area. On the M8A between the broad surfaced fenders that quickly rise from just above ground level to the minimum height necessary to accommodate the wheels are three other surfaces that together easily equal 4-times the surface of the fenders. The largest of these is the radiator cover followed by the two gap fillers located between the radiator cover and each of the fenders. As if this massive, yet sleek, front wall weren’t enough, all the air that passes through the radiator is deflected against another down force deflector before it is allowed to exit upward just in front of the final front end down force deflector created by the short, but effective, wind screen. Amazingly, all of this action takes place within the first 36-40 inches of the car’s length and is strategically positioned just in front of the front wheels or within 12-inches behind them! In a slow process, the front end of the McBearen’s upper body is starting to take shape and once these pictured panels are welded in place I figure that approximately a third of the upper body has been roughed in.     Cheers! Dick Bear 5-6-2006 McBearen Update Hello, I robbed some time from other things to work on the McBearen today since the mandrel bent “U” shaped exhaust pieces I ordered from Jeg’s were delivered earlier in the week. Rather than cut and re-weld a new exhaust header I decided it made more sense and a lot less work to leave the existing header as is and work the exhaust system from the collector back. Getting into the mess of reworking the four pipes of the header while maintaining some degree of equal length to each seemed like a waste of time and besides, Honda had already done that for me. Using the two “U’s” I cut the three pieces needed to reach the point in the system where the muffler would eventually be placed. I didn’t have a lot of choices to consider due to the limited room between the rear of the engine and the rear of the car so it became a matter of simply getting the 10-gallons of exhaust into the 5-gallon of space. Earlier I mentioned that I had purchased a Flow(something) muffler for $170.00 but never was excited about the size (26” long x 12” dia.). It looked so massive and much too shiny. Consequently, I’d been looking for and contemplating alternatives ever since I got the monster in the shop. I did find a couple race mufflers that seemed to fit the bill for length and width but after talking to the suppliers I was not convince that another 34-50 dollars invested in a muffler would provide me with what I wanted. So… I decided to make my own muffler! Dollars and cents wise it was a dumb idea because I ended up spending about 10-hours building it where as I could have bought one for 30-50 bucks. I may not be worth much but I know my time is worth more than 3-5 dollars an hour plus shop time.  But who cares… the McBearen will have it’s own muffler regardless. A muffler like no other model in the world! I had some perforated sheet material left over from a forgotten project and scrounged up a scrap length of 3 1/2” steel tube. Knowing that I had space for a 14” long unit I cut the steel tube to that length, mashed the opposing sides of primary tube to “give it an oval muffler look”, formed (rolled) the perforated sheet material around a 2 1/2” diameter pipe, wrapped the perforated tube with stainless steel scraps from an earlier lathe project, wound stainless wire around the matted lathe scraps to hold the matted mess firmly to the outside of the perforated sheet, slid the weird and fuzzy looking mass into the 3 1/2” steel tube, created a center baffle running the length of the inner tube with “special characteristics” designed to create the McBearen sound, capped the ends and added bungs at each end. Surprisingly, it looked like a real muffler! After tack welding the system altogether I anxiously started the engine…. It worked (I mean it “mufflered” perfectly). I know you’re going to ask me about the baffle. I could explain the “special characteristics” of that internal component that creates the exclusive McBearen sound but if I did, I’d have to kill you. Trust me, it’s a cool sound but it’s not worth any shedding of blood!  Thanks for taking a look. Here are some pictures of the system as it was on the table and after it was installed. Dick Bear     5-9-2006 Hey Metalshapers, Thanks for the kind and encouraging words. I needed that! Mike, my shop is always open to those who are interested in the McBearen build so just call (email) me before you plan a trip to Winston and you'll find the door is open. kb58... (real name?) I'm familiar with your mini project and have been following it for some time. You seem to be able to put in words the feelings, fears and personal pride felt by each of us who have attempted to create our own vehicle. I've enjoyed your site many times over the last year. Thanks. Barry, I'm somewhat ashamed of the progress I've made in the last several months but it seems there are times when business projects must be moved ahead of what we'd rather be doing. I continue to sneak in a day here and there regardless of the schedule. When I see the things others are doing and witness the knowledge many have, I wonder what right do I have to persue this dream. My understanding is limited to creative design (art) with a only dash of engineering basics achieved solely through work and pleasure experiences. Thanks again! Dick Bear 5-11-2006 Quote:
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You've gotten my attention. I ordered the Staniforth book this evening for delivery on Tuesday just in time for an 8-hour days' flight to St Louis on the 17th. Should have time to look it over between baggage and passenger check-ins! Thanks, Dick Bear 6-2-2006 McBearen Update If taking 2-steps forward and 1-step back is progress… I guess I’m making progress but it is slow going at this point. Due to some technical difficulty (lack of experience) I completely dismantled the fender and started over reusing only two of the original pieces. I found that it was better to bring each component (panels) to nearly perfect shape before assembling any of them. Previously, as I began to plannish out subtle irregularities, weld seams and divots I found that it was nearly impossible to hold the shape when attempting it on the fender as a whole. Somewhat frustrated, I cut the fender apart and worked (fitted and plannished) each part until satisfied before welding the separate pieces together. There is still a lot of handwork to do but seems to be working better doing it this way. As long as I had the fender dismantled I took the opportunity to create the headlight bezel and fender louver panels as separate units rather than attempting to retrofit them into the finished fender as I had planned to do earlier. I think this was a good decision. Since being shown the complete seam-weld process by Wray I have no qualms about welding panels together and, in fact, now approach each opportunity to butt-weld .060 as both a challenge and a lot of fun. I haven’t gotten to the point of trying to weld a pop-top lid back onto an aluminum soda can yet but will try it someday, I’m sure! Photo #1 Here I am wheeling-out the weld seams (using my Imperial Wheeling Machine, of course) while making final adjustments to the long and interesting shape of the inside fender component. You can see the outside fender panel on the buck in the background of the photo. The piece being wheeled will form the inside of the fender and be connected together by smaller panels described in the next few photos.  Photo #2 As I mentioned, I decided to make the headlight bezel as a separate panel and this second photo is the first in a series illustrating the making of the bezel. Using a rough-cut sheet, which will be adjusted later, to fit snugly between the outer and inner fender panels, I cut first out the opening and then marked off the different measurements for the varying processes I planned to use in its construction. FROM THE OUTSIDE: The first line is my guide for creating the recessed edge, which will allow the clear Lexon lens to lay flush with the fender’s surface once installed. The next line is my guide for the finished inside edge of the bezel. The material from this line to the inside cutout will be rolled inward…wrapped around an aluminum wire to form the inner edge of the bezel.  Photo #3 In this photo I am forming the recessed edge using my bead roller dies. I increased the pressure with each consecutive passes around the rectangle until the desired depth was achieved.  Photo #4 Sorry but I didn’t take any process pics of the rolled edge being made. It was a matter of hammer forming the metal over a series of forms and posts to the point at which the aluminum wire could be inserted. Once the wire was capture I simply continued to hammer the flange around the wire forming an evenly curved inside edge of the bezel.  Photo #5 This photo shows the headlight bezel welded in place between the inside and outside fender pieces. The weld seam has been roughly ground but the final touches to the seams have not been completed.  Photo #6 Here you can see the fender louver panel welded in place on the fender (the front is toward the right side of the pic). These particular louvers are wheel well exhaust louvers lying slightly behind and above the front wheel. As such, they are formed into the fender’s surface rather than protruding out from the fender so they may look strange to you. I hand formed each louver after making the straight slice with my plasma cutter. To achieving the basic shape I hammed (at a very slight angle) a 1/2” round into the corner to form the rounded end of each louver.  Photo #7 This photo shows the fender with the headlight bezel and the louver panel in place.  That’s all for this installment of the McBearen build. Hope to have more real soon! Dick Bear 6-3-2006 Thank you for the kind words and encouragement. Mike... I hope I don't sound too proud but after photographically documenting a component and new proceedure for me... no one is more excited about sharing it with you all than I am! It is fun working hard and then sharing the experience and the images with those who are interested. Tim... Thanks! Your work is museum quality sculpture that just happen to have wheels and motors! Jim... you have been the most supportive over the long haul and I appreciate your comments! Kerry... Thanks for a great wheel. Makes my labor a pleasure. Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 06-13-2006 at 12:03 AM.
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06-13-2006, 12:10 AM
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McBearen/Mclaren Part 9 - Jun 11 thru July 6, 2006
6-11-2006
McBearen Update Those of you who have discovered the fun of building ‘anything’ of this sort would agree with me when I say, there are stages during the process that can be compared to watching corn grow. The only difference is that while watching corn grow you can actually hear it. Well, It seems to me that I’ve been ‘watching corn grow’ for the last several months and tho’ it has been great fun, I came to a point yesterday that really made me sit down and take a break. A break to consider what I had accomplished with a huge thanks to all of you involved in MetalMeet for the information and expert advice given during my 2 1/2- year association with the MetalMeet gang. Chassis, engines, suspensions and steering systems are pretty mundane accomplishments. Those things require only time to accomplish and if you’ve been interested at all in them though out your life they pretty much become 2nd nature. Metal shaping is totally different and since the McBearen build was originally conceived as an exercise in learning to shape metal, yesterday was a very special day in my learning process. I COMPLETED A MAJOR COMPONENT OF SHAPED METAL TO THE POINT AT WHICH IT SUPPORTS ITSELF WITHOUT STRUCTURAL AID FROM A BUCK AND/OR FRAME MEMBER. For you who do this for a living that may not seem to be very monumental however, for us who don’t (well for me anyway) removing the buck from the frame and finally seeing a multi sectional piece of .060 aluminum having the curves and shape I had wanted it to have standing there smooth and proud for the first time was enough to get my adrenaline flowing. There have been other moments during the build that stand out too, like the time I was able to put the chassis with wheels on the ground for the first time, and when the engine turned over and ran with a sustained purr for the first time, or when the tub was complete enough to take the McBearen for its first cautionary drive down the street. But seeing the nearly completed RF fender perched there [un-assisted] was truly a metal shaping moment for me! Thanks to all who have, over the years, contributed to the McBearen build through posting their equipment/tool designs, metal shaping techniques/processes on MetalMeet for all of us to learn! And a special thanks to Wray, who in addition to many other things, taught me the patience needed when it comes to getting a piece of flat sheet metal to become what I wanted it to be. After pacing the back fender panel, louver panel and head-light bezel as cross pieces of the fender I felt that before I attempted to lock-in the fender shape permanently by adding the cockpit down force panel I’d be wise to establish the dimension of the very front of the fender by shaping the intake grill for that area. Photo #1: Shows the intake portal and shaped nose piece of the fender.  Photo #2: Illustrates the fender air-intake grill clamped in place prior to welding.  Photo #3: Is an ant’s point of view of the welded fender grill showing the McBearen’s outside front fender’s line.  Photo #4: Shows the cockpit down force panel fitted and welded in place to the inside surface of the fender.  Photo #5: Is a 3/4 view of the fender with the previously formed door section in its’ closed [down] position.  Photo #6: Same as #5 except from the inside.  Photo #7: Shows the fender with the door section in its’ open [up] position.  I’ve decided to leave the remaining open areas in the fender open until I finish hand plannishing the fender. This will make it easier for me to reach all the surfaces with a hand dolly and slapper. That’s the update on the McBearen for now. Thanks again for all the encouragment and kind words. I’ve received several requests to visit the shop to see the project in progress. Everyone is welcome… Just email me first so I can give you my phone number to set date time. Nothing is more fun to me than talking about the McBearen… I learn a lot that way! Dick Bear 6-12-2006 Quote:
Kerry… My little Canon digital camera is good but not good enough to show all the surface imperfections that I’ll try my best to workout. Knowing that I’ll never get the entire surface suitable for leaving it in its natural state, I will be painting it [McLaren] orange to ‘accommodate’ my current level of metal shaping ability. One thing I’ve failed to mention in the last couple updates is the fact that I did order and read Staniforth’s book on race suspensions. Based on the information in the book I will be addressing the concerns several of you have expressed regarding the McBearen’s rear suspension. First however, I plan to take it to VIR under its present configuration to establish a baseline from which to base any design changes. Maybe after testing, I’ll be lucking and find the adjustments are not as great as previously suggested. Either way I feel it would be wise to go ‘as is’ and make changes as they are determined to be needed following the test period. Dick Bear 6-26-2006 Hey Metalmeet, First item … Had a great time visiting with Dale Andersen when he came to see the McBearen on Father’s Day. Dale had many ideas, suggestions and questions as he gathers information and prepares to build his own scratch built car in the future. His reason for being in Winston-Salem is marred by a family tragedy of unconceivable magnitude. His young son was in a 1-car accident a couple months ago and suffered head injuries resulting in his being in a coma since the accident. I hope Dale feels free to visit often as he and his wife spend their time in Winston comforting their son and praying for his recovery. For me, MetalMeet.com is a unique cyber family where total strangers share information, successes and joy while also feeling the pain of cyber friends when they are hurting ,,, After completing the primary effort of shaping and assembling the 12-14 pieces of aluminum for the RF fender I removed the buck from the right side and inverted each cross section to create the buck for the LF fender. It was a little easier said than done but after first establishing some key ‘landmarks’ for critical placement of the individual cross pieces I was able to create what I believed to be a mirror image of the buck used to shape the left front fender. Having the experience gained while constructing the first fender made several procedures in creating the second much easier and faster, The actual shaping didn’t go much faster but the need to decide on each and every method used to form the metal was reduced making the over all time about 1/3 less than the first. The time savings related to the fact that I had already gone through the process of deciding how I would create the fender louvers and headlight bezel for example, including dimensions and other specifics (which I drew up and recorded) while making the first examples it was then simply a matter of duplicating those specifications on the two pieces for the second fender. Each of the discoveries I made during the first fender made the second easier and faster in addition to (I believe) better. Not knowing exactly how I was going to hold in place the connection between the fender and the cockpit down force panel prior to welding them together I came up with a rather unorthodox method that may or may not be acceptable to the purest among us. Since this connection is so critical due to the fact that once welded it established the relative position of all components making up the large removable front body shell of the car I wanted it to be right from the start. To insure that it was, I bent a couple of long right angle aluminum lengths and pop riveted one leg of the angle to the fender (see Img #4). The exposed leg of the angle strip created a shelf on which the cockpit down force panel could rest while each large component of the whole assembly was positioned exactly. Once this had been done, I pop riveted the down force panel to the angled strip that had already been attached to the fender and I was ready to spot-weld the two assemblies large together (see Img #5). I hope I’ve explained that clearly enough (?). Finally, once I have the completed front body shell assembled I will simply drill-out the rivets and fill in the holes with weld. Adding the two side spacers between the radiator down force panel and the fenders completed the principle components of the front body shell. Except for the two voids in each of the fenders (left out at this point to facilitate final hand dolly work of the fenders), the radiator’s air intake opening and final plannishing of all surfaces the front body shell is completed. The structure created by the two center down force surfaces (radiator and cockpit) each connected to opposing fenders create a strong and stable front assembly that weighs at this point an estimated 15 lbs. total! Next I wanted to install the passenger side door section but before I could to that I had to turn my attention to completing the interior surfaces of the side pod and cover the two radiator lines that rest at the bottom of the enclosure (see Img #9). In the original McLaren the side pods housed the fuel cells but for my purposes the pods will serve as compact travel storage spaces accessible through yet-to-be-determined doors, covers or removable caps located directly below the hinged door panels of the car (see Img #10). With few exceptions the pages of the McBearen build thread has provided little in the way of relative scale for you to see so I took the opportunity to park it next to my wife’s ’06 Honda Civic to provide a comparable scale. The last few photos in this report should give a better feel for the size and scale of the McBearen as it slowly develops toward completion. PHOTOS: #1: Illustrates the buck in-place after flipping each section panels taken from the RF fender shown without any sub-structure support.  #2: Shows the LF fender’s exit louvers welded in place between the two top fender radius strips.  #3: Shows the LF fender headlight bezel welded in place.  #4: Illustrates the angle strip pop riveted to the fender creating the ‘shelf’ on which the cockpit down force panel will rest prior to being welded together with the fender.  #5: Shows the Cockpit down force panel pop riveted to the inner surface of the LF fender assembly prior to being welded.  #6: is of the nearly complete front shell including the radiator front cover.  #7: Gives a view of the front assembly as seen from the back looking into the radiator cavity. It feels cool to now drive the McBearen with the fenders rising high above the middle section of the front shell.  #8: Shows the front body shell lifted from the car and laying on the floor.  #9: The interior surfaces of the passenger side pod prior to placing the pods’ top surface panel in place.  #10: Shows the passengers’ side pod with the top surface panels in place prior to riveting in place and tipping/wire edging the access openings’ edges.  #11-13: Illustrates the relative size of the McBearen to a ‘06 Honda Civic.    Visually the McBearen is finally coming alive! Having the wheels nearly covered and seeing the fenders rise upward from the smooth sleek surface of the center panels while driving down the street has packed new excitement into this creative experience. Enjoy!! Dick Bear 7-1-2006 McBearen Update It’s been an exciting week in Lake Woebegone (Winston-Salem) my hometown but not much of it had to do with the McBearen. We celebrated my mother’s 90th birthday with friends and family arriving from all over the country. We had a great time celebrating the life of a great lady! Taking a break from shaping components for the body shell I spent some time making a pattern for the windscreen. When the time arrives for its placement I’ll bend it up from a sheet of 1/4” Lexon. That stuff is amazing. Strong, flexible and shatter proof, you can place it in a brake and bend it in straight bends creating a sharp crease with professional results. I’ll probably use a dark charcoal or bronze tinted sheet to add a dark accent to the visual of the traditional McLaren yellow/orange paint I have planned for the car body.   In addition to messing with the windscreen pattern I finished the primary air intake portion of the front grill. Nothing too exciting but having it in place completes the front extremity of the front body shell. The two far outside vent openings will supply air directly to the front brakes using flex tubes. The two smaller openings (one on each side of the primary intake) will supply fresh air to each side of the cockpit at the pedals and passenger’s feet. Each will have a simple shut-off for stopping airflow when it’s not wanted. Because the hot air from the radiator passes unimpeded up and (hopefully) over the occupants’, the cockpit could become pretty warm once the water temp gets to operating temperature. Consequently, having some fresh ambient air entering the cockpit at the location of the feet will be welcomed.  Well that’s the abbreviated update for now. With the 4th of July holiday this week I hope to make substantial progress during the next few days. Sure would like to have something to share with everyone come October in Oblong! Thanks, as always, to Anders for re-loading the photos for this thread. Cheers! Dick Bear 7-6-2006 Hey MM, Thank goodness for holidays… I got a lot done even though some of it took longer than anticipated. Finishing up the top skin on the right side-pod I needed an access port to access the cooling system lines housed at the bottom of the pod so I cut a triangular opening in the skin and formed up a 3-4 inch deep tray with a lip to cover the opening. I figured passengers would always be looking for a place to store a phone, stash a bag of M and M’s or reduce the size of their butts (remove billfold) so they could fit comfortably into the formed seat. The little tray will work ideally for those purposes and access to the plumbing is perfect should I need to get to it in the future. I’ll do the same thing on the driver’s side. I spent a day welding up the entire front body panel. Most of the components formed and attached between the two fenders had previously been only tack welded, so getting down to business, I completed each of those relatively long and challenging seams. Unfortunately all of them they were inside corners being enhanced with nearly impossible spaces between opposing perpendicular surfaces requiring some creative contortions for both my hands and the tig torch. Fortunately I had left one leg of each piece long enough so that rather than attempting an inside end-to-end weld I had the heat sink characteristics of at least one of the surfaces to drain off excess heat. This was especially helpful while doing the real tight and recessed areas located between the radiator skin and the fender. Can’t say I didn’t burned through but I’m sure I’d have done it a lot more had there been no natural sink to aid me. When finishing the backside of the panel edges I’ll cut and grind the excess edge of those pieces needing to be trimmed. True to my nature I had been putting off the task of making the second door module. I hate doing anything twice and although the one is a mirror image of the first I was still holding off as long as possible. But the time of truth had arrived so I convinced my self that I’d just have to bite the bullet and get started. Like so many processes in the McBearen build something had to be accomplished first before the ‘real task’ could be started. Tearing apart and flipping the sequence of the wooden buck sections needed to be done before I could start shaping the 2nd door. Second only to doing something twice is, for me, ripping something apart only to be required to re-assemble it in reverse, a real bore. This is especially emotionally painful when what I really wanted to do was form the metal and complete the door module… there you go… metal shaping teaches one to have patience! I’m learning that too as I go. After changing the buck from that of being used for the right side to that now used to guide the creation of the door for the left I finally was ready to shape each of the components for the door that includes some very subtle curves and a large NACA vent in its top. Looks simple and maybe I made it harder than it had to be but 28-hours later I finally had the infamous left door module completed with a few improvements over the first one. I seems obvious to me that after physically persuading selected flat sheets of aluminum to take the form of curves, nearly flats, perpendiculars with matched seams welded together, the odds of having any of the planes match perfecting in height, width or any other way to edges of another, equally contorted aluminum form, is unlikely. I found this to be true on the first door module. The issues are: 1) the leading edge of the door needs to be parallel to the rear edge of the fender (front body shell), 2) the leading edge of the door needs to have a consistent 1/8 – 3/16” gap between the two parts (door and fender) and 3) the door’s side surface which runs perpendicular to the edges described in item 1-2 must line-up perfectly with the outside surface of the tub. There are simply too many edge requirements to have without building in some method for making minute adjustments. The solution I came up with is to have a 1/2 lip on the front of the door module which I could then scribe and trim to match perfectly with the rear surface of the fender leaving the required gap between the two. The lip is shown in one of the attached photos. I’ll add that lip onto the first door so the gap and fender produce the same appearance. The next item on the list was to fabricate another door hinge and establish the placement of the anchoring structure within the driver’s side tub. (You can see what the hinge looks like referring to the photo that shows the M &M’s tray described earlier.) All of the hinge mechanics are concealed under the fender. The gas lift assists in lifting the door and controls its’ closing while also holding it in the open position. Photo #1: Access port/M&M's tray and door hinge mechanism.  Photo #2: 2nd door partial completed with NACA vent.  Photo #3: 2nd door showing scibe lip on front edge.  Photo #4: Full view... two doors  Next on tap for the McBearen is to partition and close in the driver’s side pod similar to that of the passengers side and then I can move onto the shaping of the rear shell. Believe me, it is exciting to sit in the cockpit and have the upper body shell completely wrap you in the aluminum cocoon that has become McBearen! NOT FAR from having all the major body panels complete. Then there comes the task of smoothing, adjusting and perfecting the surface of each. Looks like I might make my Oblong, Ill schedule?! Cheers! Dick Bear Last edited by MetalMeet Librarian; 09-16-2006 at 10:49 AM.
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......but what do I know................john
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