82 Reynard - Winter Rebuild Thread

[wake74]

Was able to get the belly pan and the angled pieces wrapped up this weekend. The conversion coating went better on my second attempt but still not great.

A few notes (for the search engine) on the use of Alumiprep and Alodine.
- The key to the process is definitely the Alumiprep step. Getting a consistent etch is key.
- Don't let the Alumiprep dry at all, and keep rebrushing it on so it stays consistently wet during the process.
- Be very careful not to let the Alumiprep go thru holes of the part and end of on the back-side of the part. That was the problem for me on attempt #2, while I kept one side of the part wet, it went through the holes, and "over-etched" the other. No amount of Alumiprep on the other side, even-outs the "over-etched" runs.
- Immersion would seem to be the way to ensure consistent etching but wasn't practical for the size parts I was doing
- No amount of application of Alodine seems to even out an uneven etch coat
- It's nasty stuff, I did it outside to avoid fumes in the house

Over-all pretty happy, especially when I look at what I took off the car. The fit of the angled pieces isn't quite perfect at the joints, but still nicer than the 8 or more various little pieces that were put on the car over the last 30 years.

Now on to the put it all back together stage!

[LanceKTM950]

Looks good!

[wake74]

Got the engine in, and then stubbed the tranny onto it this weekend. It was almost a joy to install with the overhead chainfall and the car up on the rolling stand. I guess this is the poor mans version of a proper rolling a-frame lift, but about at $40 in material for the stand, and about $35 for a cheap 1 ton chainfall from HF, is hard to beat.



Onto the question though. The skid-plates I took were ground to a sharp point, and need to be replaced. It appears they were aluminum angles, no idea if they were original, how big they were originally, etc. It appears from the bolt holes in the front frame tube, that there were probably originally 3 of them, but only two were still on the car. The car was rubbing the bottom of the nose some last year by the looks of the bottom of my nose.

Anyone know what is original? If not using the original, anyone care to share some thoughts on what to use (that is reasonably priced)?





Thanks!

[Purple Frog]

Wake,
Use a piece of steel angle iron all the way across the front. Make two and throw one in the trailer.
It is important not to be hitting the leading edge of your floor on "stuff". That is how floors get ripped off.

[wake74]

PF - Thanks. Are the angles typically flush up against the bottom of the pan, or set further down? I was thinking something like 1" x 2" x 1/4" CS angle, with the 1" leg up.

[Purple Frog]

1" x 1" is plenty. Remember weight is your enemy.

[Ian Lenhart]

How structurally stable is that cart you built? Is there more to it then we can see in the photos?

Ian

[wake74]

Ian,

Someone mentioned it on this site a while ago, and that gentlemen sent me a pdf copy of the plans. The original version of the plans are at:

http://thelolaregistry.com/DIY/Formu...roller_box.htm

but the photos on the link are not there anymore. It more or less creates an I-beam structural shape from plywood, with the ends boxed.

Glenn

[Modo]

don't see any triangulation for the two rear shear plate ears or rocker mounts, may not be installed in photo, mine had a W bracket going to the large front shear plate, from ends to forward frame back to middle and forward frame other side and other end, doesn't allow ear to move along with rocker and rear shear......yours goes from middle to forward frame only.......may be other support for 82' not in pic......may consider W bracket if no other plan, ................

[wake74]

Mike - Thanks for looking at the pics. Mine has a bit of a different set-up than the W-Brace that I see a lot of people have. Not sure if it is the difference between the 82 and the more common 83/84. See below.

[Modo]

Absolutely cool, that'll do it, thought I might have seen something on the backside of the left shear ear....by the way, documentation and pics spot on, nice job!! To spur the 82-86 minus 85 Reynard crowd on this year.....Scuzz in action!! WEEEeeeeeeeeeeee!!!

[wake74]

See the before and after below. Not perfect, but it's certainly nice to not get covered head to toe in 30 years of grime any time I come near the car. Note that the previous owner, had put traction tape on the floor and on all three pedals (brake, clutch, and dead), not the throttle.

Is this common, and are the pluses and minuses to "smooth" verses "rough" pedal surfaces for a rookie driver? Trying to decide if I want to replace with new traction tape, or clean what is left off all the pedals.

Thanks for the opinions!

[Purple Frog]

I don't use traction tape on the throttle. Think about it. With your heal planted on the floor, as you roll into the throttle, it slides up your foot. i use it on the brake and clutch. YMMV


When i had an '84 i had to eliminate the tube above the throttle pedal. My size 11s toes would get wedged in at full throttle.

[wake74]

Hadn't really thought about the possibility of removing that tube above the throttle, but agree that it is annoying. Even with my 9 1/2-10 size feet, I find myself hitting it.

[Purple Frog]

The "V" brace above the pedals was a bolt-on item on my '84 Reynard. So it was easy to remove, yet be able to hand to a future buyer in case they wanted it.
Nothing like going into 10A at Road Atlanta with your right foot seriously "matted".

[stephen wilson]

I don't see any need for traction tape on the floor, just the brake, clutch, and dead pedal.

[wake74]

Some progress over the last couple of weekends, the wiring is all reinstalled, and have all the engine plumbing done. Should be ready to fire up next weekend, which just leaves suspension install, and bodywork. The goal is to give myself enough time before the first race in May to do a proper paint-job this year.

I'll add some pictures below but a couple of questions for those still following along:

1. My "brightwork" particularly the side-pods and the roll hoop cover, isn't exactly "bright". They are very scratched up from 30 years of use. I could paint them, but I think they add to the original look at the car. They are beyond a simple rubbing compound and polish. Any thoughts?

2. Fire Bottle Location. My Firecharger AFF bottle is too long to sit right on the floor under my knees, so I shimmed it up several inches last year so it would fit between the side tubes but that made it rather annoying on the back of my legs. I'd like to find another home for it. The only spot I think I have found where it will physically fit is the stock location of the over-flow bottle behind the battery (see last pic). I think I can fabricate up a bracket to mount the bottle to in that location. Thoughts or concerns?

Anyone have an old (and long) fire bottle pull cable laying around that I can mess with before I build a bracket etc., and realize the cable won't work.

Thanks again!

[Purple Frog]

It will probably work fine as positioned in your example. My choice might have been cross chassis on the floor ahead of the steering bulkhead.

For an actuator cable, you can go to NAPA and buy a "manual choke cable" if they still stock them.

OBTW, the dry sump tank looks small compared to the one that was in mt '84 2 liter car. Guess it's those 400 less ccs.

[wake74]

PF - Good thought on the location. While the bottle doesn't fit on the floor right behind the front hoop, it does fit on the floor right in front of it. I think I'll put this little relocation project on hold until I get the seat back and seat installed, and see how the more forward application feels.

[Purple Frog]

Did you pour a new seat, or are you talking about the POS stock fiberglass seat that was delivered originally with the cars?

If you are talking about the original fiberglass seat, i hope you only plan on using it for show when the car is in your garage. There are many threads over the last 14 years concerning their lack of safety in a big incident.

[wake74]

The car came with a poured foam seat from the previous owner. We happened to be about the same size, so it fits fairly well and that is what I ran with last year. I"ll do a bead seat at some point.

[provamo]

nice nice nice job...............................

except for the battery "hold down" and the lack of non-conductive terminal covers

do not ask me why i KNOW this will be a problem

[wake74]

Two good observations:

1. There are rubber spark plug boots on the wires that are just not pulled down over the terminals yet. I would assume this is the conventional way to cover them, it's a bit neater than electrical tape.

2. Assuming my battery tray is original (no reason to believe it's not), it appears to be configured for the "strap". It has a loop on the front bottom, and the top back that the strap goes thru to cinch the battery down.

I'm certainly open to other options to the strap as it's a pain in the butt to get tight. I don't ever remove the battery during the season so I only have to tighten it once per year. I charge it via the small charging cable that comes with the Odyssey battery charger that I leave permanently attached to the car.

[wake74]

Hardware Issue #1:

After a very rare couple of hours in the garage mid-week, I discovered my first missing piece of hardware. I really thought I carefully bagged and tagged everything during disassembly. I am missing the thick washer that goes between the shock and the lower rear plate. It's conical and is setup for a 1/2" ID bolt.

It's the right one in this photo:



Procurement thoughts?


Hardware Issue #2:

This one should be easier to deal with. I need to replace two of the bolts on the side of the MK9, that attach the rear shear plate to the tranny. Any idea what size these are, or where I might order two them? It's the two allen head bolts in the photo. They are missing on the other side.

[Purple Frog]

#1 = Pegasus # 3068-08

#2 Doesn't have to be Allen head. Do you have a thread guage? You can buy them from Pegasus, McMaster-Carr, East Coast Aviation Supplies, etc. Need to know the thread count, diameter, length, etc.

[Dick R.]

For #2 would it be better to change to an external hex head or a bigger internal allen? It is easy to round the corners of a small internal allen like those? There appears to be enough room for wrenches.

Dick

[wake74]

Thanks, I should have realized that I could replace that Reynard washer with a standard rod end retaining washer. The do appear to have similar shapes. Apparently, nothing special about the shaped allen head bolt, so I'll just replace it with a conventional one.

The bigger question is, how come every time I place an order from Pegasus (like on Tuesday this week), I immediately find a $2 part that I should have ordered

Between the grief from the wife about yet one more Pegasus order, and my 5 year old being less than pleased that "only Daddy gets packages" I can't win.

[Purple Frog]

PM me your snail mail address, and your son's name, and I'll send packages.

[wake74]

A package from a "Purple Frog", I'm sure Alex would get a kick out of that

[Purple Frog]

We pick up "stuff" (trinkets, decals, promo stuff) at race tracks all over the place for the grandkids. We always end up with too much. So get me a name and address.

[wake74]

Awesome offer, he'll be very happy. I've sent the info via PM.

[wake74]

The rain all day Saturday hampered the usual soccer games, family outings etc., so I made good progress. Got the rear suspension in, and started the front. Even managed to find the washer I lost above :-)

Pictures below for documentation sake, but one question:

On both the front and the rear anti-roll bars, the previous owner had put hose clamps on the outside side of each mount. Identical on the front and the back. Assume this was to prevent lateral movement of the bars. They look a bit jury rigged. Do these provide any purpose, as I don't really see much chance of either bar moving sideways?

[Purple Frog]

You probably need those hose clamps. On later Reynards, there are shoulders welded on the bars to prevent lateral movement.

Has anybody (e.g. Larry Oliver)put the fear of god into you about 82-84 Reynard stub axles?

The original design had a lifespan of about ten weekends. They always seem to break on the track, at speed.

Usually, 40 years later, they have been upgraded to the newer design.

[wake74]

Thanks - The hose clamps will stay.

Luckily, the car came with the updated IRP stub axles, so I'm good there.

[stephen wilson]

There are neater ways than using hose clamps. buy or make some Aluminum clamp-on collars: http://www.mcmaster.com/#shaft-collars/=gty1ze .

[Will Velkoff]

Yeah, I run aluminum collars from McMaster just like the ones you posted on my Crossle

[wake74]

An awesome gift package in the mail from Purple Frog! He loves the signed hat

[wake74]

Good news is that I'm at the point of firing her back up, after having it all apart. No problem with oil pressure (after I bled the sender line). Can't get fuel at all. Doesn't appear to be any blockages, as I can pull fuel with a MightyVac all the way thru the pump with no problem. I had actually bought a new aftermarket pump, but the discharge is on the wrong side, and conflicts with the rear brace (see picture). I get no fuel at all when I spin the engine over on the starter.

Note that this fuel pump has a removable top, and it allows you to spin the top so the inlet is in the desired direction. It's a beast to get in and out with the engine in the car on my Reynard.

Is it possible that when I put the fuel pump in, it didn't seat on the cam correctly?

Any idea what OEM or part number of the style I have? I have googled the numbers on the pump to no avail and I haven't been able to find anything like this one. They mostly either have fixed inlets/outlets or have adjustable AN style fittings.

[Purple Frog]

Do you have the hoses reversed? On 2 liters, the hose on the outermost part of the pump is the inlet from the fuel tank.

[wake74]

I don't think so. In the top half, out the bottom half. I found a pic from when I bought the car, and that appears to have been how it was.

I'm assuming it's got a rubber diaphragm in it, maybe it shrunk from being dry the last few months?

I'm also assuming that it isn't possible to install it so it doesn't sit on the cam correctly, but that may be a big assumption.