three wheeler progress

[Imzz4]

Thanks so much. Please let my wife know I don't spend as much time in the garage as she sees it.. If I did , I'd be done. And still, the closer it gets , the more it seems like there is to finish.

[Mikie v]

Looking Good. Keep us posted can't wait to see the finished product.

[Imzz4]

The painter made me sample piece with a trial version of flames and an idea for a bowtie emblem and to see how it matched the frame. Looks good.The plan is tomorrow he starts covering the primered parts.
Some of the FI problems are better since the fuel pressure gage was incorrect, and a new liquid filled gauge showed it was set at 52psi instead of 43. It still stalls just after it warms up. Until I get that squared away, I won't want to take around the block. Too many other things take precedence over being able to be in the garage , again...

[Iron Maiden]

[Imzz4]

I really don't have to tell anyone, but, if it reminds someone to recheck what they think is right before they do something dumb like I did, its worth it. My plumbing of the fuel regulator was wrong. How it worked enough to run is still puzzling. I used a port which I should have plugged instead of putting a Tee fitting where it should have been in the first place. My last" test" was an eye popper when I hard wired the pump directly from the master relay and saw 30 psi on the gauge but had zero fuel coming out of the disconnected return line to the tank...It was a WTF moment. I drained the fuel tank enough to remove the regulator. Once apart,( all 4 pieces), I realized it was completely not how I thought it was.... so.. there you go.
I thought of applying for a dumbass award, but I'll stick to my saying that , I didn't really F up, because I thought I was 100% right the first time.

[hogv8]

Jeff , you must have had a momentary lapse or reason . Ha Ha I get them once in a while .

[Imzz4]

Yep, not only that, but also found out the fuel pump is defective. The longer it runs, the less pressure it makes. Just as the motor is warming up , and ECU inputs are changing, made it was tougher figuring out what the heck was really going on . The tech listened to the pump running on the phone ,and said it sounded like it was running too fast. I think for what ever reason, the impellor is slipping on the shaft , more slip the longer it spins.
But, I did see the body parts inside the spray booth yesterday and couldn't believe it !

[Imzz4]

Aeromotive sent me a new pump after telling me they were rebuilding mine to new condition. Someone got their wires crossed , so the $200 for the "rebuild"was a good deal. Paint is going slow and steady. Kandy blue still has to go on after the other pieces are at this stage of the process. He is very particular, and we decided to go a notch up from the black flames.
After the pump is back in and sorted out, I can start on my new air shock problem . It sits below the correct ride height at max pressure.... that's another deal where what they told me was not true.

[Iron Maiden]

A lot of hurdles for sure but WOW - look at that paint she sure will be Purdy!!!!

[Imzz4]

Working with QA1 was great ,and they did a nice job of suggesting which shock and spring to choose. Now that it's actually back on the ground and sitting right, there's only a couple loose ends to take care of before I can take it out for a ride.

[Imzz4]

Finally I can say I rode it around the block several times and found the newest problems. Brake fluid leaking from the front master cylinder at the seal end. And I can't lock up the rear wheels. Too early to guess but I hope its just air. Unfortunately the brakes stink enough that I won't take it out for a real ride. On the bright side, the transmission shifts quickly into 2nd ,and nicely into 3rd, not enough room for 4th . I never heard funny noises from anything. The fuel pump is happy and the headlight is good at night.

[Iron Maiden]

Sounds like she will be road ready real soon

[V-MAN]

Glad you got it out and on the road even if it was just around the block. That little ride in my experience is not only good to shake down "things" that need addressed but it keeps you motivated too!! I hope you get another chance to give her a run ... maybe get through all the gears even BEFORE the snow starts to fly.

AWESOME PAINT

[Imzz4]

The front master cylinder leak was at the sight glass seal, but I bought a new 11/16" one since the other was 5/8 bore. The other master cylinder problem was me. (Imagine that). This was the second time I tried to modify a dual reservoir unit to make it work on one. Even though one was empty other than a few drops of DOT 3 for lube, enough fluid transferred into that piston and was compressing a very small volume of fluid against the plugged outlet, and not allowing the other piston to make enough pressure to put the pads tight against the rotors. I wouldn't have never guessed that a Dorman 1" single reservoir master cyl for a 62 Impala would do the trick, but it's on the way. Since the fuel tank is out ,I decided I should make and weld a small sump for the fuel line to exit from instead of just a hole and a 90 fitting. Probably a baffle too. What ever happened to thinking I would be riding a finished machine back on the 4th of July !

[Imzz4]

I found a piece of 2" square tubing and messed around with it until I got it turned into a "sump" that would fit right . There was enough space to put a fitting for a small ball valve to drain it. It will be interesting to see how much water and dirt accumulates after many fill ups .

[Imzz4]

Once again it appears to have good rear brakes after two snags. The threads in the one outlet port weren't cut deep enough so I had to make a copper insert to seal the leak under the plug. The two mounting holes in the casting needed careful grinding with a Dremel to allow rotating it slightly, until the edge of the new cap didn't touch the bottom of the gas tank. The new front master cylinder had a different radius in the reservoir side, so of course I ended up grinding the powder coat on the bars until it fit right. Fortunately you can't notice the black paint . I bought new seals for it and the calipers to switch to dot 3.

[Imzz4]

The painter has been sick so nothing has happened much on that end. But I started on new caliper brackets and when the rotors get here , I can thread them and trim down the ends a little more.
The Aeromotive tech suggested using #12 wire on the fuel pump, so I changed that around and put its fuse and relay behind a heat shield for the MSD. That was a good reason to move the fuse for the alternator and clean up the wires some more. The fuel tank is back in and the motor got to start up and run a little. Sounds pretty good too if I must say so !

[Iron Maiden]

You are amazing Jeff!!! Any chance you will be in Daytona with this beauty?

[Imzz4]

With my track record I would think not. There's something else that might pop up on the first long test ride. Hopefully not ,but. I did make a cover for the battery post , and one to keep excess "wash water" from the Terminator connections since the rotors haven't arrived yet.

[Imzz4]

Another "brick in the wall" and so far , so good. Arlen Ness quality is super. Pads sit right at the edge of the rotor.

[Iron Maiden]

How many more bricks to go? I wanna see this beauty on the road

[Imzz4]

This qualifies as a brick !

[hogv8]

Up here in central NY state iv'e only had to use my snowblower once . Very mild winter so far . Flying to Florida next week for a week vacation then trailering the Boss back down the end of Feb for 3 weeks vacation including Bike week . Then I figure by the time I get back home around the end of March winter should be pretty much done . Can't wait to ride in Florida .

[Iron Maiden]

Florida weather isn't so good right now either- tonight we are going to get our first freeze. Brrrrrrrr high of only 48 degrees today - too cold for me. Hopefully we wil get our 70 degree weather back soon.

[Imzz4]

As expected, my painter is still finishing everyone else's promised work also. He apologized again, and offered all my money back if I chose to have someone finish it but I said no .
With that ,and cold weather, I made a "looks only" wheelie bar for it. That will make it faster since it has one... I had a used part of a machine that wanted to be recycled into something else. It uses the mount setup for a future trailer hitch. The trailer is going to be painted the same, hahahaha 2018 !