So the journey begins

BigTsDad

Member
Aug 19, 2020
16
21
13
NE Wisconsin
We're going to spend the day organizing the garage and digging through our pile of parts and organizing them and try to identify what we can. In the meantime I figured it would be a good idea to post up some pics so you all could have a look. Rather than ask a bunch of annoying questions right off the bat I was hoping I could get some opinions, concerns, or whatever from people who know their stuff. Although I would consider myself reasonably intelligent about cars and mechanically inclined there are certainly things I see here that I'm not sure about. Don't worry , I'm not expecting anyone to give me step by step instructions on how to assemble a car. What I'm hoping for is for the people here to stop me if I start going off in the wrong direction. It's what you don't know you don't know that'll get you after all. Like I said in my Welcome Wagon post, this is how we bought the car so we don't have the benefit of being the ones who took it apart.

Oh, I did manage to figure out the drivers side door latch but other than having a valve stem replaced that's all we've done. It's been here less than a week so it's a start I guess.

Here you go.
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In addition to that door latch and valve stem, you're going to need an interior and drivetrain.

You're welcome, happy to help.
 
Are those jacking rails? Might as well get subframe connectors welded in now before there is any interior to worry about getting hot from welding. I had a set (with the seat supports) welded in with A 10lb bag of ice on the carpet, but that was before the civilian WWW and groups like this to tell us better.
 
Thanks guys.

I do have subframe connectors that came with the car as well as torque box reinforcements. My short term plan at this point is:

1. Get the doors functioning... I'm not loving them wired to the cage.

2. Get the suspension buttoned down. It's just kind of attached but nothing has been tightened down.

3. Get brakes in it.

4. Get steering in it.

After those things are done then I feel like it would be a good time to get the subframe connectors welded in. Before wiring and interior.

A few questions though.

The torque box reinforcements seem to be a bolt in job although I have seen them get welded as well. Any thoughts?

As far as brakes go since I'd like to go with the Cobra brakes I have been using the 1995 Cobra as the basis of my research. Is it safe to assume that my spindles will accept these or should I try to figure out exactly where these spindles came from?

Finally I need to get a steering rack. Is it a bad idea to pick up a remanufactured stock one for a 93?
 
I'm not sure I would weld in subframe connectors without the car sitting at full weight without the drivetrain/interior etc. I'm sure there are others with more insight into this but it seems with the suspension not having the weight on it and welding in the frame connectors could possibly cause issues. Anyone?

Chris
 
Thanks everyone for your help. I'm already seeing things I wouldn't have thought of.

Some people prefer to weld in the torque box reinforcements, but many are bolted in.
Mine have been bolted in for 15yrs. , torque boxes are fine, although I'm not launching my car.

Sounds good. We're not building anything extreme so bolting them in should work for us as well.

If you're replacing the rack you should upgrade to an SN95 rack, improved feel and radius.

Did a little reading on this. Sounds like a no brainer. The article I read linked to a hybrid steering shaft from Maximum Motorsports, that's a spendy one. I do recall running across a steering shaft in my stockpile. Maybe I'll get lucky and the previous owner had the same idea.

And don't tighten the control arms until you have full weight on the suspension.

Wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks for catching it.

I’m guessing that you intend to drag race the car then?

We're not building a drag car specifically. The plan is to get it back on the street. It's pretty clear the previous owner was building it for the drag strip though. We'd like to keep what's been done already since it looks like all good stuff. Not so sure about that drag launch kit that's under it. I haven't found anything that says a setup like that is safe for the street. Those front springs seem awfully stiff to me. I'm not sure if that changes when there's some weight in there.

Full weight doesn’t matter for the subframe connectors, but I agree with having the suspension installed and right before doing them. Other than that just make sure the car is straight and level when welding them in place.

We'll just hold off on those for a bit then. Thanks
 
Thanks everyone for your help. I'm already seeing things I wouldn't have thought of.



Sounds good. We're not building anything extreme so bolting them in should work for us as well.



Did a little reading on this. Sounds like a no brainer. The article I read linked to a hybrid steering shaft from Maximum Motorsports, that's a spendy one. I do recall running across a steering shaft in my stockpile. Maybe I'll get lucky and the previous owner had the same idea.



Wouldn't have thought of that. Thanks for catching it.



We're not building a drag car specifically. The plan is to get it back on the street. It's pretty clear the previous owner was building it for the drag strip though. We'd like to keep what's been done already since it looks like all good stuff. Not so sure about that drag launch kit that's under it. I haven't found anything that says a setup like that is safe for the street. Those front springs seem awfully stiff to me. I'm not sure if that changes when there's some weight in there.



We'll just hold off on those for a bit then. Thanks

The lack of hood hinges, the missing heater plenum, the “ way too far inboard” bolted in 6 pt roll bar, zero insulation and sound deadened will just be a few of the things that will make this car a pain in the ass on the street. Add in 90/10 front struts, and 50/50 rear shocks, and you’ll have to pay more frequent visits to your dentist as a result of getting the fillings jarred out of your head from the ride quality.

That car looks to be amazingly clean, and nicely painted. It’d be a shame to lose such a nice starting point for a great street car to end up as another example of a gutted out rattle trap pretending to be a street car that is just a literal headache to ride in.

Get rid of the drag racing junk, ditch the lift off hood. get a good aftermarket electrical system ( these cars need it anyway). fix the stuff that has been Removed ( hinges, heater core/AC) restore the door mechanisms, put some sound deadener in it, and the interior.
 
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