Australian Belly Tank

[kiwi belly tank]

Cover up the sticky-out bits with glad wrap, spray foam it & sand to shape goes pretty quick Mate. Use polyester so it doesn't eat the foam.
  Sid.

[Dr Goggles]

This worked pretty well for using what was "at hand"....pretty tough too.

[Dr Goggles]

update.

Formerly the car had exhaust that ran down and the along the floor of the car joining behind the rear bulkhead and exiting in a single pipes the tip of the tail. The cooling system was total loss with a 60 litre (12 gallon) steel tank that when full weighed 100kg (220lbs).

The new Chev V6 is larger up top buy also has slightly different dimensions in other areas. Because our diff housing is fixed we only had a small amount of flexibility with the height of the drive line without undertaking significant earthworks. We decided to use engine mounts I stead of the engine plate to mount the motor. This meant that the motor sits higher and slightly further back than ideal. This means that the exhaust had to go straight back, there is no room for it to go down. Because the motor is longer the water tank would not fit. Because the tank has "floors" welded into it to cause the water to circulate it was not possible to spot shorten it. With this situation we elected to use a radiator and an electric water pump. Norm Harding's came to the party and made us a double core aluminum radiator with a large thermofan and also flicked us a Davies Craig ewp150 and a US a small block water pump delete kit......Because we have a radiator we now have heat isolation issues. The exhaust heads straight back along the mostne and exits through a 3/8 steel flange. It is the world's ugliest set of headers. This week we will use fibreglass to form some air ducts to take cool air under the radiator and avoid the exhaust allowing the fan to send heat out of the louvres along the back of the cowl.
When we built this car we built it around the original Holden V6, I'm hoping the compromises we've made in this refit don't rob too many HP in drag and lessen the gains we have made power wise.....

Yesterday I made a jig using a Hitachi sander polisher, a disc of particleboard and some string for a footswitch. I clamped the polisher. I screwed the moon discs to it and used coarse paper to freshen them up, getting rid of the oxidation and keeping the same spun look..... I welded up some cracks in the bodywork and some redundant holes too, I also spent a few hours making lethal steel splinters with a die grinder on the headers.Today it's bodywork, the new scoop and the nacelles for the heads....right now the list seems endless

[Milwaukee Midget]

right now the list seems endless

That post also indicates a pretty solid plan of action and accomplishments. 

[grumm441]

The plan has some holes in it today
I can't do anything with the ECU unless I have the original file in my laptop
So i can't unlock the ECU
and I'm having trouble locating a clutch release beairng that will fit on the input shaft
G

[Peter Jack]

Dr. Goggles, if you want to avoid most of those lethal metal slivers try using cartridge rolls instead. Google cartridge rolls and mandrels and see what's available in Australia. They should be easy to find. They come in lots of shapes and grits and when combined with a die grinder you'll probably find them faster and neater than a carbide burr.

Good luck. 

Pete

[Dr Goggles]

I think we're going to need a few rolls because right now the whole thing seems to be going down the shitter.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Best of luck next week.   

[Reverend Hedgash]

Well the car is soon to head off to the salt Plumbing not complete so will need work on the lake. I am flying in a day late to pick up anything required in Adelaide.
It will be good to have the whole team back together again. Photos and stories to come

Reverend H+

[Elmo Rodge]

Rev, we are flying in on the 10th to Melbourne. If we can do anything Goggles has my email. I don't have a local phone yet. 
Wayno

[Reverend Hedgash]

I just got out from the Lake. Conditions are great for racing with both Valerie and the Devonport Treit liner having good runs on Thursday (328 and 360ish).

I finally met Stainless and John Boy who have very much made themselves home on the salt, and then Wayno and Cassie also arrived a bit later who were also great to finally meet, especially with Wayno's connection with the Kelly lakester.

Dr Goggles is coming out of the lake later today on a taxi run for Mrs G and I'll leave it to him to give an update on the Spirit.

All well with conditions great for the next runs. Big hot spell coming in though with temps possibly going up to 45degrees Celsius.

Reverend H+ reporting from Port Augusta.

RH+

[wobblywalrus]

Does that mean you are pulling the car back after Grumm's wife makes a run?

[Reverend Hedgash]

No.

[Elmo Rodge]

K.C. and I left the Salt yesterday on our way to the East Coast. We're having a ball. 3 hours from the Salt to the highway. I'll have a more detailed report later. 
Wayno

[kiwi belly tank]

K.C. and I left the Salt yesterday on our way to the East Coast. We're having a ball. 3 hours from the Salt to the highway. I'll have a more detailed report later. 
Wayno

I just heard some of your story from Gus, life's an adventure isn't Mate! 8-)
  Sid.