Brian Diehl How is it goin?

[maria-n-skip]

   Brian,

    Haven't heard from you for a while....How is your project coming???

   Hope you got your clutch design handled...

   Skip

[Brian Diehl]

Hey Skip,
What's with the new handle?

So, my progress ....

I am completely hydraulic on the clutch now.  I used a matched slave/master cylinder from Wilwood.  I also bought a vacuum pump and a brake booster ($22) out of a 99 Lincoln town car.  The clutch pedal can be fully depressed without vacuum.  With vacuum it is like slicing butter with a hot knife!

The motor is completely in.  I have the drive shaft hooked up now and completed the lower cooling system fabrication this weekend.  I have to fabricate the exhaust from the turbo to the muffler and the intake from the air filter to the inlet on the turbo.  The last part I needed for the intercooler piping arrived today and that finishes the intercooler system.

I have completed a power on test with amazingly little fan fare.  No blown fuses, no popping breakers, and no smoke let out of any electronics!  My power on test shows good communication between all computers and no warning lights on the tranny shifter tower.  I have no warning lights installed for the engine computer yet, so don't know any engine computer status.  However, I do know it powers on enough to satisfy the Autoshift as all warning lights go out on the shift tower once the ignition on signal gets to the engine computer.

I've got a bunch of work and home stuff going on this week, so don't expect to get much done this week.  I'm hoping for a start test before the end of the first full week in August.

[maria-n-skip]

That's total greatness with all the debates from inside the box It has to be a good feeling to achieve a good setup!

  I changed the handle because recently Maria has been getting excited about the bus so I added her to mine
so if she chooses she can post. I think that she is starting to see where I am heading with my build and
likes what she see.  Not usable persay yet but the walls are up. I had to put blinds up because of the
scortching heat. One AC won't keep the bus cool with no window coverings.

   Maria is going to a Social work conference in Washington later this week and I am trying to sneak off to Glacier
for a day or two. Well not really sneaking she has already read this post.

  Of coarse I look forward to the pictures I hope you took of the system and it sounds like it didn't cost an arm.

   Skip

[Buffalo SpaceShip]

Well, I'd sure call that progress!

BTW, a little over three weeks ago I came to Brian's house and saw re-powerplant and bus as two separate entities. And along with the major mechanical connections, dozens of wires and electrical connections to be made, and his clutch connection still undecided. And now bus and powerplant are "one" and even "talking" together?! Very cool. And a major engineering coup, in my book. I'm very impressed what some folks in this hobby can do... and with Brian D., seems like nothing he can't do. And he and Hilary are such nice people, to boot.

Yes, when you get a chance Brian, I too would love to see some pics and documentation of your re-power. And I can't wait to hear that she's "on the road again."

Cheers,
Brian B.

[gumpy]

Hey Skip,
I am completely hydraulic on the clutch now.  I used a matched slave/master cylinder from Wilwood.  I also bought a vacuum pump and a brake booster ($22) out of a 99 Lincoln town car.  The clutch pedal can be fully depressed without vacuum.  With vacuum it is like slicing butter with a hot knife!

So, did the lever design we discussed work for you?

[Brian Diehl]

Thanks Brian!  I appreciate the kind words and compliments.  When you put my progress in your words I can really see the progress made.  In the middle of it sometimes I can't see how far I've gotten.  I just have to make it through this week and then I can get back into putting some time back into the project.  It will RUN!

Craig,
I used the basic idea we came up with.  I really appreciated you taking time to come over and shoot around some ideas!  Your idea on how to mount the lever arm to the one side of my clutch pedal was the "mental block" breaker I needed!  Again, thank you so much for taking the time out of your Sunday!

-Brian