Having now purchased my engine, transmission, mount kit, flywheel, clutch components and numerous other odds and ends, and with my appointment to go get the Ghia that will be the platform of my build only a week away, its time to get serious about engineering all of the chassis details that will make my car unique. With that in mind, I took my angle grinder out and set to the task of “carving the pig”. Some of my cuts are a little rough, but that’s of no consequence. I’ll take my time and be much more precise when it counts.
Specific goals for this part of the project are to develop and/or mock up the following:
- Mounts for the driver and passenger seats.
- Mounts for a late-model Jetta steering column and wheel.
- Ducting and mounts for the radiator, fans and other cooling system components.
- Mounts and controls for the cabin heater, defroster and (yikes) possible A/C system.
- Mounts for the relocated battery, new pedal assemblies (including a DBW throttle), new clutch and brake master cylinders.
- Routing paths for brake & clutch lines, heater hoses, battery cables, etc.
- Clearance for the engine and transaxle installations to develop a sheet-metal “cut plan”.
- Flush mounting of the windshield and rear window glass.
- Mounts for a set of late-model BMW trunk lid (i.e. engine cover) hinges.
- Mounts for the ECU and related electronics.
Needless to say, we’ve got our work cut out for us. Keep an eye out for numerous posts detailing our efforts to address each of these challenges in the coming weeks.
KrzyKG 