Project Crowdmower : Ford Chassis, Chevy Motor, and Nissan Transmission

[laextreme5]

Whats up everyone. Been a bit delayed gettig this updated with all the COVID-19 stuff going on. Wifes home with the kids and im still at work so thats played a part in it. Ive gotten a decent bit done since the last update. ALso had another set back time wise for the garage. We decided to change our closet into the new baby's room once we found out it was a girl. Our closet is MASSIVE 7x13. Plenty of space for an on suite nursery while she is younger. Once she is older she will share a room with her sister.

ANYWAY, back to the garage. We left off with clearing out all the leaves. The dirt back here was very uneven and sloped quite a bit. That combined with all the roots and weeds it made it hell to level out. Once leveled out i was able to dig the holes and put in the first row of post to set the height based off the slab. Once the first set of post were set i was able to set the depth and start digging those holes Currently the first row of poles are cemented in, however i have yet to do the second. It was at this point work turned toward the baby room. It is nearly complete, i just have to finish the last third of the wood floor, paint the baseboards and crown molding, and touch up a few spots on the walls. Then my wife can go crazy decorating and i can get back to work on the garage.


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Also, i took a small timelaspe of me taking down some small trees that are in the way of the garage extension.

[laextreme5]

The drawing isnt quite up to spec, it has changed slightly since then. It was mainly for determining electrical outlet locations and wiring quantity.

[laextreme5]

Some more work done on the garage. Prior owner had built a false wall in the back that needed taking down to maximize usable space. I also started clearing out behind the garage for the next addition. I will be allocating some space for an attached sectioned off shed which will be roughly 4.5x8. The rear garage portion will be an additional of 4.5x21. The back wall of the current structure i will remove the center beam, and run some 2x8 to really strengthen it back up and open it up.



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[gnmzl]

Excited to see this grow out to a usable garage. It sucks to not be able to make it "the dream garage" but as pointed out, it might be the better option.

[laextreme5]

Glad to see some updates, sucks that you couldnt redo the garage completely. I heard horror storries from guys at work about that in the same way. Bought a house with land and were promised that they could build a garage to only end up fighting with the township for months to have it not be close to what they wanted. Nice idea on the extra bump out for larger tools tho. Cant wait to see when you get some more time to keep working on it.

Its hard right now with this whole COVID-19 pandemic. I am at work as i am considered an essential worker, and wife is at home currently full tie with kids as school and pre schools are closed down. Really only get 12 hours on a weekend at the moment. But progress is progress nonetheless. Once i have it fully closed in i will be able to continue working on electrical, insulation, and inside walls after work as wont be as noisy.

And yes, that was my fear, tear down what i have then be delayed, fully denied buidling anything at all. Not what i want, but better than the likely alternative of "trying" to start fresh. Ive taken some measurements and i will be able to make a 2 post JUST BARELY fit. Im excited.

[hinrichs]

Glad to see some updates, sucks that you couldnt redo the garage completely. I heard horror storries from guys at work about that in the same way. Bought a house with land and were promised that they could build a garage to only end up fighting with the township for months to have it not be close to what they wanted. Nice idea on the extra bump out for larger tools tho. Cant wait to see when you get some more time to keep working on it.

[laextreme5]

Whats up everyone, been a whiiiiiiile. Work, kids, new house, leaves no time for projects. Sadly this isn't directly a update on the mustang, rather on the garage. Original plans were to tear down the existing structure and build new. Sadly after talking with a construction friend about setbacks, yard intrusion with size, cost etc. Its just not feasible. So plan B is to close in and use the existing structure.

The current structure is 48x21. One half the width at 11.5ft wide has a 13ft sloping to 12ft roof. the other 9.5ft width has a 7.5ft sloping to 6.5ft roof. And down the middle is a 4x4 post every roughly 7 feet. I have some plans to remedy some of these post but I will get on to that at a later date.

My first step was starting to close in the open sides, as the back, half the left side, and none of the right or front have walls.i started out by putting up some 2x4's and starting the frame work of barn style doors for the short side of the garage.

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Given I was restricted to using the existing structure and its painful weird layout, I decided to build a few cutouts to maximize space. the first is on the side, 2.5x 2. it is slightly raised, as frankly I did not want to dig 6'' of mud out to make it flush. This area will be used for heavy stationary tools. Lathe, mill, hydraulic press, drill press etc.

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I do still have some work to complete, the one roof panel on there is purely only screwed up there, not in its last resting place. need a hand to finagle it up there, kind of a pain being a fat over my head and 10 feet long.

[hinrichs]

Congrats on the new garage plans. I love the new garage I have, but wouldnt mind a little more room like you are planning. Totally understand having no time, I just moved and still have a lot to grab, and also get my other house ready to sell while working on the new place. Adulting is fun haha.

[laextreme5]

Hey guys bit of an update, been kind of MIA lately. Hadn't really touched the cars at all in the last several months. My daughter has been keeping us running around and working on the new house has taken the rest of my time and money. Been having to walk next to my cars and just look a them, not even working on them or buying any parts. Sucks but its where I'm at right now. Luckily its for the better, we are making progress on the new house. Built a front fence, sodded the front yard, pulled out a ton of overgrowth etc. And the REALLY good news is we are in the planning stages of my bidding my dream garage. We are hoping to break ground on it by spring of 2020. Will have room to comfortably work on 4 cars, and space to park 6, possibly 7 depending on car lengths. 2 post lift, race deck flooring, heat and a/c, an 8ft deep loft in the back for hanging out in. Im super excited. Going to be about 48x27, with an extension after the fact to add in another few hundred square feet. In total it should be around 1600-1700 sq ft. Which coincidently is the same size as my house. Have space allocated for a separated clean engine assembly area, space to build an autoclave to venture into making my own carbon parts and storage to park my eventual multiple cars. The drawing below is still preliminary as im still trying to decide on a few things in regards to placement.



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[laextreme5]

That is a thick core if I've ever seen one!

yep 6'' thick. correct core is 12x12x6. this one is only 12x6x6. Correct core is good for 2000hp of cooling capacity. PLenty of head room and wont tax the system when i turn it up. Reliability is a strong focus with heat management playing a major role in that.

[Fruttolo]

That is a thick core if I've ever seen one!

[laextreme5]

Material showed up for the fan shroud. Is my first time cutting and working with carbon in this manner. Cutting it SUCKS. Its hazardous to breathe in, makes crazy fluffy dust piles and sucks when you get it in your finger. In these pics its all just mocked up, I later glued it all a little neater. Still need to cut holes for the fans, make some brackets to mount it to the condenser, and then make brackets to mount the assembly to the chassis. I will be cutting off the lower tie bar of the 417 turbo front end and going with a smaller, lighter setup being I'm just hanging the condenser only off of it. Eliminating weight waste.
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Also took delivery of parts needed to build my intercooler. Throttle body, BOV's, Alloy flanges, water ports, and intercooler core. Which I accidentally ordered the wrong core, new one should be here today. Ill hold on to the incorrect one as it actually fits the bill perfectly for next car ill be building. Ive also got a cobra rear bumper on order through my local ford dealer. I can get it at cost which is cheaper than a used one and no damage to fix. Sadly it is currently on back order so there is a wait on it. Good news is I don't need it right away, need to get some funds to order heat exchanger and radiator before the bumper is a necessity. All that's left for the intercooler fab is the LPS Alphalocs ill be using. Have to order them again when I get some funds as they are pricey, but man are the awesome. My buddy Jami will be doing the fab work on the intercooler, works at Scott's Hotrods. Check him out on IG @chaz_mcnasty.

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[Buick40]

A nice workspace is a beautiful thing. Glad you've gotten some time in on the mustang again. The two turbos peeking out of the grill is sick.

[laextreme5]

Found some more time to get some work done between hours work and side jobs I have been doing.

Ordered in a condenser and two small cooling fans to keep it cool. Ive decided to run large single a2w intercooler between the turbos and move the rad and heat exchanger to the rear. I bought some card stock and did a full size mock up to verify it would fit. While it is tight it will fit, should work perfectly. Reduces complexity of tubing substantially, as well as length by over 6ft. Which will be huge between the turbo size and small motor I plan to run, will definitely help with spool and throttle response time. Core is a CSF 2000 hp 12x12x6. Way overkill but I want everything to be overbuilt on this car. Minimize stress from heat as much as possible to keep it reliable. Condenser is a 24x12 and fans are Spals 6.5'' units. Should be plenty of airflow for the condenser. With now having just the condenser up front ill be using the active shutter I got from a Honda CRV I think it was, which will at a set speed close on demand, blocking flow through the bottom of the bumper to reduce drag for high speed runs. I may look into doing something similar for between the turbos so that the only opening is to the turbo inducers for maximum efficiency at high speeds.

I have everything on order material wise to construct the intercooler except for the connections, which I will be using LPS Alphaloc's. Buddy of mine is a fab guy and recommends them, and he will also be the one constructing the end tanks and such on the intercooler once the material arrives. Ive also got the material on order, which arrives tomorrow, to build the ducting and mounting for the condenser and fans.
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[laextreme5]

Started some work on the mustang this weekend in-between yard work (That kicked my ass).

Started by making a short to do list of items I wanted to work on. Don't have a ton of spare funds to put towards ole girl right now so trying to make do with what I've currently got parts wise and get maximum work done. Put the front end up in the air, pulled all the suspension out and started some of the metal work. Didn't get too much done but its a start, and its forward progress. I was also able to get the TIG from over at my dads. Ive got his truck for the week as he is on a business trip. I will be utilizing it to also get my motor and trans to the garage as well.

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