Independent Rear Suspension

I took a little time each of the last few nights to begin assembling the independent rear suspension.  I only have one side assembled so far, but I figured I should post a few pictures.  Plumbing the front brakes is done at this point, and once I determine exactly where the rear brakes are in relation to the frame I'll plan the best route and plumb the rear brakes.  Brad and I just coordinated calendars, and I learned that I may be getting A LOT of company on weekend of May 15th.  Believe it or not, that's the first weekend we both had clear.  I can't wait to finally show Brad his car, but my garage isn't very big so I guess i'll just set up lawn chairs in the driveway and we can all take turns hanging out.  Leslie already informed me that she and Colleen were evacuating the house to her parent's house here in Peachtree City to make room for a "guys weekend".  Jacob was excited that he gets to stay.

Plumbing The Front Brakes

I spent the weekend plumbing the front brakes.  First, I fabricated a small bracket to hold the remote brake fluid reservoirs just forward of the drivers side footbox.  They were initially supposed to be mounted to the firewall but a lot of people complained that they were either extremely hard to get to in that area, or there just wasn't enough room once the engine was in.  This new location seems to be the favorite among all the other builds I follow.  Second, I began bending the hard aluminum brake lines to connect the master cylinders to the left and right front brake.  I was really nervous to start this step, but once I got started I found it was really fun and easy.  The best description I have found from other builders is "automotive artwork".

Modifications

I'm STILL waiting on some parts for the rear suspension, so I'm using the time to do a few modifications that Brad and I have come across on many of the other build sites we follow on the web.

First,  the steering wheel was sent to a gentleman in California that machines the wheel to fit a modified VW turn signal.  The originals had a toggle switch on the dash that you would switch either to the left or right for the signal.  Later cars apparently used a modified VW signal just like this one.  It just seemed more convenient.  We may be building a rocket, but at least we're civilized!  I just received the wheel back, and was extremely excited to see that the stem matches the style of the replacement authentic style emergency brake we ordered a while back.  The hand brake that came with the car was from a late model Mustang.  It was functional, but not attractive or authentic.  The new emergency brake is polished aluminum and looks like it fits in this car.  I don't have a picture now (it's packed away in a box, and I'm too lazy to go get it right now), but look at the turning stem and you'll get the idea.

Second,  I'm adding an access panel to the top of the driver's side footbox.  There are a lot of parts in there, and without this panel they would be nearly impossible to get to should anything need repair down the road.  I fabricated a matching aluminum cover and am currently priming and painting the inside face with a rubberized paint to eliminate vibrations.  The whole thing is held into place with the bolts you see in the picture for easy removal later.

Third, rather than perform the very unusual and complicated bends required to get the brake lines from the master cylinders out of the driver's side footbox, I took the advice of many others and went straight out the front of the footbox using two lengths of flexible brake line and special connectors to make the transition through the front footbox wall.  I learn something new with every step, and on this I learned how to cut and assemble custom lengths of flexible brake line.  It was frustrating at first, but after a few bad attempts I really got the hang of it.  Luckly I had a couple extra feet of line.  You can see the lines through the access hatch.

And finally, I'm fabricating an intermediate aluminum bracket that will secure the middle of the firewall to the frame.  It's not totally nessecary, but I understand that with the additional weight of the heater/defroster that the firewall tends to bend and potentially rattle without this additional support.  Besides, I have the time.