Thread: Stirlsilver's Disco Ute Project

I might have some handy information regarding engine bay airflow by the time you get back, as that's what I'm working on now. Please send a PM if you want to remind me about it. As I mentioned before, with the EL Falcon fans I'm trying not so much to get the air into the radiator as out of the engine bay, which has led to quite a few (okay, a huge amount) of things to learn. Hours of reading so far, and testing should start tomorrow. The funny thing about it is that everything I've read so far has to do with getting small cars to go faster, whereas there's not much at all to do with things shaped like Rangies and Discos. So I've found lots of theory but nothing practical, which means I'll have to figure that out for myself. It should be interesting!

Originally Posted by johntins

Wow. I just caught up about six months of this thread. Just doing that was exhausting... Fabulous work, Stirling. This car needs to be shown before you get it too dirty. Utterly mind blowing.

Thanks John! I appreciate the comment. As for showing the car, I guess if a place showed interests in the project, I could do something like that. But I am yet to be contacted!

Originally Posted by Davo

I might have some handy information regarding engine bay airflow by the time you get back, as that's what I'm working on now. Please send a PM if you want to remind me about it. As I mentioned before, with the EL Falcon fans I'm trying not so much to get the air into the radiator as out of the engine bay, which has led to quite a few (okay, a huge amount) of things to learn. Hours of reading so far, and testing should start tomorrow. The funny thing about it is that everything I've read so far has to do with getting small cars to go faster, whereas there's not much at all to do with things shaped like Rangies and Discos. So I've found lots of theory but nothing practical, which means I'll have to figure that out for myself. It should be interesting!

I would love to see your results Davo!

So yes I am back from the trip and a few more hours were spent in the workshop. With the chop strand matt on the underside of the scoop fully solidified, I was able to move on to roughly carving the top of the scoop. Unfortunately the light colour of the foam with the lights meant that not a lot is possible to be seen. Anyway, this is the mess I was making.




After everthing was done, I dropped the roughly shaped scoop onto the bonnet. It's a pretty low profile scoop (despite what it looks like in the photos) so I am pretty happy with it!






Anyway, that's it, not a whole lot of progress unfortunately. Hopefully more to be had this coming weekend!

Hello again everyone! I've had a bit more play time in the workshop this weekend than usual so some progress has been made!

First up. I finished tightening up the bull bar and mounting the winch fairlead. So that's ticked off




Then it was back to the bonnet scoop. First up, I had to make a ridge inside to catch any water that would run up inside when driving in the rain at speed. I had an aluminium offcut from when I was cutting out the ribs which was a close enough match. So it was riveted in at a slight angle and sealed with silicone. The idea is that the water will run left or right to the side of the scoop and drain out a hole on either side.




Then there was the process of lining up where to cut the holes. The photos below were taken during that process.






Here you can see the hole that was made, just in front of the rib. The other hole to the left was just an imperfection in the foam. The hole isn't pretty but will be tidied up after fibreglassing.


The foam scoop was then coated with Epoxy in all places where it contacted the bonnet and screws put back into the feet of the ribs to hold it all in position.

Then after that had cured, Ana and I went at the foam one more time with sand paper to try and improve the shape. The profile wasn't perfect, there are some lumps here and there which are going to require quite a bit of effort with bog to get right...




Then the last step was the first layer of glass going over the scoop. It was in this process that I noticed that I was going through much more hardener than epoxy, and then I realised that the instructions said mix the compounds 5:1 by Volume not weight!!! Argh! Oh well, it looked like the stuff I had mixed up to bond the foam to the bonnet set OK, and it was probably not so bad given the low winter temperatures. It's just an annoying mistake and I hope the rest of the glass will cure ok!!




So that is where we are at, I'll check soon if the epoxy set in the end tomorrow or the day after. Fingers crossed! Then some bogging will need to happen, more glass and then the long process of finishing the surface. Stay tuned.

Darn. More time to waste watching someone do something incredible, while not doing it myself.

Originally Posted by johntins

Darn. More time to waste watching someone do something incredible, while not doing it myself.

Thanks John, though I wouldn't quite say it's incredible. For fibreglass it is pretty ordinary really! You have a project going at the moment too?

I ducked into the workshop today to check how the Epoxy cured. Thankfully it was completely solid! I spent some time cutting off the excess material and I made a start on sanding the uneven areas of the epoxy back. But more time will need to be spent there.


After it got a bit too late to keep making so much noise, I moved on to one of the outstanding items in the engine bay - the windscreen washer bottle. I managed to find a nice small bottle on Ebay that suits some older holdens and it fit a treat.





On testing, I found that the non return valve that was in line was faulty (it squirted water out of the hole) so I tossed that away. It's probably been 8 years since water last flowed through the nozzles and thankfully they worked like a charm!


That's it for a little while, this Friday I am off to Oman and won't be back until the following Wednesday, so hopefully the weekend after I'll have some more time in the workshop. Till next time!

Oh my god, I was about to do an update and I have just discovered that photobucket have just updated their terms of service and want USD399/year for images with external links to be visible!! Argh! Moving means re-linking over 1,500 photos!!

Hmmm, is that why photos have disappeared from all over the place and that notice with the dial has popped up? Bloody hell!

These companies, they get in you and make you comfortable, and only later do you realise they've got you by your short and curlies . . . it will be interesting to see what happens with the company after this.

As for you, you have my sympathies! And you really documented everything very well for the rest of us to see, too.