Most liked posts in thread: The Phoenix - The GP Roadster Project

Since I didn't really put any load on my bar, I might cut it out and put it in the new car. If I build I new one, I'm going to make it a little wider, and add cowl and overhead bars, after seeing how the windshield frame collapsed.

 

Pretty sure it was increased pedal pressure due to "prairie dogging" at that point

 

Got started on some disassembly today...

Came across my GP mirror caps. When you manage to get asphalt scrapes on BOTH your side mirrors... you're doing it wrong.


Started pulling out the left interior bits, in hopes that I could get the door open once I got that out of the way...

Corbeau LG1 driver's seat is in good shape, mechanism works just like it did before the crash...

But note that the side bolster on the left side (right in the photo) is bent outward. Must have happened when I landed the car on the right rear corner, and all my mass hit that HARD. I wasn't sore or bruised there, but I must have done that. There's a steel frame inside there, I can't bend it back by hand. I'll probably disassemble the seat and inspect the frame, if it looks sound I may try to massage it back into shape.

Lots of Cool Blue paint flecks everywhere...


It's really starting to sink in, just how much punishment this car took for me.

The amount the left rear corner deformed. The open-wheel MINI look...


The amount of deformation of the windshield frame...



In spite of that... the GoPro mounts stayed in place. Those things are STICKY...



When a window shatters, it makes a LOT of pieces inside the door...


I thought the roll bar was just scraped from when the car settled into place... but it took a harder hit than I thought. There's a definite flat spot on this corner, right beside my head, probably happened the same time I got road rash on my scalp at the same spot...


Even with all the interior panels out of the way, prying and using the BFH, I can't get the door to budge. I may just leave it, or I'll have to cut it open. There's some serious sheet metal origami going on here...


Started pulling some stuff off the front, and got a better view of the left front frame arm. Some good folding action here, too. This airbag sensor did its job.


Worked for a couple of hours to get the front wheels and suspension wreckage off. This was the part I was dreading the most, because it was a mess and the wheels were really jammed in there. Took a lot of doing, but finally got one free.


Repeated the process on the other side, then had some fun on LXM...


This tie rod met physics... and physics won.


The sense of urgency for this, is I need to send my RMW axles back for a rebuild. They're rated for 500HP... but not for vertical or inverted flight, or for deep ditch trailblazing. Still, with some cleaning, reassembly and maybe new tripod bearings, they'll be good as new.


And... new parts are arriving already.

 

Yeah, I'm gonna cut a lot of this extraneous sheet metal out of the shell.



The parts that held the factory roll hoop frame, seat belts, etc. And the flimsy vertical wall that separated the passenger compartment from the top storage area. This will provide unobstructed access to the big frame rails that the roll hoop bolted to. That's where my new roll cage braces will weld in, allowing for a shallower angle for the braces and making the new cage much stronger, and making the car even stiffer.

I'll re-craft the interior side wall trim as needed to blend, eventually. I'll use this opportunity to get rid of the seat belt bumps on the side walls, that do nothing since I no longer use the factory belts. That should also let me widen the main roll cage hoop, since I'm not worried about leaving space for the OEM side interior trim.

I'm really liking the creative freedom this new build is giving me. The ability to do it RIGHT...

 

Today's parts haul:



Replacement left side wide angle mirror, shafts for sheared-off Rennline tow hooks, bushings to rebuild my H-sport control arms, and top cover from RoadsterSolutions.com.

Organized a bunch of stuff I've taken off, and cleaned up the garage a bit so I can hopefully not lose stuff. The junk pile is growing...


This may be the most broken MINI wheel I've ever seen...


Pulled the front calipers off the shell so it will roll easier and quieter. Spent a couple of hours trying to separate the outer ball joint from the folded left wishbone on the shell, to be able to install a new wishbone so the shell will roll. The lower nut is seized, and I can't get it to drop out of the knuckle. It's the most stuck ball joint I've ever seen. Been wailing on it with BFH and chisels trying to break it loose, after soaking in PB Blaster for days. Did manage to open a bit of a gap on the wings of the flange. Added more PB Blaster and will try again tomorrow. Haven't applied fire or cutting implements yet, but that may be next.

 

The Triangle area is 70% refugees from other regions... Who fled areas they hated, to live in a place that seemed much better, and have henceforth worked to put in place the same conditions that made their old hometowns suck.