I’ll title this post “progress and frustration”.
I can’t begin to count the days I have spent waiting for parts, only to find out they won’t work like I had intended. But there have been minor victories too. Taking a break from plumbing and cooling, I got the dash down off the wall and got thinking about speakers. I got some Kickers that were flat across the front. The majority of modern speakers have protruding tweeters. I also ordered a pair of 1/4” spacers off Amazon just to be safe. The combo of the spacers and flat speakers worked perfectly.
Speakers
No protruding tweeter!
Spacers trimmed to clear surrounding components. I also filed a step in the bottom edge to clear the sheet metal stiffener.
Speakers bolted up. I put a washer and a nut on the studs first, tightened the spacer down, then another washer, the speaker, washer, and locknut. This keeps everything tight so no buzzing, and at the same time supports the ears on the speaker frame.
Perfect!
I also had the common problem of the aftermarket dash appliqué sticking to the dash but not to itself. The thin plastic outed cover would not stay stuck to the double sided adhesive foam. Some Gorilla Super Glue solved that problem.
Next I got back on mounting that monster fan. After some OCD induced mental gymnastics, I settled on simple. Some stainless angle brackets, bolts, and nuts should work. A bit of measuring, drilling, and there you go!
Top mounts. Ran these through the face, as they primarily hold the fan to the radiator. The long bolt and tube are there for a reason. See the next pics.
These are the bottom mounts. Since they support the weight of the fan, I went with 2 per side. These went through the flange. Now you can see the purpose of the long bolt and tube- it serves as a locator for the rubber radiator mounting biscuits I’m using. That will be in a couple of days.
So now for the frustrating part. I purchased that Wilwood proportioning valve that mounts up by the master cylinder. This has caused me more headache than it might be worth. First the short tubes really don’t fit the ‘Vette master properly- I’ve got them bent to be close but I’m worried about leaks if they’re not perfectly aligned. So, probably need a Wilwood master too. Secondly, the nice stainless brake lines I purchased early on are for the stock prop valve mounted to the frame. Can’t put the Wilwood valve there? No, the exhaust is too close. So, I tried to rebend the lines upward. I had to straighten bends and then re-bend again, and in the process, probably just screwed up the front lines. And- added bonus- the rear line is now 24” too short. Aargh! I’m about ready to give up altogether on the stainless lines and make a complete replacement set out of some of that PVF coated or maybe even the nickel/copper line. I think in the long run that might be the best idea.
I forgot to add that while I’ve been getting frustrated with my Scrambler progress, I’ve been cheating on her with my Cherokee. I’ll post pics tomorrow or so...
