Megasquirt 2 just came in and Built

My Megasquirt II just came in the other day and I thought I would get a spot ready in the basement to put it all together. The Megasquirt is a Engine Management System, I will be able to monitor everything on the engine through a computer, boost, O2 sensor, temp sensor, tach/crank position input and fuel injection if I ever change to that.

Since the weather this week has been into the -18 to -24 having something to inside has been nice.

It's been slow, this is the first time I've built any kind of board like this. With about 160 different components I think I'll take my time to make sure it done right.

I've put a couple hours into all ready but have come to a part where i need to test what I've done so far and the Stimulator Board I need to do that hasn't come yet.
All the parts are here that I need to build the Stimulator board, which I've done now and as you can see I have finished main board itself.
Ran a test and everything seems to work just fine.

More roof work

After looking at the roof I wasn't happy with a few parts of it, so it was back to work on it. After a few more nights and a weekend on it I think finally it looks good. To bad it's gotten to cold to hit it with a coat primer.

I was also able to get the front apron cleaned up from the black stuff they spray on the new body medal. Plus removed the paint from the front and rear.

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Front apron welded up and roof primered

I we able to get the front apron section on and weled up. Put both fenders on to make sure everything lined up.

I then spen hours grinding all the welds on the outside of the car. I still have all the inside to do next.

I glassed a little more on the roof and then I sprayed a coat of primer on the roof to see how it looked. As you can see it turned out not to bad, just a few sections I need to fix up.

Front end, Roof and back rain rail

So little by little the chop is coming along. I don't get to many full or even half days so I don't always take the camera out with me when I'm only our for a few hours.

I've got got most of the welding done inside and out, other then the pinch clips that run on the B pillars. I've started the glass work on the roof which is looking pretty good I think.

I welded the rain rail in the back by the air vents as it looks like the 56 oval roof never had any to start with.

I also cut the front section again because the section I put in wasn't the best after I started looking at it. Tomorrow I'll through the fenders on and make sure the holes line up ok, then fit and tack the very front to see how the lid will close.

I will say this, the after market parts SUCK, the fit is crap. Lines don't line up pieces don't even look the same and some how you need to make them fit and look nice.

For this weekend, I'm going to try to get all the grinding done, a little more glass on the roof and a coat of primer to see how it looks and maybe work on the rear clip. I want to make the rear clip a removable one so it's a little easier when I need to work on the engine. Pictures to come, something is wrong with the blogspot site *@#&!@#%

Roof welded

Well after being gone on vacation for three weeks it's nice to be able to get back to work on the chop.

I was able to get the roof all welded up and started to get the grinding started. I hit one spot that I grinded down with primer and it looks pretty good. A little fiber glass to smooth it out and it will good as new.

Roofs on and inside welded

Well It's been a busy weekend in the garage.

The rear deck lid hinges have been modified a little to get the rear lid to open and close properly.

Next I moved on to welding up the rear luggage wall. Then welded up the extra piece that I added to the rear of the oval section.

Had to take a drive out to Monarch, AB to get another roof to finish mine. I had my choice of a few different ones as the fellow had a small VW graveyard. I'm sure I'll be back to see him soon for an older deck lid and apron.

The roof section was cut and tack welded on.

The car was put back on the rotisserie which should make it a little better for welding up the roof.

It was off to the inside now to finish off the rear section and weld up all the roof section on each side.

All in all a pretty good weekend. All that's left on the inside to finish, other then all the grinding is some relief cuts on the B pillars that need to be filled and the pinch clips that run down the B pillar need to be welded back in.

Rear Deck Lid

Well after a few days to think about how to fix the problem with the deck lid not sitting right or closing I came up with this. I first put a relief cut in the body just above the rear fender area by the deck lid. Then I put a relief cut about in the lid about 18" long on each side. I then added a section to the bottom of the oval to give me that nice 1/4 gap between the deck lid and the bottom of the oval section. Last I filled the gap up with some medal from the donor car.

All in all it looks pretty good. I'll have to extend the hinge brackets under the hood and figure out if there is some way to still use the spring that keeps the lid up when you open it.

Rear deck lid problems

With the oval section being tipped down there is a small problem with the way the rear deck lid fits. It doesn't close, and if I remove it from the hindge and set it where it should be I seem to have a little over an inch gap from the top of the deck lid to the bottom of the oval section. I have looked at this for awhile trying to figure out the best way to fix this with the least amount of cutting and welding. I have come up with something but will wait to share until I'm done and can post some pictures of it.
The shot with the CUT lines on it was a thought but that cuts into the rain gutter in the oval and was not a good idea.

Rear Quarter Drivers Side

I was able to finish the back corner of the quarter glass area. This side took a bit to get right because it was there was in inch difference in length from the drivers side to the passenger side.

I then moved onto the gaps that were left above the quarter glass where I had to put relief cuts in and spread the medal open to keep a smooth trim for the window.

It was on to the front, to the windshield area. The very top center area was a little off, plus it was missing some medal so a new section was welded in.

A full day on rear quarters

After getting a late start I was able to get a lot accomplished. I cut the spot welds along the top where each piece is butted to each other and was able to get rid of the warped section on the passenger side.

I next moved on to the passenger rear quarter where I had to fab a piece for the very rear of the window section. This took more time then I thought it would but it has to be near perfect for the glass to fit right.

Next it was the section behind the window. I cut a section from another bug I have and cut and transferred it to the chop top.

I then moved on to the passenger door pillar. The section that was added at the top needs to be widened a bit to have everything line up. At this point everything is just spot welded, I'll wait to weld it all up until everything is in place.

It was off to the other side. This side took longer because is was really bad from the last person that worked on it. There was an inch difference in window size from the front of the window to the back before and I wanted them be about the same size. I was able to cut and spot weld the section I fabed in to place. I then moved on to the drivers door pillar. This took some time as well due to the fact that I need to cut and move into place two different parts. On the passenger side the medal around the window that holds the rubber lined up perfect an the drivers side not so lucky. Relief cuts are put in and then the medal is either spread apart or squeezed together to line things up.

Oval Section

Well today I finished the piece over the drivers side rear window and put the oval section on the back of the car. This took most of the day, trimming bit by bit to get it to fit. It's all just spot welded right now just in case anything needs to be changed or moved, but all in all it looks pretty good. I trimmed both sides up to make the last section go in better. It seems to be warped a little on the passenger side which my correct itself once the rest of the roof is welded on. Tomorrow I'll work on the the back quarter section right where the glass goes in. I still need to find one more roof to finish the the, a 2 or 3 fold sun roof would be nice.

The roof has become a puzzle

What I thought was going to be the fast part of putting the roof on turned into a long day and not getting to oval section in. I was hoping to use the oval section I have which is about half of the roof but once the old was cut out and I set the new section in I could see the it was going to line up the way I wanted to. So it's back to piecing the side section in over the rear quarter window. Plus the roofs that I'm using are different years so there seems to be a little difference in some of the window frame size which had to be fixed so the glass fits right. I made a die from my other bug to get the right line for the rain gutter. This seems to be what everyone looks at when the car is done to see if you've keep the right lines on the car. Tomorrow I'll tackle the other side and try to get the oval section cut and put on as well.