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I'll be taking the CLK on Rocky Mountain Raceweek in June, so all of last winter's projects have been centered around making the car NHRA legal and making sure it's ready for a 1300 mile road trip, unassisted.
I got my custom Holeshot drag wheels with 15" Mickey Thompson skinnies up front and 275/50-15 Street R's on the rear. Looks like they will fit great once the car is back on the ground.
The car is also getting a roll cage that will certify to 8.50. Here are some in-progress shots
This weekend I'll be at the shop installing a roof rack to carry my tires and fuel jug on the road trip, and I should have the car back home next weekend so I can get a flexfuel tune done for the Holley so I can run pump gas, E85, or any blend of the two.
Thats siick af! You did the M113K swap, im doing that right now too. I did have a question about the oil pan? Did you have to swap the pump and the pan or what modifications did you have to do? Also do you have an Instagram?
Thats siick af! You did the M113K swap, im doing that right now too. I did have a question about the oil pan? Did you have to swap the pump and the pan or what modifications did you have to do? Also do you have an Instagram?
The W208 chassis has basically the same pan as the S55, just a little shorter., so I just left the S55 pan on the donor motor. It fits perfectly because I removed the swaybar, otherwise it might have hit that, but the crossmember clearance is the same as the NA motor.
The W208 chassis has basically the same pan as the S55, just a little shorter., so I just left the S55 pan on the donor motor. It fits perfectly because I removed the swaybar, otherwise it might have hit that, but the crossmember clearance is the same as the NA motor.
I don't really do Instagram.
Oh do you know if that would still be applicable to a W209?
I did some testing last weekend. She's deep into the 10's, and very low 1.5x 60' times on these tires. I tuned it for E85 and a 77mm pulley this week, so it should be in the low 10's next time out.
I leave for Raceweek in two weeks. Pretty much everything is sorted out except a few wiring issues.
Do you mind sharing what the cost was for the 8.50 cage? I’m needing a cage in W209 and want to have some idea of what a fair cost is.
Also what are you doing with the sunroof hole?
The cost of a cage is going to vary widely based on a lot of factors like experience/skill level of the fabricator, cost of materials (chromoly is about $20/ft right now!), and what level of fit-and-finish you want. I paid $4500 for this cage, but it could easily have been more if the car had a nice interior that I wanted to retain.
The sunroof has been removed and filled-in with sheet metal. It hasn't been bodyworked yet, so it still looks like crap, but it keeps the weather out!
Yeah I get that on the material cost, and finish of the job.
Did they tig or mig weld the cage?
Would you mind sharing pics or process you did for the sunroof?
I pulled mine and was hoping to find a non-sunroof skin. There is a factory replacement solid skin but I could only find them in Europe and it listed for $907.00...lol. I even looked for parts cars for a used roof skin but from what I can tell it seems all that came to the US were sunroof cars.
I have been thinking of welding tabs to the inner roof structure and making a Lexan cover for the hole and sealing it up. BTW the sunroof assembly weighed over 30lbs. To some may not seem like much but as you know every little bit helps.
Oh and I found my sunroof problem by having water in the floors and trunks areas.
the metal nipples that the rubber tubes attach to we’re rotted.
Last edited by tlambert; May 28, 2021 at 02:38 PM.
Have you considered using the glass from the sunroof as a mold and making a fiberglass or carbon fiber plug that you could epoxy into the hole? That was my original plan.
The fabricator tacked 1/4" bars across the opening and then welded a sheet of steel flush to the roof, using the bars as support. Unfortunately it warped the sheet metal and it's going to take some filler to smooth things out.
Have you considered using the glass from the sunroof as a mold and making a fiberglass or carbon fiber plug that you could epoxy into the hole? That was my original plan.
The fabricator tacked 1/4" bars across the opening and then welded a sheet of steel flush to the roof, using the bars as support. Unfortunately it warped the sheet metal and it's going to take some filler to smooth things out.
Yeah I thought about that. Seemed like more work than just doing the Lexan and sealing it in.
And I knew welding one is was more bodywork that I didn’t want to do.
Originally Posted by JoeJErnst
Oh, and the cage is 1-5/8" chromoly, which requires TIG welding.
Good to know. Keep posting on your trip. Do some vids if you can. I would love to make that trip with you!
I've got my buddy as a copilot and we're travelling with another buddy who has a badass 7-second Chevelle. I'll be posting daily updates to my Facebook page for anyone who wants to follow along: https://www.facebook.com/StumptownBenz
Well I made it back in one piece, and somehow managed to finish Raceweek even though I was plagued by fuel system problems the entire time. Every single drive was brutal but thanks to my Co-Pilot Robert, we were able to get a timeslip at every track.
My project has seen some set backs, but I wanted to say I watched your runs live on YouTube and the announcer also seemed quite impressed. Nice showing.....impressive work.
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