My '75 2002 Sleeper

[tinkwithanr]

In a shop environment, 'Shovel' = 'Big Ass Dustpan'

[TrentW]

Shovel?

[e30m20TurbO7]

I love this build

[tinkwithanr]

Got some more done today. First thing first, I needed to decide how high up to place the gas tank. It's a delicate balance of ground clearance vs. a low center of gravity.

Checking out different heights using the floor jack:





I ended up with the fuel cell sitting ~5.5 below the top of the frame that was already fab'd. The next step was to start cutting the tubing to size. Here are the down tubes that connect the top frame to the lower section:






Then I cut out a bunch of other tubes and threw them together like so:





The largest tubes in the above picture are 2" x 2" x 0.125" wall. Then the outer fuel cell frame is 1" x 1" x 0.125" wall, and the smaller bracing a triangulation bars are 0.75" x 0.75" x 0.0625" wall. It may be a bit overkill, but it will be very secure.

Side View:






View from Underneath:






Shot from a couple steps back. The framework shouldn't be visible except from very far away:





It's hard to see clearly in the picture below, but the fuel cell is about 1" higher than the floor pan at the lowest point. So while I don't have a very big departure angle, clearance shouldn't be to bad:







Fuel Cell in place:





Top Shot:




Bottom View:





Then the last thing I did for the day was to remove the rubber bits from the bumper, which makes the lines much cleaner. Then test fit it to see how it looked. Overall I'm much happier with the change:









Next up on the list is to start fitting the sheet metal for the trunk floor as well as the fuel cell hold down and the rear suspension reinforcements.

Go Bucks!

[tinkwithanr]

Nice, good to see some progress. Got a sticker going out to you next week....finally.

Lol, thanks. And for the record I haven't forgotten about the front roll bar stuff we talked about, I just still need to refit the engine.

This looks amazing man. The level of detail, craftsmanship and creativity is impressive.

Best of luck!

Thanks :up:

I look at your garage/workshop and I would like to know...

WHO IS YOUR DADDY AND WHAT DOES HE DOO??

Seriously, where/what is this place?

It's a small manufacturing company I've worked at for a few years. We make sand processing equipment for the foundry industry. We had a spare room in the back so I took over it and started acquiring the stuff I needed to do this project.

[MaxBell]

I look at your garage/workshop and I would like to know...

WHO IS YOUR DADDY AND WHAT DOES HE DOO??

Seriously, where/what is this place?

[thirdlobe]

This looks amazing man. The level of detail, craftsmanship and creativity is impressive.

Best of luck!

[SkiFree]

Nice, good to see some progress. Got a sticker going out to you next week....finally.

[tinkwithanr]

Small update. My cousin came down to help me for the day and I didn't bring my dslr from home, so I only have one picture. I start framing out the trunk for the fuel cell and roll cage. If you look at the center section you can see the fuel cell will be slightly offset to the passenger side to help center the drivers weight.





Expect more updates soon.

[tinkwithanr]

I dunno how I missed this before. Great work.

Thanks!

Just got caught up. I can hardly contain the respect. Awesome work, man. I wish I had the know-how to take on this kind of project. Maybe some day...
Absolutely subscribed.

You never know til you try, I didn't know what I was doing when I started this.

There are no words for this epicness. Amazing work.

:up:

Registered just to tell you that this build is awesome, to subscribe to the thread, and to wish you the best. You are insane in the best possible way - and your '02 will be too.

-Matt

My g/f thinks the same (about the insane part at least). lol

[jonesboy]

Registered just to tell you that this build is awesome, to subscribe to the thread, and to wish you the best. You are insane in the best possible way - and your '02 will be too.

-Matt

[estorilduck]

There are no words for this epicness. Amazing work.

[Route36VT]

Just got caught up. I can hardly contain the respect. Awesome work, man. I wish I had the know-how to take on this kind of project. Maybe some day...
Absolutely subscribed.

[chadthestampede]

I dunno how I missed this before. Great work.

[tinkwithanr]

I've been using 18 gauge for everything, which worked great for the floor boards and other load bearing panels. But it is a bit thicker than the stock rear valence and quarter panels. If that's all your working on I would say 20 gauge would be fine.