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Big Blue's Transformation


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I remember acoustic couplers. So yes, I remember the 56k warnings.

I've been maximizing my picture size to get max clarity. But, I'd forgotten about you being on limited bandwidth. I'll cut the size back on future posts and lets see if that helps.

Yes, the brace may be overkill, but it is what I have and I might as well use it. The HD clutch that's going in will add some strain on the firewall, so it is good insurance. And it may add some rigidity to the steering column, which won't be a bad thing given the overlanding I hope to be doing.

Speaking of which, I was worried about people using the steering wheel to hoist themselves in and breaking, again, the part in the tilt column. (I've had to remind myself about that problem every time I get in.) But I hadn't thought about the driver using the wheel to hang onto in overlanding. So that pretty well cinches it - I think the fixed column needs to go in.

Oh yeah, I remember 14.4 telephone modems.

That was well before even 56k dialup.

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I remember acoustic couplers. So yes, I remember the 56k warnings.

I've been maximizing my picture size to get max clarity. But, I'd forgotten about you being on limited bandwidth. I'll cut the size back on future posts and lets see if that helps.

Yes, the brace may be overkill, but it is what I have and I might as well use it. The HD clutch that's going in will add some strain on the firewall, so it is good insurance. And it may add some rigidity to the steering column, which won't be a bad thing given the overlanding I hope to be doing.

Speaking of which, I was worried about people using the steering wheel to hoist themselves in and breaking, again, the part in the tilt column. (I've had to remind myself about that problem every time I get in.) But I hadn't thought about the driver using the wheel to hang onto in overlanding. So that pretty well cinches it - I think the fixed column needs to go in.

I have noticed that some of your more recent postings take a while to load, I am not on DSL anymore, but I only have 10g download and 5g upload speeds here on Virginia's appendix.

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I have noticed that some of your more recent postings take a while to load, I am not on DSL anymore, but I only have 10g download and 5g upload speeds here on Virginia's appendix.

Ok, let's see if these pics load faster. They are 1/2 the size of the others.

Today I got the monstrous firewall brace installed. Lots of work, but it is in. Plenty of seam sealer on the backing plates. But I didn't get Loctite on many of the bolts because the seam sealer got there first. I had to thread the bolts in first to line up the backing plates, and when I pulled them out to Loctite them most of them were coated with sealer. So I'm sure they are sealed.

Anyway, here's the inside shot, and you can see the two G8 5/16" bolts in the top and three of them on the side.

Firewall_Brace_Installed_-_Inside.thumb.jpg.b35195766d9ab4859673edb02ade7d58.jpg

And here's the backing plate in the cowl area:

Firewall_Brace_-_Cowl_Backer_Plate_Installed.thumb.jpg.65e1db114d9e03bf4c4e6a5cf6e5c30a.jpg

And the backing plate on the firewall. The firewall was at a bit of an angle so I installed longer bolts initially that let me get them started and then tightened them down, which bent the brace and the firewall to match.

Firewall_Brace_-_Firewall_Backer_Plate_Installed.thumb.jpg.3dabd5312e204c66b62a1a7178c34f9b.jpg

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Ok, let's see if these pics load faster. They are 1/2 the size of the others.

Today I got the monstrous firewall brace installed. Lots of work, but it is in. Plenty of seam sealer on the backing plates. But I didn't get Loctite on many of the bolts because the seam sealer got there first. I had to thread the bolts in first to line up the backing plates, and when I pulled them out to Loctite them most of them were coated with sealer. So I'm sure they are sealed.

Anyway, here's the inside shot, and you can see the two G8 5/16" bolts in the top and three of them on the side.

And here's the backing plate in the cowl area:

And the backing plate on the firewall. The firewall was at a bit of an angle so I installed longer bolts initially that let me get them started and then tightened them down, which bent the brace and the firewall to match.

Is it just me or are you gonna have a heck of a time getting the steering column screws back in? It looks like the plate covers some of the holes? :nabble_anim_confused:

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Well that's good, because it looks pretty bad in the pictures.

I can always pull the bolts and move it a bit and tighten them down again. I think the seam sealer will have the backing strips anchored well enough for that.

I guess the best way would be to loosen it, put the screws in for the steering column, and then tighten back down. Yes?

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I can always pull the bolts and move it a bit and tighten them down again. I think the seam sealer will have the backing strips anchored well enough for that.

I guess the best way would be to loosen it, put the screws in for the steering column, and then tighten back down. Yes?

Correct, but I feel like I recall somebody saying that they had to manipulate the brace to get it to fit the firewall, so I wonder if it's possible to manipulate(bend) the upper section so that the whole brace moves up? That seems to be your biggest issue, it's too low. Looking at it a second time, it could go towards the transmission tunnel a little more too, but it's hard to tell from pictures.

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Correct, but I feel like I recall somebody saying that they had to manipulate the brace to get it to fit the firewall, so I wonder if it's possible to manipulate(bend) the upper section so that the whole brace moves up? That seems to be your biggest issue, it's too low. Looking at it a second time, it could go towards the transmission tunnel a little more too, but it's hard to tell from pictures.

I'll check tomorrow. As you say, it is hard to tell from the pics.

But the brace can come out pretty easily. May have to bend it a bit to get it to go up, but I did some of that today and may not have done enough.

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I'll check tomorrow. As you say, it is hard to tell from the pics.

But the brace can come out pretty easily. May have to bend it a bit to get it to go up, but I did some of that today and may not have done enough.

That's what I'm thinking. Looks like there's a gap the closer you get to the firewall, so I don't think it's as high as it can go. It just needs a little more tweaking and it will probably be good to go.

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