The Baja350 - a Dentside Story

[DesertGoat]

Thanks so much, fellas!

Mounted up the headlight brackets & ran a little kicker out to support the lower front part of the fenders, which also stiffens up the whole grill section.
I still need to figure out how to support the middle-bottom of the grille, but I think that'll be part of whatever I build for the bumper.

Also mounted an aftermarket windshield washer reservoir & pump off the passenger firewall. Took 2 damn months for this thing to arrive. ugh.

 

[FasterNU]

The steering wheel cover is where it's at. HHAHA.

Shit, that windshield washer reservoir/motor looks way better than the big ass plactic ones. Where you get it? (I was about to buy the shitty plastic one.... )

EDIT; AHA>>>> think i found it.

Chase Bays Windshield Washer Reservoir / Intercooler Sprayer​

https://www.enjukuracing.com/produc...B3r3wgTCDeeOjeNGEE9_uuUpqGGIaK-caAsweEALw_wcB

 

[DesertGoat]

yeah you got it. This one is the "compact" version:
https://www.chasebays.com/products/...tercooler-sprayer?_pos=1&_sid=29e3c357d&_ss=r

but.. like i said... they took 2 months to get it to me. Due to backordered washer pumps so maybe call them & check the inventory.
I will say that the customer service rep was great.

 

[FasterNU]

you bought it direct?

 

[DesertGoat]

yessir

 

[DesertGoat]

Built up the steering column with a colapsible DD column, a firewall bearing and a few u-joints. I even get to keep the factory dash support bracket

So I started building out the driver's side cage bracing - had to cut back the radiator mounting bracket just a little bit to buy some clearance. Unfortunately the column runs right through where I want another cage tube, but I'll figure out what to do about that a little later.
Went on to the passenger side & these two are going to be different side to side.
The bronco frame with autofab motor mounts has the motor scooched over to the passenger side quite a bit and the AC compressor is on this side - so the tube work can't be a perfect mirror of the driver's side.
So i dropped down at least the same style of tubing originally and then realized that my header won't clear those tubes at all.
I had left the header off on this side because I knew I had to cut the frame a little bit to clear the flange - i wanted to do that with the motor out of the truck but I kludged some tooling together and got the notch done at least enough to fit up the header. More cutting will need to be done later to actually bolt up the rest of the piping.
But for now it lets mee see how much interference I have to the engine cage tubes.

I'll have to build the passenger side with some bends instead of straight tubes like the driver's side

 

[DesertGoat]

Bent tubes on the passenger side to get the lacing in.
Still can't remove the header with these tubes. But maybe once I'm done modifying the frame for the exhaust flange it'll be possible. if not, worst case is the header will have to come off once the engine gets picked up for removal and then scooched over to the driver's side on the way out. annoying but not the worst.