Black Mirage Build Diary

[Blueovalz]

Attachment 422Thanks, Jerry-- beaucoup hours is right!

There was a Manta get together at Laguna Seca around 1979. Someone named "Leo" at Manta Cars took this picture:

Neil, could you post this photo in another forum as well? Perhaps in the original photos section? I love this photo, but think it will get "lost" in this string for those looking for vintage photos.

Terry

[Manta22]

Terry;

Yes, I will post it and a few others in the original photos section- good suggestion, thanks.

[Manta22]

I still don't know if I'll really need a fan to cool the radiator but I thought that now is the time to fabricate one- just in case. I decided to use an array of six small 12V fans and this made it necessary to cut 6" holes in my aluminum shroud. I made a circular gizmo out of 5/16 aluminum plate. on one end I drilled a 3/8" hole for a pivot bolt and 3" away from that I drilled a 7/16" hole that fits my rinky-dink Harbor Freight plasma cutter. The arc distance is set by a stack of 3/8" washers. After the pivot bolt is fastened to a center hole, the torch is placed into the 7/16" hole and the arc is run around the pivot. Voila! a nice big hole is cut out.

The fan panel is almost finished; I still need to run the wires to the barrier strip. I did the usual 2- part zinc chromate primer and assembled the ribs with 1/8" Avex rivets.

Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ

[Blueovalz]

Now you can stage you cooling!

[Manta22]

I ran into town to run a few errands, one being to take advantage of a heat gun on sale at HF for $8.99. My old Ideal heat gun finally burned out the heating element. It was a POS and not repairable so I junked it and, most conveniently, the HF sale came up at the right time for me. Out of desperation yesterday I tried my wife's hair dryer on the shrink tubing but it would barely affect it.

I finished wiring all the fans on my panel and they all work.

Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ

[Manta22]

The panel is mounted with the same 1/4"-28 bolts that fit through vibration mounts into nut plates on the underside of the radiator support tubing.

This shows how it is mounted.

Regards, Neil Tucson, AZ

[Jerry]

It is easy to see you are doing amazing work !

[Sulley]

What are the advantages of using the 6 individual units? Is that more for Bonneville than other events?

[Manta22]

Sulley;

The main reason I used the six small fans rather than one large one is that the large fan simply didn't fit. Its shroud was too high to it under the sloping nose of a Mirage. The photo shows how high it was.

The six fans actually covered a larger area of the radiator than the single large fan.

[Manta22]

Another very tiny step forward; I have added a push- pull control cable to actuate my battery cut-off switch. I didn't like my original idea so I re- did it. This cable runs forward to the nose. On the right side of the radiator air inlet there will be a small handle to shut off the battery by a pull, which rotates the arm and moves the switch to the "OFF" position. The thing is a trial assembly right now so there is no nut on the rod end bearing thru bolt. I'll clean it up and finish it with primer before final assembly.

The arm is made out of 1/2" 6061-T6 plate. If I can find a threaded handle it will save me from having to make one. Rubber- lined 3/8" clamps secure the control cable to the chassis.