After the ordeal of transport was behind us, Bob and his son-in-law Justin came back the next day to help me unpack the crate. Of course, they were curious about how the Zero was going to look. We got the front of the crate off and revealed the beautiful blue and white beginnings to my car. We were all pleased to see that the contents of the crate were in good shape, having been carefully packed at GBS. I had volunteer duty at the Genealogical Center so I could not continue until Sunday, when my friend Jim could come over to help unpack.
Jim was a big help but we could have used at least two more people to man handle the Zero chassis onto the cradle, but with only two Jims we made do. With a series hoisting, jacking, and rolling on furniture dollies we positioned the chassis in the garage and could use my lift to raise the chassis and position it on the cradle. Later, when I have the suspension on I won't be able to fit the Zero between the lift rails so I will need a gang of people.
Having the Zero on the cradle and in my garage workspace was like the completion of a recurring dream. This was what I designed my garage to do and now all the parts are in place. It's a little tight, moving around the chassis but not too restrictive. I've added some safety bumpers to the protruding studs on the radiator bracket, for instance. I have work surfaces around all sides and all my tools, shop air, cleaning booth, etc. It's even heated for these cold days but I know from experience that I still cold soak through my feet so I get pretty worn out after a few hours. And, of course, Sirius radio.
Just visually comparing the SVO engine to the chassis makes it look like a challenge - and it will be! I can modify and fabricate a new induction manifold and intercooler to remove all the bits that are over the cam cover. The really tough and inflexible dimension is the height at the cam drive pulley. It may well require a "power bubble" in the bonnet to clear the top of the engine. Time will tell.
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