Had a doctor's checkup Tuesday and he said I'm doing good. My goal is to stay that way and make this car come together!
Another step forward, got the bat wings made and the spring fitting on the front axle,made the spring clamp plates and got the thing mocked up to figure where the hairpin brackets go. I have the rear axle mount plates done and fitted to the chassis and once I get the housing cleaned up I'll hang the 8"ford under the back side. Ain't far from being a roller. We be havin' fun. First picture is from the front showing the spring mount and basic layout for the hairpins. Second shot is from the drivers point of view.
I don't think bone mounts attached with a spring clamp and a pair of vise grips are going to pass tech ........... ANYWHERE! Nor can I truly believe that a rear end-less frame needs kitty litter. Parts are starting to resemble a car. Lookin' good Tom.
Been there, done that.......I believe that's how the saying goes. Made that spring from a military M37B1 3/4 ton rear leaf, it doesn't flex much. With the engine setback we'll be running and the planned weight of the car, I don't think we'll have a problem.
Life is good.......got up this morning and I wasn't in the obituaries, it's another beautiful day to make race car parts.
For me it's not the speed of the build or the car when it's done that matters, it's the joy of the trip that makes it all worth while. We may not be the quickest out there, (in build or ET, though I will admit I cut a pretty good tree), but our goal is to enjoy the journey to the maximum. Quick times and fast runs gather wins, but consistent runs and good reactions do too. Been doing this stuff on and off since 1962 when a couple of friends and I built a gutted shell of a '53 Ford Victoria into a gasser and always done it because it brought a smile to my face. Made some boxes of little pieces out of big parts, (mostly transmissions) and it may have pissed me off at the time, but I have some great memories and tales of "the time the trans case spread across the street", and things like grenading a '39 box and Columbia rear end on the same launch. If we ain't doing this for fun, what the hell are we doing here?
Well.......got about a week of goofing off in the shop and finally have some more progress to show for it. Got rid of the spring clamps and vice grips in the process and made up the brackets for the rear of the hairpins and the mount plates to hang the 8" ford rear under the rails. First shot is the rear mount plates.......Rocky, note the liberal use of holes. Second shot from the front quarter. Third shot of the hairpin bracket.......hole saw used here too. Last shot from the front just 'cause it looks cool. Stay tuned for more to come. This is looking to be a good month.
Looks neat. Just curious, how do you plan to dampen the rotational movement shown in the image? the movement shown is greatly exaggerated so it's easier to see.
It didn't seem to be a problem for these guys, (reference post #66), running much faster than we can hope for so I'm not really concerned with your perceived problem. Plan on having the front wheels balanced and if an excess of bounce occurs we will deal with it at that time.
Tom,, Don't ya think you might need some sort of a panard bar for the front end..???? And shocks... But it really looks cool...
Thanks for the compliment, Rocky. Sometimes I amaze myself in what I make with a drill press, band saw and belt sander. It takes a bit more time than if I had a properly equipped shop with a mill and lathe and such, but it does link back to doing it how they did back in the "old days". Must be a carryover from all of my years as a machinist and tool maker that some of it sunk in to my thick skull before I fled the computerization of the trade and took up wrenchin' on old aircraft. If tech would accept fabric covering for the body like on the old aircraft I could knock a bit more weight off of the car.
The sideways motion is taken care of by the spring, that three leaf quarter ellyptic was made from a military Dodge M37B1 rear spring and is over 1" thick. Plenty stiff enough to handle the loads and damn near rigid so shocks shouldn't be a necessity, but if needed I have that in the plans as an easy add-on.
What I was thinking Tom, That you might have some movement at where the spring is clamped to the sq, tube. Thats all... "The Spring From Hell" he he he.......On my Fiat, The front spring is a single leaf 3000# trailer spring...It don't move either.....
Man Oh Man... This thing is gonna be WILD! i really hate it when you guy do things that i would NEVER think to do.... REALLY NEAT CAR! that front end design is just too cool. i dig the way you've got your rear end in there. love the intake and exhaust. now get it done. if you let DickM get his done first there will be unspeakable thrashings to be had.
Thanks for the kind words, we strive to be unique....... Not worried about DickM.......he's older than me and I'll take the thrashing.
Your car, do as you please. But "looks like" is not the same as "exactly the same". I'd drop those dudes a note, see if they can get you a close up shot of the front end. Been a year and a half whats a few days to verify something that critical? I looked for over an hour and nobody else is doing it like that. Maybe your extra clever. And if so, I say congrats. the shackle bolts make me uneasy, the trapezoid shape of the front end geometry requires that there be no slop in that joint or it will move side to side. that leaf has become a panhard of sorts. Just be safe, that's all I'm saying (and a few others). nothing personal, I'd rather have you look at something a few extra times than regret it later.
Trust me I have checked that front end out from all angles, there is no side play on my setup, no panhard is needed, there is no shackle, (design secret) and the front end is quite safe. No regrets. Just because others haven't taken a path doesn't mean, "lions, tigers and bears, oh my". Back yard engineering still exists and works.
The Jalopy Journal
