Projects Model A pickup, my first build thread

Just an update. Been working on the rear suspension. It's open drive trans and rear. I was trying to figure out how to set it up using the Ford radius rods without mounting them to the sides of the frame rail. I found this Heim Joint thing called the "Uni-Ball". It's basically a Heim with no threaded portoin that fits into a "Cup" and is secured with a snap ring. It has 32 degrees of movement up and down on both sides due to what the manufacturer calls "High Mis Alignment Spacers". So I built a mount for it, shortened the radius rods and put it all together. I'm going to add a torque rod from the top of the Banjo housing to a mount on the right hand radius rod to control pinion movement. I'm also going to add some sort of bracing to tie both radius rods together just behind the Uni-Ball. Should allow things to operate without binding like the bell shaped end of a torque tube.

 

Just a few update pics. I'm going to mount the crossmember tomorrow. I think I'm going to switch out the rear reverse eye spring with a stock main leaf for a bit more rake and some more clearance between the axle and the frame.

 

Looks great! That wishbone ball mount is the business!

 

hi; man the bed on that is like $1400 new bfrom ohio sheetmetal store....you got a good deal...if you dont like it gimme a line ...kev

 

Thanks, it wasn't cheap but I think it is going to work nice.

 

just kidding , looks like the build is going very well.mine aint that faar along ...wintered in...stored right now...keep us posted kev

 

If you're talkin about the bed I got when I bought it, the 27 T box, I sold that a long time ago. I got a 30-31 Model A box from a HAMBer.

 

Great thread, good call on not chanelling the cab. The fabrication looks great, lots of thought in each step. Have you figured out how your going to do the torque arm yet? I may have missed it ( read the thread twice), but are you making a highboy or going with fenders? You got to love it when a PLAN comes together!!

 

Looking good, I like the uni-ball mount system too.
I'll be watching this build.

 

Great job so far...hey, on that uni-ball thing...do you just weld right to the race or am I missing something?

 

its gonna be a hi boy, fenderless. thanks for the nice comments. sometimes i think i spend more time staring at it then getting actual work done. it seems to be working though. as far as the torque arm goes, i dont buy catalog stuff to often but "the hotrod works" makes a torque arm kit that has a bracket for the banjo housing and a mount that welds to the radius rod, the rod to go between the to and two clevis ends for $130. i cant buy the material and spend my time fabbing it all up for that price. its pretty much what i had in mind anyway. i will put pics up when i get one and install it.

 

if you look at post 91, the first pic of the uni ball, the black part is DOM tubing. its machined for the uni ball to fit into, they call it the uni ball cup. you weld to that, then press the uni ball into it and a snap ring holds it in.

 

Hey garage rat! I am just down the road from you iin Romulus if you are interested in the carbs feel free to give me a call. My name is Bill (734) 771-4105

 

Like your build , I doing one also. Mine is a 31 wide bed , just got the brakes done all 40 ford, I also move my rear spring behind and have 8 leaves. drops the rear 5" . I am running a banger with a thomson quickchange . front is 4" drop with reverse eye spring and 3 leaves removed . have you installed the tie rod on yours ? mine is given me a problem

skip

 

http://www.polyperformance.com/shop/Uniballs-p-202.html

Is this it? You might of just saved me!

 

Yep, thats the one. with this and a torque rod or 2 it should function like a torque tube and not be very noticable from underneath.

 

Looking good. Hurry up and mount your pedals so I can copy, I mean see how you are doing yours! (mine are 37 truck) Great looking Z too, nice to see a gradual step instead of the usual 45 cut.

 

Thanks, no progress to report. We've been getting our other truck cleaned up for Autorama next week so I haven't done much work on the A. As soon as I mount the pedals I will post some pics.

 

Hey dude! I haven't checked your build in a bit, it's nice to see your chassis up and rolling! Good job on the rear bones, and your right, with a torque rod or two all will be well. I like the rear kick ups too!

You know what you could do at this point to considerably strengthen and reduce twist in that chassis with out having to box it? Tie the trans crossmember and the rear suspension together fairly widely spaced, then drop two diagonal legs back to the kickups. Basically an extended multi compartmented "K" member. Boxing only cures beam strength on a chassis, and on an "A",killing twist and adding "torsional" strength is the key. Stabilize the chassis and let the suspension do the boinking kinda stuff, ya know?! Besides, unless you do a step box, Boxing a Model "A" chassis is an exersize in futility most times because of the spring steel Ford used in these chassis. Weld bit, skip to the other side weld, go back and weld up the cracks in the previous weld, repeat untill you go mad! Just a thought.

Did you ever solve your engine mount problems?

 

Tie rod is in. What kind of problem you havin? With a 4" drop axle the steering arms have to be heated and bent up or down to clear the radius rods. I have the 7 degree tapered reamer to change the direction the tierods go into the steering arms. My tierods go in from the top now, not the bottom. The big advantage here is that you wont have to bend them alot to get the tierod to go over the radius rods. I have a 3" dropped "A" axle that "296V8" here on the HAMB dropped for me. Once I reamed the steering arms I didn't even have to bend the spindle arms. Heres a few pics.

 

sweet truck

 

thanks

 

Made a flange for my F-1 steering box today. Lufsdastuf here on the HAMB made and posted the PDF file below for the flange layout on another thread. Thanks dude, saved a ton of time. I printed it (@ %100) and laid it out on a piece of 1/2" plate, drilled all the holes and cut it out. He used 1/2" bolts, I used 7/16" grade 8 bolts like the original F-1 flange. It gave me a bit more room for the bolt heads to sit flat on the frame rail and not get into the radius of the rail on the top and bottom. I also put a radius on the top face and bottom face of the flange to match the inside radius of the frame rail so the flange would sit flat against the rail. I cut the old flange off the box with a thin cutting wheel then shaped it with a grinding wheel and then an air grinder with an 80 grit disc. Nothing is welded in yet until I figure out what dash I'm gonna use for sure. Well, thats all for now, here's a few pics.

 

Lookin damn good Scotty! Keep it up! Just did the same thing with the box in my 34.

 

Thanks Andy, check these headlights man. They are similar to the pair you had on your roadster. Not sure what they came off of but they are in fantastic shape and I got them for under $100.

 

Aww sweet! Can't do much better than that! What size lenses do they take?

 

they are sealed beams. no lenses. they arent converted either. its the way they were made. i'm gonna look for some old Guide sealed beams to put in em.

 

Rolled her out in the daylight today. Makin some progress. Most everything is just mocked up.

 

Geez, that looks good at that height. Is that your plan?

Congrats on the roll out.

 

Thanks. Yeah, I was gonna channel it but this is the way it was when it was hot roded back in the early 60's. I think thats why they chopped it 5".