Projects 1950's Tube Frame Sports Car

Still the best thread on the board

 

Had a chance to do a little work on the car today. I took the exhaust off so I can weld the 4 bar tabs on hard. They're just tacked on up til now. I wanted to make sure everything was in a happy place before I burned them on. Those pipes are long! I hung them up on the wall for safekeeping.
I've been curious how the tire-4bar link clearance will be at full lock. To find out I put the hubs on and one drum/wheel/tire. I'd been concerned whether I'd be able to turn as far as the original Ford stops allow. It turned out that right against the stops the tire just brushs the links. I'm very pleased with that. Right now I have 6.50-16 tires on all around rather than the 6.00-16 that the car was built with originally. With the smaller size it wouldn't touch at all I'm sure.
Next time I'm up there I hope to finish welding the tabs on the frame.

 

If you need more full lock than that you are backwards and recovering from the spin!

 

Exactly!

 

What size tubing are your 4 bar links? How long are they? Tks

 

The tubing is 7/8 OD 5/8 ID mild steel drawn over mandrel tube. It's the same dimension as the original Ford tie rod material but is not seamed like that stuff is. That allows me to use the original tie rod clamps. The links are roughly 24" long if I remember right off-hand. I can check next time I'm there.

 

The 5/8 ID let's you just tap it for the 11/16 Ford tie rod ends without drilling. I considered using chromoly but decided that probably wasn't necessary. All the abuse Norms Kookie T saw with the super long 4 bar made from the original tie rod material convinced me that I'll be way safe. They weren't easy on it in the movies. Also, I can't tell you how much but there is definitely less bending stress on my setup with the wide spread bars than with the narrow set ones like Norms car had. Braking torque on mine would end up being more of a straight tension and compression than on a 4 bar with the links close together. That ends up putting more of a bending/bowing stress on the links.

 

Perfect answer, all the info I was wondering about…. Tks much

 

Looks like great progress to me! You may still have your tires touch as as the suspension compresses during a tight turn changes things a bit. Gary

 

Yeah Gary I believe you're right given the flex of all the combined systems. At least that should really only happen in slow speed parking maneuvers I think. I could always press a little cap on the stop pins when I'm all done if necessary.

 

Had a chance to get the drivers side 4 bar tabs welded on to the frame. Not the prettiest but won't break. Next time I'll weld the passenger side tabs on. I'll reconfigure my battery mount then as well.

 

Looking really good Jeremy. Motivational for getting me back to the garage and the whatever project.

 

Or a flat washer under it.

 

Other side's tabs welded and headers back on.

 

Did some work on my steering wheel I'm making. Spokes are stainless and outer rim is an old stool foot ring. I converted a speedway steering wheel hub to 4 bolt.

Drilled the pattern in the wheel center



Wrapped the rim in black hockey stick tape and then painted it with clear shellac. May do something different eventually like a leather cover but this will work for now. It's hard to do a nice job around the spokes but I'd think it's just as nice as most old race car wheels.

 

Nice job on the wheel

 

Ditto! Another idea to plaigerize...

 

Nice job. You could string wrap it.

 

I thought about doing that but it seems like that was more of an earlier car thing. Seems like all the pictures of dirt track or big cars in the 50s were all either molded grip wheels or friction taped.

 

If money were no object I'd get one of these. Mine only cost about $25 though.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/17-BLACK-G...2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0

My buddy sent me a photo of his early Bell catalog. It's interesting that they sold the wheels and hubs blank so you could drill your own pattern

 

I will probably make a center cap like this one on an early picture of the Baldwin Special.

 

Great progress Buddy!

 

This car was lucky to find you.

 

Spent some time yesterday figuring out how long my steering column needs to be. The car is close coupled and I'm tall so the wheel needs to be positioned just right. Ends up it needs to be pretty much in my lap so my knees are in front of the wheel. Think I've got it. Getting in and out will be tricky but it's comfortable once in the seat. The easiest thing to do would be to run a quick release on the wheel but that's not really period. From what I've seen Schroeder didn't come out with theirs til sometime in the mid to late '60s.

 

Here's an early quick release hub.

 

Looks like they must have had some trouble keeping the wheel tight. Unless it's left hand thread, most of the hammer marks are on the left side of the wing nut.

With that wheel right in your chest, if it were mine, I would find some nearly invisible way to make it collapsible. Double D shaft and outer tubes one inside the other maybe. Period correct or not, we're smarter these days about safety and it would make me pretty nervous. Hell, now days I feel uncomfortable driving to the mailboxes down the street without my seat belt on, haha.

 

BTW, your shop looks just like home to me, just enough concrete showing to get around the car and to the tools and every horizontal surface covered with something, haha. I really like it when my shop is all cleaned up and organized, but it's so seldom and so temporary that I don't really miss it much when it's like yours.

 

Yeah it's really terrible. I almost hate to show pictures since the level of clutter is completely pathetic. Maybe someday I'll get organized. Yeah right...

 

Good stuff, @jebbesen !

 

@jebbesen, you're in!!...nice milestone and the Wheel looks awesome...