Is this just lack of knowlege? I dont think I would want to have a flat tire on the highway in this thing. Can you say scrubline? If this is a HAMB''ers car sorry for poking fun but you really need some advice on setting up the front end.
Well, first off, I wouldn't drive it across the street. I think it's wonderful that guys want to build the stuff they drive. And everyone in this free country should have the chance if that's what they want to do. But! People shouldn't be afraid to ask how to do it right or to do a little research before jumping in. People just don't realize how dangerous a little "lack of knowledge" can be - not just to the owner, but to other people on the road as well. The h.a.m.b is a wonderful source of help and knowledge, shared by experienced builders, and the best part is it's free! Before this guy decided to "get his feet wet" he should have planned for safety first. All you hotrodders out there that have been in an accident know how important all the little things are, and you have a concern not only for yourself, but for others as well. I hope this guy gets the advice he needs and utilizes it well!
That front end looks like an abortion gone wrong. Is it just me, or is that a suicide spring perch on top of the spring pointing the wrong way and connected to nothing???????????????
This might be a stupid question but what if he hits a larger bump is the frame going to catch and just stop the car in its tracks and mess everything else up?
Has to be a lack of knowledge, or a complete dumb ass. A flat tire puts his frame on the road.( looks like to me ) Never seen anything like that. I would be afraid to ride in it. Not safe at all!
Check out the fat weld-o-blob on the perch. Also the angle of the shocks seems a little steep. Plus, and not necessarily wrong- what about the tie rod out front of the axle. Isn't that bad in some cases (like it means the spindles are upside down or swapped side for side-something like that)? I know I've seen T-buckets with the tie rod out front. Is it OK sometimes? All the time? different kind of spindles than I'm thinking? All in all, everyone here is just jealous. I would glue some spikes and leather all over it, make a spiderweb grill insert out of #2 rebar, put on my Von Dutch trucker cap and cruise that ol' skool rod!
There have been scrubline violations pictured here but that blows the scrubline rule outta the water with a Howitzer!Q~@#!?
I would say the shocks would bend or break....but i will bet the weld on the upper shock mount will break first. Also doesnt it look like the shackles are already overloaded?
its NOT SAFE to even pull it out of the garage,I hope he knows it and gets some advise quick,before he put one of his kids in their for a ride around the block!
there's living dangerously, and there's living in sheer stupidity. we all know the mantra "form follows function" and the picture posted is a very good example of what NOT to do for safety and functionality. we can judge because it is poorly thought out and we can see the inherent danger that the person building it can't. what fucking idea do you have what the guys criticizing that car know? they sure as hell aren't a bunch of gold chainers like you erroneously suggested. now why don't you sit back and watch with your little trap shut for awhile and learn a bit about what really goes on here. if you can't shut it yourself, i'm sure we could find a fat dick to shove in there to keep it occupied...something tells me you'd like that.
So once again, everyone is on a rip about how unsafe this thing is, but are unwilling or unable to tell the guys that do not know and are trying to learn what is wrong with it. Lets begin by explaining "scrub line". The scrub line is a line drawn between the bottom of a rim (wheel) and the bottom of the tire on the other side. The line represents how the car would sit if a tire became flat. anything below the scrub line would contact the ground. You do not want any steering or frame componet below this line because you would loose control of the car. The car would sit on these items instead of the tires and you would not have any steering. Whatever that thing in the center is would be on the ground instead of the wheels if it has a flat. The tie rod wouls also be on the ground if it has a flat. The next issue is the angle the shocks are mounted at. They are leaning too much making them ineffective at best and may be dangerous if they can can go past center if one wheel incounters a bump and the other side encounters a dip. One would also ghave to question the ability of the welds on the brackets to handle the loads. The next issue would be the Ackerman principal looks to be wrong. The Ackerman is the idea that when front tires are turned, the tire on the inside of the turn has to turn sharper then the tire on the outside of the turn. This is accomplished by the tie rod ends are positioned in a line that runs through the center of the rear axle and the center of the kink pins or ball joints. A front steer car, one having the tie rods in front of the axle, need the tie rod ends to be positioned farther outward from the car center then the king pins to be on the line for correct Ackerman. A rear steer car (one with the tie rods behind the axle) needs the tie rod ends to be positoned closer to the car center then the king pins to be in correct position for the Ackerman. A car with incorrect Ackerman will have the tires fight each other any time the wheels are turned which will result in very poor handleing and excessive tire wear. The picture is too dark for me to make comment on anything else that may be wrong with this car. Gene
50dodge4x4...you sir are correct. i forget sometimes (often) that common sense is now an oxymoron and that people need to have it spelled out in simple terms anymore. hell, if it weren't for people like the guy who built that front end i wouldn't have enough money to play with my projects. today even there was a short in the instrument wiring of a car that made the hazards, headlights, turn signals and dimmer all funky thanks to ONE wire being put in the wrong place because some dumb ass didn't know how to install a stereo. black with a red stripe does not go to blue
I am cleaning this thread up as best I can. First I want to extend a serious thank you to 50dodge4x4 for taking time to write a well thought out reply explaining why stuff like this is unsafe. Much appreciated and I think that's what posts like this should be about. Also - NeilageInc will be banned. We do not tolerate threats of serious violence, period.
Skajaquada, Its not so much about comon sence, though that does seem to be getting harder to find, its about 40,000 members, some of who have never been involved with cars before the bug has bitten them. We really need to take the approch that someone reading does not have any idea what is wrong or right. Instead of ripping cars, we need to tell them what is wrong and why. How else do we expect those that really don't know to find out the facts unless we present them? The car in question has had a bunch of hard earned money invested. It very well may have been a first build. The guy deserves to be told what is not right without being ripped. I remember my first build, it wasn't pretty, fortunately, someone pulled me to the side one day and pointed out my mistakes. Once they were pointed out, I could fix them, but until that day, I did not know they were there. If we want the hobby to continue, we need to pull the new guys to the side and tell them what is wrong and give them the oppertunity to correct the mistakes. If, after being informed of the errors and them still not making corrections, then the ripping is deserved. Let them have it. We have to quit assuming everyone knows and do some teaching. Gene
Not only is in unsafe, it gives legitamate, well built and engineered hot rods a bad name. I have seen cars like this wreck on their own because of poor building and then the general public thinks ALL hot rods are built this way. It really angers me when I see this stuff on the road, it's just not good for anyone. **Learning about proper geometry and basic automobile Engineering can go a long way before you build something.**
Never could understand why guys build cars(loose term)with the suspension way above the frame. It seems like more and more cars are being built really low to the ground. Unsafe as far as i'm concerned. I'd rather have a safe,higher car,than a cooler,low,unsafe car.
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