Projects Oh No!!! It Can't Be...Another Gasser Build? Yup, 1961 Buick Skylark

I'm tying the front bars for my cage to the tops of the arch and was thinking of a tubular cradle under the engine. that idea was a hold-over from when I was planning on using a mustang II setup before going with the gasser style. After looking at your pic with the engine in there I think I'm going to fab a front engine plate with 2"-3" long tube fore-to-aft(90 degrees to the plate) on either side. pop some urethane spring eye bushings in the tubing and have a plate bolted inside the arched siderails with 2 tabs to capture the bushed tubing and mounting bolts.

 

If I remember right the INSTANT CENTER is the point at which the vehicle balances front to back from suspension and other dynamic forces of braking and acceleration. it would be the center of rotation as the nose goes up in the air. It's not to be confused with center of gravity which is the static balance point. the roll center is the dynamic center of rotation in cornering roll established by suspension geometry.
In a second generation f-body gm the roll center is higher than the axial center of gravity resulting in what has been referred to as HUNG suspension.
The Instant center is mapped by drawing lines (viewed from the side)through the upper and lower rear control arm mountings. the instant center is the point where the lines cross.
Example: if Bloody points the imaginary line drawn rear to front through his upper rear control arms points to the front point where his lowers are mounted then that will be the instant center. the instant center is also the point at which rotational backtorque from the rear axle pushes up.
If the instant center is in front of the center of gravity(CG) the power backtorque will lift the nose transfering mass to the rear. if the instant center is behind the CG then power backtorque will try to lift the tail which would in a static position transfer mass to the front... but if the nose is coming up anyway then trying to push the tail up against squat can aid traction. A perfect balance is evident in a car raising the front and rear almost equally as it leaves the line. The farther the front rises from transfering the mass to the rear, the more acceleration energy is wasted lifting the nose beyond positive results

The roll center affects how the body rolls in cornering. The higher the roll center is from the CG the more the body will tip. same as the higher the cg is from the ground causes the body to tip more. Having a roll center lower than the CG dynamically moves the cg closer to the ground from it's static balance through action of the suspension geometry.
Toeing connecting arms or paralell leaf springs in or out (lines drawn front to rear looking down from the top)affects how one side of the axle moves fore-aft through cornering forces. It is a factor in setting up your front/rear neutral cornering balance, oversteer, or understeer. One isn't better than the other. They are used to change how steering dynamically transfers mass in a corner.
One more thing I can think of is upper control arm inclination. The front bushings of front a-arms are designed by the factory to sit higher. this is to tip the plane of action of the controll arms against the backtorque rotation of the brakes. This causes braking forces of the front brakes against the spindle to push the upper a-arm down planting the front tires for better braking. The MustangII setup and other independant fronts with no a-arm inclination do not have anti-dive geometry.
The second generation f-body is probably the overall finest balance in suspension design ever achieved in an independant front/live axle rear automobile. GM's movement toward front struts in the 3rd generation f-bodies was a financial decision and not an improvement in geometry and may also have a practical decision dealing with eliminating the frame/subframe chassis design.
I'd like to add that these technologies are more important in cars with pliant suspension.
The stiffer the springs are, the less suspension design affects handling.
Worse handling designs can be doctored up with stiffer springs to a point.

 

Its gonna be sooooooo kool , gassers rule o.k !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Gonna be a bad-ass Buick Ron. Looking forward to seeing that one on the street this summer .

 

Alot of great info here. Thank you for taking the time.



BloodyKnuckles

 

Ok. I have read and gathered other bits of info and have decided on what I was going to do. I picked up a tubing bender from a friend and I'm going to make a cradle that will attach to the inside of the frame rails. I plan on getting it completed tomorrow.

Wish me luck!



BloodyKnuckles

 

Heres LUCK to you!

Nick.

 

Good to see this machine person, it's going to be great when complete.

 

Thanks Mike.




Today, I started on the engine cradle and got most of it completed. Tomorrow I plan to have it complete. It seems to be working out well.

Here is a few shitty teaser pics;





I PROMISE, PROMISE that I will have my good camera tomorrow and will do a quick cover of all the previous shots.


BloodyKnuckles

 

Well I got the engine cradle completed tonight. It seems to have worked out well. I will have a few pics tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow I plan on getting the suspension brackets fabricated and mounted.

Look for pics tomorrow.





BloodyKnuckles

 

Looking good bro. Your not too shabby at that fabrication stuff.

 

Thanks mang.


Here are a few pics that I promised with good camera;














Suspension today...woo hoo!!




BloodyKnuckles

 

Not wasting any time on this thing are you!

 

hey looks killer man. Even looks symetrical. Can we see a shot of the motor in the engine bay from the top? You might need a ladder for that!! ha ha ha

 

Thanks guys!


BTW...I appreciate everyone looking past the dirt, grease and filth. After I get everything fabricated I will steam clean the entire underneath of the car and engine. Mmmmmm....sparkly!!




BloodyKnuckles

 

It looks real good, that cradle looks pretty tough under there...

BTW... if anyone complains about the dirt, grease, etc. before you finish... they just don't get it

 

Yeah, the dirt and grease just ruin the whole thing!
Honestly I can't even see any of the dirt, grease and filth. I'm too busy looking at the fabrication you've done so far! The mark of a good fabricator is making it look easy. This is one of the most inspirational threads I've seen here in a long time. I can't wait to see the front end go together now.

 

Man that looks great.
Looks like you know a thing or 3 about welding,fab, and using your noggin.
Can't wait for more thanks for sharing

 

Good solution. You're going to have a lot of fun with this car.

 

There are some really nice comments on here Ron. That should make you feel good about what you have done. I for one think you are a filthy bitch that loves to surround himself in dirt and debauchery. Great work though Boobie!!

 

Just a thought, but if you look at the lower link length compared to the upper link's and compare the arc in which they travel you can see the possibility of the pinion moving enough during travel to spit out the U joint.
and the straighter the panhard at rest the less side to side "walk" the rear end should have

not really a criticism, just an observation, but do try and cycle it before you find out the hard way. I'm loving the vibe so far, keep it up

 

Evil Dead,

No problem. I appreciate your input. One thing to consider is even though they are different lengths the lower ones being so long will not move in a great arch as opposed to short ones. Now the upper on will be level to eliminate any excess movement of the pinion. Also the rear travel will be limited to about 2"s of up travel and I figure with such little movement the pinion should not be overly affected.

As for the panhard I will be raising the axle mount to make it level.


Thank you for your input.




BloodyKnuckles

 

EWMN, Thanks alot for the compliment. As for being a good fabricator, that's a stretch but I enjoy the hell out of it.

Yeah the comments have been really nice so far but you just suck!





BloodyKnuckles

 

Soooo......which tire would you run???







Now this is Heather's but she likes both. She likes the idea of a little bit of tread for the occasional rainy times.


Let me know what you think!!!





BloodyKnuckles

 

Yummy pie crust.

 

Pie Crusts!

 

What are you fuckers together or something???



Thanks guys,



BloodyKnuckles

 

We travel in packs.

It's not gay as long as you don't back up.

 

You fudge packers are all the same!!



BloodyKnuckles

 

Wrong - "It's only gay if you push back" - Hotdamn taught us that one.

And for that car - I would not get the pie crusts - the smoothies are the ticket - let the fenders do the talking -