Hot Rods The "Whatever" project

awesome build

 

Got some parts made in the shop today. Nothing extravagant, decided to eliminate the engine plate after all, as it seems to make getting my fat @$$ and size 9 8-E feet in there. Having shortish ultra wide feet has always been a real challenge. However it makes heel and toe manuevers easy, assuming I can get my feet to fit.

So here is the rear engine mount mostly done: Yeah I know its sideways... I'm still in the learning stage. There are 2 feet, speaking of feet, that sit on the frame rails now. I'm contemplating using rubber mounts under all 4 points to build in some compliance after all, as was recommended to me way back up the thread.

I also started the under bars for the rear end of the frame today. I got new DOM tubing about a week and a half ago, and just cut the first section up and bent it: There are 2 of them. I have so far been learning how my new Eastwood tube bender works. I bought a kit from Swag Offroad that converts it to use an air over hydraulic cylinder, sourced from Harbor Fright. I have a small Harbor Fright ultra quiet air compressor that runs it just fine, in 10 degree increments between run cycles. I;m going to get a 2nd one and one of their aluminum tanks, to increase capacity, as the one I have is just so quiet. I have a large Craftsman compressor, that I hate, it buzzes when it runs, its an older oiless compressor. I bought it 22 years ago, and its practically brand new, I've used it so little. Now I mostly only run it for media blasting, as itruns just fine for that.

So here's the bender: I only have dies for you, er that is I only have dies for 1.5 dia. tube so far. Maybe more this winter.

 

Well it was a good day in the garage today. Tomorrow I might not be able to move, but I'll cross that bare when I bridge it (mixed metamoles there, with bad spellin too butte). But I jest...

Today I got most of the under structure fabricated and tacked into place. And my BIG brother told me that before I did the tack welding, I should show a picture or 2 of all the binder straps holding stuff in place. Kind of like you can never have too many clamps. But I just never seem to be able to clamp stuff when working with round stock. Binder straps given enough thought however, do the trick for me. And: So aftercutting, mitering, deburring, cleaning, taking a break to help the neighbor across the street make a hand rail for his wife's access ramp, I got back to tacking stuff, and here's the results so far: Now I need to get with it and get some wheels, 15 inch with a 5x5 bolt pattern. I'm thinking 10 inches for the rears and 8 inches for the front. Then a few diagonals, steering, a body! and so many things I don't want to think about right now... More after the weekend.

 

Don't worry, your secret's safe with me! I've found the trick to be forgetting I was ever told the thing in the first place, so I don't even remember what I was supposed to keep secret.

Glad to see more progress - things are slowly shaping up. We're out of the running for Thanksgiving this year thanks to my work schedule/Covid , but I might be able to swing a turn and burn before/by Christmas...

And speaking of CAD, don't forget those rolls of STP tape (it's gotta be close to Petty Blue, even if 3M doesn't want to pay the fees) that can be used to create some body lines. Mock up the nose and go from there...

 

Good thinking. I could mock up a cowl and see what looks good, front to back. If anyone is good at computer graphics and wants to attempt to influence the design, I'll post a side shot next time the daily driver is out of the way. I don't drive much these days, what with COVID and retirement. And now there's enough room in the garage to work on projects without backing it out, being I'm lazy...

 

Here is a side shot of the "Whatever" project chassis. Hopefully someone who is computer graphic literate and has seen pictures of Greg Lazzerini's roadster, will come up with some ideas of what a similar idea would look like. I'm open to anybody's ideas.

Oh and the wheelbase is 99 inches. Please help an old f@$# who has no artistic ability, let alone computer skills... Thanks

 

Is that at ride height?

 

Can you get the back cover off should you want to change gears.

 

Re: Tman, no it's sitting a bit low. AsI've added stuff on the front the spring has compressed, and being lazy I have yet to use the built in height adjustment to raise it back up. The rear is about 1/2 inch or so low. Yeah I know, better set it right so I know if things will fit.

Re: KiWinUS, yes, and it's close. But when jacked up the rear both drops down and because of the hairpin in the suspension, rotates also, so that the cover gains clearance. I have some concerns with it, and may make that 1 tube quick removeable like rollcage sidebars the drag racers do. Pivot on 1 side, latch on the other, swing to the back. Or look for an old Frankland 2-piece cover. They used to make 1 that had a removable back cover like a Halibrand, and had the gearcase as a separate piece. It was unique, and probably made just for those situations where idiots like me failed to plan. As Homer would say "DOH!"

 

I just traded my standard Frankland rear cover for the larger super cover you have!

 

Oh and the engine is still loose. It can be moved forward another 2 inches max if need be. I could move it back, but then my fat @$$ would behard pressed to fit in there.

 

My QC is actually an older Winters, but they are almost exact copies of each other from that era. I've used both back in the dirt days, and most parts could be swapped with impunity. One car had a Frankland center, Winters super cover and ring and pinion gears, and 3/4 ton side bells with the machined spacer to get the spool to fit. Sort of a Frankenchange rearend. I loved those days... use others cast offs and go race.

 

That's the car. I love the proportions. One consideration is procure 30-31 A-bone quarters (they're much cheaper that duece quarters), and make something similar. Narrower, but similar...

 

Paging @themoose can you help him out?

 

Lots of little things done in the garage since the last real post. My back is getting to where I can move again, so...

I am making a tach drive base for 1 of my Vertex mags. I started with an old busted up Mallory tach drive distributor that I got for $10 at a swap meet in Bennington VT. about 15 years ago. I also had a mag base that was used up and had been replaced with a new one in the late 90s. So yeah I tend to not throw stuff away, don't tell She who must be obeyed...

I also got brave and decided to try to bend a piece of tubing with more than 1 bend and get them in the correct place, plane, and such. So first a test bend to determine how much material is used in 90 degrees with my die: The test bend is in the upper left corner. You can see my hen scratches laying out the dimensions of the hoop I wanted to bend. Staring from the center, I made marks at 7 1/4 inches each side. This is the start of the bends. The die I have uses up approximately 9 inches making 90 degree bends, but more important are the 6 1/4 dimensions in the x and y directions. Also from the test bend I found that the batch of tubing I have 1020 DOM 1 1/2 x 0.095 requires that the bender goes to 95 degrees to account for springback. To my surprise, I got it right the first time: I've always had either my old racing buddy Jim bend stuff for me, or when in Michigan and building a cage for a Mini in 92, I used an industrial tube bending service. They toldme the dimensions like above to design for, and I bent conduit to fit, and then laid it out on a large sheet of paper full size using their die dimensions for the bend layout. I made this hoop to be the correct width for the "Whatever" frame as if it were going to be the main hoop of the rollcage: That's it sitting on the floor inside the right side rail, and outside the left siderail. It touches both when square to the frame. Will I use it like this? That's a good question.

I'm starting to think of a use for this project, and what a body might look like for that use. More as it develops...

 

Just a quick rendering to give you some ideas

 

Wow that looks great !

 

WOW! I LIKE IT! Moose I really appreciate the rendering. I wish I was that computer literate. Is that basically a 26-27 T-body? That could work if the dimensions are correct. I'm going to have to make a lot of measurements this weekend and look at the dimensions of 26-27 t bodies. I have them from Speedway. Who else makes a body like this?

 

And I just showed She who must be obeyed after a second long look. She said Wow. Not quite as emphatically as me, but that's a positive.

And the wheel/tire combo, perfect! I didn't notice them on first look, because the body is so perfect. And how did you know it had to be black?

 

Yes it is and I think it would be a pretty close fit and the good thing about fiberglass is that it can be reworked somewhat easily if the dimensions are not exactly correct....I know this because I've owned a couple of Corvettes that needed some "massaging" after a couple of mishaps. Whatever you decide I'm sure it's going to be a great looking ride!

 

Sounds like you need to visit OZZ he lives in finger lakes area.

 

That’s just plain BITCHIN

 

Some times I hate computers, others I really loathe them. I was just trying to upload a picture and rotate it, and lost all my typing. Oh well, doesn't matter. Only odd ramblings anyway!

So to start over, I am going to make the "Whatever" into an A Vicky bodied thing reminicent of a 70s modified, seeing that most of the parts are old race car parts. I wasn't doing Moose's renderings any good trying to get a 27 t roadster tofit the dimensions I used. I either have to lengthen the frame in front of the rear kickup, or move the rearend way back, which then was putting the kickup in the driver's compartment. I like his rendering so much, I think to do it justice I should start with the body in hand and design a frame along the lines of the Cotton Werksman 25 t, a multi-tube spaceish frame. And this way I can use my old Schroeder Champ car steering box. And no lights, horns, wipers, glass, e-brake, and a whole slew of stuff you street rodders know infinitely better than me. This thing will become an Auto-X, track event, hill climb, "whatever" car.

So now that I have repeated the text, I'll post it then post the roll cage pics...

 

I don't get it! I thought I had lost the picture. If the other text shows up, I'm going to throw this tablet through a window!

 

And now for something entirely different! Help I don't know how to rotate pictures! I'm so 20th century. So here is the cage picture on it's side cause I'm computer illiterate. There will be quite a few more tubes added, like rear diagonals to just below the 90 degree bends from the rear framerails, an x behind the driver, some sidebars once I get the Vicky body so I know how wide the elbow bars can be, more cross bracing, bars to the front, some diagonals under the driver's seat, some small diameter tubing bracing assneeded, and on and on... But that's just fabrication. That's easy, just wait until I start on pedals, and steering mounts and seat mounts, and... Oh forget it, you all know the drill, for everything I have thought about there are 3 or more things each forgotten. I'll get better pics tomorrow when the daily driver is out of the garage and make sure they are oriented correctly on the camera

 

Sorta like this one? This is what I was racing in 1975 in Alaska and the Yukon. Built in Sacramento area in the late 60's pretty much completely from the Tognotti's store there I believe.

 

Here you go

 

Tap on edit photo and it will come up in a edit screen where you will see a little button on the side or top of the screen and you tap it to rotate your picture then tap save. Easy Peasy

 

That's what it's looking more like becoming. I like it. Our east coast modifieds were still using real sheetmetal late 60s early 70s. And before Dick Tobias real car frames were required. Even by the time I built my first car, we still used real steel for a lot of the body. The first was a 37 Chevy 2 door sedan body, the second was sort of a Pinto, well at least the sides were 20 gage steel welded to Pinto quarters and most of the roof. I would have loved it if we used bodies like you did. So much easier, and probavly cheaper, when you consider all the work it took to make ours look good.