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70_Fastback: RAT ROD - 193x Ford / 1942 GMC Truck
- Thread starter 70_Fastback
- Start date
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
Honestly, I don't have a clue yet how I want to finish it...
Next up (after the lightening holes) will be getting the front and sear suspensions set up & installed. I.E. - making the brackets, 4-link bars, etc.
Next up (after the lightening holes) will be getting the front and sear suspensions set up & installed. I.E. - making the brackets, 4-link bars, etc.
Lookin Good Big J!
"70_Fastback" said:
I've got a 30mm dummy sitting on my desk here that you can have. Might be too big for what you need though :scar How's a 11" long round for a hood ornament?? :lol :lol
Nice looking frame! Not too shabby welds either, you must have had plenty of practice!
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
Last night while the misses & the kids were over at the neighbors watching 'Dancing with the Stars' - I was manning up and mocking up the front end suspension.
I'm doing a suicide leaf spring straight axle. I'm beginning to think my spring is not going to be heavy enough to support my big block though...
o
I really need to know how much the spring is going to compress, so I guess I'll have to sit the engine on top of the spring with the cherry picker and measure the distance.
But I think I have it set fairly close right now. I'll start fab'ing up my drop brackets to attach the bones to the frame and then start making the front spring perch and adding some gussets and/or bottom plating to the front cross member.
Right now, the wheelbase is measuring out at about 143"... I may have to shorten the bed and move the axle in about 6". Which is the amount of overhang I left on the rear of the frame...
I'm going with 7 - 8° of positive caster on the straight axle. Which fairly closely sets my radius rods parallel with the frame rails from the pivot point.
Again -- just mocked up by eye. But this gives you a good representation of a behind axle "suicide" spring setup.
I'm doing a suicide leaf spring straight axle. I'm beginning to think my spring is not going to be heavy enough to support my big block though...
oI really need to know how much the spring is going to compress, so I guess I'll have to sit the engine on top of the spring with the cherry picker and measure the distance.
But I think I have it set fairly close right now. I'll start fab'ing up my drop brackets to attach the bones to the frame and then start making the front spring perch and adding some gussets and/or bottom plating to the front cross member.
Right now, the wheelbase is measuring out at about 143"... I may have to shorten the bed and move the axle in about 6". Which is the amount of overhang I left on the rear of the frame...
I'm going with 7 - 8° of positive caster on the straight axle. Which fairly closely sets my radius rods parallel with the frame rails from the pivot point.
Again -- just mocked up by eye. But this gives you a good representation of a behind axle "suicide" spring setup.
Why is it called a suicide leaf spring? Just curious...I've never heard that term.
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
"Midlife" said:
Just a certain type of configuration.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_front_axle
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
Last night I started fab'ing up the front radius rod end to frame mounting brackets. I had to have a good 3" drop to get the positive caster that I need/want.
Still need to do some final grinding with a finer grit disc - but they turned out nicely. I need to go pick up some spacers/bushings to locate the heims joint in the center of the bracket & some larger, grade 8 hardware too. Other than that - I'm close to being ready to temp tack weld them in place and start fabb'ing the front spring perch.
This is fun stuff!
Temp'd in place:
Boxed in the brackets:
Hung temporarily to mock up:
You can see whre the bushings are required to center the rod end within the bracket:
Still need to do some final grinding with a finer grit disc - but they turned out nicely. I need to go pick up some spacers/bushings to locate the heims joint in the center of the bracket & some larger, grade 8 hardware too. Other than that - I'm close to being ready to temp tack weld them in place and start fabb'ing the front spring perch.
This is fun stuff!
Temp'd in place:
Boxed in the brackets:
Hung temporarily to mock up:
You can see whre the bushings are required to center the rod end within the bracket:
AzPete
Well-Known Member
One of these days you will get the hang of this fabbing and welding stuff.....
Really, some nice work there. I always enjoyed that type work when my Dad and I designed and built our projects.
Really, some nice work there. I always enjoyed that type work when my Dad and I designed and built our projects.
Fast68back
Guest
Nice work dude
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
"AzPete" said:
I know Pete. I keep hoping... just one day. LoL.
"AzPete" said:
And thanks. I just REALLY love doing this type of work. Very rewarding as well.
tarafied1
Well-Known Member
so you are making two frames right? one for my rat rod... :ecit"70_Fastback" said:
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
"tarafied1" said:
Get it?
:craz
RyanG85
Well-Known Member
That does look fun!
tarafied1
Well-Known Member
yep :lol"70_Fastback" said:
Get it?
:craz
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
Made some good progress this past weekend. The frame actually rolls on it's own - well, only on the front... Everything is tacked in place at the moment. I'll go back and final weld everything pretty soon.
The ride height was mocked up only using a partial leaf spring pack -- onlu using the bottom 2 leafs of the 8 leaf pack. This is how you can do a mock up without actually sitting the motor and tranny on the frame & using the complete leaf spring ass'y.
This is how Pete & Jake's set up all of their rods as well. So I figured I would try it as well in lieu of throwing that 900+ pounds of big block and tranny around :scar
I took the stock bones and basically "wrapped" them in 3/16" plate steel and welded them up solid to thicken the bones (for strength) were I would drill the 5/8" hole for the leaf spring hanger/mount. Typically the spring hanger mount gets a jam nut on the back side, but since I had to go through at at angle in my bones AND since I wrapped it and thickened it by 3/8" - the threaded portion of the hanger was too short - so I welded them into the bones through the drilled hole - front side and back. I'm not 100% digging the look of the welded in hanger though - I may kind of psuedo-box them in for asthetics. We'll see.
I still need to install new king pins and bushings in the spindles - right now they just have a big arse bolt holding them in place. I also need to figure out my steering arms and linkage too. As it sits now, the spindles are flipped and the steering arm will be out in front.... which throws the Ackerman all out of whack... I will probably just invest in some long, dropped steering arms and flip the spindles back around - thus locating the steering arm behind the axle but under the leaf spring. Kind of re-emphasising the "suicide" suspension setup teminology.
Anyway... pics.
What the front will "basically" look like with grill shell placement:
Next I will be fabricating my front spring perch. The 2x4 block is simulating the height of the remaining/missing leafs from the spring pack:
Shot of the steel wrap around the bones and the welded hangers:
Different view:
The ride height was mocked up only using a partial leaf spring pack -- onlu using the bottom 2 leafs of the 8 leaf pack. This is how you can do a mock up without actually sitting the motor and tranny on the frame & using the complete leaf spring ass'y.
This is how Pete & Jake's set up all of their rods as well. So I figured I would try it as well in lieu of throwing that 900+ pounds of big block and tranny around :scar
I took the stock bones and basically "wrapped" them in 3/16" plate steel and welded them up solid to thicken the bones (for strength) were I would drill the 5/8" hole for the leaf spring hanger/mount. Typically the spring hanger mount gets a jam nut on the back side, but since I had to go through at at angle in my bones AND since I wrapped it and thickened it by 3/8" - the threaded portion of the hanger was too short - so I welded them into the bones through the drilled hole - front side and back. I'm not 100% digging the look of the welded in hanger though - I may kind of psuedo-box them in for asthetics. We'll see.
I still need to install new king pins and bushings in the spindles - right now they just have a big arse bolt holding them in place. I also need to figure out my steering arms and linkage too. As it sits now, the spindles are flipped and the steering arm will be out in front.... which throws the Ackerman all out of whack... I will probably just invest in some long, dropped steering arms and flip the spindles back around - thus locating the steering arm behind the axle but under the leaf spring. Kind of re-emphasising the "suicide" suspension setup teminology.
Anyway... pics.
What the front will "basically" look like with grill shell placement:
Next I will be fabricating my front spring perch. The 2x4 block is simulating the height of the remaining/missing leafs from the spring pack:
Shot of the steel wrap around the bones and the welded hangers:
Different view:
monkeystash
Active Member
Looking great Jeremy! Have you really realized yet that you have just made a car from scratch? Pretty awesome if you ask me!
70_Fastback
Hell Bent for Speed
Thanks Ryan. And I can barely wait to actually DRIVE something that I have scratch built. That will be the real lip curler.
Fast68back
Guest
Way cool J!