The great thing about building a car outside in Seattle is 9 months of rain. So I picked up a canopy to work under, and I'll hang some lights from it for when it's dark by 4:30.
The great thing about building a car outside in Seattle is 9 months of rain. So I picked up a canopy to work under, and I'll hang some lights from it for when it's dark by 4:30.
At least your driveway is paved! Gravel life over here....
Yeah, I don't think I could swing it on gravel.
Exhaust parts showed up today. Gonna be a heck of a side pipe.
This is so awesome!
Today I tied the front landing points of the exo cage down to the frame.
I should have been slightly more aggressive with that chamfer cut in the end of the tube as it still rubs on the fiberglass fender and will need to be redone.
I also started looking at where the bump stop sits. I don't know if I want it perpendicular to the arm at the top of travel, or where it first hits the arm, or if I should split the difference.
Fixed the clearance cut on the down tube this morning.
Thumbs up is all I got.
Spent the afternoon mounting the bump stops to the engine cage. I ended up going to the front of the A arm instead of the back because of master cylinder clearance.
I'll get a couple inches of travel from ride height before it makes contact with the bump stop.
It's still easily removable.
After final welding I gave the cage a coat of etch primer.
This is definitely turning out wild. Are you planning to use limiting straps to prevent over extension too?
In reply to OneSickGNX :
Yes. And now that you remind me I should have attached them before painting this thing, haha.
I can't wait to see this thing at full scream.
Started practicing a little bit of stainless Tig in the last couple weeks, and just welded my first actual parts for the truck. These are the 3" to 4" tapered sections that make up the front of the side pipes, and the 90 elbow that goes under the frame.
Autogenous, didn't bother back purging.
Looks really good.
Rattmandu said:Autogenous, didn't bother back purging.
Any sugaring on the back side? I use Solar Flux for almost all my stainless exhaust work because it's totally good enough and cheaper than back purge.
In reply to Mezzanine :
The sugaring is pretty minimal. I actually have solar flux, but in my practice pieces it didn't seem to do much for me, maybe I didn't apply it thick enough.
Yeah, that's beautiful. I've had a similar experience with it; if I mix it up really thick, it works well but only for a single pass with the torch. If you spend a little extra time with the torch in one spot or pass back over it, the protection is gone, and it sugars. I guess it's like insurance: if you've fit your parts well, it isn't needed. If you're a little sloppy, it might save you. If you're really sloppy, nothing will save you. 
A little Halloween action, I added the front bars. The limit straps will hang from these, and eventually whatever wheel well income up with, and if the fiberglass fender needs any additional support.
Limit strap Goes in here somewhere, just behind where the tire tucks.
Nitrogen makes for a cheap back purge too. Welds look decent though for no back purge.
The first thing I did today was gusset the front bar and the down bar.
And then I got the limit straps mounts done. They tuck in pretty close to the tire at full bump, but realistically I don't think the bump stops will allow that much travel if I'm running both pieces of urethane in them.
This is strapped at right about 12 inches of travel, but I'm pretty sure I'll have to shorten it another half inch for the steering.
This weekend was steering rack time. I started with welding some M16 nuts to 3/16 plate.
These bolt to the backside of the rack.
I ended up having to cut out the old front cross bar and make up a new one that sat two inches further to the rear.
I had preemptively notched the frame for U joint clearance, but the notch still needed to go further back.
I trimmed the tabs even with the bottom of the cross tube and finished welding them up.
The frame notch was embiggened. This will get plated, probably tomorrow.
And I hit the rack mount with a spot of primer.
Today was spent boxing in the giant hole in the frame. I started with a paper template.
This was transfered to three pieces of 10 gauge plate.
And I have a good half inch of clearance to the U joint.
Now it's time to order more steering parts. Plan is a short 3/4" DD shaft coming up from the rack with a bearing, then I'll need a double u joint, then a section of collapsing shaft with another bearing to the U joint on the column.
If you aren't already planning it I recommend putting your steering rack mounts in double shear. Theres a ton of force down there in the rough at speed when the tire hits something even a glancing blow.
Love all the other fab work!
Very cool stuff going on here! Thanks for sharing, as you're giving me ideas.
In reply to mtnbiker4evr13 :
I should, but it will have to be done with a bolt on bracket so I don't trap the rack.
In reply to Rattmandu :
Thats a great point. Party on.
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