So the rod end hinge is super smooth. I had to cut the valence to clear the frame when tilting but that part was mangled anyway, plus a few more pounds lost. I screwed up and made the left fender brace to the hinge tube assembly before i pushed the bottom of the fender out into place and in turn when i made the cut things sprung a little. Will have to redo that brace and make a few more to keep the fender pieces lined up(may make some sort of cones or other pieces to slot it all together).
taking the cutoff wheel to the fenders was one of if not the most scary cut i’ve ever made on a vehicle. There really is no going back at that point.
Edit: spreader at back a little wide. I got impatient and wedged it in, so will have to cut the tacks and shorten it. But the mechanism is solid and adjustable, so once the few identified things are corrected I can work on making the alignment system.
Ive never done this before, just looked at the structure not so closely on Binky and a couple HAMB threads on what not to do. Most of the ones i saw didn’t subscribe to the 16oz = 1lb rule
luvin' every minute of it......so do you care that drag racing at challenge2019 may not be the tie breaker?
I visualize better with 3d sometimes. This is the start of my 2nd and likely final set of front end alignment pins/receivers. Ignore the booger welds i need a new tip for the gun and i was being impatient.
Essentially a ramp for the pin to slide down into as the nose pivots back into place, recessed down into the firewall with a 1” deep vertical hole for the pin to fall into to maintain correct position when closed. Passenger side is in(tacked) and proof of concept has passed, so will have to make a matching one for the driver’s side then can make final adjustments to the hinge so everything slots together easily. Will likely bolt hood to fenders versus welding and filling, i hate filler work and I don’t need to make any more.
Like everything else on this car, final trimming and finish welding will come later.
This is normally the part where i would put the kids to bed then go back out, but abby is sick and barely slept last night, which means Carli and I barely slept last night, and i’m tired.
Not that I need it, but more motivation arrived in the mailbox today
So for these pins, i want to round over the bottom so it easily glides down the ramp and drops into the recess. They’re approximately 1” OD. By round over i mean as if someone stuck a 1” ball bearing into the end and welded it, then smoothed it out.
Is that my best option, finding a round steel 1” ball and welding it in? Where does one find a 1” round steel ball if so. I’m hoping to get the other side built after work and only want to do things once.
I’d recommend searching for half ball post end caps, like used on railings. I bet there’s something out there that will fit and not be too expensive
I have some solid roller balls with a hole thru them that were used on some machinery but they're definitely larger than 1", maybe 2"?
I did a project years ago that required testing magnet strength by seeing what size ball bearing the magnet would pick up. I'd have to look to see if any were that big. We got many sizes from McMaster though, they should have what you need if you can wait for shipping. 10x 1" low carbon steel ball bearings for ~$7.
https://www.mcmaster.com/ball-bearings
Fence post cap may be a quicker/lighter solution though.
eastsideTim said:I’d recommend searching for half ball post end caps, like used on railings. I bet there’s something out there that will fit and not be too expensive
or finding an old outdoor handrail that's been/being thrown away?
What about using a spoon or a freeze plug?
My best bet might be 10x 1” ball bearing from Amazon for 8.60 shipped, prorated to 86 cents each. Sub $2 budget outlay, and delivery Sunday. Ordered some, will see if that works.
Back to work. And by work i mean actual paying work like bathroom accessories and lighting with Cock Sparrer cranked on my bosch jobsite radio because my customers are at work
Working prototype (sans ball bearing ends) of the peg alignment system
The ramp works well, can’t wait to try the bearing for a smooth slide pin end to just glide down the ramp. Yes, i’m using conduit for this and yes I’m flap wheeling the galvanizing off it first. It was free.
Seam is as good as it’s going to get without some sort of mechanical fastening, if budget permits i will get a couple dzus fasteners to keep the fender sections from moving around in motion. Plan is latch by way of a couple low profile hood pins at back of hood once it’s attached to fenders, still have to engineer a rod to keep it from flipping too far forward
Because you guys like videos, here’s how I ended the night
That's so legit.
Freaking AWESOME
tilt-illating
bad. ass.
I had a vision of a tilt limiting mechanism last night about 1am. Then i woke up thinking about just a couple nylon straps folded over with a grommet on each end. I want something simply unhooked so i can unplug the wiring, pop out the 2 hinge pivot bolts and lift off the whole front end.
Also a $48.19 radiator showed up yesterday. That’s good news because I had budgeted $120 for that.
Bearings great success. I can drop the assembly from a couple inches and it slides right together.
I had another vision of a simple hinged tilt limiting strap while i was staring at things, will probably try that first, then try the one i imagined last night, and pieces of nylon strap as last resort.
Had an hour after work, leaving for Michigan for turkey day
assembled 9” and got it back under car, switched slicks over to wheels to fit the newly made 4.75” bolt circle.
Think I nailed my measurements for narrowing!
Also of note, ordered the narrowest(and happily, cheapest at $43.xx with prime shipping even, cheaper by a couple dimes than Summit Racing) competition engineering roll bar main hoop, and a little application of ratchet strap later its perfect. I may order another to cut up for tubes because my rear struts will be bent similarly and it’s honestly cheaper than buying 10’ of straight tube.
Traded the 3.25 gears for 4.10 to someone who wanted a more street friendly gear. Mine were in better shape but whatever, got everything assembled with the Detroit locker from Knurled. I just did some maths, should be turning right about 6000rpm through the traps.
3,500rpm stall speed converter is en route, which I could afford to budget because of finding the moser axles on clearance for $105 and radiator for $48.
Hoping to be able to finish any chassis fabrication soon so i can pull it all apart to finish weld and paint. I will likely finish weld/grind and paint the firewall and floor while the body is off so I don’t overspray the frame.
Moar!
In reply to wvumtnbkr :
I just got home from Michigan. Nothing of consequence happened today, but my cylinder heada did visit a new state because they’re still in the bed of the truck.
We did bring home a piece of exercise equipment to assist in lowering overall vehicle weight when i’m in the seat.
Re: roll bar hoop
Wow that's cheap! I did not know you could ship pre-bent pieces of roll cage to your house from Amazon. Great for guys like me without a bender.
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