Project "Left Overs" is back alive !

Heck Robin,put the bloody pressure on eh? I don't think you would believe the mess in Steve's workshop at the moment,I did until I called in the other weekend. He has leased out his house to his ex-wife so the '32 is now back in the garage, he is also building / roof chopping and making floors up for Moonman's '30 Coupe plus still working on the certifaction of his '33 Pickup which Bundy has checked over. I did take the camera but it was just a huge mess which still leaves me amazed at the excellent work he turns out in those conditions.Attachment 51198Attachment 51199Attachment 51200Attachment 51201Attachment 51198Attachment 51199Attachment 51200Attachment 51201

Sorry I have doubled up on those photos, and where the Roadster pickup is was so covered with stuff I just shock my head in disgust sadly and one would find it hard to believe that and awesome pickup is sitting what for some tender loving to be shown her.One can make out the fifties Corvette under the '32 coupe.The car beside it is '50's Plymouth custom that Steve has tudorised ,roof chopped and making remodelled rear guards. The '39 Mercury is a good solid project also. As for the numerous other cars stored around the yard he is finding storage in friends garages and barns until he gets his new place build out in the country side where he hopes to ave room for all his cars under one large roof plus workshop space to work on them.

He's got a gold mine of stuff in there. I know the feeling of piling stuff up. Our garage is much the same, main reason why I need good weather to work on my truck, just no room to move around, unless I'm under it! In good weather it gets rolled outside to be worked on!

Now THAT is a stash !!!!!:eek: Wow. You could look around there for hours and not find everything.

That's the problem with ANY flat surface though. It becomes so easy to lay stuff on top of it, and before you know it you have a scene like the ones you pictured. Thanks for posting those, Whip, very interesting to look at.

Don

Hey guys,next time I shall take the camera again and take photos of some of the stuff hanging from the rafters as he has collected old multi carb manifolds, blowers etc which he will never use but purchased just because he didn't own one. Really awesome stuff. A wee bit like Kiwi Kev's garage but ten million times more dis-functional. :LOL::eek:.

I had forgotten about the 39 Merc..Those things are as rare as chickens lips down here..NZ never did get a lot,,and there arent many left..There is a nice example down here,owned by a local rodder,,who has sheds like that,,but he knows where everything is,,and no,,no cameras allowed..I better hassle Moonman again,,,he was going to send down the rear side window reveals from his koop,so I could take molds off them..Could ya stir him up please whip??ta mate..:D:D

I will get Steve to mention that to Moonman for you Robin as Steve told me that Moonman is getting impatient for his car. Although there is no rushing Stevie boy. Do you remember the Lincoln or Mercury Steve has that was parked outside under a large turp, I think the same as Lifestylz, well it has rusted away to the stage that it is worth absolutely nothing now and apart from some small bits and pieces,the rest will be dump material sadly.

Now that my frame is essentially done, we can move on to getting the rear axle assembly installed. I pretty much knew where I wanted it to sit but we thought it would be best if we had the bed in place first so we could see how far fore and aft it should sit to look right. So today we bought a sheet of masonite to build a mock up bed.

We are using 4 1935 Ford stake pockets, one on each corner of the bed, and they were too tall for the height of the bed we thought looked good, so we sectioned one as a test, removing 4 inches, and Dan welded it back together and got it to look about right. Then we cut pieces of the masonite and made two bed sides and one tailgate and screwed it all together. I wanted this bed to be VERY short so that it didn't extend beyond the rear slicks. This car is going to look somewhat like an old drag altered, so the bed only needs to be big enough for my fuel cell and battery.

I like the way the mockup bed looks, so now we can start mounting the four bar setup , coil overs, and panhard bar. I am probably going to run a totally louvered tonneau cover that will hide it all, and may also get the tailgate section louvered to match. Once the rear end is hung we can start bending sheet metal for the bed sides and tailgate.

Here are some pictures from tonight of the mockup bed.

Don

Yup,that does the job..Looks good,,in proportion..:cool::cool:this is gunna look mean on the road..:cool:

I really like the way you did the mockup bed, the proportions look dead on.

Thanks Robin and Mike.:) I ordered some rod ends I needed for my four bar setup and those should be here by the end of next week. In the meantime Dan and I are going to start cutting out the brackets for the axle mounts and shortening the four bars to fit my setup. I would like to have the car as a roller by the end of September, then we can wheel it outside and get a good look at how the mockup bed looks. It's hard to tell inside the garage and sometimes they look different when you get them outside.

Don

Now that looks just right Don. Nice job.
Did you get my pm with hotel address ???

Thanks Steve, I did get your address. I'm starting to research the cheapest way to get these two boxes to you.........they are HUGE ! :eek: I'm going to take them to the local UPS store today for a quote, but I think it will be $$$$$$$$$. The two boxes just fit in the backseat of Dan's pickup.

I'll keep you posted.

Don

Don I can't see it with the car together but is yourlower rear frame cross member going to be a problem???? I thought you were maybe going to put a loop there??? Just looks close to drive shaft height, with rearend movement up & down?? Feel free to tell me to shut up

AW, SHUT UP !!!!!! (Just kidding, Charlie :LOL:) It is a little close, but I think it will clear. It would only be an issue on the car bouncing up, not down, and if we find the shaft is too close we can put a half round piece in there to give it a little more room. We already thought about that issue and almost couldn't see it coming until it was welded in place and the frame blocked at (sort of) ride height.

Dan has lots of practice with a sawzall, so if need be we can chop out a section and put a loop in there. :LOL: Sometimes you plan things out and clearances still change as the build goes on. For example, I have to clearance the trans tunnell a little. When Dan built the body he was planning for a TH350, but the long bellhousing of my 394 shoves it back 4 inches more, plus an inch for the adapter, so we will have to deal with that too.

Thanks for mentioning though.

Don

I had pretty much made up my mind that I was going to use the Autoweld four link setup Dan had left over from his rpu build (he went with polished SS in the end) but when we sat down to look at it today we realized the 3 link setup we have from Suicide Doors would actually work better and eliminate some parts, like a panhard bar.

The problem was that Dan originally ordered these for his Fordor project and had them custom made a little longer than the usual ones Suicide Doors sells. Because of how short I want my back they were about 4 inches too long, so we decided to cut them up and reweld them 4 inches shorter.

Suicide Doors really overbuilds these bars, they are 1.5 inches OD with a 1/4 inch wall thickness. So once we cut them up we found some solid round stock in the shop that was 1 inch in diameter which slipped tightly inside the cut portions. We cut the round stock in 8 inch pieces and inserted them into the tubes before welding. Dan rosette welded them in place first of all, then he fully welded the two halves back together. If anything it is stronger than the original uncut bars.

That is how far we got today, which leaves us needing to build brackets to mount them to the frame and rear axle. The 3 bar setup will take a little bit of the room I had planned for a gas tank, but I still have room for maybe a custom made one or I might find a fuel cell the right size to tuck inside the bed.

Here are some pictures of the 3 link setup during and after welding. Also, there is a picture of one of the 4 inch sections we cut out so you can see how thick these things are.

Don

Steve, I sent you a PM about your boxes of parts.


Don

Don nice bed mockup. The three link should make for a nice ride. Looks like you guys are making lots of progress.

Thanks, Steve. Yep, it seems to be coming along pretty well. I feel bad because I have gotten Dan more deeply involved with this one than I planned on doing, but his welding skills have been a great help. The other night he said " I should have kept this body for my next project." I told him " You DID get this body for your next project, you just didn't know how soon that would happen !" :LOL: But he is pretty good about giving me his days off. Don has been practicing with his new welder and is getting pretty good. I want to get him to weld some stuff on the car for me too.

Today I am going to head to the shop and start cutting out the bracket pieces to mount the 3 link to the rear axle. I also have to cut the old mounting pads off of the rear housing and will get to use my favorite foot burning tool, the plasma cutter. :eek:

We figure a couple more weekends and we can have the car up on all fours. :)

Don

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

I also... will get to use my favorite foot burning tool, the plasma cutter. :eek:
Don

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Cutting and welding has taught me several fast & fancy dance steps plus a whole new vocabulary.:LOL::LOL::LOL: Neither is suitable for mixed company, though!..:eek: Don, can you say "high-top shoes"?:rolleyes::D

I know, Jim, but it is so hot in the shop that shorts and tennis shoes are about all I can bear. Those sparks do have a way of falling into odd places though ! :eek:

Don

Ain't that the truth! I was crouched down welding on the side of a roll cage once and a piece of slag burned through my pants right next to my zipper.:eek: Fortunately, by the time it got through my jeans it had lost enough heat that all it did was scorch a spot on my underwear. Yes, I felt the heat, but it didn't leave any marks. (Whew!):LOL::LOL: Now I'm a little more careful about the positions I put myself in when welding...:HMMM:

I still do most of my welding in shorts and tank top, but I wear high-top shoes anyway 'cause I've learned all the dance steps I need.:3dSMILE:

Hehe, one time I was laying upside down under a dash doing wiring and when I stripped off the end of a wire a little piece went right in my nostril ! :eek: :LOL: Luckily, I was able to blow it back out, but it had me worried there for a minute.

And let's not even talk about sand when sandblasting ! :eek:

Don

There, see the computer added a second blow!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Hehe, one time I was laying upside down under a dash doing wiring and when I stripped off the end of a wire a little piece went right in my nostril ! :eek: :LOL: Luckily, I was able to blow it back out, but it had me worried there for a minute.

And let's not even talk about sand when sandblasting ! :eek:

Don

There, see the computer added a second blow!

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Only one "blow" in what I see, Don.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by J. Robinson

Ain't that the truth! I was crouched down welding on the side of a roll cage once and a piece of slag burned through my pants right next to my zipper.:eek: Fortunately, by the time it got through my jeans it had lost enough heat that all it did was scorch a spot on my underwear. Yes, I felt the heat, but it didn't leave any marks. (Whew!):LOL::LOL: Now I'm a little more careful about the positions I put myself in when welding...:HMMM:

I still do most of my welding in shorts and tank top, but I wear high-top shoes anyway 'cause I've learned all the dance steps I need.:3dSMILE:

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You are lucky,Jim..I had a small molten ball of slag hit me in the chest,burn throgh my shirt,and roll down my front..Instinctively puled my stomach in ,ripped my shirt out of my pants,and,you guessed it..It rolled straight down the inside of my pants,undershorts and all....I dont recommend a tattoo down there,,a hot spark is definitely not fun either..**)**)**):eek:

I was replacing a pilot bearing in my dart about 35 years ago. The bearing had disentegrated and left just the outer race. With no way to pull it. Had to cut it out with a torch. You know how that hardened stuff spits and pops. Even with my head as far away from it as I could get, laying under the car, it poped and it went into my left ear all the way down. You never saw such a mad man. I flew from under the car and had water splashing in my ear, even filled up a pop bottle and pored it into my ear. My buddie and mine and his girlfriends were all laughing. After I soaked a couple of shop rags in water draped over my head and ears put goggles back on and finished cutting it out. Now I wish we had had those camera phones back then I'll bet that would have made a funny pic. It hurt like hell............

Tonight I got the first of my 3 link axle mounting brackets cut out and almost ready for welding. Don and Dan were playing with Don's welder tonight while I was working on my stuff..........Don is starting to put down some good welds. Now I have a backup welder in case Dan gets tired of me bugging him.:)

We decided to go with 1/4 inch plate for the sides and back of the brackets because they will not only be supporting the lower bars, but also we are going to mount the coilovers to the backside of each one.

I forgot to take some pictures, but will do it tomorrow when we get started welding them up.

Don

Don how hard is it to setup a three or 4link system. I have contimplated doing that on the truck, but wasn't sure my welder had enough uphhm to weld the brackets on, yet it supposedly will penetrate 1/4" steel. What do you think. I could also save and have a skilled welder do it!

Steve, they are actually very easy to set up. The bars simply go one on top of the axle and one on the bottom, on each side of the axle, and they connect to the frame in a parallel spot so that when the car goes up and down they pivot like a parallelogram. The axle stays perfectly in the same position all through the travel.

The 3 bar is just the same, but the top is one bar (or in my case a wishbone shaped bar) that takes the place of two bars. Then you simply mount your coilovers, and a panhard (not needed with the wishbone shaped upper bar, it limits side to side movement on it's own) and that is it.

If you don't feel comfortable welding it, how about tack welding it and taking it to a pro to finish it up? That is what I did for years until Dan came along. :)

Here is how Dan mounted the 4 link on his rpu. These were the mockup bars, that were later replaced with ss pieces. Here, I found a better picture after it was all put together.

Don

I went over to the shop this afternoon and got the pieces for my axle brackets finished up. Tonight I'll toss them in the blast cabinet then Dan can weld them up for me.

That piece in the picture with the stainless stud sticking out of it is the back wall of the bracket and will hold my coilover shock.

Don

Lookin good pops.....Don't know if im a backup welder yet but I am enjoying doing it. RPU is lookin great! Don Jr:D

Ah, I've got confidence in you , Don. :) You will be welding some of my parts on before you know it.

Dan and I went to the shop tonight when he got home from work, and he spent a lot of time smoothing and welding the axle brackets. They came out great, look like they were stamped out of one piece of steel. Dan always spends lots of time on parts that will never be seen. :LOL:

While he was doing that I started to clean up the rear axle housing. I used Don's plasma cutter to remove the old spring pads, and I have to say I have a new respect for it. It really did a nice job and cut right through them. I didn't even burn myself once. I may have to borrow that thing more often. After that I ground it a little smoother and got it ready for Dan to weld the mounts on.

The next step is to weld the mounts to the rear axle housing, then we can build the frame brackets to mount the front of the lower bars to the frame. Those shouldn't be too hard, as they are pretty much flat and fairly simple. Here are some pictures from tonight.

Don

Don thanks for the explanation and pics. Looks like you guys are moving right along.

Wow , I leave for a couple of weeks R&R in Vegas; and look at all the work that gets done. Looks great Don. I would have really thought twice about cutting into that three bar, but you and your boys made it look like it was never touched.

You're welcome, Steve, hope those helped.

Thanks, Rick. So how was the vacation? Do you own part of one of the casinos now, or are you going to have to go back to visit your money? :D Glad I don't live near there, I would be one of those guys panhandling for another buck so I could roll the dice one more time.

Don

Tomorrow we are planning on welding the rear mounts for the lower bars to the rear end housing so tonight I went to the shop to get a jump on it. We needed a way to hold the two brackets totally square to the housing and to each other, so I made up a simple jig that will hold them in place while welding.

I didn't want to waste any good steel so I used a piece of 3 x 5 angle iron we had and then I cut up two pieces of 2 x 4 box tubing for the parts that go inside each bracket. The inside dimensions of each bracket we made is just a hair over 3 inches so the 3 inch tubing will keep it totally square. I clamped it all to our welding table, squared it up, and put some tack welds on to make it one piece.

We can also use the same jig to hold the front brackets that go on the front end of the lower bars until we get them welded onto the frame. That way the front and rear mounts will be exactly the same distance apart eliminating any bind or misalignment.

I also squared up the rear end under the car in the exact position it will end up, then slid the jig and brackets under for a trial fit. A couple of blocks of wood shoved the jig and brackets tight against the rear end, ready for welding. Tomorrow we will set the yoke angle at 3 degrees up and weld it all up.

Here are some pictures from tonight.

Don

Don I have the utmost admiration for anything you and the boys do in your shop, having been there and attempted to work with Dan in the heat I'm surprised you guys get anything done at all, when I was there it must of been around 100 degrees in the shop and everytime I sparked up the TIG sweat ran straight in my eyes and I couldn't see nothing !!!

Yep, it takes some getting used to, living in the tropics. I have to say this has been an especially brutal Summer, but you left too soon, Steve, it is starting to cool off (just slightly) and it looks like Fall might be coming. The humidity is the killer here, it really is tough to keep bare metal rustfree for more than a day, so we keep chasing our tails keeping it at bay.

We got some more time in today, working on the lower bar mounts. It took a while to get the rear end exactly square in all directions, but we finally got it right where it should be. Then Dan put a couple of welds on the brackets to hold them in place until we can remove the rear and do the final welding.

Tomorrow we are going to work on the mounts that go on the frame and hold the front of the lower bars in place. Still a lot of work to do on the rear end mounting , but getting closer. Here are some pictures from tonight.

Don

Today we worked on making the mounts that go on the frame and hold the front of the lower bars. Seems like such a simple task, but by the time we designed them, cut them out, shaped them, and got them welded up, it took all day. We still have to weld them to the frame and will get that done one night this week. I kept telling Dan they don't show, but he just ignores me. :D

Not a lot to show, but here are some pictures from tonight.

Don

Don - looking great as always.

Can I make a suggestion without getting slapped silly? At your frame rear kick ups - add a triangular gusset inside, under the body as well as above your new mounts. They only have to be 2-3 inches, max, on the weld side, but will 'triangulate' the chassis under acceleration loads particularly. Myself, I would probably fish plate it inside, but that's my tendency to use 5 nails when two will hold a piece of wood:LOL: