Thread: I couldn't build it for $3 K either!

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I also replaced the four-bar links front and rear with 4130 chromoly pieces. Not much external change on the front, but the new pieces are .188 wall thickness as opposed to .156 for the old stuff. The orginals were made from mild steel. The front bars are over 40" long with the adjusters and had a lot of flex. The new parts are lot stiffer without changing the look.

The rear bars went from 7/8" OD to 1 1/4" OD. I also went from 5/8" ends to 3/4". I don't think flex will be an issue anymore! In the pic, I left the old bar on top for comparison.

I built a bracket for the fuel pump and filter, too.

My first thought was to plumb the two together with a solid pipe nipple, but that would have made changing the pump difficult. The whole bracket will drop out with 2 bolts so service or modifications will be easier in the future. I plan on blowing the chassis apart soon to finish some welding and I'll mount all this then.

Next on the agenda was the pitman arm.

The original pitman arm was 3/8". The new one is 5/8". The box is a Vega unit laid on it's side. The pitman arm is setup like some cowl steering units I've seen. The big end of the original Vega pitman arm was converted into a sleeve and that was welded to a 3" diameter flange. The new arm and the flange will be bolted together. I also shortened the arm about 3/4" to get the four-bars and the draglink on the same angle.

Due to the spindle steering arm being ahead of the four-bar pivot, the draglink and the front bars are almost the same length. This should keep bump-steer to a minimum.

I'm not finished with this, but here are some pics of my progress so far.

One last comment.

My "to do" list is getting pretty short! I'm actually beginning to see the end of the fab work. As of the end of February, I've been on this project for 18 months, but it sure doesn't seem like that long. I'm hoping that I can start finishing for paint sometime in April and I plan to paint it myself. It'll be my first complete paint job. Hope I don't mess it up! First I have to get it inspected and stamped by the state troopers and I have no clue how long that will take. The last time I had to deal with anything like this it took two trips to Baton Rouge to get it all done.

The "war chest" is getting pretty empty, but if I don't go crazy with the spending or have any bad luck, I should have enough cash to finish. My wife just rolls her eyes and sighs when she pays the bills. That's usually followed by "More parts?"

"Yep, more parts, but I'm almost done,Honey, I swear!" Of course I still have an engine and trans to build.

There is a local show in May and I would love to have it done by then, but we'll just have to see how it works out. I still haven't found anyone locally to do the upholstery, so that could be a real holdup, but if I get that close, I'll throw a mexican blanket and some foam in it and ride!!!

But if I don't have any unforseen problems, I should be rolling by summer and I sure am looking forward to it!!

BTW Ever since I replied to Oldrodder about having my projects sometimes turn out like Wile E Coyote's road runner traps, my family and I have been calling this thing the Coyote Special. So I guess it has a proper project name now. First car I've ever had with a name. Of course the Well's Coyotes were pretty well known for the Pike's Peak Hill Climb(driven by the likes of the Unser clan). Maybe one day this one will get there too. Now that's a real daydream! Louisiana to Pike's Peak........IN A T ROADSTER!!! Who knows, maybe I'm just crazy enough to try it one day.

Mike

I think you were very wise to go back and change the suspension pieces you did instead of waiting til they break!!! Moly is sooooo much stronger! I use moly for most all my suspension pieces and bracketry and though I too tend to sometimes build things a tad light, haven't had any failures yet....
BTW, that is some very nice metal finishing and welding on the car, very good work!

Dave

Thanks

Most of my past fab experience was in the oil field industry and I had a real tendency to build everything like it was going to be dragged around by a D8 Caterpillar!

I've been trying to "lighten up" a little in recent years, but I just got a little carried away on some of these pieces. Weight just isn't going to be a real issue on this car(unlike a race car) and I finally came to the conclusion that I just went too far this time.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I've spent so much time building race cars, weight savings is just a natural part of the build for me.... When I'm doing a street car, I've got to remember to dial in a bit of longevity on the fabricated pieces as well.... The requirements for a 9 second car are a bit different to the requirements of a cruizer! With the junk roads we have around this part of the country, I should build things a bit heavier but sometimes I just forget.... That's another reason I prefer moly on the suspension pieces, so much stronger then steel.... I also see that you used the weld in threaded bungs on your bars... The big deal used to be to use a tube that you could direct thread.....I pulled the threads on a few of those bars and have since gone back to the weld in bungs!!!!

Gee, I thought all the bad roads were in Luziana!

If the road I drive to work gets any worse I'll need Bigfoot to get there!

Nice work hotrod! I wish I had a tenth of your skill in metal work. Oh well, I think if I can get my truck on the road this summer I'll be happy. No room at home for off the body work, not to mention the tools! I love looking at stuff you guys do though! Steve

Mike, I have to tell you how impressed I am with the way you are doing your car. Absolutely great stuff, and you are explaining it in a way that makes it so enjoyable to read. I look forward to every installment.

Starting to look like a car, huh??? Nice proportions and just a cool look to everything. You are really gonna have a nice ride there.

Tough hiding those receipts from the Little Lady isn't it? When I was building my '27 I would get to the checking account statement before she saw it and remove a few pages. One day she beat me home. Her only question was "How much money ARE YOU SPENDING on this car???? Makes us feel like a little boy who got his fingers caught in the cookie jar when that happens.

But Honey, I thought you said you liked me because I was a Bad Boy??? .

Don

Originally Posted by Itoldyouso

Mike, I have to tell you how impressed I am with the way you are doing your car. Absolutely great stuff, and you are explaining it in a way that makes it so enjoyable to read. I look forward to every installment.

Starting to look like a car, huh??? Nice proportions and just a cool look to everything. You are really gonna have a nice ride there.

Tough hiding those receipts from the Little Lady isn't it? When I was building my '27 I would get to the checking account statement before she saw it and remove a few pages. One day she beat me home. Her only question was "How much money ARE YOU SPENDING on this car???? Makes us feel like a little boy who got his fingers caught in the cookie jar when that happens.

Ah, ya gotta keep em on their toes.

Don

Don I use the under 200 rule and pray to god she doesn't say anything. So far so good!

Thanks guys.

Steve, hang in there. You'll get it done. I know it's said a lot, but you really don't need a lot of tools to do this work. The tools mostly just speed things up. I did about 95% of the work on my 46 with little more than Lincoln welder, a cutting torch, grinder and a drill press. I literally started buildig it under a shade tree.

Don. The writing part is a lot harder for me than the building! I usually do it off line and edit it a few times before I post it. As far as the money goes, I really have an understanding wife and I'm very thankful.

Mike

Very nice work, Mike. I enjoy reading your thread. I, too, have built things, thought about what I was doing, and then started over with heavier material. I wonder if that is a common happening to all of us "home fabricators".

I, too, have an understanding wife. It wasn't always that way; when we were first married, I had to match every dollar I spent with money for her to spend on whatever she wanted. I was building chopped bikes back then and I effectively paid for each one of them twice. After 37 years of marraige, though, she just lets me "do my thing" and says she doesn't want to know... Once I was typing something on this forum about how much I have spent on my coupe. She happened to walk behind me just as I typed $7600. She stopped, looked at it, and said something like "It's worth a more than that, isn't it?" I said "yes, a lot more". She said "I thought so" and walked away. There's never been another word about it or what I've spent so far on the roadster. If she'll have me, I think I'll stick around for another 20 or 30 years.

Thanks JR.

I was wondering how your build is going. The last post I saw was the rear nerf bar. BTW I may "steal" the nerf idea.

About the "matching" thing. I think I see some new furniture in my future! Oh well, it could be a LOT worse!


Mike

Well, the rear nerf is the last thing I did. I've gotten temporarily sidetracked on some things I had been putting off. Hopefully I'll be back at it shortly. I'm just a couple of good productive weekends away from blowing it apart for final welding, grinding, paint prep, etc.

On the subject of re-making things; I think I'm going to re-make the sector shaft extension so that I can incorporate a support near the end where it passes through the body... I'll keep you all posted.