Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Good question, EG. Without an early Chevy axle here to compare with, I'm not sure. The Econoline may be different in width (wider) and the Chevy may have a bit more drop. The Econoline has more modern brakes, but there are disc brake kits available for early Chevies. I guess you would need to take some measurements to see what the dimensional differences are and then decide if it's worth the trouble. If you take some measurements from your axle I will be happy to measure mine so you can compare them. Econolines used these axles from 1961 through 1967. Chevrolet had similar axles under their vans from 1964 through 1969.

[Dave Severson]

If any of you guys have a use for it, I've got a complete front axle assemby off a '58 Chebbie pickup..... dual elliptical springs and 6 bolt hubs, but I did see where somebody was making 5 bolt disc brake kits for it. Let me know if somebody wants it....CHEAP!!!! I'll never use it, but it's too nice to throw away...

[firebird77clone]

my project is growing! came home the other day, and what is sitting in front of my 36, but an 85 firebird limited slip disc brake rear end!

now, to find out where it came from...

[Itoldyouso]

my project is growing! came home the other day, and what is sitting in front of my 36, but an 85 firebird limited slip disc brake rear end!

now, to find out where it came from...

It was the "rear axle fairy." He does this all the time. I'm personally waiting for the "supercharged Hemi" fairy to show up myself.

Don

[brianrupnow]

JRobinson---that looks familiar to a "how to" that I posted for someone wanting to put batwings onto a chev axle without welding to the axle itself---Brian

[J. Robinson]

Man, you do such nice illustrations. Is that "Solid Edge" or some other program?

I've never been shy about welding on these old beam axles. They are so dense you can really crank up the amperage to get good penetration and they dissipate the heat so well that the welding does no appreciable harm to the strength. (For you beginners, NEVER cool a weld on a suspension or steering part with water. It will harden the metal and make it brittle.)

[J. Robinson]

Mounting the radius rods is pretty straightforward but there are a number of steps...

I begin by adjusting them so they are the same length. To do this, I start by "eyeballing" the adjustment of the rod ends to see if they have the same approximate amount threads showing. Next, I bolt the two of them together (just finger tight) with all 3 bolts the same direction and lay them on a flat surface. If all 3 bolt heads lay flat on the surface, that's it. If not, then take the offending bolt out and adjust the rod end in or out to change things, put the bolt back in, and try it on the flat surface again. Sometimes it takes multiple tries to figure out which rod end to adjust. Just keep fiddling with it until you get it right and snug the jam nuts to keep them where they are. Then give the batwings a trial fit and put these assemblies aside for a few minutes.

In this case, I was able to clamp the axle directly to the front of the frame. I used a couple of nylon spring grommets for spacers, but I could easily have used plywood pieces or anything of the right thickness to space the axle away from the frame. Some careful measuring is needed here; the axle must be centered to the frame within 1/16th of an inch.

Now I fit the batwings and radius rods to the axle. I had to take a bolt out to get the batwings between the axle beam and tie rod and then put them back together. Now is the time to snug the bolts with wrenches. (Incidentally, I use regular nuts for all this preliminary assembly for ease of installation. When the car is assembled for the final time after painting, etc., I will exchange them for self-locking nuts.) I use wood blocks, paint paddles, stacks of washers, whatever, to prop the back end of the radius rods in position. Also, the front of the radius rods (with batwings) have to be in matching positions. I used the existing perch bolt holes in the axle as locators for the batwings. When I'm satisfied with the position, I measure the angle of one batwing with a protractor and then adjust the other one to match it. (If you don't have a protractor, use a piece of poster board. Cut it, trial and error, until you find the angle of one batwing. Then use it to match positions on the other one.)

When the positions matched, I put a substantial tack weld on the top of the axle. With a combination square, I checked the vertical squareness of the batwings in relation to the axle. One was right on; the other required only slight adjustment with a ball peen hammer. When I was satisfied with both of them and confident that they were matched as perfectly as I could get them, I put another tack weld at the bottom of each batwing and then welded the top completely on one side. (I will finish welding all the way around both sides of the batwings when I disassemble the front end later.)

[J. Robinson]

To determine the shape of the radius rod frame brackets I used some trusty poster board to make a pattern again. First I cut a 2" wide strip about 8" long, held it in position, and determined the angle I needed to cut the top to match the angle of of the diagonal brace it will be welded to (I couldn't go all the way to the top frame rail because it interfered with the body). I also marked and cut the shape and length of the bottom of the pattern and marked the center of the bolt hole.

I used this pattern to set the angle on my chop saw vise and cut two pieces from 1/4" x 2" flat stock. I did the grinding and drilling with the pieces clamped together (just like I did the batwings) so they would be identical.

Finally, I bolted the brackets to the back of the radius rods, snugged the bolts with wrenches, and clamped them to the frame. I now used a tape measure again to assure that they were in identical locations and angles on the frame rail. When I was satisfied, I welded them in place. I removed all the clamps and set the body back in place .

[Itoldyouso]

I am really impressed. Your rod has gone so far in such a small amount of time, and is so well thought out. Lots of great info here, and nice to see a frame that is different from the usual ones made from box tubing.

BTW, I saw your post about meeting somewhere in the middle of the State so that guys like hotroddaddy and others can come. How about Oldtown? I have never been there, but we could make a weekend out of it and go there and maybe catch some other attractions during the day or on Sunday. Just one idea.


Don

[J. Robinson]

Well, thanks, but it's just because I'm at that point where construction shows a lot of progress with little effort. It will slow down as I get to more detailed stuff.

Old Town would be good. They have a big show & shine there on certain Saturdays. There are lots of shops and amusements there. Maybe we could hold the "First Annual CHR Go-kart Nationals"? Just a thought...

[brianrupnow]

J.Robinson---The software is Solidworks. The unfortunate thing is, that to post any of the models I create on a forum, I have to save them as a .jpg and post the .jpg for viewing. The clarity of the .jpg is only about 70 percent of the actual Solidworks model. If you could see the files I create in their original 3D Solidworks format, it would just blow your socks off!!! (If you like viewing 3D models, have a look at the portfolio in my web page www.rupnowdesign.com )---Brian

[Supa Roosta]

It was the "rear axle fairy." He does this all the time. I'm personally waiting for the "supercharged Hemi" fairy to show up myself.

Don

Be careful what you wish for, the fine print kills ya.....

[J. Robinson]

Time to move on to springs & shocks. I was going to put a transverse spring on the front of this car because that is more traditional looking for the era this car represents, but... If you really scrutinize some of my previous cars, it becomes apparent that my racing experience influences my building practices. I like for things to be adjustable. That's why my coupe has fully adjustable Nissan pickup torsion bars in the front and NASCAR style weight jackers in the rear. Anyway, I was poking around on Ebay last week looking for some springs that might be suitable for the rear end of this roadster and I came across this deal... I got 4 springs with adjustable sleeves, plastic spacers, and spanner wrenches for $41.98 ($19.99 for the springs; $21.99 shipping). The last time I bought springs at the junkyard, I gave $40 for a pair. I figured I could use a pair of these on the rear of this car and save the other pair for some future project. Then they arrived, I took them out of the box, and I knew what I was meant to do.

I began by setting the springs on top of the axle on either side of the nose...Ugly! So, I set them on blocks on either side of the nose in front of the axle... Not bad. Then my son suggested I tilt them in at the top... That's it!

The next problem is how to get them to work there. I need to fabricate some kind of frame extensions that reach out over the axle. I started with some of my 1" tubing (3/4" black iron pipe). I cut two pieces about 20 " long and used my hydraulic bender to bend them to about 45 degrees. Then I just did a bunch of trial and error trimming with the tube notcher on one piece until I got it to sit on the spring and frame evenly. Once I got it there, I cut the other one to match.

Once satisfied with the shape and fit of the extension pieces, I fabricated some braces for them from the 3/4" tubing (1/2" black iron). This also was a simple case of cut & try. Again, once I got a piece that fit, I made another one.

[firebird77clone]

how did you choose the height for the top brace?

[J. Robinson]

While I had things mocked up, I marked the location where the extensions would weld onto the frame and also marked where I needed to cut off the front end of the extensions.

Now it was time to remove the nose piece and springs and weld the extensions on. I tacked them in place first where I had marked the locations on the top of the frame rails. Then I spent some time with the tape measure and level to make sure they were the same. A little tapping and bumping with a hammer and a couple more tack welds brought everything into alignment. Once I was satisfied, I welded everything solidly in place.

That's all I had time for tonight, so I put the nose back in place and set the springs on blocks again in their approximate locations for another picture. Next I need to fabricate the top and bottom spring mounting plates...