Thread: The Roofus Special

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Due to the automotive slowdown while chrysler re-organizes (I work for a supplier), my job has said we are going to a 4 day workweek. That means I have a months worth of 3 day weekends to work on my car.

I always like the positive spins that come of negative situations. Hope to see some more progress. This is a great thread from an educational stand point for me. Keep on posting.

I got my other spring box put together and started looking at how to anchor the top links and came to the conclusion that I needed more beef in my framework. I am adding some 1.5 x 1.5 front to back in a more conventional frame like position. I am also installing a 1.5 x 1.5 crossmember ahead of the forward spring support to provide additional support.

Here are the pics....this about where I thought I was going to get to last weekend.

I feel a lot more comfortable with the extra beef.







Since I am not sure exactly what spring rate I have, I built some adjustability in for the top links.

Next weekend, I will add a diagonal for the link mounts and mount the spring boxes (verticle wall at back, angled wall at front and tied to the frame sideways down low).



Hopefully after that, the pace will pick back up.

Here are the pics of the boxes getting welded in.





The link mount needs support. I will also tie the boxes in to these.



Stuff is too crowded to get to all seams. I cut the tube apart. Some of the welds are on the inside. After these welds are done, the tube gets put back together. Fun!

Tubes put back together


Boxes tied to the diagonal


Pics of loading the suspension

1952 Mercedes gas tank looks like it will work for this car.






It should clear the links OK and has a little bit of clearance for the diff. Fuel inlet will work with a racecar style cap on the top of the boattail.

This is where I ended the day. I plated in the opening above the boxes. I feels really solid.

With any luck, I will re-hang the rear quarters and decide on what the next build step.

Not sure exactly what to do next.

I think I need to start the rearmost frame section/trunk floor. I think I need to start the upwards taper of the boattail at the rear axle...similar to this car.

Today was a fun day. I finished up a little welding on the passenger side spring box and then started trying to mount the body side.

It was more difficult than last time. There is an axle there.

I started by mocking the body up on top of the axle and blocks of wood to see where stuff lined up.




I am glad that I thought to draw a reference line last time it was mocked up.



First set of dimensions....end cut out was WAY different.

The first cuts were barely a good starting point. I am glad I started slow and snuck up on the shape. The axle moves rearward as it compresses.....really moves rearward! That parking brake cable was kind of a pain too.

Lots of jacking and drawing, then triming and re-instalation.





Final shape. I think.

I know the tail sticks way out there and will drag everything, but I can not make myself cut the heck out of it for clearance. I think I am just going to beef up the tail so it can handle being dragged. I may even add a caster back there.

Here is the current idea. Slight sweep with a radius at the bottom.



Right now the whole back end is an almost clean sheet to work with



Playing with cop car roll bars and a harbor freight pipe bender

I trimmed the tube. kinda hard to do just by eyeballing it. Still needs a little fine tuning....but I think it will work.






Close enough that I made another one for the other side.

I realized I forgot a pic. I didn't have room to get full spline engagement, it hits the table. It is just hanging on the threads.