Thread: My From-Scratch project

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Originally Posted by bluefishfoot

I just looked at the pictures that I have posted, and the lower bars do look like they're angled, but it's just the pictures make them look like that. They're actually perpendicular to the axle/parallel to the frame and each other. the balls in the links swivel a few degrees each way for side movement of the links, but the top ones are mounted at an angle that makes all four balls on the top ones swiveled to their maximum angle, so there isnt any movement. also, when I push sideways on the frame, there's no movement. There is good up/down movement and no binding that I can see for the movement of the springs/shocks/links. I'm hoping that means it's okay.
Thanks for your thoughts, and if you think I might be wrong in my reasoning, please let me know.

Sam

I'm putting a Willys wagon body on a GM "metric" chassis (82 Cutlass) because the steering and suspension will work as if GM engineered it!
Also because it fits....I'd love to have the confidence needed to attempt to design, engineer and build my own chassis and suspension, but I don't.
It's great that you have the cajones and ambition to just "go for it"!
Good Luck!
Don

Originally Posted by AzDon

I'm putting a Willys wagon body on a GM "metric" chassis (82 Cutlass) because the steering and suspension will work as if GM engineered it!
Also because it fits....I'd love to have the confidence needed to attempt to design, engineer and build my own chassis and suspension, but I don't.
It's great that you have the cajones and ambition to just "go for it"!
Good Luck!
Don

My oldest brother and a couple other guys keep trying to convince me that I should buy a fiberglass body and put it on a S10 chassis or just buy a t-bucket kit. I found some detailed build journals on some other sites, and that's what got me interested in the first place.
I don't think I have any special "cajones",I think if I had a specific design for anything, I'd probly screw it up and get discouraged, and give up. I don't really have money for kits and special parts and stuff like that. For instance,
a radiator for a 32 ford is like $450, but if you get a "generic" radiator with the same basic dimensions but just doesnt have the "32 ford" name stuck with it, you can get it for $200. I just use what I can find, and use ideas that I find around on the internet and figure out how to make them work.
If I dont like something, I can always change it, because I don't have any special design I have to follow. Some people might think it's more of a "ratty old rod" when it's done, but who cares?
I dont care if I win any prizes or anything with it.

Sam

this was the boat that I was building before I started the car. It was about 19 feet long, and was going to be a flat-bottom with double dagger board. I had a 12 foot wooden mast and was going to make it ketch-rigged with the mailsail, jib, and possibly a spinnaker.(I had a 4 foot widow-maker for the front.) It had rained alot this spring and summer up here in MI., so the water was getting to the wood and it wouldnt stop raining long enough for me to fiberglass the seams and coat the whole thing with resin. I needed the room in my driveway, and I was worried the landlord was going to complain, so I got rid of it. I might start a
flat bottom light schooner next spring.

Sam

I'm back from work and off for the winter now. spent a bunch of money when I got home on stuff for the garage and parts.
I got an english wheel, air compressor, sand blast cabinet, and 36" break. had to clean out my garage to make room for all of it.
I also got a bunch of parts for the car. I'm hoping to get the front end done this winter before I go back to work in march. It's too cold out to do alot in the driveway, and I dont have a big garage, so I might not get much else done. I got the adapter kit to put the disk breaks on the '51 ford spindles. I need to clean up the spindles now and put all that togeather. I got some shocks and I need to make mounts for them and figure out how I want them.
My swedged tubes should be comming tomorrow for the front 4-bars, and 4 LH thread heims(I already had the RH ones.) so I can build them and make the mounts for them.
I looked around for 5-5.5 pattern wheels for cheap, and found 4 15x12 aluminum wheels for $130 on Craigslist and grabbed them. only had a few choices for tires for them, and I didnt want the big 33 or 39 inch Jeep wheels, so I got Nitto n555 extreem drag radials (325/50-15). I had a choice of the Nittos or BF Goodrich in that size, and the BFs were rated less for wear and speed, and heat resistance and they cost more. I will only be using them for around town anyways, and not racing. I'll put more pictures up as soon as I get some stuff done.

Sam

I got the breaks mounted and tryed to put the tires and wheels on, and found out i needed longer studs because the mounting face on the aluminum wheels is about 7/8" thick. replaced all the studs on the front and the back, and had to get new larger lug nuts for them. then I found out that my 4-way lug wrench didnt fit the new lugs. you cant see it in the pictures, but the passenger side rear wheel is not changed yet. still have to take the axle out, and change the lugs. I got my heims and rods last nite, so I can make some radius rods/4-bars for the front, and I have to make top shock mounts.It started raining, so I stopped for a while.

Sam

I got a tie rod and ends and put them on, and put on the 4-bars. It's wet and cold out alot lately, so I have been sitting inside wishing I could work on it more.
I got the other axle off the back, and switched the studs and put the other wheel and tire on the back. I think I'll have to put the engine and transmission back in so that I can try to align the front end. Sorry about the bad pictures. I took more but they came out really blurry and they werent worth posting. I'll have more later.
sam

Looking good, boy that thing looks long!

Originally Posted by falconvan

Looking good, boy that thing looks long!

Thanks. From the center of the front wheel, to the center of the back wheel (the wheel base??) is 150.5 inches. longer than my suburban center to center, but the whole thing is about 3 feet shorter than my suburban.

Sam

Sam, Quite a project so far,that thing will be HUUUUUUUUGE!. I know your far from finnished with your suspension but using a 4 link on the front with a straight axle (especially with coils)you will need a panhard bar to complete the front suspension.If not, the thing will be all over the place.

Originally Posted by ponchotom89

Sam, Quite a project so far,that thing will be HUUUUUUUUGE!. I know your far from finnished with your suspension but using a 4 link on the front with a straight axle (especially with coils)you will need a panhard bar to complete the front suspension.If not, the thing will be all over the place.

Thank for the suggestion. I was thinking that too, but I wasnt sure. I think I'll put one on there. I might change those coil springs to heavier ones too. These are only 750lbs each, so 1500 for the front and 1500 for the rear. and I know the engine I have will be pretty heavy... a 360FE that I want to change the crank and rods to make a 390FE. As for it being huge, I need alot of legroom.....(belly room too)....I'm a little over 6 feet tall and 300lbs, so a t-bucket is a little cramped for me...lol
sam

back working on it again....too cold this winter to work outside, then had to work at Vogtle nuke plant in GA and Callaway nuke in MO from feb to last week. off again for the summer and happy that it's stopped raining. took these pics today. got some sheet metal...told it was 18ga but turned out to be 14ga. decided to use it to cover the main floor part of the frame....then the body will sit on top of it. I have a 36 inch break, but the pieces are about 70 long...so managed to bend it by hand sort of. got one side done and still need to do the other. I'm just covering it over...not putting a storage/tool box in. might run the exhaust down through the fenders and collect into one...and run it down through there, comming out in front of the rear wheels. then I'll have the long front fenders and the regular rear fenders. Just some ideas I had. sorry about the bright pictures....too sunny here today

It`s been a while since I last checked this thread.Are you fabbing your own body or do you have plans to drop a big Lincoln body on that huuuuuuuuge frame.

Originally Posted by ponchotom89

It`s been a while since I last checked this thread.Are you fabbing your own body or do you have plans to drop a big Lincoln body on that huuuuuuuuge frame.

when I was a kid, my mom always cut my hair. she would screw up one side so take some off the other side to match...I always ended up with a buzz cut(she wasn't very good at flat tops either). She always said that "once sam gets something into his bald little head, you'll have a hell of a time getting it out of there"....well....I got it in my head to do the body myself....got alot of figuring out to do though yet......

Sam, I`m also in the process of building a long wheelbase car. Mine isnt quite as long as yours. Mine is 136" c/c wheels. I have a 37 Ford sedan body on it with a 78 Cadillac drive train.It sits on a 39 Pontiac frame with a suicide straight axle stubbed on it.I`ll try to attach a photo.

pretty cool....only about 14 inches shorter than my wheel base. my whole reason in the first place for making mine so big was I'm about 6 ft and 300 lbs so I have a hard time sitting in a t-bucket or one of those smaller ones. when I first seen them I was suprized how small they are. another thing is I wasnt completely sure if I wanted to put in a rear seat, or make it a truck with a box in the back. I'm sure I just want it to be a roadster though. it will be like driving from the back(second) seat of my suburban...that's about how long it will stick out in the front. I really need to get some of them huge headlights too....