Thread: my new project. THE 41

Tweet

curius to see more pics of yor build . per nielsen denmark

thanks for checking in. i got the front end on and looking good. i also pulled the cab off so i can get the frame gussets in.

here is some pics of what is done so far

i got the rack mounted today. it fits good like it was built for it then i mocked up the tie rods to get the length right. tomarrow im going to get new tie rods inner and outer. the rack is out of a ford windstar

new pics

edited . . . .

I think that is the ugliest front end treatment I have ever seen in my life!!! Is this flaming? Well, yes, it is flaming. Not because I have an overwhelming desire to be a dick. Because it is poorly designed, unsafe, unworkable, and an insult to any rod builder who takes pride in creating safe, well engineered, and good handling hotrods. If you come on this website and post something that is a total slap in the face to any experienced rod builder, and then expect us to congratulate you on your rod building skills, then yes, you will be flamed.

I hope what I am about to say is taken as constructive as opposed to flaming, that is how I mean it to be.

I am concerned about your front end treatment too. While I applaud your desire to do something different, I feel some of the things you have done are just not sound. One thing is the use of 2 x 2 tubing to support the weight of the entire front end. Even 2 x 3 is marginal on a car of this weight and that 2 x 2 is going to bend upwards for sure when you start hitting bumps.

The homemade axle is another area that scares me. It looks to me like reversed caster and not even sure what the camber is set at. I think you would have been way better off using some pickup truck axle that had these specs built in, rather than trying to build your own. I bet 90 percent of the rodders on here who have done this for years would not attempt to build their own axle, I know I wouldn't.

Then there is the way you mounted and cut the rack steering. I know you plan on more reinforcing beyond what you have done so far, but even then I think it is on the edge of being unsafe. I really can't see how this car will ever handle well or be safe to drive.

Believe me, I bit my tongue for a while before I posted this, but in the end I just had to do it. Not only for your car, but for others who are just starting out, they need to know there are the right ways to do things and the wrong ways. We rodders get a bad enough rap anyways, but if people start getting in accidents because of ill-conceived and executed cars, it is going to start coming down on all of us. We have worked very hard over the years to elevate our public image and it will only take a few people getting hurt or killed to make John Q start wondering if we all shouldn't be banned.

Again, I hope you take this post in the spirit it was intended.

Don

If you're looking for real comments, then I have a few.

- I would be concerned about the strength of the 2 x 2 front axle and the steering geometry.

- There is a severe scrub line problem. If one tire goes flat, your frame will be digging into the pavement. Pole-vaulting at 60 MPH? Not good.

- The upward angle of the tie rods is likely to cause some "interesting" steering action, as is mounting the rack below the centerline of the axle.

- In the first picture in post #32, you might want to think about a gusset at the kick-up. I wouldn't leave just a vertical kick welded to the top and bottom of the main tubes - but that's just me.

I'm not one to judge someone elses work, I'm learning myself, but these guys telling you this is unsafe know what they're talking about. It's a lot easier now to start again then it will be once you're done and realize it doesn't work, especially when you can buy a complete front end for about $500. What's your life worth to you or your family???

I put a Rubicon 4" lift kit in my Jeep TJ. Everything was done properly, my friend a heavy duty mechanic was there to help. When we got it done we decided to drive it down to the alignment shop to make sure it was okay, it drove nicely so we went on the freeway to get there. We were driving around a bend about 55mph and hit a small bump, the Jeep started vibrating uncontrolabley and started into this "Death Wobble" I've heard about. I let off the gas and slowed, it didn't stop until about 15mph. At first we thought we forgot to tighten the wheel lugs and they had come off but everything was tight. We exited the freeway and drove slowly the rest of the way, still scared. When they were finished with it the guy said the caster angle or toe in(can't remember) was only off a couple of degrees and compared what happened to a shopping cart wheel.

So do you think you've got you're angles lined up that well? Like they said, re-think it.

Sean

Boys and girls,

Since this thread has been dug up from the archives....

Perhaps some of you have to reread the thread marked RESPECT,RESPECT, RESPECT again. Constructive posts are useful and helpful, quite a few others on this thread would be classified as NOT HELPFUL.

Do some of you need a time out

Push my buttons today with a wise ass response and you'll get one, no other warnings.


Enough said.

Bill S.

Originally Posted by DennyW

Hey Bill...your green light burned out again....

2 days off, anyone else?

Might as well hit me too, Mr Mustang.......These guys have every right to tell this guy what a lousey front end he is building. Hell, they might be saving his life...........If Denny cant make a little joke after all he does for this site, well shame on you sir.......

I thought it was a bit over the top myself.

Bill--I don't get on here and knock people for race, colour, creed, or sexual preference. I don't even romp all over the rat rod crowd, which is my natural inclination to do. However, unsafe, poorly engineered, and prone to failure building has to be critiqued. Don is a gentleman, and critiqued it in a politically correct manner. I am not in a gentlemanly mood today, and ugly is ugly!!! Ban me, if you think that is the right thing to do.

Originally Posted by poncho62

Might as well hit me too, Mr Mustang.......These guys have every right to tell this guy what a lousey front end he is building. Hell, they might be saving his life...........If Denny cant make a little joke after all he does for this site, well shame on you sir.......

Everyone here likes Denny, myself included, but regardless of who it is and how many posts they have, if they are warned and decide to push my buttons anyway, then they get a time out. Keep in mind it's only two days, but during that time Denny can either realize that what he did was wrong and learn from it, or he can badmouth me in a knee jerk reaction all over the web for just following through what I said I would do. Either way, it's his choice, not mine. Once again, if I play favorites with Denny, then it sends the wrong message to everyone else, especially a newbie with few posts. Just as with Streets (not sure if you were around for him or not, but he had 12,000+ posts on this forum several years ago), who was our top poster for quite some time. After a while he felt "entitled" as if this was "his" forum and he forgot about the respect end of things and just felt he had that right. Some got his jokes for what they were, others were very offended by them and the moderation staff (there were more than three of us back then) had to deal with him on almost a full time basis. Again, all we can do is place the warning like I did, since most of us are adults, it's the conscious decisions we make afterwards that dictate our (in this case my) action or inaction. You have your own forums, just wait till you have to make some of the same decisions that other mods do. Believe me, we hate to ban people (except a certain Russia porno spammer) for any length of time, but sometimes it has to happen. Heck, I've been banned at times from sites I've had over 10,000 posts on, why, because I pushed the envelope and lost my perspective. If everyone would just treat everyone else as if they were talking to them face to face, there would be no need to even post a warning let alone ban someone except in extreme cases. I hope this gives you a little more insight into my side of this equation.


Sincerely,

Bill S.