Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

Tweet

Originally Posted by cffisher

Man what ever is going around sure knocks the crap out of you

Yes Sir! I was down for about a week but the way it hung on after I was feeling better was tenacious. After three weeks I can say I am over it.

We had a virus going around the Hospital that was similar to walking pneumonia. Took two courses of antibiotics(may have been a bacterial infection) to finally kick the symptoms of coughing occasionally and running out of energy by early afternoon(for 5 weeks), night and morning congestion. Just now getting my digestive track back online. Glad to hear your doing better

Got a bit more done over the weekend. Ran the front suspensions thru jounce and rebound and full L/R lock. Laid out the final positions for the steering stops and got those tacked in.
After grinding the paint off I marked the positions with black felt pen.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1639/phot...MVC001F-vi.jpg
Checking the positioning and making sure everything is in the right spot. This is the passenger side as the frame is upside down on the rotisserie.
http://images108.fotki.com/v1221/pho...MVC004F-vi.jpg
This is the driver side front stop tacked on.
http://images46.fotki.com/v1637/phot...MVC010F-vi.jpg
I will pull the spindles out to finish the welding. I had everything wrapped in welding blankets while tacking but I didn't want to put that kind of heat into the blankets.
http://images59.fotki.com/v1640/phot...MVC009F-vi.jpg
I probably should have rounded those corners over before I tacked them on... Oh well the big grinder will get a work out.
Mark

Worked on the steering wheel adapters this past week. I was doing a test fit Monday night and found the wheel adapter I had in my stash was to small to fit the Astro column. I ordered an adapter kit from Summit. While I was waiting for that I got to work making the upper adapter plate. This is the piece that will go between the steering wheel and the PCS paddle shifter unit. It will use 5 #10-32 x 1 1/2" long SHCS to bolt the PCS unit onto the extension. The extension will bolt to the new adapter when it comes in. (hopefully)...
I dug out a chunk of 1/2" thick aluminum plate and laid out the bolt circles on it. One for the 5 bolts that go thru the PCS unit and one for the three bolts that hold on the steering wheel and horn button asm. After clamping the piece in the mill I drilled a center hole for "zero" for the next operation.
https://images47.fotki.com/v1402/pho...MVC001F-vi.jpg
Using the bolt pattern feature on the DRO made drilling both of the bolt patterns easy. This feature sure does save a lot of time over hand laying out all of these holes. With the piece clamped in and zeroed all I have to do is plug in the both circle diameter, the number of holes, the start and end angles (in this case 0 and 360) and hit enter. The first hole location is a dead straight move in the X out tot he radial position of the first hole. In the pic that would be the one to the right in the picture.
https://images59.fotki.com/v1640/pho...MVC013F-vi.jpg
Every consecutive hole after that is reached by simply pressing the down button to move the next hole and twisting the mill handles until both X and Y are zeroed out. It makes doing this a no brainer...
Here the five outer holes have been drilled and I am starting on the three inners.
https://images14.fotki.com/v384/phot...MVC017F-vi.jpg
Once all of the holes are drilled I re-zero the cutter, which has been changed out for a counter bore tool and re-run the program.
https://images14.fotki.com/v384/phot...MVC016F-vi.jpg
With all of the holes done I could get the three inner holes tapped for 1/4-20's.
Chunking off the excess material so I can get the adapter turned round in the lathe.
https://images59.fotki.com/v1640/pho...MVC010F-vi.jpg
After a few minutes of trimming. Using the hold downs from a clamping kit on the saw makes this kind of off hand cutting a whole lot easier. Sure beats doing it by hand on the vertical. This way I can do other things while the H/V is cutting.
https://images47.fotki.com/v826/phot...MVC017F-vi.jpg
I made this mandrel years ago for another project. The small pilot is sized for the .422 dia. tap drill for a 1/2"-13 thread. I drilled the center hole out to that so I could use the mandrel to chuck the adapter in the lathe.
https://images14.fotki.com/v699/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
https://images59.fotki.com/v1640/pho...MVC006F-vi.jpg
https://images14.fotki.com/v384/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Spinning in the lathe. I use real light cuts here and take my time.
https://images46.fotki.com/v1637/pho...MVC017F-vi.jpg
After it was good and round I chamfered the edges and cleaned up the surfaces with some ScotchBrite while it still spinning.
https://images12.fotki.com/v539/phot...MVC018F-vi.jpg
All cleaned up and ready for a test bolting. This will get painted satin black to match the rest of the column.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC019F-vi.jpg
With everything bolted together it all fits and looks pretty good. I know it looks tall but this will put it right about where it needs to be for the new seat placement.
https://images51.fotki.com/v1638/pho...MVC005F-vi.jpg
https://images12.fotki.com/v539/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Gotten a lot done so far this week... Thanks for following.
Mark

Worked in the shop and on the computer last night. The steering wheel interface to the paddle shifter is 4.75" in diameter. That's exactly an 1" bigger then the first plate I made. I remodeled the plate and added a big chamfer around the perimeter where it mates to the shifter unit.
http://images40.fotki.com/v697/photo...COLUMN6-vi.jpg
http://images59.fotki.com/v1640/phot...COLUMN5-vi.jpg
The new, smooth shroud will be made out of an exhaust pipe reducer. 4" to 3 1/2" will work perfect. I'll be hitting the muffler shop tonight to see if they have any that size.

As always, very nice work Mark. And thanks for sharing the pics, appreciate it for sure.

Thank You Sir. Very much appreciated!
I took the column parts in to Dave's Muffler Shop in Durand this afternoon. We grabbed a chunk of 3 1/2" pipe and worked with the expander to get it to fit the parts. It took about 15 minutes to get the sizes right but this will work. It's bit rougher then I envisioned but it will smooth out with a bit of hammer and sander work.
[img]https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/photos/5/904975/14261461/MVC007F-vi.jpg[/img
I will use the Astro column cover and spot weld it to the inside of the new shroud. This is the approximate depth required to fit the new shroud to the top of the column.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC005F-vi.jpg
We made it long so I can fit the bottom then trim the top to length.
Just mocked up on the column I think once this is finished and sprayed satin black it will look very nice.
https://images47.fotki.com/v826/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg

After some mock up work I found the new "shroud" to be pretty unusable. The expanding left it very unconcentric and trying to smooth it out was next to impossible with simple hand tools. 16ga is nothing to mess with when you can't get enough leverage to work it... I ordered a couple of 4 to 3 1/2" reducers from Speedway. I also bit the bullet and ordered a tubing expander kit from Lisle. This will come in handy for exhaust work anyway and it does have a role in this kind of fab work also.
After dinking around with the shroud mess for a few hours I called it a lost cause. I set up the new, larger adapter plate in the mill and got some work done on that. Making the hole patterns, trimming out the blank and machining it round just like the previous one.
https://images12.fotki.com/v539/phot...MVC002F-vi.jpg
Holes drilled and c'bored.
https://images59.fotki.com/v1640/pho...MVC003F-vi.jpg
I'll be milling an angle on the back side of the adapter to reduce the diameter to better match the shift unit.
This is the back side I will be milling. The pencil line is the size of the shifter unit.
https://images40.fotki.com/v20/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
Setting up the rotary table in the mill I needed an adapter to locate the plate concentric to the center of the rotary table. I machined this out of a piece of 1" diameter aluminum stock.
https://images15.fotki.com/v246/phot...MVC016F-vi.jpg
The larger end pilots in the center bore of the table and the small end pilots into the center hole of the plate. I used a long bolt and a couple of spacers to mount the plate to the table.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...VC002F1-vi.jpg
After getting the piece aligned in the mill I tipped the mill head so I could cut the 40 degree angle I needed. Sad to say I could only tip the head about 32 degrees because of the Frankenmills' questionable construction...
https://images47.fotki.com/v826/phot...MVC006F-vi.jpg
I got both back angles milled. Not as steep as I was planning but I think they will work.
https://images12.fotki.com/v1641/pho...MVC012F-vi.jpg
https://images47.fotki.com/v826/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
I mocked up the adapter plate and I think it will look better then the previous attempt.
https://images15.fotki.com/v398/phot...VC006F1-vi.jpg
It should look great after some cleanup and satin black paint.
https://images15.fotki.com/v398/phot...VC007F1-vi.jpg

Thanks Guys! It turned out real nice.
A week ago Sunday morning I was in the shop at 9:00am. I worked out there for an hour or so and started not feeling well... Anyway, I got sick Sunday morning and was out of commission until Friday afternoon. You name the symptom and I had it. Stomach, chills, sweats, aches (even my hair hurt) and the dreaded I.C.B. (Irritable Colon Blow...). Wednesday thru Friday I couldn't keep anything in that went down. Literally, water would run right thru me. I think I lost about 10lbs. I started feeling better Friday morning and have been on the uptake ever since.
I got out in the shop Saturday and got a lot of work done, trying to make up for the rest of the week I lost.
Here are the reducers I got from Speedway. These look real nice, smooth with a clean, even transition. Compared to the "fabbed" one these will work very well.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC001F-vi.jpg
The two, side by side... No brainer, right?
https://images12.fotki.com/v1641/pho...MVC002F-vi.jpg
I also got the pipe expander kit I ordered off Amazon. This worked very well and was worth the coin. This will get a lot of use in the shop.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC013F-vi.jpg
Expanding the 4" end to slip over the cover bell that came in the adapter kit. This took about 5 minutes once I got the kit set up.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC013F-vi.jpg
I didn't have to go far, maybe an eighth of an inch.
https://images40.fotki.com/v992/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
Once it was a nice slip fit I slipped it all together on the column. I think this will look much cleaner then that convoluted boot.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC016F-vi.jpg
https://images15.fotki.com/v246/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Thanks for looking!
Mark

I got out Sunday morning and finished up the cover. Got it trimmed "almost" to length and mocked up the wheel and paddles.
Cut to length.
https://images12.fotki.com/v1641/pho...MVC001F-vi.jpg
With the paddles and new steering wheel adapter attached.
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC003F-vi.jpg
https://images15.fotki.com/v246/phot...MVC010F-vi.jpg
With the wheel bolted up.
https://images40.fotki.com/v697/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
https://images54.fotki.com/v1642/pho...MVC009F-vi.jpg
I think I am going to paint the column and new cover with a satin black. I have to paint the column because there will be an open wound after I remove the shift lever lump...
https://images15.fotki.com/v398/phot...MVC006F-vi.jpg
That's all for this week... Thanks for following!
Mark

Wow nice fab work

Very nice work and that reducer looks great on there. Is the paddle shift assembly part of the PCS set up?

Originally Posted by 40FordDeluxe

Very nice work and that reducer looks great on there. Is the paddle shift assembly part of the PCS set up?

Thanks a ton guys! Ryan, yes, the paddle unit is part of the PCS system. Look back in post #552. This system will be completely replacing any mechanical shifter needed to put the trans in or out of gear. Eliminating the mechanical shifter frees up a lot of space on the dog house/engine cover and will let me have free range on any mods needed for air cleaner design.
Mark

Thanks Mark for your posts, I'm always left in awe of your ability and high standard you set yourself in the finish and details of the products you want to use. I have a friend here building a 1932 Ford Truck with a 500 something cu.in. Chevy engine that is suppose to develop 800 + hp for the street and drag strip. Steve has incorporated a paddle shifter arrangement on the steering column that the owner purchased from Australia Super Car Team for it plus a supercar complete rear axle/diff centre suspension set up for it. I'm not allowed to take photo's of it as it is the owners desire to keep the car on the quite until completely finished. Oh, it is a genuine Henry Ford steel body and deck too in absolutely amazing condition for it's age. Thanks again for your update.

Thank You for the kind words Sir. I appreciate the time you guys spend going thru my posts, as I know you appreciate the time I take to post them.
Not even some "close up teaser" pics of the truck? ? ?

With the column fairly well wrapped up, other then paint, it is time to Move on to other things...
I dug out the trans and GV unit tonight. I was curious to see how much of a tear up I would have. I designed and built the K member and trans cross member around a 700R4, not figuring on finding a gear vendor unit for as cheap as I did. I took some measurements off the mock-up 700R4, the TH400 trans and the GV unit.
The 700 was 22.31 from the engine face to the trans mount bolts.
The 400 WITH the GV unit measures 27.31 inches to the trans mount bolts.
Subtracting the 22.31 from the 27.31 ='s 5.00 inches. That is how far I have to move the trans cross member rearward to pick up the trans mounting bolts in the gear vendor unit.
I don't have 5 inches in the cross member tabs welded to the chassis BUT I can flip the cross member 180 degree to move the trans mounting tab to the rear. Doing that gets me 3.50 inches. (the tab WAS 1.75 inches in front of the cross member centerline so, flipping it 180 moves it 1.75 inches BEHIND the centerline. 1.75 plus 1.75 is 3.50. So now all I have to move the cross member is 1.50 inches... Easy. And the GV unit fits in the loop comfortably. No changes ! YA HOO!
https://images59.fotki.com/v1640/pho...MVC006F-vi.jpg

https://images59.fotki.com/v1640/pho...MVC005F-vi.jpg

https://images12.fotki.com/v539/phot...MVC004F-vi.jpg
Now, granted I had planned to use the loop as a driveshaft loop so I will have to think about that one. I may end up moving just the loop...
Mark