A tad bit more progress. I have made a crossmember to support the radiator and it fits in the nose and to the frame somewhat easily.
I left it long just because. A section of the same tubing coming forward from the end of the 2x3 to the end of the gussets on each side and some mounting tabs will hold the crossmember to the frame. The steering clears. It goes on the bottom of the pitman arm.
This gives a roadside view of the whole shebang. I'll get better pictures when it's all fabbed up.
From the engine side. I spent so much time looking for a locating punch I made, but didn't find, so I gave up and made another. Same with the hoop I have for inside of the nose. And it was right next to where I was working!
Well it's now time to get supper tonight. More tomorrow...
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
The "Whatever" Project
Collapse
X
Collapse
-
Also, while the front suspension was apart, it seemed like a good time to change from Speedway's front spindles, to a set of Ford F1 spindles. Why you might ask? 1st let me say, that the Speedway spindles are forgings, and very well made. However, they require some sort of bolt on steering arms. I have nothing against the design, we used to cut the arms off of Ford passenger car front spindles for the dirt cars. We'd either flame cut new arms, or buy the heavy steel arms that Speedway still sells. I just don't like the looks of the setup for the Whatever project.
A while back I obtained the bearing spacers necessary to work with the spindles, and the brake kit I have, designed for 37-48 Ford passenger car front spindles. The only difference between the passenger car spindles and the F1 spindles is the diameter of the inner bearing races. The spindles also have forged steering arms, just like the passenger car spindles. Even the kingpins inclination is the same for the 48 thru 50 or 51 F1 spindles. I don't know what years exactly, or when they were changed slightly.
This is the right front spindle with the bearing adapter.
Same one with all of the rest of the kit. Clearances are fine, and everything else looks good. So now I have parts that look right.
Leave a comment:
-
Slowly working thru the home projects. Got to kill off some poison ivy. Spent a little bit of time putting clean brown cardboard over it, and then top soil and compost. Then some rain came, so that means garage!
And I have pictures to boot! 1st, I had to disassemble the front suspension so I could get to the frame rails and cut off the ugly:
I have sections of 2x3 if I need to make the rails longer, however looking at the radiator and cogitating and ruminating over the way to support it, I might have lucked out and come up with an idea that won't need the extra length.
Rummaging around in my short stock of steel, I came up with a section of 1x1.5 rectangular box section tubing, with 1/8th inch wall. Okay so I'm still not there. But I found some 1.5 inch square tubing, perfect for making a couple of uprights. Some 1/8 and a couple of flange nuts, and viola, I had a design. A little bit of time welding and here's the radiator support.
This is the 2nut plates, made by using a step drill, and leaving a step for the flange on the nut to set on. Then a little tig welding and I had 2 mounting plates. Centering them on the square tubing sections and spacing them to match the feet on the radiator and I had a crossmember. So next is drilling for the mounting bolts, and positioning the whole structure in the nose.
Leave a comment:
-
So been distracted wirh a home project, repairing a BIG mail box
And I finally finished it!.
So today was back to the Whatever project. Took the easy way out regarding those big ugly front crossmember holes. I just cut 3.5 inches off the frontof the frame rails. Hole be gone! I have some 2x3 left over so if needed I'll just splice little sections back on. But it looks like a better way to mount the nose and radiator will be to make a crossmember that supports the radiator like it would have been in a deuce frame, and also attach the nose to the radiator like a deuce shell would be attached.
I'll be working on that tomorrow and I promise you that I'll get some pictures.
- Likes 1
Leave a comment:
-
So been distracted wirh a home project, repairing a BIG mail box. We'll be sharing it between us and the next door neighbor. A few years ago I made a shared stand for both of the mailboxs, and the mailman really appreciated it. One stop, two houses of mail. The big box is going between the two for larger packages, so parcel posts won't make the mailman have to walk to either house most of the time.
And there's a positive side in all of this. Patching the rusty bits and making patch panels and welding it all up without blowing great big holes in the metal was a good brush up on my welding abilities, without the fear of something failing on the Whatever project. So, two stones, one bird...
Another day for the paint to cure, and it goes out on the stand. The finally back to the garage and the whatever project
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by oletrux4evr View Post
Muffin fans?
Unfortunately the holes are behind where the radiator will sit. On the other hand, I suppose I could duct them out to the disc brake rotors for cooling them.
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Captain View PostOK,
I would put "Muffin Fans" in those cut off holes too aid in Cooling.......or to look like it was designed that way.
Save you a whole bunch of Grinding and Welding.
Leave a comment:
-
OK,
I would put "Muffin Fans" in those cut off holes too aid in Cooling.......or to look like it was designed that way.
Save you a whole bunch of Grinding and Welding.
- Likes 1
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Captain View Post
Just about to get out in the garage today and disassemble the front suspension so I can get at the front of the frame. Then I'll decide which way to go. More later...
Leave a comment:
-
PICTURES! NEW PARTS JUNKIE!
On the left is the mockup, and on the right is the new radiator. Pretty good match!
It fits! With room to spare! I think I can integrate the mounts for both and eliminate the support hoop inside of the nose, and the radiator will sit on brackets attached to a new crossmember that will be replacing the original round tube cut out when I axed the buggy spring and its big ugly mount.
This is where the original was just hacked out. And I just know that I'll have lots of fun grinding that weld off and getting the stub of tubing out of both frame rails.
Progress!
So probably easier to cut off the ends with the stub of tubing thru, and weld on short sections of 2x3. Hopefully this week...Last edited by dave.g.in.gansevoort; May 28, 2023, 08:38 PM.
- Likes 2
Leave a comment:
-
Woo hoo! I got a new radiator and it will fit with the appropriate brackets! Speedway sells a deuce roadster kit called the loboy. And it uses a chopped deuce radiator and shell. The radiator is short enough and shaped correctly to fit the track nose I'm using. I'll post pictures later, time for a doctor's appointment. But I had to open the box as soon as it got here...
Yep, I'm just a big kid Christmas morning.
- Likes 2
Leave a comment:
-
Originally posted by Monster View PostI think I'd pull a SBG and over-brace the living sh!t on everything.
Dan coined the term but being an engineer I immediately embraced the concept as it goes with another tenet of engineering. 5 minutes early is already 10 minutes late!
I took a look at the parts when I got back home from visiting Maggie at the rehab center. An aside, she's getting better every day. She's now allowed to go to the bathroom unassisted. Don't laugh, it's representative of a huge recovery response. Now back to the regularly scheduled discussion...
I'm thinking some square and rectangular box section tubing cut, bent, fitted to the shape of the body and door, sort of mimicking a and b pillars in production cars, and braced to the structures already in place in the Whatever project, and glassed to the body. First of course is Dan's MGB spindles, then clean up the garage. Then back to the Whatever project... more in the future...
- Likes 1
Leave a comment:
-
I think I'd pull a SBG and over-brace the living sh!t on everything.
- Likes 3
Leave a comment:
-
Yes That's the Plan! However with a twist. I'm going to have my nephew do the research. He has experience with fiberglass and lamination. And he now lives only 2 or so hours away over in Massachusetts. I've gotten suggestions on that other car site on how people have done it, so if I just get remotivated...
Leave a comment:
Leave a comment: