Yes Don the Taxi owners club have already registered their disapproval.
Yes the frame is a nice shape and not that different to a Willys really.
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Found a bit of time last night to start making the ladder bars, I had some stainless tube lined up for the job but the more i thought about it i really liked the idea of doing it the way they did in the old days with square tube.
I had some 1" x 1/8" wall on the rack so cut it to the lengths required and then drilled some 3/4" square bar to use as slugs in the end of the square tube, these were welded into the tube and tapped to accept rose joints in the front and clevis's in the rear.
Hopefully get to fit them tonight. They won't be fitted parallel like the old days though, that may well be fine on a strip car but this one will be street driven so they will be triangulated, Havn't made my mind up yet but the axle will be located by a watts linkage or a Panhard bar, it all depends whats laying about really.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ladderbars.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...adderbars1.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...adderbars2.jpg
Some very nice looking work, Steve! The bars came out great, the square one's will sure be era correct for the build... I like the wheels, too! First set of custom wheels I ever owned were a set of Ansen Sprints, 15X7's and 14X6's! The slotted aluminums IMO look good on any car I've seen them on.
Steve, as much as I like you, I had to chuckle when I read this line you posted:
"I don't want to be chucking lots of money i don't have at this build so there won't be much detailing in this build, probably only where it shows."
Mate, you don't have it in you to not detail every component to the enth degree!!!!!!!!! :LOL: I'll bet you a nice dinner that when this one is done it will be finished just as nicely as everything else you build. :LOL::LOL:
Don
:LOL::LOL::LOL:
Yes Don its hard to resist the temptation but this is all MIG welded and i'm not gonna grind them down, I'm gonna leave them like they would of done back in the old days, Things like the door hinges i'm using speedway universal hinges, they are slightly smaller than the originals but i think i can get away with it as the repro hinges are a bit spendy for this build.
I'm still thinking of running it in grey primer, probably epoxy, It definitly won't be getting any flake.
Managed to get it all welded up, would of had it on its wheels but i have ford shafts with chevy pattern wheels so need a pair of adaptors.
Panhard rod tomorrow, or maybe a Watts linkage.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ch24th2011.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h24th20111.jpg
Very nice Steve and you have certainly lit a fire under me as to what body style my next project will go and also I used to always think rodz had to be ground scrapers but you will have that awesome look going with the gasser style.
I had a few pm's (not sure why the question wasn't asked here ?) asking why i didn't mount my ladder bars parallel, so thought i would answer here.
Parallel is fine for the strip but this is a street car so no good for the street in my opinion, What you end up with is basically a big antiroll bar that can't articulate without binding, On the road this will unload the tyres and all sorts of funny handling issues will happen.
With the triangulated setup it all moves sufficiently without any binding.
Hope this helps someone.
Steve, have you considered drilling, or having drilled a Chevy bolt pattern into the existing axle flanges? Dan wanted to run 40 Ford wheels on his 9 inch Ford rear and we sent the axles and drums to Currie and they redrilled them to the 5.5 pattern. It looks like you have enough meat on those flanges to get a 4.75 bolt pattern in there. You would put the new holes between the existing 4.5 pattern.
Just a thought.
Don
Chevy bolt pattern? I know a guy who's got the wheels that would make that girl sing! (without the tacky white walls of course):)
Well i'm at the stage where i needed the engine & trans in, Main problem is that the engine & trans is in the lockup up the road and weights 900lb odd, While pondering this small problem this morning my mate Charlie turned up in his Ranger pickup :D Within a short while we had loaded up the engine crane and was on our way :D Thanks Charlie !!!
Once back we unloaded it and jiggled it into position and put in a couple of temp supports, First thought was that the oil filter was going to be a problem :eek: but once we dropped the engine an inch everything was cool
I knew i would have to put in a curved piece in the gearbox crossmember as it needs to be raised 1" but without the engine in couldn't be pre determinded, Not a big problem really.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h26th20111.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ch26th2011.jpg
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Hi Steve
Fancy meeting you here!
Chassis looks great.
DaveC
Well progress has been slow as its been pissing down since monday :(
I did get to make some engine mounts last night though :), I made the basic shape a while ago but the customer didn't like them so they ended up on the parts shelf :confused:, Which make them handy for this project :LOL:
I wanted them to look old so decided to attach them to the frame with castle nuts and used Early Ford engine mounts :3dSMILE:.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h29th20117.jpg
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http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...29th201118.jpg
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http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...29th201114.jpg
Heck Steve, the customer didn't like them,so what did he/she settle for in the end??? And, if that is your plain old mig welding finish on those mounts,I definitely need to go back to welding school. And and as brother Don says, I just find it impossible to except that this is a cheapie quick rough build. Yeah Right!!:HMMM::HMMM::HMMM:
Whip the customer said they were too flowery (I thought they looked like crowns) so i redesigned them and he liked them :rolleyes:, Pics below
No mate that is untidy TIG welding, I was given some Ceirated Tungstens to try out so tried them where it wouldn't show, I've gone back to my thoarated tungstens now as i wasn't keen on the way they welded.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...nginemount.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...werymount5.jpg
Oh c'mon Steve........the guy at the welding supply shop says the ceriated is "just as good as the thoriated". :LOL: And without the radiation!:rolleyes:
Well it stopped raining for a while so i cracked on with the rest of the engine mounts, I didn't want the motor high in the rame so used alternative mounting positions.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ch31st2011.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h31st20115.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...h31st20112.jpg
Very clean Steve,I do like that finish but now can you refresh my memory,and yes I'm too lazy to reread this thread,but is that a Rover V8???:D:D:D
Steve,
Lookin' good! Are you going to have to run a mid mount?
Ken
Looks good Steve..what a neat use for an old taxi chassis..The taxi club boys getting a bit precious over you misusing one of THEIR chassis,are they??Could be worse,,think what they say to us guys about ruining ModelTs,,and there were 15,000,000 of those suckers built..:LOL:
Anyway,good build happening here,will keep an eye on it too..love Willys gassers..
Did the mod on the centre section last night, raised it slightly for tailshaft clearance, Couldn't make the mount though as couldn't find the TH400 mount i bought.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...ril1st2011.jpg
I did the panhard bar the other evening in square to match the ladder bars but forgot to post the pics.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20112.jpg
I had a few hours spare this afternoon and my mate turned up today with a van so i got him to use it to pick up the body from my lockup, once we got back with it we played arund and mocked it up.
The firewall was removed as it won't be needed.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20114.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20115.jpg
I bolted in some temperary wood spars to hold the body at the right height.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20117.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20116.jpg
This will have to be removed soon.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20119.jpg
Drilled & bolted a fender on, and drilled and bolted the frontend together.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...il1st20118.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...l1st201110.jpg
Next we mocked up to get an idea how it will look.
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...l1st201111.jpg
http://i65.photobucket.com/albums/h2...l1st201112.jpg
That is so cool looking Steve,absolutely wantable,yeah I made that word up. Now back to the first question, I didn't know B & D made fish tank pumps so there is one thing I have learnt today,but where do the fish swim in it ???
[QUOTE= I didn't know B & D made fish tank pumps so there is one thing I have learnt today,but where do the fish swim in it ???[/QUOTE]
I don't know first hand , but I would have to guess as far away from the pickup tube as possible. :LOL:
Sure is going to have a great stance, Steve!!!! The bars really came out looking great on the rear end. Engine position should be great to help get that CG down a bit, the gasser look is great but it does call for some comprimises, huh??
Steve since when is Cadillac making fish pumps?:LOL: Just kidding! I thought my Ford 460 was a behemoth, but that 500cc bad boy is huge! the width alone wouldn't fit at normal mounting height in my truck! Your going to need that extra steel to support it!
My aunt (who is in her 80's) has an early 60's Mercedes Benz 4 door sedan she wants me to take and restore. She's had it since the 70's. It was made custom for a guy in California, on a checker cab frame according to her. Every time I read this thread I think about it!:cool:
Steve,its the same down here...There are a number of guys who have built fully fendered 33/34 coupes,and put them on late 80s/early 90s Mitsubishi L200 pickup frames..They fit well,with a small amount of modification,and the frames are CHEAP,solid and handle well..But do they get rubbished for doing it..my oath they do..Private forum??good stuff...you can say what ya want ,without fear of being taken to court,,,hmm,works well,ay..:rolleyes:
Steve,find out who it is and confront them,then ask them how THEIR little project is coming along..If you can build that Willys so it looks right,and does the job...who cares whats under it..:cool:
Thanks Steve for the answer,so it is an alcoholic ,whoops, Cadillac fish tank with the ability of holding 500 fishers. Thanks Steve Stovens for helping poor old cribbled lazy me out.
Tomorrow fellas I will be absent for a day or six as I'm being fitted out with a titanium knee so you all behave yourselves and that includes you Uncle Bob.