Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[Mr Blue]

Looking Fantastic!!!! Keep up the good work! Don Jr.
P.S. Those shots of various painted suspension parts remind me of the Mr Blue Build! Looked like a disfunctional Christmas tree ornament display! Love your car man!

[J. Robinson]

Looked like a disfunctional Christmas tree ornament display!

That's funny! I wonder what my wife would do if I hung my front bumper on the tree in our living room...

Thanks for the compliments. My son said he saw your T and your dad's T parked together at the Turkey Run. He loves your car! He went on and on about how clean and perfectly detailed it is. That Grabber Blue with white interior is striking in the pics; hopefully I'll get to see it in person at Billetproof?

[Mr Blue]

I always think car parts make the Christmas tree more "festive"
I am going to be at Billletproof for sure! Just going to take off work that weekend and do it. Cant wait to see your track t there bud. Really stellar work! Don Jr.

[vara4]

J Robinson; I'm gonna use the 3/4in rod ends, that's what you recomended for a V8 right.
Anyway I need to know what size bolt the end take's and how thick the rod end is from side to side so I can make the plates for the frame and rear end. thanks kurt.

[J. Robinson]

Kurt - It kind of depends on what you intend to do with the car, how heavy it is, and how your radius rods are designed. I used 1/2" on the front end and 3/4" on the rear of both my coupe and my roadster. Some people prefer 5/8" everywhere, but 3/4" rod ends will handle about anything you can throw at them. If I had a 4-bar system in the rear, I would have used either 5/8" or possibly even 1/2" as long as it was a lightweight car with small block power (or smaller) and auto trans.

If I knew more details of what you are building, I could determine your needs more adequately. Also, Dave Severson or Brian Ruppnow might be more qualified to recommend something... Tell us what you are building.

[brianrupnow]

I have always used 1/2" for 4-bar set ups. For single point connections like you have with hairpins, and a light car, I would probably go with 5/8" minimum for safety. As for width---Why are you asking us?? Talk to the people you are going to buy the ones you use from. The widths vary from one manufacturer to another.

[vara4]

J Robinson; I've got a 12 1/2 to one - 351 Cleveland Roller motor going in this 65 Ranchero.
Probably better then 600HP with a small block C - 6 trany backing it up.
Frames narrowed to put big tire's up under it. Probably will run about a 513 gear in the rear end. And will be hooking up nitrous oxide. Thanks Kurt

[J. Robinson]

With that kind of power turning some big rubber, you definitely need the heavy duty stuff. Brian is an engineer and you can take his advice as gospel: If you are using a single point connection (ladder bars or "truck arms"), go with the 3/4"; if you are building an adjustable four-link like a pro-stock car, go with the 5/8". Don't use the economy stuff either; go for the pro series (Speedway Motors) or better.

Heim ends have matching shank and hole sizes. For example, the 5/8" rod ends have a 5/8" hole and a 5/8" fine thread shank. The thickness may vary between different series ends and different manufacturers. Before you fabricate any bracketry, you should get the rod ends you are going to use and build accordingly.

[vara4]

Thanks J Robinson; Guess I'll have to send for them then.
I'm building a 4 link so 5/8 should do it.
I can do some other stuff while I wait for them to get here.
Thanks again for the advice, that's what Dave Severson
said to. Was just trying to hold off on spending money till
I had to. Bought all my steel last year before I got sick so
I was just trying to use what I allready had.
But with the help of my son we got alot done the last
couple of days. Thanks again Kurt.

[J. Robinson]

Progress hasn't been as fast as I'd like this week, but at least it's been steady. By the time I get home in the afternoon, I only have about 2 hours until darkness sets in. This week I've been trying to get the engine cleaned and painted; the cleaning portion is an activity which must be done outdoors. I have a process that I use that has worked for me over the last several years...

Monday and Tuesday evenings were spent out in the driveway with engine degreaser (7 cans!), a selection of brushes & scrapers, and the garden hose. Wednesday evening was cold and I stayed in the house.

Thursday I washed the engine again with a liberal application of lacquer thinner in a spray gun. Lacquer thinner will disolve just about anything and the air pressure from the spray gun helps to dislodge stubborn stuff. I help it along a little with a small brass wire brush. After the lacquer thinner bath, I switched to wax & grease remover. I spray it on in small sections and wipe the area dry with a clean rag. If the rag comes up dirty anywhere, it gets re-scrubbed and then degreased again. Finally, when it was as clean as I could get it, I laid on a coat of lacquer primer. I only put enough primer on to achieve hiding so the paint will stick. Too much primer will cause cracking and peeling when the engine is run and gets warm.

Saturday, after the primer had been cured for almost 48 hours, I painted the engine with the same basecoat / clearcoat paint used on the frame.

[J. Robinson]

Before I set the engine in the frame, it is necessary to get everything square. One thing any car needs to do is go down the road straight and it's a lot easier to square the chassis before a lot of other components get in the way.

The first thing I do is find the center of the front crossmember and mark it with a center punch (see arrow in first picture). Next, I center the rear end by measuring like points on the rear backing plates to the frame rails and adjusting the panhard bar until both sides are equal. Finally, I measure from like points on both ends of the rear end (in this case the brake bleeders) to that center punch mark on the front crossmember. I adjust the radius rods until both measurements are equal. I always run the measurements a second time to make sure everything is right. When the rear end is centered and triangulated in this manner, the car will go down the road straight.

[J. Robinson]

Finally, the front axle is squared to the rear axle. The front axle is centered first by measuring from the king pin bosses to the center punch mark on the crossmember and adjusting the panhard bar accordingly.

Next, measurements are taken from like points on both ends of the rear end (in this case the brake bleeders again) to like points on the front axle (in this case the grease fittings on the top of the kingpins. The radius rods are adjusted until both sides measure the same.

[stovens]

Some very helpfull advice JR. I love this thread even though you do stuff beyond my abilities, I learn from you every time you post. Thanks, Steve.

[J. Robinson]

Steve - Glad you're enjoying the thread. Trust me, you can do anything I've done here so far. There is no "rocket science" involved, just basic skills. You just need confidence in your abilities.

OK. The last thing I accomplished over the weekend was mounting the fuel cell. I just ran out of time last night before I got it posted... Of course, all the mounting hardware was fabricated some time ago (back on page 21), but I needed to do a couple of small things - mount the fuel pump and make the insulators to keep the tank from squeeking and wearing holes through itself.

First, I drilled the appropriate holes in the forward tank support to bolt on the electric fuel pump. There is just enough room to sneak it in beside the fuel cell. Next, I cut pieces of a 26" bicycle inner tube to line the tank supports where the fuel cell sits and a couple of small pieces where the back corners of the cell rest against the rear ceossmember. I attached these "insulators" in place with 3M spray adhesive. After I set the cell in place, I cut additional pieces of the inner tube to insulate the hold-down straps. I didn't glue these in; I just laid them in place and let the strap tension hold them.

[Gastrick]

Really slick Jim. I love it when a plan comes together. What fuel pump are you using there?