Hot Rods The "Whatever" project

Well I took a good look at your nose and attachment stuff. It triggered some ideas for the Whatever project and the way the front portion of the frame is made. I started on an all new arrangement and got 2 new side brackets fabricated. Then I went and helped the next door neighbor, which led to a bs session, and never did get back to the garage. So that's on tomorrow's to do list.

I know I'm in for a bit of effort on the floor, but 1st I have to fabricate crossmembers and support structure. Oh and put the larger of the two transmissions back in for space considerations. So that's the T5. My frame rails are currently exposed inside the body, and with the Marty Strode Body Mount Method plates, I know where the body flanges end and the floor will begin.

So I think that I can make the floor and figure out a gas pedal next, and make it all clear either transmission, once I figure out a hump over the transmission(s). Well that's the current thought process. Time will tell...

 

Oh, and 1 more thing looking at your pictures: I need to raid the neighbor's wood pile for short sections of 2x4, and make some of those wheel supports like you and others have done. It'll be so much easier to work on stuff on the chassis. Even jack stands under the axles as wide apart as possible get in the way.

 

Another good day in the garage. Went to the local hardware store that has everything under the sun, and got a length of 1/8×1 cold rolled steel and some 1/2-13 gd 8 bolts and coupling nuts.

Replaced this
With this. Looks better, a lot lighter, and made a lot more room for a radiator. Still a lot of work to do before it's finished, but I'm going to talk to a radiator shop first and get an opinion on shape and capacity of a suitable radiator. Then the radiator support and the nose support can be integrated into one part. I hope...
And while writing about the nose, I am thinking about the future grill and opening. If you look at the picture closely you can see that I Sharpied an outline on the painter's tape. An aside: I know the tape is blue but that's the end of the spectrum that's mostly gray to me. Having an issue at the violet-blue end of the spectrum makes wiring with color coded wires interesting to say the least. Back to the nose. That's my first attempt to redefine the opening. I need to get some thin flexible tape and lay it out a little bit better. Moving on...
So remember a ways back I agonized over cutting holes, slots, etc, into my brand new Speedway body? And I also way overthought the rear coilover mounts? Well here's what I came up with:
The horizontal tube goes thru the hole in the turtle deck and is kept from rotating by the diagonal brace. I went thru many iterations of concepts to hold the tube in the frame. Here's what I did:
And another view:
And installed in the frame, mostly:
So some things are more firmly designed. Will there be chanes?

Whatever...

 

Do you need a lock-nut or lock-washer or something similar to keep the two bolts from vibrating loose?

For the front radiator opening, I'd suggest using stiff cardboard, poster board, or something similar to cut out different sizes/shapes that you can tape in place before you make any cuts in the fiberglass. And when you do cut it, if you are careful with your cuts you may be able to save most of the rolled lip, which we can graft back on once the opening is enlarged. We can also use the rolled profile to match to with the new 'glass. Maybe a piece of thin wall tubing to hold the lip's radius? I'm sure others have dealt with this issue already, just spitballing here...

 

Eventually, when final assembly happens (you know, the one that you'll be helping on...), there will be lots of fasteners with locking media coming into play. These bolts may get lock wired. I also like a relatively new system of 2 interlocking washers, that I don't remember off the top of my head the name of, that I'm planning on using in places like that. I have samples in my desk, but it's downstairs and I'm just lazy and don't feel like getting them to get the name.

There's no lip around the front opening on the nose, so again we get to figure it out ourselves (hint, hint). And im messing around with some of the hardware cloth to get the shape and depth of the grill and it's shape. I guess I'll be learning how to make compound curves in some kind of material to make a grill from. Rocco has done this before so my next trip to his shop will include taking the nose. And then figure out an opening layout...

But first, I have to get a radiator, and make more x-members, and figure out a floor, and finish the firewall, and mount a battery, and, ... good thing I'm retired and can spend time with it most every day.

 

we think alike

 

It was my inspiration! I probably won't have as nice inside tinwork as that tho. I'm probably going to have a difficult time just making a well sealed shroud between the fan and the radiator. So I'll just seal up around the radiator to the nose and call it a day...

 

Finished up the rear suspension stuff from yesterday. Final welding is all that's left for the suspension now, pending everything else fits and there's no reworks...

And I also made a new mock up for a radiator, and contacted a radiator shop in the area that can potentially make it for me. Have to talk to the owner next week and give him some of the details on the engine. He'll contact the company he deals with for cores and see if it can be done. We'll see...

Nothing picture worthy today so that's all folks!

 

This morning's diatribe is about missteps. I was wondering if it might help others to see that missteps happen, but they're not insurmountable. The first thing to keep in mind is that never finish weld something until everything looks right, fits right, and works right. Here's a few pictures along the way as reminders of the many missteps I've made so far...

Let's start with steering related missteps:
First column support. Fugly!
Another go round. Trying to make 1 fabrication do more than one job. Couldn't get the brake and clutch setup to work. So much for that.
Traditional-ish side steering? Nope! Would need to reverse the steering box. Doable, but harder to mount the box.
Considered using this, for a slightly different approach. But no. It's a 9:1 Schroeder Champ Car steering box. Saved for another project...
Now! Unless I have another brainstorm or nightmare, and change it...

Now these 3. From the top: current setup, the middle is the heavy, ugly, space wasting 1st inner support structure, and the bottom picture shows it inside the nose. Oh and also where the steering box ended up.

I have more. But I thing the point is made, to the point of being dulled. Go back thru the many tedious pages of the Whatever project and you'll see many more. And I've learned a lot of new things along the way, both from my missteps, from the plethora of suggestions, and views of the many project threads of the much much more experienced builders.

I'm learning new things every day. And I know the missteps are not over. But as the British are fond of saying, "Calm down and carry on! "

Or in Bobby Mcfarrin's song, "Don't worry, be happy!"

 

FEA, as shown in the cad thread. Next step, take it to a radiator shop and see if it can be done.

And I acquired this neat old part:
Will it be used in the Whatever project? Or something else? Whatever...

 

Dave
You are so right, we (should) learn from our missteps.
Myself, I'm fond of using the term F#CK!!!
It gets so bad when I'm working in the shop in the summer with my shops' big doors open that my wife will come out and close them and remind me there are little kids living next door.

 

I've given up on the expletives. There's no one around to hear me, so I just hit something. Usually with my hands, which hurts, leading to calling myself a dumb $#!+! But only in my head as I drive myself to the hospital. Then again when I come to from seeing what I did to myself. And again when they put stitches in, and again a week or so later when they take them out...

You get the idea. Maybe I should reconsider expletives...

 

Is that "neat old part" a magneto drive, perhaps? The top looks like a steering box, but I see a distributor gear on the bottom, so...

 

It's like the Swiss knife of accessory drives: it drives a magneto, that big lump at the top, a fuel pump, the gray thing sticking out of the side, and a mechanical tach, the small shiny cap opposite side of the fuel pump drive. I pulled it apart yesterday to check out the condition of the bearings and other components. The pump needs new vanes, but the carbon insides are smooth, uncracked, and potentially usable. The threads for the tach drive cable and the square drive appear to never have been used. And the magneto, while dirty and in need of new cap and rotor, is in decent condition, although I would send it out to be worked on if I use it.

An interesting tidbit, the magneto drive base is for a Mopar engine. The drive was designed to use that due to it being much shorter than a gm distributor. I don't know if the magneto has an advance curve or is fixed. Haven't pulled the base off yet. Maybe tomorrow...

And last, I visited a local radiator shop Tuesday, but he doesn't build from scratch anymore, since his guys who used to be the ones who fabricated tanks when needed have retired. He's going to see if any of his contacts can and will build from scratch. I'm open to referrals and materials suggestions.

 

I use Superior.
I like to build them a cardboard facsimile with the fittings located too. Don't forget to specify if a trans cooler is needed.

https://www.wwwsuperiorradiator.com/

 

Thanks for the tip. I made a mock up for the radiator out of foam and marked for the necks, never though to simulate the hose connections. I could use toilet paper cores and the like to be sure they clear x-members. That's why I keep coming back to the combined wisdom here. Someone always helps steer me to a solution.

 

Pictures first! Just in case I screw something up...
Okay so I did manage to screw up already! The pictures are in the reverse order in which I did stuff today. So I guess I'll flip my mind and start at the top regardless...

After relocating the forward pivot points for the rear suspension, I knew that I had to raise the rear pivot point of the left side radius rod to match the arc of the hairpin on the right side. I'll drill it tomorrow. No big deal...

2nd and 3rd pictures show the T5 transmission in place. It's the larger of the two transmissions, so making the floor and crossmembers, I want to ensure both will fit in the car when done. Plenty of room so no problem. Got a start on the fabrication, and have a plan for the crossmembers including a driveshaft tunnel and just in case shield, both up and down. I've seen a driveshaft go through 2 walls and inbed in a 3rd in dyno cells, and they weren't just sheetrock! We were lucky no one was in the 2nd cell when the shaft came out of the 1st one.

That gets us through the first 3 pictures. The 4th and 5th pictures show the shape that I finally came up with for the nose cutout. It's made from heavy welding rod, and can be used to get the grill fabricated as well. At least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Taking suggestions to heart, I finished the mock up for the radiator including where the hose connections need to be. Never thought I'd be using woodworking tools to make the mockup, however I used a Fein oscillating tool to cut the foam to rough shape and a Shurform to refine the shape. Followed by 80 grit sandpaper. Now to get it made! That's a bill I'm not looking forward to...

Lots of progress today. Now if I can just maintain the momentum!

 

Go back one square and look at the first picture. Yeah, I pulled the hub today, took the outer bracket off, and drilled a new hole halfway between the existing holes. Drilled the inner bracket in situ, after doing the outer one in the drill press. Now the pivot points for the rear suspension match side to side. And the links will be level with the ground i.e. horizontal, when at ride height. Another little job done.

Bought a new shop press from Harbor Fright today. Got an email coupon for 25% off. Had to use it! I've been putting off broaching a couple of keyways as I didn't have a press, so long that I don't remember what I bought the broaches for. Must have redesigned whatever it was to not need a key. Oh well, I've got the broaches and the press now, now I have to make something that needs a keyway...

 

Remember post 760? The neat old Hilborn stuff? And the mention of the son of Whatever project? Tuesday I'm going to Vermont to get a quick change rear for it! Now we're getting serious about Sonny. (Son of Whatever takes too long to type every time).

Let's see, so far Sonny is a pile of parts: steering gear, some front suspension components, a lot of engine stuff, and soon the rear axle. And I have a pile of steel tubing for the chassis. Since Sonny is NOT going to be a street vehicle, and it probably won't even have a clutch, it'll be a lot easier to build. And I now have a vehicle that I can use a Moon foot gas pedal in. Only other pedal will be a brake pedal, and no electricals beyond a magneto.

Now back to the garage and the whatever project...

 

Oh boy! You are a very sick man. Join the club.

 

I resemble that remark! You wore off on me...

 

Oh sure blame me. Hey better you spend it before the nursing home gets it.

 

That's the plan!

 

Maybe we could start a nursing home for old Gearheads. Of course will need car chick's for nurses. Good for you pal.

 

I know I am thankful for all the great projects and people on this site to keep me going. If we are stuck,waiting for next step,someone on here gives us the inspiration we all need from time to time. Keeps me going.

 

And here I thought I might be the only one! Here I am with Jay Leno dreams and a Jack Benny budget...

 

I won't say anything, to F, if you don't say anything to M...

Of course they'll figure it out! And we can't keep them apart forever!

 

Well I budget my money too. Each year I drop money on each one to keep them going. Body work and paint focus now. With 4 projects I do triage as I go along. No more projects in the near future until these are done. But as all of us do we look constantly. It is in our makeup.

 

Just in from the garage. Pictures and words!
Here's the Hilborn mag/pump/tach drive disassembled for cleaning and fettling. Check out the mag drive: you MOPAR guys probably recognize the bottom of the magneto. It's in really good shape, just needs cleaning up and regreasing. Before Sonny gets it, I'll send the magneto out for a freshen up and maybe an advance curve. That's the oldest mag I have, around 1960.

Made progress on the Whatever project x-members and floor support system.
Much more to do. Braces, laterals, driveshaft blast shield and safety hoop. I have enough aluminum tread plate for the floor, but need something to cover the transmission. I'm probably going to trade efforts with the guys I got the quick change and Hilborn drive from for help with some of the hard for me to make parts, like the transmission cover and the grill. Oh and maybe the fan shroud as well...

Tomorrow, a new to me quick change! Sonny's starting to gestate!

 

I was just going thru the pictures I have taken along the way, and was fascinated by the number of things that I have made that were influenced by someone, who either made a suggestion or in their threads posted pictures that sparked an idea in my feeble mind that became cold steel. Like Don said above, the inspiration needed to make progress. Just thought I'd say thanks...

I hope we all continue sharing the wealth, as it were, to continue to grow.