Featured Hot Rods Engineering nightmare

In the late 80's a couple of my students dragged a swamp buggy up to Maryland from Alabama. Built on a Ford PU ch***is. Black iron pipe roll bar with elbows welded in for the corners. Pair of Corvair bucket seats bolted to a piece of plywood that was bolted to the frame. Conduit for a cowl hoop to support the steering column. Absolutely wasted front suspension. Said it was street legal in Alabama.(?) My first thought was, "You could build some really wild/cool stuff there." Immediate second thought, "But, look at what could be aimed at you."

 

Used to tell my students that putting 500HP in a 300HP ch***is was just ******* away your most expensive HP. Someone with 400HP in a 400HP ch***is was going to wear you out.

 

I love this place! But there sure are a lot of easy to scare people here.
All this concern about a forged part with (what appears to be) a notch cut out of it. Both ears of this part bolt to the same piece. It forms a completed circle around the other part. That "ground out notch" may, or may not be a weak point, after a major crash, after the part its bolted has failed. Who is going to say the part was not designed to the needed strength with the intent of removing that "ground away" material?
The "grind area" is clean with no sharp edges, it actually may have been forged with the notch in it. Given that both pieces bolt to the same part, I'm not seeing the weak part you guys are seeing. I'm seeing a part that probably could have been better designed, appearance wise, but not something I suspect is unsafe.

There are other things that would be much more concerning about this build to me. After repairing those, I probably would have used a differently designed part here too, just because. But actually, I would love to see "the notch" with the paint removed, I'd almost bet it was not ground out. Machined out, or forged with the notch are real possibilities that change the entire subject.

 

Full disclosure: I had to make a similar modification to my steering arm. But it is a more robust design and I do not think the strength will be compromised enough to be a concern on a car that weighs under 2000 pounds. Its a matter of degrees.

 

Maybe they came that way. I found these on the Google. I feel like I have seen new ones like the OP's somewhere. Closest I could find with a notch.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Ford-Upper-Steering-Arms-G***er-Style-Steel-5-8-Hole,27098.html

As stated, may not be as bad as you think. Not the worst part of that set-up anyhow.

 

This used to be a nice superbell part. And no , super bell would not supply a part butchered like this. Maybe a different year spindle with a different position zerk fitting may have helped . The original builder clearly thought nice job . Families coming the other way would not have thought so . Don’t shortcut anything that is a critical part of your car.

 

I'm lost here. What do you need to grease that is just below the wheel cylinder?

 

Mustang steering box that was supposed to be mounted below the frame rail with the bracket below the rail. A case of some guy reading ore hearing from the local spit and whittle club that the hot lick was a Mustang steering box on but he didn't do any research on it before installing it.

 

Some years ago my son (who was probably six at the time) and I attended a car show, and we looked at a '32 Ford that made a rat rod look like a Pebble Beach trophy winner. The lamp-cord-and-masking-tape wiring was sketchy, but the scariest part was the MII front suspension swap lifted directly out of the donor vehicle. Poorly fitted at best, with welds that were blobs, porosity and slag. Couldn't believe someone put an inspection sticker on it. Even my son was mortified!

 

The relief on the steering arm was to clear the braided hose into the the wheel cylinder; similar to the relief the hotrodprimer posted for the zerk, but not as severely compromised. I'm good with it.

 

I would trust that arm way more than this one!

 

I wouldn't use those arms that were found on Google. There is a lot of **** being sold that is sketchy at best. I would think it took more effort to notch that part than to just move the grease fitting.

 

I worked at a car dealer out west many years ago. Our used car manager somehow bought a lifted 4X4 truck, a case of “oh, shiny” or too much alcohol, who knows.
Anyhow service manager goes to move it, says “somethings wrong here” and he was right. First sign was a welded and extended pittman arm, a welded and extended drag link and it only got “better” from there.
We started digging, quickly figured out this “great deal, we’ll have people fighting over it” truck was a converted 2WD including the frame. Any weld was bird turd quality.

One of the lot boys got a helluva deal on that truck, seems he knew of a totaled 4X4 with a good ch***is.

 

Engineering is what is done before, and is all done before the first tool is lifted.

There are absolutely no examples of engineering in the defects shown in those pictures.

This is two-bit hack work.

I say this because I am fully ***led, have the right to use that moniker, and I have a fully equipped shop.

 

That looks like some real hillbilly

 

I agree. 100% . It's not popular, but I do.

 

Yes those steering arms are forged but only in 1018 steel, which is essentially MILD STEEL which has a pretty low yield strength.
When you grind a notch like that it creates a stress riser point which takes all off the stresses received, it's then the weakest link in the chain.

 

Finally...for those of us who felt the stones, we salute you.

Not necessarily. And as far as it goes, mild steel will have a tensile strength of around 50,000 pounds per square inch tensile strength and yield around 30,000 psi. I don't see that kind of force being applied steering that car.

 

An engineered part is a part some guy (or lady) operating a computer says is correct and indestructible. The quality of the engineering is determined by the company producing the parts.

A re-engineered part is the above part they had to redesign so it actually fits and functions, weather or not a company wants to admit the re-engineering, this stage still happens.
An improved engineered part is one a company has figured out how to charge a customer for the corrected engineering.

You have been in the game long enough to know that many parts have to be re-engineered to function.
Once the engineering has been completed, the part goes into production to see if it actually works. When the changes are made, often the replacement part starts through the entire process again, except most companies won't admit it. That process covers the engineers ****, or hides the issues.

The rate of failed engineering with in the automotive industry is huge. One simply needs to look at the number of recalls across the industry in recent years.

 

If afraid do not use gasoline..

So many here I am ***uming would just watch from side line say
Cool or a Dum A$$ ,
or picket / protest,
He's gonna hurt himself !!

 

Poor man's [or ignorant man's] steering damper.
The flex absorbs any wobble

 

"The PO didn’t do this scary work ,someone before him ."
What concerns me is that multiple owners were "good with the work". The PO, as well as the previous owner he bought the car from. If he hired out the work, then there's 3 people green flagging it.

**** work is **** work. Use a 45 or 90 degree zerk or utilize different steering arms that don't need to have 50% of their meat clearance ground!
We're in for a gut punch if "builders" keep doing hack work, and other car people don't call it out but instead say "I think that probably won't fail". We'll find ourselves with mandatory inspections like other countries have.

 

That is the mantra some live by................... and unfortunately, some die by.

 

Ignorance is bliss

 

THIS !.

in my industry their reality of things we can byp*** , Jerry-rig and magyver to get the customer up and running and finish their day .

ANYTHING safety related or related to the mast ( lifting part of the forklift )
Need to be engineered . Certified and repairs done by a ticked / certified tradesperson .

I have seen booger welds on overhead guards , forks heated up and straightened , cracked masts that are still in use , parking brakes that’s nothing more then a block of wood on a string to put under the wheel , bad steer axles booger welded and shimmed with washers to get it to move etc etc .

All I can do is advise the customer and operator , this 1000, 2000,3000,4000, 5000, dollar repair will avoid an accident , injury or death .

you knowingly used a defective “ whatever” do you want that liability ?


He’ll when I was just getting into cars I used self tappers to hold down a seat , welded and ****ed up motor mounts , “ stick a short piece of chain there so it can’t twist and lift to much “
Filled worn out ball joints and tierods with grease to “ get rid of the slop “
And a ton of the thee butchery and nonsvense .
As you age , learn and realize where and when you can take a short cut , is maturing .

while some of what has been posted on this thread looks like it was in use for a long time , what’s to say the next bump , next sharp turn or next panic brake would not result in failure ?

why chance it when doing it correctly does not cost any more cash or time ?


Saying it’s good enough is just lazy .


And I’m lazy !! Just not when it comes to mine and others safety .

 

Great rule mate.

 

Indeed, and I've seen some stuff by some really happy ****ers lately

 

first thought when seeing any of those examples is
I'd expect to see that same level of construction throughout the entire car.

 

To quote Stevie Wonder, "when you believe in things you don't understand".

One said look at this it must be bad and everyone had to agree because to go against the group was wrong.
One said look they make something just like it, and they all said, that can't be it must be wrong.

Seems some really do believe in things they don't understand. So much for critical thinking.