Hot Rods 28 modified build downunder

Nice job on the headers.....and I agree on the inner collectors. I've always thought that looked better than down pipes off the cones.

-Lee
Atomic Radio
www.atomicpinup.com

 

Thanks Lee.

It's proabably not the ideal in terms of flow but that cone makes one big collector and should be OK. I am really concious of keeping plenty of clearance under the car, aesthetics aside.

If I was super concerned about flow, I wouldn't be using those Strombergs on top anyway

Pete

 

Fuck! Your Modified just keeps on Better! I wish I had half the fabrication skills you have.post MORE, I want to see MORE.Pretty PLEASE!Great work Man.

 

You probably know it, but I'll mention it anyway.

When you get the seats upholstered, you can use differing firmness rated foam.
Build up the lumbar support and the under the knees bit with a stiffer foam then use the normal firmness foam over that.

Get a big beach towel and toss it over the tack glued in foam to protect it and drive it around for a day or two before you put the upholstery on.

Did that with my 32, made one change to the lumbar and a couple to under the knees.
It wasn't hard for the upholstery guy to do and he didn't mind.

 

C9, I think I recall reading other posts of yours about driving position etc. Seems to be your area of expertise. I have been giving this a fair bit of thought as recently as this morning. I am happy for advice in this area. I was planning on 2 or maybe 3 different densities of foam built up from stiffest at the bottom to softest at the top. Trouble is, like everything else I haven't done it before.

Am I best to spend the time to get it right myself, because I actually give a shit that it's right or pay a good upholsterer who has the experience but maybe doesn't really care if I have a sore ass after 60 miles?

I hate paying "experts" to do a crappier job than I could have done for nothing. I've done it too many times. It's usually something like this where I think I know what I want but defer to the "expert" because I really want a good job. Almost always diappointed.

Did I just answer my own question?

Pete

 

Holy sh*t man, your car looks amazing! You have really done some great fab work all the way around, you should really be proud!

You need to post all of your progress on this, the car is really exceptional.
I will also be waiting for more updates-keep up the great work

Dan

 

No Dan, I've been watching your build(s) and that is some exceptional work. It's so clean and precise. Mine is far more "backyard". It's probably the best "backyard" I can do and I am proud of what I've done, but it's on the rougher side.

I am nearly out of updates. Right now I am working on assembling the rolling chassis. The front is together except for the brakes and hubs.

The rear is in pieces, ready to be assembled. Might attack it today armed with a gasket kit and the-rodster's tech article from a few years back.

The body is pretty much as per the last couple of shots, waiting for another coat of primer / filler and a rough blocking job before I put colour on it.

Still need to rebuild my Muncie M21, move my ring gear to the correct side of my flywheel (thanks Eelco) and assemble the clutch. I've never run the motor.

Some plumbing, some wiring, some upholstery. It's strange. I feel close to finished but I still have so much to do.

The updates are going to slow down a bit now because the last three years were just compressed into 3 days...now it's real time and it moves a bit slower but i will keep updating this thread.

Just a couple to keep you going. The front end.

 

The headers...wow! Is there anything you can't do? Truely a "built car"

 

Just a question.. I always heard and thought Lakes style headers weren't legal in Australia.. as well as Z'ing the frame.

How will you get it registered / roadworthy / engineered ect.. with a Z'd frame and Lakes headers? Are you going through the ASRF?

I want Lakes headers on my pickup but as far as i know they aren't legal and you need to run a full exhaust.. which is shit in my books. How are you getting around it?

 

That's 3 questions.

The rules vary state to state. I have one foot in each camp at the moment. I have an engineer that is OK with most of what I am doing and I have also had an inspection by the ASRF in case I go that way.

Nothing wrong with Z-ing the frame as long as the joints are structurally sound i.e. staggered cuts, fish plated, boxed and good welds. There is also stuff on the Vicroads website that applies mainly to chassis works on trucks but is also relevant to cars. It talks about direction of grinding so as not to create stress raisers etc. I've done all this.

On the lakes pipes. You can't have any hot exhaust where it can come into contact with anyone getting into or out of the vehicle. Technically these pipes are OK because they finish before the doors but from a practical standpoint the engineer requires shields on them for registration. You'll note that I will have a full system under the car as well, as evidenced by the returns running off the cones.

Likewise you need fenders or cycle guards for registration.

I don't have all the answers but as I have stated earlier, I can't get hung up on it, because to be honest, nobody else has them all either.

Pete

 

QLD is real anal about the exhaust, you can run it but it needs cverd by shields that completely cover all of them!

 

thats a awsome ride pete. looking forward to seeing it cruising around vic

 

I hear Australia has a National build code so what is legal in one State works in all States.
So then this project sounds like it either can be licensed in all States or in none of the States, yet each comment fails it for a different reason where is the consistency????

 

Been away Striper and just caught this. Fantastic work. That will be a strong car.

 

You hit it on the head. There is a code that has been developed but it has not been ratified, and is therefore not recognised by all the states. The system (in Victoria) currently is that you commission an automotive engineer on a private basis to approve your modifications. The trouble is, the framework they work within is sketchy and they all have their own opinions and preconceptions. At the end of the day, they are the ones that need to sign their name to your modifications to say they are OK. Understandably this leads most of them to be very conservative. My engineer has had to do numerous computations on structural stuff before I went ahead with it.

So, in the absence of a clear code, the engineers are left to make the call without a benchmark to assess against (other than their own experience and knowledge). As you can see by a lot of the comments and questions I've received, there are huge variations in what may or may not be allowable and people's perception of such.

In short, it's fucked up.

Pete

 

Let's not make this thread about this shit anyway. It's about a car. Hope you like it

 

Love the car Pete, and agree with your efforts to build it.
The quality of work is excellent and will go a long way to giving credit to this style of hot rod and its acceptance by the authorities.

I have personal concerns about the principle of attaching your front spring to the split radius rods, but I guess that will be best left to the Engineer to lose sleep over.

Keep hammering away, it is a great project and well posted for us all to enjoy.

 

I also am wondering about how much weight is being shared by the bones and the tie rod end in particular, given that weight is normally carried by the spring over the axle. I guess it also depends on how far back the spring is located on the bones. Just a thought.

 

Dude - you are an amazing fabricator. Seriously - you call yourself a "hack" in a post? C'mon!!!!!

That is one of the sweetest and best built modifieds I've ever seen.

Mike

 

The car is well thought out and very well built, you should be proud.

I do find it ironic that they stress so much on design and will let you strap the tank in with T-era leather straps! The tanks rocks BTW!

 

Hey Tman, they haven't let him do that yet with the tank, the inspector has to pass it first!

 

You're right. But I also have a small, concealed bolted bracket under the tank.

I know I'll get some grief over the straps. Strange when you think about what has been secured and hauled over the years using leather strapping. Very strong!

 

I understand the concerns because it is out of the ordinary. The tie rod ends on the bones are much bigger than standard Ford. They are off a mid sized Ford truck.

Those bones are a pretty beefy structure. They are 3/16" wall thickness and that oval shape is very strong. Think how small the cross section on a standard perch bolt is. Not that big, but they don't break.

I can't spout facts and figures on the stresses and strains involved in this set up, but the engineer can, and this is one part of my build he gave me the nod on.

Pete

 

Striper, I actually think tie rod ends like you have used are the best for bones/hairpin applications in general - they are a ball socket after all and allow freer movement. However, some state say no, you must use bushed rod ends which I've observed resisting movement and loosening the threaded end as the bones/pins rotate as they move, which is a twisting motion at the chassis end.

re. The straps, in the end you may need to run leather over invisible smaller steel straps. You'll get around it I'm sure.

 

Yeah, I had considered that. Easy done

 

Striper I don't think any state allows rod end bearing type joints anywhere in the suspension, although RodTech made front panhards are approved with a joint at ONE end only, bushed the other. I suppose because panhards with a transverse leaf aren't as ctitical? I dunno!

 

Oh, sorry I misread yor post. Your talking about bushed rod ends like used for 4 bars. I'm with you now


Time for a build update. Too much talk here...not enough pictures.

I spent some time today putting my rear axle housing back together. When I bought it, as you would expect, "It had just been rebuilt". So I took it apart for a look. Glad I did. Three stripped ot threads in the diff housing and way too few gaskets, therefore too much preload on the carrier bearings.







So as you can see I helicoiled the stripped threads.

The whole thing got blasted and painted while it was apart too



Then I set about setting the preload and backlash correctly. I have to give a lot of credit to "the-rodster" for producing one of the best tech threads I've read. I printed it out when I first saw it a couple of years ago and today it paid dividends. It is such a practical and well written tech that even though it is a fiddly job and takes time, it's not that hard.

A link to the thread is here. Unfortunately I just checked it and the pics are gone. I reckon it would still be a fairly good guide though even without photos.

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=61502&highlight=banjo+assembly

This shot is one of the many times this axle housing was together today



I was lucky, I had to assemble and dis-assemble the thing about 4 -5 times to get the carrier bearing preload right, but on my first check the pinion backlash was smack in the middle of the acceptable range.



I have been asking questions via another thread about ratios. I was dumb enough not to check mine until I was ready to put it together. I assumed that being a car diff it would be maybe 3.54. Don't know why I assumed but it's 4.11. A bit low for my liking but I'll live with it for now in the interest of keeping the project moving. I can feel a Cyclone quickchange in my future.

Pete

 

WOW! Very impressive!!!

 

Great stuff pete......keep up the good work.True improvising at its best......pssttttt...hey I got one of those cool tanks ....bert

 

You gonna use it?

Some guy, maybe it was you, picked up 2 of 'em just before my mate Martin got to them at the last Ballarat swap.

They're pretty big too, aren't they.



Hey Bert, are you guys packing any containers on your trip?