Projects The Wade Model A Coupe: Build Thread & Photo Journal

I like the way you think,you work is grate and so clean,can't whate to see more.

 

wow, i was drooling as i looked at the pics. that is some great work.

 

Outstanding

 

i was lookin at your post for the 27th time today. i think you have a ghost in your garage! check out the shot of the chassis on the ground, from the front.

 

Awesome Brian!!

 

Absolutely awesome! Best metal work I have ever seen, thanks for sharing!

 

I dont know what to say except THANK YOU.Im just blown away. Im even more convinced that I dont make a pimple on a fabricator's ass GREGG

 

TRUE ARTIST! Those welds are unbelievable. That chassis is a work of art. Glad you found someone willing to turn you loose to do it your way, and thanks for sharing. Keep us updated.

 

Look's like you are going to have to up the ante on your roadster build. I can see already you are going to be redoing some things. Incredible chassis work Brian.
-Drew

 

Amazing work. I wish I had a talent....

 

I fell like I just watched a mini series! Unbelievable again, Brian. I want one. I missed you at Decatur. Daryl said he saw you. I guess you found all the deals because I didn't find anything. Thanks for sharing. Billy

 

Everything I can think of to say has been said at least once. You need a broom pusher? I need to leave corpus, there is plenty of inspiration in your shop, maybe some will just come to me through osmosis by being close by hahaha Great work. I am looking forward to most posts.

Will

 

that welding job made me wet...holy shit!
i'm so jealous of your skills....

lauren

 

That's cool, Dave. Tell him I'd be glad to take a look at some his work at Boeing so that I can give him my thoughts on what he might be able to do better.




Seriously though, I'm constantly learning and I'm definitley no engineer (although I did major in Mechanical Engineering at Texas A&M for as long as I could stand it)...so I do welcome constructive criticism. It would be nice if I had someone with a thorough engineering background that could come over and take a look while I'm figuring this stuff out to tell me if I'm doing things the best way....but then I'd probably never get anything done.

I'm really more of an artist than an engineer...and this is really more of a hot rod than an aircraft. The lightening holes may or not be correct for the application, but that's not why they are there in the first place....they're there because I wanted them to be there.

To be honest, I really don't think there's going to be any problems with structural integrity anywhere in this chassis. Sure it could be stronger in some areas, but does it need to be? If anything I would say that it's 'overbuilt' (strength-wise) in almost every aspect.

I'm not saying it couldn't be better...I always think I can do better the next time. That's one of the things that keeps me going. If my engineering is off, then it's most definitely a product of ignorance...but as I said, I do try to learn from each project and that's the best concession I have to offer.

If the lightening holes were your friend's only real concern...and he's that far up the food chain in the mech. engineering world, well then I'm going to consider my experiment a success...at least visually. I understand where your friend is coming from (with his background) and I really do appreciate the input. I think that it's great that he has built a few hot rods...I would love to see them.


-Brian

 

Incredible!

 

BASS.........You fucking rule. You should be proud of yourself. To top it off, this is the pinnacle of great info and detail. The car and the thread!

 

Strictly speaking, the guy is right (about the neutral axis).

Putting a hole through any place else weakens the structure unnecessarily.

That said, in automotive applications, this very rarely makes any practical difference at all (as evidenced by the literally millions of miles driven on axles and such with way too many holes drilled through them). Especially when you're talking about cars that weigh as little as these do.

In a Formula One car where everything is on the razor's edge, I'd argue the point, cause the section then has to be made bigger to make up for the strength you've lost because of the holes you made (thereby negating the very reason you put them there to begin with).

Here, it makes no practical difference. In this car, 40-50 pounds one way or another makes no difference, you're after the holes for aesthetic reasons, not weight savings, and the structure is plenty robust to make up for their presence.

This is why people the world 'round hate engineers, 'cause too many of us can't hold their tongues on trivial matters.

He's technically correct, but practically speaking, he's being a know-it-all jackass.

You gotta know when to hold your tongue, and when to criticize. You gotta have some tact to know when is when. Engineers pretty much universally lack the region of the brain responsible for tactful interactions with normal people.

It's a hurdle that some of us never get over.

I'm just sorry that it landed in the middle of an epic thread such as this.

 

I've just seen that rarest of things, a hot rod chassis with a fully functioning X-member. So many guys go to great lengths to box the side rails and then blithely destroy most of the torsional strength of their frame by cutting away the stock X-member. Ford put that there for a reason and it wasn't to make the chassis heavier. While some other design details of the Wade chassis are questionable, you sure got that X-member right Brian and your workmanship is superb.

 

Thank you very much for sharing in such clear and articulate detail. Your work is truly inspirational and impressive.

 

bass,

as another mechanical engineer i would say they should be fine. the strength would be more in the flange than the web. to be sure, you would have to do a CAD model and proper FEA analysis, but those tools are expensive, and on complex geometries like yours, might not be as accurate as you would like if you are not highly practiced at it. that is an art in and of itself, really. or you could do a destructive test on a another piece, but dont post that. people would cry. i say again, your work is brilliant, and i have always lived by the adage that if you dont know if your build is enough, then overbuild it. i think you manage there and still make it pretty.

 

I think that there are only a few individuals that can fabricate art that is functional. You are one of the best. The motor mount cum radiator support is outstanding! The curve of the metal, the placement of the "lightening" holes, just the simple elegance- WOW! I like the crossmember, too. The aesthetics of the "lightening" holes is really apparent in the chassis shot from the rear; you should figure out a transparent body. It is a shame that this chassis will be hidden beauty...

I can't wait to see what you have in mind for the rest of the machine.

 

Top notch dude, as always. Always getting better too, RULER! The shit you think of..........!

 

Brian ,your fabrication work on this frame is brilliant , you are a brilliant craftsman ,and I hope you dont mind, but you have given me alot of new ideas

 

Beautiful work. I think i,ll copy you. Will have to be in another life when i hope to have real first class welding skills and the patience you seem to have. I don,t see it happening in this life. Unless i go and retire real soon . Nope, not even then. I find woodworking easier.

 

Brian, its great to see some new work from you as i too was wondering how your roadster project was coming along. To me that chassis is pure art.

I get a lot of inspiration from your finished cars down to your basic fabrication.

Cheers!...and good luck.

 

I'm embarrassed

 

Brian Hi, my son found this thread during the weeken,plus it was posted on the New Zealand Hot Rod mag forum.I just think your creative skill's are the best any one could wish for,you think out side of the square,Cant beleive any one can TIG that good,BEST work Ive ever seen !
I find it strange that when we see A+ work like this, you get W%$#&^S bleating about this or that , from my experience, like the fella from Boeing their heads are stuck so far up there own arse,and to make them feel good they have to crtisize someone else's work.A lot of guys with all the fancy degrees are generally NOT very practicle..........
You have given a lot of people around the world some of the best ideas to go think about for their own projects ,including me

 

brian i am a 59 year old my trade is a painter and decorater my hoby as allways been in building cool street cars and hot rods i have built lots and worked on a lot of factory cars ie ford gmh and crhysler and i have shit better engineers and ihave seen airoplanes fall out of the sky to you keep up the xellent work kev

 

A real masterpiece: no other words!

 

H eavenly
A rtistic
M etalwork =
B ASS!!!!!!