The Death Metal Dodge Starts To Take Shape!!!!

think shackles......haha brandon

 

leaf spring shackles? i did a bunch of research into that and all the people who should know say you don't need them with 1/4 eliptics. they were used on parallel leafs becouse the spring needs to elongate under tension 1/4 eliptics don't have that problem.

 

I wouldn't say that you "****ed anything up". I am just trying to tell you what experience has taught me. I am a mechanical design engineer, hotrodder, and ex rail drag-racer. What you have will work. It may not work the best, but hey, we learn as we go. I have built set-ups exactly like you have posted, except with urethane bushings and they worked fine. What really happens with most of these old hotrods that we build, is that the frames will flex enough to absorb most of the "binds" and "tweaks".

 

i was just kidding, i really appreciate the advise! i got my first muscle car at 16, and started learning then. 16 years later i'm building MY first car from the ground up (i've helped on alot of others). it's a humbling experiance!!! but i wan't to build the best car i can! that's why i'm posting pics, to get the feed back.

 

Damn Y-SOB, that thing is looking sharp (pun intended)



I dig the sharp points on the axle brackets, are you gonna incorporate that look thru-out the build?

That would be something to see, a car built with as many sharp edges as possible, no radius's or champhers to keep you safe from the terror that
Death Metal Dodge is gonna instill in folks as they see it coming at them!


Ya gotta have some SLAYER, CANNIBAL CORPSE or MORBID ANGEL blasting from hidden loud speakers, so people hear the death, before they see the death.


Can you tell I'm a fan of death metal?



It's looking really good, keep it up.

 

YankeeSOB---this is a 27 I built 10 years ago with basically the same rear-end set-up that you are using---the hairpins bolt to brackets at 2 points on the rear axle housing on each side, and pivot at the front end only. As explained before, I used urethane bushings at the front attachment points. These "rigid" hairpins, and/or split wishbones let your suspension "work" much better if you only spread the front attachment points far enough apart to let the driveshaft p*** through. The closer you can keep those front attachment points together, the better your rear suspension will work. I have built 3 cars now, ground up----on the first two. I used the suspension as shown---on my most recent, (the 31 roadster pickup in my avatar) I used the same type of crossmember but built it with a parallel 4 link instead of the rigid hairpins.

 

I don't know how much flex your gonna have in them 1/4 springs your using but if its gonna be stiff you might get some cracks where you drilled them bolts holes, maybe make up a subtle U bolt to hold the springs together in front of the bolts thru the springs in case it breaks?

I have 00 experience with 1/4 springs so disregard if it is overkill

 

thanks upchuck, and i thing you have a valid point.i thought of using a u-bolt as a "saftey". i did soften the springs to drill, then had my buddy (a metalurgist) reharden them.with the rear of the car so light, they're pretty stiff. i might swap them out for a springier pair.

 

here's a couple of new pics with the body off, and the trans mount in. i have to do the motor mounts ASAP so i can get heyitsnate's cherry picker back to him. this is just the type of motivation i was waiting for!!!!!!!!!!! I THINK?!?




it's getting to be tight quarters in here!! i need to store the body, and clean up!


one more of my "welding table"!!!!!!!



more to come tomorrow.

 

coming along pretty good, have you gotten around to robbing that corner store to pay for the motor rebuild yet

 

not yet, but i got some rubber gloves, a mask of pres. bush, and cleaned the fingerprints off the mosburg!!

 

WOw! I thought my garage was small!! Looks like some elaborate Rube Goldberg mousetrap in there. Seriously looking great though, cool to see someone doing something a little different, too!

 

ya, it's pretty bad in there!! i'd move some stuff into the basment, BUT IT LOOKS WORSE THAT THE GARAGE!!!!!!!

 

Keep Going man, it looks great!

 

Keep up the fine work..............

 

Don't want to sound like an ***, but I believe you do have a problem with the rear suspension. There's nothing wrong with a long rod/short rod design except that you are using 2 bolts to hold the lower radius rods to the axle. This locks the pinion angle to the angle of the radius rod. Because the top arm (leaf spring) is much shorter, it is going to try to pull the pinion forward as it bends. It can't because the lower arm has the axle locked. Big bind.

2 possible solutions are to only use 1 bolt on the lower arms (I'd make it a BIG bolt with a bushing), or to let the leaf springs float on the axle housing or a rubbing block. This is actually kind of a cool look, because almost nobody can figure out how how in the hell it works. You will need a panhard bar (or something like it) to keep the axle located side to side if you divorce the springs.

If you're gonna hammer that B motor/4 speed combo, don't be afraid to overbuild the rear suspension!

 

ya there's some issues with the rearend i need to work out. i will be changing it up a little in the next week or so. (i hope!) i'll post pics when i work it out. i'm trying to get the trans and motor mounts done so heyitsnate can get his cherry picker back. then i will revisit the rearend, THEN on to the front end suspention!! i hope it goes smoother than the rear!

 

I fully agree with everything said here,and hereby stamp it with another Death metal/Grind connoisseur's mark of approval...

...........

 

How are you running the 4 carbs on that big Mopar? Is that a dual quad intake with adapters or a real 4 carb intake? either way, cool as hell

 

You think thats a small garage, you got to see mine!



And my coupe has to live in there too!

I was thinking (scary thought in itself) that if you added shackles to the quarter elipticle springs, wouldn't that releive the bind? That would allow the springs to swing on a smaller arc as the shackle takes up the difference in lengths?

I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a dual quad intake with adapters.

I'm still looking for another one (adapter) for ya, Jeff



VIVA La DEATH METAL !!!!!!!!

 

That has got to be the coolest adaptor I have ever seen.... Looks a lot like a pine board with some carbs sitting on it... Must be the latest from Beaverly Hillbillies Speed Parts........

 

Dang those old pics of my shop brought a tear to my eye we had some super great times there.Looks like you found some kool stuff for that mill your running. You are realy gonna blow some minds with that rig.. Was good to see you at paso.

 

ya! pine really flows nicely!! and the best thing is you don't need those expensive gaskets, the pine swells when in gets saturated with fuel and seals up perfect!!! i just hope i don't put the distributor in backwards.... one good backfire through the carb and the adapter may go up in smoke !!!!!!!!

LOL ,ya it's a low rise offy duel quad intake. i'd love to find a 4-2 intake, but have'nt seen one yet!

as far as the rear end goes, i'm trying to find the simplest fix to make it work right. i'm not sure exactly what that is yet though!!

 

The shackle idea elcornus had should solve the problem, although you'll need to take into account the ride height is gonna change when you shackle it. Also, you might get into some weird geometry deals with the spring pushing up on those shackles. It ought to be OK though.

 

Sorry, should have said shackles pushing up on the spring. Long day....

 

ya i may need to do that. the other problem is that i pulled all but one leaf out of the back springs today, then took the front mounting bolts out of my wish bones, to see how much spring i'd have with NO bind. THE REAR SPRINGS OF MY F250 GIVE MORE THAN THESE DID!!!!!!!!!
I MEAN, JUMPING ON THE REAR CROSSMEMBER THEY FLEXED MAYBE A HALF INCH!!!!!!!! that's a problem. ****, ****, ****, ****, FUUUUUUCCCCCCCCK!!

 

I went back and looked at the pics of your springs. Wow, those are some thick leaves, and the bolts are close to the end of the spring. As narrow as the packs are, I'm going to guess they were trailer springs in a previous life...???

Any way to move the mounting point further up the frame and run a longer spring?

 

can i guess 1/4 eliptics on the front also maybe up side right. it would give it kinda lazy s look

 

looking at the rear trailing rods a hemi joint in the front is not going to help. all the stress is going to be at the rear mountss on the axle.

since there is no shakle on the spring i would change the rear mount to a rubber bushing of some kind.

you could do something like this on the rear and keep your front mount the way it is now.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=74337&&showall=1

 

o.k. i hear what your saying, and the pics in the link are great...... but here's my take on it, tell me if i'm wrong. the original wish bones had two mounting points on the rear axle so that in and of itself should'nt be a problem.
i know my pinion angle will change with the swing of the rearend, but with the springs off i set the frame down as far as the jack would allow and the angle changed about 5-6 deg(if that). i don't think that's enough to bind my universals.
so i'm thinking that softer springs with shackles will cure my problem. alot of cars came with 2" wide springs. i should be able to get a set pretty easily.

P.S. they were trailer springs i belive, i thought i could get away with using them since i took 3 leaves out of them!