Projects Dragster update - Running out of options to bend back and top hoops

Well, my last hope of someone local bending my back and top hoops has gone up in smoke. This last guy tried but couldn't do it. To be specific I can't find anyone who can bend them in a single radius to a 19" radius ID.

I called the guy in California who bent the ones for King Chassis's Dragmaster and he's quite reasonable... but he's all the way in California. :-/ I'm pondering trying the sand and heat method but I'm not all that wild about trying it. I've been told to pound sand before.

The other choice is shipping the steel to Ray, have him bend it and send it back. That or have hime buy some, bend it and send it back. That all sounds to pricy for me. Anybody have any suggestion for shipping steel between Kansas and California?

On a more positive note, I got a hitch receiver on the Plymouth this weekend.

 

Believe me... I live out here and couldn't find anyone to do it.

The ones you can buy from MW are a smaller radius... a large radius like that is like hen's teeth. But are you talking about the radius of the bend or the pint at where it meets your shoulder bar?
If you are talking about doing it for the "Birdcage"... 19" is a bit large.

http://www.markwilliams.com/detail.aspx?ID=255

If you are talking about doing it for the "shoulder bar"...

Do it in two pieces... that's the way the pro's do it on the TF cars and JR Fuel cars... the spec for the splice is in the SFI rule book. PM me and I can get you the spec.

Sam

 

Sam's got the right idea Kerry. I'd do it that way...

 

If you believe in the "do it right the first time" theory, have the guy in California do it. A roll cage is the focal piece of the car. If it doesn't look right, the whole car will look wrong. If you look at the safety part, heated tubing isn't as good as one piece bent properly. The only bender that I have exp. with that can do that is a Hossfield with a "feed along " die. Most of us have set radius dies which can't but you already knew that. You might call the Chassis SHop in Michigan and see if they can help. If you have questions, send me a pm.

 

Yeah, I hear you guys. That is the way they do it, but not the way they did it back then. Just wouldn't look right.

Needs to be round.

 

What diameter is the tubing????? >>>>.

 

Because DOM is $$$ and is probably more than the shipping. Have to see.

WFO is probably right. It just hurt's to be sitting on this DOM. If I have to do this I'm going to have a few extra bent up. I hope I'm not the only one who wants to build one of these.

 

1 1/2 for the back hoops, 1 5/8 for the top hoops.

 

19" radius

or

19" diameter?

I am building my own mandrel bender for a 22" inside diameter, 1.750 O.D. hoop on my HA/GR.

Edit-- oops- I see you've already explored that avenue- sorry.

 

hanksville hotrods here on the hamb should be able to bend them up fairly easily. he's in denver, alot closer than cali.

 

19 dia inside.

Do you have a number for Hanksville? That would be a lot more doable. A buddy will be heading back that way in a couple of weeks.

 

you might try Lanier at Lanier's Speed Shop here in Colorado Springs- 719-633-1378 he has access to a bender that allows you to slide the tube in the die to create "alternative" diameters. I can't remember the real name of that style of bender.

 

Wish I'd known that. I was in the Springs a week ago picking up the Plymouth wagon. I'll call 'em, thanks!

 

Call me man, Randy is caught up and can do those bends...............talked to him about it Friday over a couple beers. He would love to help out.

 

I see what you need now... yea, the smaller MW bends wouldn't look right.

The big radius bends would... but to find a mandrel that can do that, AND do it past 180 degree might be tough.

Have Tman hook you up... and take some pics of how it's done.

It would be nice to have the "hook up" for such a bend!

Sam

 

Hanksville Hot Rods, 303-470-1850.
http://hanksvillehotrods.com/gui/content.asp

Hank does top notch work!

 

So, I wonder how they actually did it back then? Wait, H&S Metals probably did 'em back then too! You might be on to something with this Kerry...Has anybody actually tried building a period race/street car using only period tools and tech? I'll bet a lot of guys bent their own tubing using who knows what..."Fill your tubing with child's marbles or petrified dung beatles, then heat it in your fireplace. Stick one end in a hole and bend it over the belly of a dead, bloated horse carcass"...I think I read that in an old Hot Rod.

 

Fuller sand bent his stuff, av8 did a nice writeup on it here 7 or so years back.

 

Probably they would get a wheel from a semi, bolt it to something really solid (like the shop floor), clamp one end of a 20' stick of pipe to the wheel, and get a couple guys to bend it around until it's done.

Either that or they hired a rocket surgeon.

 

Or tack weld the wheel to the frame of a truck, then your working 4 feet off the ground.

Tube type wheels were common in 20 in dia. also in 24.
Tubeless wheels have a drop center that might be right.
Tubeless come in 22.5 and 24.5 at the bead, but the drop center might be right on for your 19.

If you don't have enough beer for the help to bend you could use a fork lift or tractor. to walk the pipe around.

 

Yep, he used a MG wheel.

 

call up frank or scott parks in burlingame kansas.. www.neilparks.com

 

I'll call you tonight Tman.

 

I loaned my '59 lyndwood (light blue w/blower) to a buddy so he could copy the frame to re-create his fathers multi national record holding "bliss brothers C/D", which they could not locate. he bent the rear main hoop using the sand bending method around a wheel or drum(?) the id is around 19"-20" the tube is 1 1/2" od and all one length with no seams.
just gotta plan your attack and take your time.

Paul

 

How close are the oil fields to your place?

Oklahoma?

With oil fields come oil field service agencies, parts, tubing, sucker rod and all the little bits and pieces - usually USA made.

Somewhere in all that oil field stuff are shops that can mandrel bend large diameter tubing.
My 32's, 2 1/2" x .120 wall roll bar was bent up in Signal Hill, California - close to Long Beach.

If you take note of the looks like stainless tubing bent into large diameter turns that run through the oil fields you'll see an example of what they can do.
Highway 65 between Porterville, California and Hwy 99, the turnoff north of Bakersfield off 99 has some excellent tubing bend examples running parallel to the highway about 5-10 miles from 99.

My thoughts are:
A jig of some kind.
Sand.
2-4 bags of charcoal.
Small ditch to retain the charcoal.
Couple of 4' snipes with ID for the tubing to be bent.
Gloves.

Heat up the tubing and make the bend in one smooth manuever.

I know UPS has gotten a little nutso the last couple of years, but the freight wasn't too much $$$.
I hear DHS is even cheaper.

 

You forgot a small fan to get the charcoal(real stuff not Kingsford) glowing red hot. Did the frizzen on my flintlock this way when the OA torch wouldn't work.

 

I always got a kick out of the piece that SamIyam bent up using a wooden jig.

Makes sense, him bein' a wood shop teacher and all in a past life.

The flames were a sight to behold, but the jig lasted long enough to do two bends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I probably told you about CKs big square/rectangular tube bender.
Three wheels on ball bearings, one with a crank.
He can bend 1" x 2" rect tubing the long way.
(A commercially available device, but if you got some parts and did some lathe work you'd have a machine that could bend your hoop and other stuff.) - (Curved wheels for round tubing would be a bonus.)

Go slow, we bent the lower curved windshield frame (1/2" x 1") for my 31 and got two of them out of a 10' piece.
Granted, the curved piece is about 40" or so wide, but you need a couple pieces on the end to bridge between wheels.

He got in a rush and started taking bg bites on the 2nd 10' piece and it curved badly off to one side which made it useless.

~~~~~~~~~~

So let's say, your piece of DOM is $50. for one stick.

It sounds like less than half of the usual 20' stick length will make what you want.

Give it a try and if it's a failure first time around, you usually learn how to do it correctly on the next try.

Make three and you're an expert.

$25. in 'ruined' materials is probably way cheaper than dragging the tubing to a bending shop.

 

Kerry I have a friend here in town that may be able to do it.
I have to call him this afternoon about some brake drums he has for me I'll ask him.
Maybe we can meet halfway for lunch (twice) and get it done for ya.
PM me your number and I'll call ya this evening.
Benno

 

I went through all my hossfield dies and my 1-1/2 tubing die will only make a 12" smooth bend as this would require a straight spot in the center of the bend to get the 19" you need. The progressive dies always leave tiny marks were the die changes location and doesn't leave a smooth bend. Sorry I thought I had something for you >>>>.

 

Would a 12" bend as Engine Pro 5x indicates work for you if the legs were splayed out a bit rather than be parallel?