Uberoo Posted May 22, 2015 Author Share Posted May 22, 2015 So I got a little bit done today.I kept getting interrupted when ever I tried to work on it.First things first here is a picture of the D ring mounts I made: By the time I actually had some time to work on it I only managed to get one of the support tubes cut and welded into place.I cut one piece wrong and it was way too short, so I had to make a second piece,and the second piece finished off what was left of my chop saw blade.So after getting that one piece welded in I decided to call it a night. Next up is make and weld the piece for the other side and mock up the panels again to see where the valance panel needs to be cut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconer315 Posted May 22, 2015 Share Posted May 22, 2015 Looking good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 23, 2015 Author Share Posted May 23, 2015 So I got the other lower support in,then I hanged all the sheet metal so I could figure out where to run the top support tube. Here is the front end with all the respective pieces in place: Here is what the engine bay looks like right now: All Sorts of room for anything really.. So after I put up all the front end pieces I figured out where I could run the upper support tubes: The bar comes down just to the outside edge of the lower bar.I wanted it to be more or less on top of the bumper and the lower tube but it would interfere with the lights, so off to side it went.Because I messed up the first piece I don't have a long enough piece for the other side,Then because of Memorial day both the metal shop and the bank are closed until tuesday.I suppose I could make the last patch panel for the cab floor, or clearance the transmission tunnel,But I need lunch before I do anything though.. I might add a bar from the lower frame rail to the upper bar just to tie the triangle together, seeing as my whole design operates under the condition the the upper and lower frame rails wont move and will stay the same distance from each other.Then after all that I need to get started on the grill guard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I don't know if it would clear your engine, radiator, etc. but it looks like it would be good to add a diagonal to brace the bumper laterally. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 I added a bar from the low frame up to the top tube after the picture to help tie things in better,I have all the clearance in the world for my radiator because its going in the bed.Engine wise if I wanted to I probably could fit a v8 in there,but I have no intention of a v8 engine.I like the stability and low center of gravity of the boxer engine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted May 24, 2015 Share Posted May 24, 2015 I added a bar from the low frame up to the top tube after the picture to help tie things in better,I have all the clearance in the world for my radiator because its going in the bed.Engine wise if I wanted to I probably could fit a v8 in there,but I have no intention of a v8 engine.I like the stability and low center of gravity of the boxer engine. For instance, could you run a tube from the right side of the firewall or your top "frame rail" to the left side of the bumper? That way it would brace the bumper side to side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 24, 2015 Author Share Posted May 24, 2015 That would interfere with the engine,but it is reasonably braced side to side.The lower frame and the upper frame are separated by a distance of 9" in the horizontal as shown by this picture. Sure a bit more would be nice but its what I have to work with at the moment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 So while I am waiting for the bank and the metal shop to be open, I planned out 4 main goals and all of their sub-steps.For instance, I need to finish at least the lower bumper before I can start mocking up the extended front suspension and its revised pivot locations.Not to mention clearancing the transmission tunnel,making transmission mounts,yada yada. The bumper will be done as soon as I can get some steel,but for instance clearancing the transmission tunnel requires the engine and transmission to go in, and then back out,same with suspension mounts and transmission mounts.Turns out clearancing the transmission tunnel is really quite simple.This entire section of the tunnel needed extensive reworking in all directions to clear the transmission,I figured it it would be easier to cut the whole damn thing out and then tack up some panels around the transmission. So here is the section of transmission tunnel that I removed: I know where the control arm pivots on the cross member need to be moved, so once I finish at least the lower portion of the bumper I can cut the little metal rods off and remove the cross member to fabricate those revised pivot locations.Then the cross member back so I can put the engine and transmission where it needs to go and fabricate the rear control arm pivots,the transmission mounts,and the engine mounts...With the engine in place I can also work on the grill guard because it will be supported by tubes that head back into the engine bay and I will need to know where/how to mount them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 Need to get off my arse and patch that other hole though.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott in Bellingham Posted May 25, 2015 Share Posted May 25, 2015 So when will this car hit the trails? Been over a year on this build Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 25, 2015 Author Share Posted May 25, 2015 So when will this car hit the trails? Been over a year on this build *CRIES* I know.Its been over a year but I haven't been working on it that whole time.the majority of time its been sitting neglected in my garage for days,weeks,and months at a time.I'm sure if I would have forced myself to work on it like a job from sun up to sundown,day after day, that it probally would have only took a couple months.However, I am tentatively shooting for it to be fully operational by augest.It still needs some major work in the front end but its starting to resemble a car.Once I get the front bumper done and the front suspension fabricated up its down hill from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 27, 2015 Author Share Posted May 27, 2015 So after running the numbers,even though that tube front end is way stronger than the factory sheetmetal it ends up weighing just about the same*. 58" of 2x2x.120 = 14.83 lbs 10.71' for 1.5x0.83=13.45 lbs 10"x3"x.75" steel plate = 6.37 lbs = 34.65 lbs The front clip I pulled off weighed 35 lbs on my bathroom scale. *discounting the weight of welds,and the little pieces of steel to hold fenders and such on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
falconer315 Posted May 27, 2015 Share Posted May 27, 2015 At very least, despite the similar weight you'll have something with more strength than factory. You should take some comfort in that fact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 28, 2015 Author Share Posted May 28, 2015 (edited) Anyone every done some tinkering with the old Saab 99/900 front suspension?Ive had a few saabs but Ive never really took the suspension apart and flexed it.I was up at Pull and save getting a driveshaft for a mazda and I found an old saab 900 sitting up there and its only crime was that it was old.The body was straight,and it was labeled as running before it got in the yard.While I was lamenting the fact that it was much too nice to end its long life at a junkyard, I took a look at the front suspension.Double wishbone FWD, with a 5" id coil spring and a cheap shock. I didn't have a spring compressor with me to compress the coil so I could work the suspension through its travel,but its OEM shock has a travel of only 4.35" but the shock mounts further inward than a strut, so there is a fair bit more wheel travel.Now I am wondering how much travel the axles or the balljoints can physically take before they bind up. While I am still planning on moving forward with my lengthen subi suspension, I know I wont get alot of travel with the strut limiting travel,the suspension revisions will mostly make the EA81 axles live a decently long time with 1.5" of suspension lift.Maybe sometime in the future I might go grab the saab front suspension and make some frankenstien subi/saab axles with the saab hub/brakes and balljoints. Edited May 28, 2015 by Uberoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gloyale Posted May 28, 2015 Share Posted May 28, 2015 Saab front end parts are about the only ones harder to find than Subaru! If you want double A-arms...I'd be looking for more common stuff.....like Toyota truck or even Isuzu truck parts.......a little heavier and stronger too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vegablade Posted May 29, 2015 Share Posted May 29, 2015 A full front Tacoma double a arm assembly would be rad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted May 30, 2015 Author Share Posted May 30, 2015 Then I would have to make a centered toyota diff and find the right combination of axles for the width.To the best of my knowledge making a centered diff requires either alot of machine work or sourcing a supra rear diff.Both of which require cubic dollars.I dunno maybe I can find a toyota/isuzu/nissan diff to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 While the centered toyota diff is a thought,the reality is that I need to get atleast the subaru suspension under the brat so I can get it done sometime this year.So I will start making the front suspension mounts.If I move the control arm mounts 1" down and 3 13/16" inward it will set the control arm so it will always be parallel to the CV axle-greatly reducing plunging and increasing the suspension travel that is possible.At least in theory,At present I will be limited by the strut,but the axle should last a long time even with the 1.5" of suspension lift.I figured out that trying to make the new suspension mounts be perfect on both sides would be almost impossible by trying to fabricate the individual pieces with a tape measure while under the car, so I made a jig.The jig moves the control arm mounts down 1" and 3 13/16" inward exactly as planned. Now to yank off the crossmember and attack it with all of the fabrication weapons in my arsonal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 So with the crossmember off, and the control arm jig in place I realize I need to find a different steering rack to start to mock it up.I can build new mounts that will work but they will be a bit tight to the rack.Right now its almost pointless to make new mounts because they probally wont work around the shorter rack..I'll take apart the factory rack and see if there is a way to shorten it up.Factory control arm mounts are 23" apart,the factory rack is 26" apart,and the new control arm mounts would be about 15".The factory setup has some bump steer but trying to use the stock rack would have some serious bump steer with almost 6" difference in rack length per side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 So I tore apart the rack. It has 6" of travel,The max I can take out of the tube is 9.5", but the max I can take out of the rack is 9" and still have 6" of travel.So If I shortened the rack by 9" and the tube by 9" it should still have the same travel.Then the steering rack would have to be moved inward by 4.5" per side to still be centered.But I can only move the rack by 2" each side or it will interfer with the diff.Which means instead of shortening the rack to 17" it could only be shortened to 22" pivot to pivot, which is 3.125" inches longer per side than the revised control arm pivots so it would have twice the bump steer as stock. Phurk. Anyone have any other ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) According to my drawing in autocad the stock steering rack would need to be shortened 4.61" per side or 9.22" all together.Maybe the best solution would be to find a center steer rack and set the pivots where I need them.I only know of a few cars with center steer though: the 81-87 GM J platform cars(Ewww) or 93-04 chrysler LH platform(not as bad as the gm but still pretty bad) Edited June 11, 2015 by Uberoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pontoontodd Posted June 11, 2015 Share Posted June 11, 2015 Have you seen swingset steering on off road trucks? Pretty complicated, but you can get whatever geometry you want that way and move the rack too if that helps. First picture I could find: http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/general-4x4-discussion/1909993-basic-ifs-bump-steer-tech-4.html#post28932561 Maybe you could make it simpler by putting the rack in the stock location and fabbing up a trapezoid. The top of the trapezoid would attach to both ends of the rack. The bottom could be at the right width and location to minimize bumpsteer. No idea if something like that could fit around your trans, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 11, 2015 Author Share Posted June 11, 2015 (edited) Subtract eight dollar signs from that and you have my budget.Not to mention that swing set steering has horrible bump steer, its just for packaging reasons. Edited June 11, 2015 by Uberoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 12, 2015 Author Share Posted June 12, 2015 (edited) And in other news I acquired a set of 31x10.5x15 BFG all terrains on 6 lug aluminum wheels.The tires are shot but they hold air and will work just fine for mockup purposes and to get it rolling at least.The main reason I got them is for the aluminum rims that are super lightweight. I'll set my jackstands under the rear of the brat so its level again,make the rear diff mount,and get the tires to fit+ a little more so they will clear tires that actually are 31" in diameter...these "31's" only measure 29.5" . I need to find something I can wrap around the tire that is .75-1" thick... Edited June 12, 2015 by Uberoo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Uberoo Posted June 14, 2015 Author Share Posted June 14, 2015 So an update of sorts: I finished the front bumper a couple days ago but I just got around to taking some pics of it. I still have some more work on the front end,like a grill guard and sheetmetal mounts but that comes after I have the engine mocked in place. Then I finally patched the rear most hole in the floor.I more or less threw a bunch of metal at and used the handy dandy metal glue gun to make all the pieces become one.After that I started taking parts from the bed and putting them in their respective place in the interior.Nothing is bolted down, but it gives me some insight on how it will all fit together. the driver side recaro seat needs to be adapted to the brat rails,but it also needs a couple inches of lift to see the trail better,but I can't do that until I have the steering wheel mounted so I can mount the seat so its centered in front of the wheel.With the interior so small I'm not entirely sure if I'm gonna put a passenger seat in,because with two seats its tight in there and I'm 5'2" so most of the population wont even come close to fitting in there.Maybe I could bolt a milk crate to the floor mad max style and not need a roof rack. Finally, with all the crap out the bed I started placing all the bed mounted items:Spare tire,battery,tool box,radiator...Now I need a jerry can. the tire is a 33 12.50 but it measures 31" in diameter so I'm using it for mock up,I have 2x4's under the tire at various places to give it clearance for various rims and tire combos... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.