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PostPosted: January 15, 2020, 7:02 pm 
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Just showing another way. Different pov.
I'm not saying your front xmember will crack the way you are doing it.

You will have a lot more room around the engine for exhaust with the second mod.


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PostPosted: January 16, 2020, 9:43 am 
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Building on MV8's suggestion. Best practice is to extend the gusset for the plate, all the way up to the side rail top, i.e. hard corner. Stopping mid-way with the gusset in the middle of the web will cause the web surface to oil can, which leads to a weld termination fatigue crack. Davew


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PostPosted: January 16, 2020, 9:51 am 
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Agreed. It probably isn't clear from the pictures, but the only purpose of the 2nd xmember is to tie the aft lcaps together and provide an attachment to the unibody. I considered no gusset at all. It appears to be 3mm wall but definitely better to extend it all the way up even if it is a very narrow gusset.

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PostPosted: January 29, 2020, 6:15 am 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
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I set the pinion angle to be perpendicular to the ground. Now I find out the engine and box actually tilt backwards slightly so I have to find a way of angling the diff up slightly.
Mornin' -- If I remember correctly, there is supposed to be a bit of an angle between output shaft, drive shaft (or "prop shaft" to you?) and the diff. A few degrees, either L-to-R or in the vertical plane. So, you may not need to alter that angle you mentioned. Check my info, by all means, but I'm pretty sure that I remember that bit correctly.

:cheers:
JDK

Absolutely mate, looks like 1-3 degrees is ideal and gearbox flange and diff flange need to be in the same plane, so the angle is the same at both ends. I think I'll be able to accomplish this by spacing the rear of the rear subframe slightly, it shouldn't take much. I can't shorten the front mounts because the upper A-Arms are already as close to the chassis as I'm comfortable with.

Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
Just showing another way. Different pov.
I'm not saying your front xmember will crack the way you are doing it.

You will have a lot more room around the engine for exhaust with the second mod.

Thanks mate, that's definitely a very clean way of doing the front most subframe mounts and I did originally consider that. I thought doing it this way would allow me to put the chassis down lower onto the subframe, but I can now see a way of doing it with a single plate per-side and maintaining the same height... oh well, 20:20 hindsight and I'm in too much of a rush to cut it all apart and re-do it now. I'm adding gussets to that very forward subframe mount to spread the load throughout the chassis rail and avoid cracking.

As for the 2nd front crossmember mount there's HEAPS of room for the exhaust and steering, so that's not an issue, but I will be sure to reinforce it a little.

davew wrote:
Building on MV8's suggestion. Best practice is to extend the gusset for the plate, all the way up to the side rail top, i.e. hard corner. Stopping mid-way with the gusset in the middle of the web will cause the web surface to oil can, which leads to a weld termination fatigue crack. Davew

Thanks Dave, I'll be sure to gusset it all the way to the top of the chassis rail to stop this happening.

I appreciate all the feedback guys!

I realised today that I've made some progress and not updated the log. I got the center crossmember modified and welded back in

Image

Image

Ideally it would meet up all the way to the rear subframe mounts, but they're actually quite a bit higher than the plane which the crossmember is on. I'd have to mount the body significantly higher to extend it back. I'll be gussetting the sharp bend in the rear part of the crossmember and the rear subframe mounts.

Image

Plenty of room for exhaust, turbo and steering on the other side

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The underneath of the chassis is almost fully welded

I've also started on the last of the front subframe mounts

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A captive nut gets welded in here

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A gusset for the rear subframe mount

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I also found an easy way to bend 4mm for some small reinforcement pieces

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The 4 pieces to reinforce the forward most front subframe mounts

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Anyway, next up is to do make a couple more gussets for some questionable areas and then weld it all up.

I can't wait for this stage to be done so I can start on the body reinforcement frame which holds the seats, pedals, steering, dash, etc. and then to skin it. Hopefully it's not long before it actually resembles a WWII Jeep !

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PostPosted: January 30, 2020, 4:19 am 
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This arvo I made a few more reinforcement brackets. First the one for the other side of the rear subframe

Image

Then a few for the aft front subframe mounting point to better tie it into the chassis rail

Image

A friend helped make these bits for the centre crossmember and I never posted them

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And lastly I made a piece to fill in where a previous owner had cut away the middle of the centre crossmember. Definitely overkill doing this in 4mm but my only other option at the moment is 2mm.

Image

Sunday I have the whole day to continue welding the chassis so I'm going to *try* and get it all finished. I'm definitely ready to move onto the engine mounts and body pieces!

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PostPosted: February 9, 2020, 6:28 am 
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More welding and reinforcement, nearly done...

Image

Image

Image

Image

Image

And finishing off the last of the front subframe mounts

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I ran out of welding gas on Friday, ran out of filler wire Saturday afternoon (after getting more gas) and then today a whole lot of fallen trees meant I couldn't get to the workshop.

Since I had no wire I made a start on the engine mounts:

Image

And also pulled apart the hydraulic fan pump because it has the mounts for one of the accessory belt idlers that I need, but I don't need the actual pump because I'll be running electric fans.

The main nut is a left handed thread

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Then there are 5 bolts to undo

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Then that reveals this cool little gerotor pump

Image

Which all comes apart, including the housing which the pump runs in

Image

Finally the bracket is reinstalled onto the engine sans pump internals and the idler pulley can be installed.

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PostPosted: February 9, 2020, 9:24 am 
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Why not run a shorter belt and eliminate the pump and pulley? Looks like it would not be an issue.

If you keep the pump as an idler, be sure to fill the cavity with syn grease since there will be no oil to lube the bearing and rear bush.

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Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
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PostPosted: February 10, 2020, 6:31 am 
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Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
Why not run a shorter belt and eliminate the pump and pulley? Looks like it would not be an issue.

If you keep the pump as an idler, be sure to fill the cavity with syn grease since there will be no oil to lube the bearing and rear bush.

Hey mate, the pump and pump pulley is totally eliminated but I need to keep the housing because there's an idler pulley which makes it possible to run a belt without A/C :)

Image

Image

The power steering pump is located just above the alternator, but you can sort of see how the belts need to be routed. I'm not sure it's possible to get the belt to work without it... though looking at it I think I could figure something out. Every build I've found which eliminates A/C keeps this idler to make it work.

The alternative to gutting the SC400/Soarer hydraulic fan pump is to get one from an LS400 which is just a plain bracket which holds the idler, but this is cheaper and not all that difficult.

Today I finished all welding on the chassis except the front subframe mounts, which are still just tacked. I bought a new shield for my welding helmet and I'm amazed at what a difference it makes - I can actually see while welding! I really should have done this at the start of the project rather than now... oh well.

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Last edited by Beelzeboss on December 7, 2023, 4:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: February 10, 2020, 7:35 pm 
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I'm sure it will keep the belt on and you have it sorted but for the sake of discussion:

The tensioner won't be very effective at keeping the belt tight without the ps pulley in the original position. The tensioner pulley moves more parallel to the belt instead of 90 degrees to it so the shortest belt that will fit over the pulleys won't be as tight.

If the belt is wearing on one side more, trying to walk off the tensioner pulley, you can fit a lipped pulley to it with a little work.

You could also leave the fan pump pulley and guts off and bolck it off or leave it open then run a shorter belt.

I'd make a plate to replace the tensioner and mount the idler down low just above the alt and crank, either fit to a straight, vertical slot in the plate to adjust with a block of metal threaded for a tensioning bolt or a curved slot with a flat arm that you lift to hold the adjustment then tighten the center bolt on the idler that is now a tensioner. Have to make sure you can get a belt that short first for your belt width. I'm guessing K6? I can draw a pic if you are interested but it sounds like you have sorted sufficiently to keep moving on this.

I like the mdf engine stand! :cheers:

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Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: February 11, 2020, 5:56 pm 
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Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
I'm sure it will keep the belt on and you have it sorted but for the sake of discussion:

The tensioner won't be very effective at keeping the belt tight without the ps pulley in the original position. The tensioner pulley moves more parallel to the belt instead of 90 degrees to it so the shortest belt that will fit over the pulleys won't be as tight.

If the belt is wearing on one side more, trying to walk off the tensioner pulley, you can fit a lipped pulley to it with a little work.

You could also leave the fan pump pulley and guts off and bolck it off or leave it open then run a shorter belt.

I'd make a plate to replace the tensioner and mount the idler down low just above the alt and crank, either fit to a straight, vertical slot in the plate to adjust with a block of metal threaded for a tensioning bolt or a curved slot with a flat arm that you lift to hold the adjustment then tighten the center bolt on the idler that is now a tensioner. Have to make sure you can get a belt that short first for your belt width. I'm guessing K6? I can draw a pic if you are interested but it sounds like you have sorted sufficiently to keep moving on this.

I like the mdf engine stand! :cheers:

They had those MDF things at Aldi for $10! Rated to 250kg, I bought 4 :lol:

Also I should have said I'm keeping the P/S because I want to keep the standard rack for simpler registration.

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PostPosted: February 16, 2020, 5:06 am 
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Bit of an update, got the engine mounts and gearbox mount mostly done.

ImageIMG_20200213_172618 by jones_fli, on Flickr

I seem to be using a lot of cardboard aided design for this project.

Drilled holes into my front subframe supports

ImageIMG_20200213_180947 by jones_fli, on Flickr

And attach the engine mounts like this

ImageIMG_20200213_181107 by jones_fli, on Flickr

Then welded up some engine mounts (skipped a lot of steps here, lathed out the pipe for the bushes, etc.)

ImageIMG_20200216_130723 by jones_fli, on Flickr

Then added reinforcement

ImageIMG_20200216_150552 by jones_fli, on Flickr

ImageIMG_20200216_160521 by jones_fli, on Flickr

Then go to install them and realise I've welded the reinforcement on the low side of the mounts :BH:

ImageIMG_20200216_161542 by jones_fli, on Flickr

Gearbox mount "drop tubes" notched into the crossmember

ImageIMG_20200216_140502 by jones_fli, on Flickr

Then little platforms welded on the bottom of the tubes to support land rover engine mounts (because they're simple, easy to fabricate with and cost $15, rather than ~$100 for the Lexus gearbox mount)

ImageIMG_20200216_160536 by jones_fli, on Flickr

I used part of the Lexus mount which had come completely apart to attach to the gearbox. It was a fairly sturdy piece that I could weld to.

ImageIMG_20200216_172832 by jones_fli, on Flickr

Made a brace to tie the gearbox mounts together for extra strength

ImageIMG_20200216_160526 by jones_fli, on Flickr

And here's the [Fatherless Child] love child of a lexus gearbox mount, land rover engine mounts, mashed together to fit in a 1946 Ford chassis.

ImageIMG_20200216_182202 by jones_fli, on Flickr

I'll get an installed photo tomorrow, then it's on to the body frame! I'm so excited to get started on that, it's going to start looking more and more like an actual car now.

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PostPosted: February 16, 2020, 7:16 am 
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I had similar problems with the T5 in the spitfire rails. Here is my solution using nut plates in the rails and I added the exhaust hangers.

It looks like you could use a single mount a little further back but a little lower. Should not be a big deal since the pan is much lower and forward of the mount. By adding the 1/2 inch flange around the edge, it becomes as stiff as a much thicker, heavier plate. Pink strip notch is to clear the red strip which is more important but you will decide if the mount is low enough to clear without notching. Nut plates can be slipped in and float or drill a couple holes in the bottom face of the rails to plug weld the strips in place (once you know exactly where you want them).

I used the same for my engine mounts and dodge truck engine mounts that were about $2 each and the size of a credit card not counting the safety tabs.

I've welded stuff on backwards before too. Good enough imho. :cheers:


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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12


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PostPosted: February 20, 2020, 6:06 am 
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Miatav8,MstrASE,A&P,F wrote:
I had similar problems with the T5 in the spitfire rails. Here is my solution using nut plates in the rails and I added the exhaust hangers.

It looks like you could use a single mount a little further back but a little lower. Should not be a big deal since the pan is much lower and forward of the mount. By adding the 1/2 inch flange around the edge, it becomes as stiff as a much thicker, heavier plate. Pink strip notch is to clear the red strip which is more important but you will decide if the mount is low enough to clear without notching. Nut plates can be slipped in and float or drill a couple holes in the bottom face of the rails to plug weld the strips in place (once you know exactly where you want them).

I used the same for my engine mounts and dodge truck engine mounts that were about $2 each and the size of a credit card not counting the safety tabs.

I've welded stuff on backwards before too. Good enough imho. :cheers:

Those mounts look great! If I'd known I definitely would have used one for the gearbox, but I'm not sure they'd work as engine mounts. They need to be completely captive in the event of the rubber disintegrating in order to pass engineering here, which is why I went for the round bush method.

Alright, body construction has started!

First I needed a way of extending my steering column. I was looking into universal joints and shaft to put together an intermediate shaft but it was all looking very expensive (and I'm not even sure it would be accepted by the engineer). I started looking at what Toyota intermediate shaft I could use in place of the Soarer/SC400 one, and took a gamble on a 75 (?) series Landcruiser shaft.

Image

The donor shaft is 390mm overall and the Landcruiser one is 760mm, but the best part is...

Image

It fits and has the same splines! There's also a slip joint near the steering rack which allows for a little extra length as well (since this has IFS the steering rack doesn't move so I can put the slip joint a little way off fully engaged.

Image

Couple this with the tilt and telescoping adjustable steering column and I should be able to get it where I want it.

Image

Before you ask: yes, I did sit in the chair and make vroom vroom noises for longer than I'm willing to admit... all in the name of finding the perfect steering and pedals location, of course :P

Yesterday after work I managed to get the pieces for the base frame cutout

Image

And then this afternoon I cut out the pieces for the firewall (I'll set it up as RHD when I go to weld it)

Image

and the rear scuttle/dash support piece.

Image

I'm hoping that on Saturday or Sunday I've got some time to finish cutting out the pieces and maybe get it tacked together. After that I'll test fit it on the chassis, fully weld it, then make seat, steering and pedal mounts, and finally make the rear section of the body support frame.

Then panels can be cut out and it will really start to look like what I've been imagining.

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PostPosted: August 13, 2020, 9:25 pm 
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Alrighty, apologies for the lack of updates - I had 3 months to work on the car before I lost access to the garage I was using so I focused more on doing the work rather than taking pictures. However, I do have a little to share.

Front shock brackets tacked on

Image

Steering column mounted

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Image

Brake pedal and booster setup

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Image

Some extra diagonal bracing in the body frame

Image

Some body mount tabs

Image

Starting on bodywork (also you can see the front seat mounts are on the body frame)

Image

Made some of the floor

Image

Made the side panels

Image

The step in the rear part of the side panel will be mostly hidden by the flares for the wheels

Image

And that's pretty much where I'm at. Zero progress has been made in the last 4 months as I've had to move it to a shed about an hour and a half from where I'm living. However, I'll be going up there this coming weekend to organise everything within the shed and hopefully get ready for making some more progress (and some rework of a few things that I've decided aren't good enough, now that there is no real time pressure).

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PostPosted: August 16, 2020, 10:10 pm 
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I managed to spend Saturday tidying up/cleaning the new shed space! I think with a little more shuffling things around I'll have a very workable area.

Image

The kitchen cabinetry stuff on the right side is going to go shortly, it's from the previous tenant, so that will free up a lot of room. I also didn't get a chance to put the stand under the mill, so that green metal stand in the middle will be moved to the edge with the rest of the machinery. Once that's done I'll be able to start grinding out and re-doing some of the welds/bracketry on the chassis that I'm not happy with.

Just as an aside - I'm also building a CNC router in my garage here in Sydney. My aim is for it to be able to cut aluminium fairly accurately with a working area of 700x800x200.

Image

Image

Image

*EDIT* I've also just secured next Saturday to go up to the shed and spend a day working on the car !

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