Just a few more suspension shots.
Welding up the lower control arm front leg.
I cut all four gusset plates at once. I took a few feet of 4" wide 1/8" flat stock, cut two pieces just over a foot long, cut both of them at the angle spec'd in Kinetic's plans, and stacked all four pieces together. Clamp the stack, tack weld them together in four places, unclamp. Drill and ream the four holes. This ensures that the holes will match perfectly top and bottom. (and left and right, if you think your frame is
that good!)
You want to get the big hole in the right place, relative to the corner of the plates. I don't think the placement of the other hole is so critical, and as Jack disclaims, the curves are a bit superfluous. I did go back and round the point that sticks out around the little hole to protect my shins for years to come.
Drilling all four at once meant I had holes in the top plates where there is no bolt (it only goes in from the bottom), but that didn't bother me. I just plug welded the hole to the 2.5" tube and can called it a "strength enhancement." In reality, I just didn't want water weeping under the plate.
No picture, but I cut some 0.200" spacers from 3/4" 16 guage tube. I like these better than Jack's pretty stainless spacers because: a) the larger ID makes it easier to assemble the part and b) you can (just barely) tack it inside the 2.5" tube so it keeps itself in place. To do this, take the nut from the long ball joint bolt and the spacer and put them in the 2.5" tube. then screw in the short ball joint bolt through the hole in the bottom of the tube and snug it up. Then take the sleeve off your MIG gun, poke it in there and hope for the best. You really only need a single tack, which I achieved after 3 or 4 shots. No one ever sees the result, I promise!
I talked to Jack about this, and we decided a better way would be to drill a small hole or two 1/2" from the big hole in the 2.5" tube. Then take a little plate, maybe 1.5" square, or a couple of fender washers, and line it up inside the tube. Then you could weld it from the outside much easier.
Then again, you'll probably only assemble the part 2-3 times anyway, so maybe it's not such a big deal.
...
Regarding drilling the two holes in the 2.5" tube... I didn't put the bottom hole in the right place, so ended up stretching it into more of a slot than a hole. Maybe elongated 0.100" or so. I don't see a problem making that hole oversized. The lower gusset plate will be aligned by that bolt, so it will cover up any slop and provide a perfect alignment anyway.
On that note, weld the lower gusset on first, so that hole is aligned. Then bolt in the rear arm and upper plate, and snug it up good, before welding the top plate. That will ensure that all you bolt holes line up perfectly with no binding.
Not much else to say except, "sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures."
Sorry for the crappy cell phone pictures,
-dave
_________________
...nowadays people are so intellectually lazy and lethargic that they can't build ANYTHING with their hands. They'll spend hours watching whiny people marooned on an island, but won't spend a second adding anything to the world. -weconway
Visit my
[Locost 7 build log]