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Learning how to build Lotus Seven replicas...together!
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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 30, 2012, 11:53 am 
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Location: Louisville KY
Flipper_1938 wrote:
This car has the same style suspension on both ends (IFS, IRS and FWD in 1935!)


As I recall, they didn't last too long in the race -- the motor cooked the transmission fairly quickly. If I recall the story correctly, Henry Ford attended the race, and left before it was over in disgust after his cars fell out.

During that era, Indy 500 officials instituted new rules to attract interest of auto manufacturers (sound familiar?) and the era is called "Junkyard formula" years. Just don't use that term around Donald Davidson, track historian (ask me how I know!).

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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 30, 2012, 5:08 pm 
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I started the morning by swapping in the new balljoints.

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gotta cut the bolts down.

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supporting the weight under the spindle shows what the extra leverage does to the spring rate. I gotta add some leaves back to the pack. The tire is going to be even farther outboard.

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I shimmed the ride height back up and bolted the hub on to get a more realistic picture of the a-arm's environment
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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 30, 2012, 5:09 pm 
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I was having a hard time explaining to dad what I wanted to do, so I broke out the posterboard. Think airplane wing as an upper a-arm.

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it needs a ball joint pocket
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slimmer pocket , more front to back shape
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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 30, 2012, 5:14 pm 
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And pictures of my future tail lights (5" tractor headlights?). Paint the inside of the lens candy red and load it up with leds from a tractor-trailer light.

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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 31, 2012, 10:19 am 
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I couldn't make myself pull the trigger on an arm design yesterday. The drastic sweep up to connect to the ball joint (with room for the spindle to rotate) is what bothers me.

I'm thinking that raising the car a couple of inches would greatly simplify what is required from the upper arm. I'm going to put all of the leaves in the spring and see if that raises it up past where it was supposed to sit....if not, that is a whole new problem.

I guess there is a reason most folks play "in the box".


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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 31, 2012, 10:28 am 
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Joined: January 2, 2009, 1:45 pm
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Location: Halifax, Nova Scotia
Flipper,

The low location of the upper contol arm inner pivots would also have given you very short swing arm lengths - in effect you would have created swing axle-like performance out of a-arm front suspension. The big camber gain associate with this may not have been a problem with the skinny tires you are likely to use, but on the other hand, swing axles can do some scaring things ... although small Ford pickups do seem to survive.

Increasing ride height to address the issue is a good approach and would also have the advantage of being more appropriate, in a historical style sense.

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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: December 31, 2012, 9:46 pm 
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Scew it. I'l just use bailing wire!
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I put the spring pack back to what I thought was stock only to find one more leaf afterwards (the one just above the clamps)
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It did raise it up.
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...still not sure what the upper arm is going to look like.
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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: January 5, 2013, 9:47 pm 
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...looking back at this picture, I don't think the I-beam upper arms would be all that much of a distraction.
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....AND IT WOULD BE A WHOLE HELL OF A LOT EASIER TO BUILD!!!


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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 24, 2013, 8:47 pm 
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Well, I got a chance to go play this weekend.

I dug into a pile and pulled out some 1952 Mercedes front suspension pieces. They don't really work as is, but what else is new.

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The cross shaft and spring bucket mount is what is interesting to me.
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My a-arm kit...some assembly required.
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Yes the wrench is part of the plan

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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 24, 2013, 8:48 pm 
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Playing with parts
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It should look something like this. ball joint bolts will be underneath
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This is where I quit for the day.
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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 24, 2013, 8:49 pm 
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I might have also found the dash for the car. Honda lawn mower foot rests.

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Driver side of dash
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Passenger side
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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 25, 2013, 12:16 am 
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Flipper_1938 wrote:
Honda lawn mower foot rests.



Dashing!


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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 25, 2013, 5:58 am 
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Location: SW FL
Can you use those holes in the pivot shaft to mount the shaft like a GM part, so you can shim for caster / camber adjustments?

Re the Honda footrest panel. I continue to be amazed at your ability to "see" parts in other things where none exists... yet...

Mikey B


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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 25, 2013, 8:02 am 
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dodgedartgt wrote:
Can you use those holes in the pivot shaft to mount the shaft like a GM part, so you can shim for caster / camber adjustments?


That is the beauty of using the Mercedes pieces. The pivot bushings are threaded in such a way that the arm can be moved front to back along the shaft.

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The whole a-arm mount will be mounted on a plate that will bolt to the side of the frame and will be shimmable for camber changes.

I have a lot more welding and grinding to go to make it look presentable, but I think I finally found something that has that 30's high tech vibe that I was searching for....


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 Post subject: Re: The Roofus Special
PostPosted: February 25, 2013, 8:28 am 
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Oh yeah, the holes in the cross shafts...they were part of the oiling system. I'm just going to convert to normal grease fittings.

You can see the plumbing in this picture.
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