Birth of Long John

[scar]

I like what your building , but as a chassis builder I gotta say sumpthin , you need to study the operations of triangulated rear 4 links , your upper bars need to go from near the centre of the pumpkin out to the chassis either side....reverse to what you have in the pic ........

 

[old round fart]

Thanks for looking scar. Can you make a good case for the change? The bars don’t know which way they are facing. The manufacturer of the kit showed examples like my design and trying to go close in the back made the upper bars way to short. I thought about it a long time and don’t see why my set up won’t work. If I need to go back to the drawing board I will.

High quality hot rod chassis parts.

 

[scar]

Hi Mate , The manufacturer of your kit doesnt show any any examples like the way you have installed .....have a look .....clicking on your link shows the exact way the triangulated 4 bars should be set up ......... putting the top bars with the diff mounting points towards the rear wheels induces bump steer .......that is , as the wheel goes up and down in its travel , the diff is being pulled front to back in an arc . Have a look at google pics on triangular rear 4 bars , you will see you can put the 4 bar mounts either side of the pumpkin with the bars facing out to the rear kick up.............cheers

 

[Jim B]

I think these are ones ORF is referring to from the website. I never thought of it this way.

 

[T-Test]

Thanks. I could not believe how long it took to get happy with that bracket. I have really slowed down with my age. It’s a good thing nobody is paying me. They would need real deep pockets.

I'd pay you weakly, just as I get paid. Pockets are real deep and full of hot air. I do believe that the satisfaction of building your car yourself is more rewarding than money and the design of yours will be unique and fun to drive. Just go ahead and finish it already!! You will hurt either way and movement will keep you limber.

 

[old round fart]

Thanks scar. You need to click on the picture with the 32 on it to see the examples T-test found. It is a little off the beaten path but so is a 150” wheelbase t bucket.
T-test thank you for your inspiration. I know you are right and with Indycars kicking my butt now and then I will get this done. The more I get done the more I want to work on it. Bare with my ramblings and we will get this done!

 

[scar]

OK , those pics that Jim B posted , unfortunately these are pics of a very bad set up and should not be copied

 

[old round fart]

Hope you’re wrong. If my car acts stupid I’ll need to redo but I can’t see why I’m wrong. I have met all the other dimensions so I’m going to give it a try.

 

[scar]

Ok mate , thats cool , as I say , I like your lil bucket cos its being built different...........

 

[old round fart]

I’ll get brackets tacked and move the housing up and down and lift each side and check for wheelbase change or axle shift side to side in the next couple of days and see if I have a problem. Thanks for the heads up. I’ll post results.

 

[Snicklefritz]

man i love this project.

 

[old round fart]

Thank you. With nice weather I hope to have more posts soon.

 

[Indycars]

I'm tapping my nervous foot ..... I'm waiting, where are those pics !!!

 

[old round fart]

I’m so looking forward to posting but I’m having physical issues that is messing with me. I’ll get them as soon as I can. How is the Fusion 360 coming along?

 

[Indycars]

How is the Fusion 360 coming along?

It's a lot to learn before I can be productive with the software. That and I've been gone
nearly a week to see my son over Christmas.

 

[Steakneggs]

I created my own rear suspension in the '83 RX7 I completely redid, and it used a 3 link, like the 2005-2012 Mustang. Having multiple upper bars coming together will have the exact same effect, unless it binds.
The snag is that both the Mustangs and mine required a panhard bar, and I shortened one from an '84 Trans Am for my build.
The '79-'04 Mustang triangulated 4 link is legendary for binding, the geometry isn't good, but the rubber bushings are more at fault, as spherical bearings effectively solve the bind. GM did much the same thing with the G-bodies, and in consequence the '87 GNX had to have a torque arm added, much like the '82-'02 Camaros used.
The '79-'85 RX7 used an extremely short panhard on the front side of the rear axle, entirely on the passenger side, and it's universally hated. I went with a longer one on the back side of the housing, since there wasn't space for a Watt's Link. That left my rear roll center height higher than ideal, and non-adjustable, but even so that car was a joy on twisty canyon roads after I finished. I ran out of courage before it ran out of grip.

 

[Spanky]

I’m so looking forward to posting but I’m having physical issues that is messing with me.

Hope you're getting on top of those "issues" John! In the meantime, will your car resemble this long-wheelbase T when it's completed?

 

[old round fart]

Spanky it will be longer, not so low, my radiator will be in the
back. Other than that yes it will be very similar.

 

[old round fart]

Finally went to the doctor and found out my blood pressure was most of my problem! Should be better in the next week or two!

 

[Gerry]

Keep well, dude.
G