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KOOKIE frame rake

Welcome Mike.
one thing you need to think about is a 88" wheelbase will come around on you faster then you think.
Norm did my frame in 1964/65 and it had a 88" base.
Build it the way you like and enjoy the ride.
Dan
 
dan eichstedt said:
Welcome Mike.
one thing you need to think about is a 88" wheelbase will come around on you faster then you think.
Norm did my frame in 1964/65 and it had a 88" base.
Build it the way you like and enjoy the ride.
Dan
Click to expand...

Yep, I recently went sideways down three lanes of traffic when I ran it out a little harder than I should have and when it went into second all h*** broke loose. First thing I knew I was sliding sideways and scaring a lot of drivers around me.:eek: Short WB and slicks are fun sometimes.

Don
 
Well that's good to know! Thanks for the sound advice, what is wheelbase I should shoot for, or what's considered normal?

Beyond wheel base which is a chassis issue, should the wheelbase change in conjunction with tire size? Maybe a better question is, " With a really short wheelbase are wider tires better?" Keep in mind I would like to use a coker type tire so maybe I'm better off with something around 100" or so. Does that sound about right?

Mike
 
What is a COKER type tire?If your wheel base is short you BETTER have some meats in the back.As Don said he went sideways in a heart beat and his tires are pretty narrow compared to mine i just go straight and s*it my pants.
 
I'm just trying to learn Rick, what I mean by Coker type tire is just more of a stock vintage type. I'm sure there is a better word for it but that's what I meant. Even with my lack of knowledge 88" seems pretty short so i'm thinking about something in the 105" range. I may even be better off just going with a wide tire but I guess I need to keep researching things.

Mike
 
Well, my 23 is 100 on the nose and my 27 is 103.5. My 27 handled better than the 23 but I also am running slicks on the rear of the 23 so that might be a factor. I could run down the road at 100 mph in the 27 and it went straight as an arrow. The 23 is a little more touchy. I also run Coker bias plies for the looks, but I really have to admit that I do believe radials are probably a better handling tire. Never run them, so I can only surmise.


Don
 
Mine is 105" and it drives like it's on rails! Steers a little slow, but you can run any speed up to 100 straight as an arrow (like Don said). Of course my car has little to no bump steer either. EDIT - I'm running radials.

When we went to Mountain Home in July, we were running 75+ pulling a Mullins trailer on the interstate. You can drive it at that speed, relaxed, with one hand, no problems.

Unless you're going to autocross with it or you just really like the short wheelbase look (which is OK too 'cause it's your car), go for the longer WB.

Mike
 
I'm gonna take sound advice and go for a longer wheelbase. Thanks for explaining and sharing what you have, it's much appreciated.

Mike
 
Mike, the purpose of that spacer was because my 15 body is narrower than a 23 body. The bottom of the 15 body was almost hitting the radius rods so I put the 1 1/2" spacer in there. It was not enough and I cracked the bottom of the body after a few weeks. So I ended up notching the body to clear the radius rods. I ended up cutting the notches 3 times before I cut enough for the rr's to miss the body on bumps. A 23 body is wide enough I think to hang out over the radius rods.

As for the kickups, I would just make them about 2" shorter.
 
Thanks BlownT, Interesting situation you had! :dance: That must of been a little frustrating to say the least. I'm gonna follow your lead and reduce the kick-up 2". I picked up some steel from my supplier this morning and I should be able to layout the rails tonight. I'm going to first cut a 2 x 4 up and just check it out first then start cutting the rails. Thanks for the tip!

Mike
 
There is a member name Ted Brown.
Look him up, he was building T-buckets
before the sun cam up.Not that anyone has said anything
I don't thing is right. They all have very good points !
Dan
 
Yep, Ted Brown has done some great cars. I was very happy to find out he was THE Ted Brown when I saw his posts on here.............like rubbing elbows with a celebrity or something.:):)

Don
 
As for tires, I had everything from 21" wide Indy's to 14" wide.
The tires and very little to do with keeping it going down the road.
in a straight line. If the frame is not set up right it's all in the wind
at that point. Do Your home work..keep asking questions and then
dive it and enjoy it.
Dan
 
Mike,
You are on the right track, by researching and asking lots of questions first. Then draw up some plans to get an idea of the right look. Go to lot's of car shows and study some T-Buckets, they won't mind if you bring your tape measure. Take pictures and make notes. You may want to mock up a frame out of wood to see how much kickup in the rear is right for you. You need to decide on suspension. The Kookie car had a transverse leaf spring. I think he even used a spacer between the spring and perch. If you have the right kickup or none at all you would not need a spacer. I am building mine with a transverse spring in the rear just because I like the look. It will ride harder than coils. Good luck on the build. The more you do upfront before cutting any steel, the less rework you will have to do later. Paper is a lot more forgiving than steel, and an eraser is a lot quicker than a torch and grinder.
Just some food for thought.
Tex-T
 
Thanks! I'm going to a big car show this weekend and hope to gain some more insight and a better grasp on my goal. The one thing that's changing on my plans is now my wife and both kids are pretty excited about the project and are ganging up on me to put really big meats on the back. I guess i'll have to think about that. Anyhow, in the drawing I made the kick-up piece is 5" long vs the normal 7-8" piece (at 30 deg).

Now my measurement from the bottom of the main rails to the bottom of highest rail (verticle measurement) is 4 3/8" vs the normal 6". So that kicks my frame up in the back about an extra 1 1/5. I wanted to be carfull not to shrink it to much or the rear frame rails might look funny sticking below the pick up bed. Anyhow, I figured if I wanted to show more angle I could play with the rear suspension a little or use a 6" drop axle in the front. Overall this should be plenty of rake........I think.

Mike
 
Mike,
If I where to build the LegShowT today, It would still have the same look,
well mostly..Today when i look back i see to many angles going on.
Before i started the car i had a friend that could draw quit well.And i went
to a lot of car shows.
I think it's cool that everyone in your family is up for this.
Keep it a family sport and You will be into that with the kids in no time.
 
I remember that car well, and also the picture of the girl sitting in it demonstrating why it got that name. :):)

Don
 
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