My Ideas would like your thoughts

[onebadcad]

Planning my new T and have enjoyed this site a great deal. Lots of good ideas and from the welcome I got a frendly group.

So here it is.... A 2 x 3 x 3/16 frame, tube axle no front brakes. Not sure of frt suspension. I have always done things different so I am thinking coilovers that run back along the side frame and an actuator link to the axle.

Chevy V6 w/350 TH. Why a v6 - It's a bit different and I have one. But engine placement would allow a V8 w/o mod's. Hate not seeing things planned out.

Rear is an S-10 10 bolt w/coilovers. I would like a watts link but dont really see there's room??? Rear brakes are 2 calipers per side, 1 with E-brake 1 w/o.

Body has opening doors both side. Pickup be made from Teak about 30" long.

One thing I have not seen is a gas tank built to fit inside the frame rails. Think of an "L" shape rotated 90 deg's with the short leg coming down the kickup. With a 30" bed I can get a 10+ gal tank back there and still have room "stuff" in the bed. I am sure I will need a stretch by that time.

About the interior, how is the carpet installed? I mean when I'm caught in the rain, and I will be, I will need to dry it out. Snaps are an answer but does anyone have any trick ideas?

And here's an offer to anyone close to Royal Palm Beach, 33411 or wants to drive. One of the hardest things I ran across when I was many moons younger, was getting some welding done. Mostly aluminum. If you need some help contact me. Price varies from free to almost. I enjoy working on Hot Rods and would like to help.

OK so there's a rough sketch. Give your thoughts please.

 

[VegasBruce]

It sounds like a decent plan, but I would use front brakes. There are lots of options for something that will look right on your bucket.

 

[RexRod]

Running no front brakes is your choice of course. But make sure you check the box on your license that tells the hospital you're an organ donor.

 

[Youngster]

Just some random thoughts on your project;

re think the no front brakes. 60 to 70% of your braking is done with the front brakes mostly due to weight transfer.

If a V-8 is lurkin some where in down the road, go there right away.

Find a Maveric 8" rear end. They used heavyer gauge mat'l and you can add the watts link to it much easier. As for the U-joints, your NAPA store can provide ones with a combination size.

If you are using a glass body, go with one working door. The body will loose a lot of strength with both doors opening.

Locating the gas tank between the rails is a good idea. Since you are building your own frame, check out a '65 typr Mustang tank. Cheap and 15 gals to boot as i remember.

Velcro will made it easy to remove your carpets and yet keep them in place during service.

Just my two cents.

Ron

 

[EX JUNK]

I agree that it would be a very poor idea to not install front brakes. As for the S-10 rear, I see no problem with that and if you are short on room for a watts linkage, consider a wishbone locator instead as I did on mine. My fuel tank is also mounted between the frame rails like you were wondering about.

Here are a couple of picture showing the wishbone locator and the fuel tank mounted between the frame rails:

As for carpeting, I glued mine to my removable transmission tunnel. The side pieces are held in place on the outside edges by the side panels that rest on top of the carpet. I have never had my carpeting move at all.

The other thought that you had concerned two opening doors. I agree with what Ron said in regards to weakening a glass body. Also, the drivers side door is about useless. That is why old Henry did not use one in the first place.

Jim

 

[Rick]

That set up is almost perfect.But your distributor is in the wrong place and your two header pipes are stuck together in the middle.Other than that that is one fine car.

 

[EX JUNK]

I luv ya Rick, but I'll still take my Chevy! After working 30 years for GM, I do have some loyalty. They pay my retirement and I hope that they continue doing that in the future.

Jim

 

[Rick]

Just funnin witcha.:razz:

 

[Youngster]

Sorry, didn't mean to misslead you. The S-10 rear will work just fine. Point I wanted to make is with the drop out third member, you can weld a bracket to it for the watts link.

Ron

 

[Wild Mango]

Keep in mind with the Watts Link it can go in "backwards" i.e. the central pivot on the crank can go on the frame and the outer links on the crank can heim joint onto the outer axle housing
Having said that for the amount of travel a panhard rod is fine.
No front brakes? Not this chicken.

 

[rooster57]

Rex Rod is right on the Brakes if something bad happens you might get better but you will never be well. Rooster chapter 11 verse 7

 

[Hot Rod Todd]

Well there you go.

100% in favour of you having front brakes on your Tee before the first drive. I figure theres a message in there for you.

A while back we were studying why the Japanese manufacturing was so good, and ours down here was so bad. I think the answer was Kaizan and some American named Demming who went there after you guys won the war. And taught them how to win most everything else.

The big thing I remember they taught us was:

Start with the end in mind

Which means if you plan a V8 later, then you may as well engineer the car for it now. In fact, you may as well fit it up straight away or you might be out cruising and have V8 envy and take the car home and start the rebuild straight away.

Do it once and do it how you want it to be in the long term. Saving $2000 or so now, will cost you $5000 laater. Trust me, Ive done it before.

 

[Ted Brown]

Sounds like you have an idea of what you want, I like a Guy that rides on his own trails.. and T Buckets are easy to do just that.. I ran no front brakes for a few years, but ended up almost pushing a chevy pickup through an intersection, that He stopped for, and I was trying to make that light... I will never know if the ft brakes would have saved my ft end or not.. but I ran front brakes shortly after that... A V6 has plenty of power for these light cars, and I have seen a few that blew the doors off of V8s, because they got a hold of the pavement, where as the V8s burned their tires off trying to play catch up.. So, Do your own thing, maybe just do some trick lookin wood floors, to heck with carpets, I tear them up too fast myself... Good Luck with your build, post lots of pics, I run a watts link from the center of the back of my rear housing, but you can run it off center from either leg..

 

[matrixrk]

frony brakes are a must. use the 6, I have used them alot,good power, mileage. you could use two soors but the body will need to be re-enforced, probably with steel tubing.

 

[matrixrk]

make that "doors" , big fingers!

 

[onebadcad]

When the majority reaches 100% then they may be on to something. It never was about cost, just a look. But safety comes first. OK, front brakes it is.

As for drivers door, the body will have a sq tube framework with door frame glassed in before I even cut the glass.

Ron I like the idea of wood floor, will match the bed. Tie that in with the dash (and as I think about maybe the firewall) and you have a grand plan. I like grand plans. Pick a theme so you can see the car has had some thought behind it befor you picked up a wrench.

No one mentioned the front suspension....

One other question. Anyone have or know where I can get a 3D model of shevy V8. I need a .step, .stp, or .iges type file. My day jod is mechanical design and would like to be able to draw a model of my toy.

Thanks for all the responce.

 

[RexRod]

There are some Solidworks files of the small block chevy over on the Hamb. You'll need to search, but I know they are there.

David

 

[RexRod]

Here's one. There are more links:

3D Cad model of small block chev engine - THE H.A.M.B.

 

[VegasBruce]

So here it is.... A 2 x 3 x 3/16 frame, tube axle no front brakes. Not sure of frt suspension. I have always done things different so I am thinking coilovers that run back along the side frame and an actuator link to the axle.

No one mentioned the front suspension....

That sounds interesting, maybe if the coilovers were inboard the frame rails. Another option for something different is Torsion bars of a mini truck. I got this pic from someone here Sorry I can't remember who.

 

[Youngster]

I like to see the components on the frontend kept to a minimun. This is the biggest draw back of ciol overs on the front of a T for me. However, if they were mounted inboarb, in a vertical position and hidden behind a '32 shell or a track nose, that would work for me. Another altunative would be quarter eliptics.

Ron