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PostPosted: April 18, 2018, 12:34 pm 
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My first choice for windshield side-posts (stanchions) would be to use the ones available from Jack. Unfortunately, Kinetic's posts won't fit up with the scuttle on my Car9 build, so I'll need to make a pair from scratch. Since I don't want the aerodynamic barn door of a windshield flying off in my face, I'm once more to the forum for help.

What are your recommendations for material (mild steel, stainless or aluminum?), and thickness (1/16"? 1/8"?)?

Is it best to make the posts up as weldments of three pieces or cut them out of sheet stock in one piece?

Is the third mounting hole (the top one) really necessary to attach the post to the scuttle?

Thanks!

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PostPosted: April 18, 2018, 2:21 pm 
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Location: BC, Canada. eh?
I used 1/8" aluminum for my stanchions (although it's a particularly tough grade of T-6061), and each stanchion is a single piece. I'd be leery of built-up, welded ones, as they'll be under constant stress while driving, and any crystallization in the metal would be a bad thing.

I wasn't originally going to use the upper, 3rd hole, but in the end I did, as it makes the whole thing substantially stronger than I thought it would.

A buddy used 3/16" aluminum for his stanchions - his are much heavier, but no stronger than mine, and much harder to form the required bends & twists into.

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PostPosted: April 18, 2018, 2:46 pm 
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I welded mine using 1/8 x 1" steel. It may not be for everybody but it worked for me. It allowed me to later add a tab for my hardtop latch. I feel that a properly welded joint should be just as strong as the steel around it. I couldn't bring myself to wasting all that steel by cutting it out of a single sheet.


Image


I later added a strap to stabilize it a bit more.

Image

And then added the tab.

Attachment:
latch tab.JPG


This might be a good time to bring up my old thread (pardon the pun) about not-threading the windshield frame but installing steel nuts. Some of the newer members may not have seen this technique. WRT the top screw, in that link Jack mentions that there is only ~60 lbs force at the top of the post at 120 MPH.

http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=9225


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Last edited by rx7locost on April 18, 2018, 4:10 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: April 18, 2018, 3:56 pm 
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I used 3mm inch flat mild steel, and I have had a bolt strip the threads out of the aluminium frame! dont let visitors sit the car and use the windscreen frame as a support to get out. Wish I had seen that technique with the t nut. It might be a retro fit


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PostPosted: April 18, 2018, 4:48 pm 
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johnlee63 wrote:
I used 3mm inch flat mild steel, and I have had a bolt strip the threads out of the aluminium frame! dont let visitors sit the car and use the windscreen frame as a support to get out. Wish I had seen that technique with the t nut. It might be a retro fit


Yeah, that original post is coming up on 8 years old. My how the time flies. Sorry you didn't see it earlier. I thought I'd bring it up for some of the newer builders who may not have seen it. Getting out of a Locost takes a bit of "finesse". For those who aren't familiar with it, the windshield does make a convenient pull point that should be avoided at all costs. If not the stripped threads, it may have been a broken windshield!

I don't know if Jack (Kinetic) ever implemented the tee-nuts into his windshield frame/kits or not.

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PostPosted: April 19, 2018, 4:34 pm 
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I used Jack's stanchions, cut from 16 gauge mild steel. They've held up fine for five years/50K miles.


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PostPosted: April 20, 2018, 11:02 am 
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Thanks, all. That's really helpful input

zetec7 wrote:
I used 1/8" aluminum for my stanchions (although it's a particularly tough grade of T-6061), and each stanchion is a single piece.
Zetec, good to know. Using 1/8" 6061-T6 was my first inclination because of the workability, but I was worried about metal fatigue, etc.

rx7locost wrote:
This might be a good time to bring up my old thread (pardon the pun) about not-threading the windshield frame but installing steel nuts. Some of the newer members may not have seen this technique. WRT the top screw, in that link Jack mentions that there is only ~60 lbs force at the top of the post at 120 MPH.
Thanks, that's a great reference thread.

nick47 wrote:
I used Jack's stanchions, cut from 16 gauge mild steel. They've held up fine for five years/50K miles.
Great endorsement of Jack's parts! Are they really only 16gauge? I figured they would be closer to 1/8" thick.

zetec7 wrote:
I wasn't originally going to use the upper, 3rd hole, but in the end I did, as it makes the whole thing substantially stronger than I thought it would.
Now I need to figure a way to locate the third bolt support hole behind by aluminum scuttle without distorting the scuttle skin shape.

Always something.

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My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."

Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52


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PostPosted: April 20, 2018, 3:55 pm 
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seattletom wrote:
Thanks, all. That's really helpful input
nick47 wrote:
I used Jack's stanchions, cut from 16 gauge mild steel. They've held up fine for five years/50K miles.
Great endorsement of Jack's parts! Are they really only 16gauge? I figured they would be closer to 1/8" thick.

Really only 16 gauge. I was able to bend them around a lamppost to match the curve on the scuttle.
Attachment:
stanchions.jpg

Attachment:
stanchiongap.jpg


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PostPosted: April 20, 2018, 7:03 pm 
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1/8" x 1" s/s flat bar welded, 2 bolts, 8 years with no problems.

I never let anyone into the car without telling them that the top of the windshield isn't a handhold.

Ron


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PostPosted: April 21, 2018, 8:28 am 
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PostPosted: April 21, 2018, 8:41 am 
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GonzoRacer wrote:
Bubba said, "Whut's a stand chun?" :mrgreen:


I think it's a Chinese chin holder.

Cheers,

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PostPosted: April 21, 2018, 9:18 am 
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Lonnie-S wrote:
GonzoRacer wrote:
Bubba said, "Whut's a stand chun?" :mrgreen:

I think it's a Chinese chin holder.
Bubba said if "Chin" was the Nearly Naked Chinese Chick that cheapracer posted in his build log that he would hold her himself, thank you very much... :mrgreen:

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PostPosted: February 16, 2021, 11:30 pm 
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Reviving an old thread here....

How did you determine the stanchions wouldn't fit your scuttle Tom? Did Jack provide you with the radius' bend or something?

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PostPosted: February 17, 2021, 1:42 am 
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Trochu wrote:
Reviving an old thread here....

How did you determine the stanchions wouldn't fit your scuttle Tom? Did Jack provide you with the radius' bend or something?
Trochu, I scaled up the Jack's stanchion profile from the KV web pics and made cardboard mockups. I have an aluminum "long" scuttle that fits my dash bulkhead profile and ties in with higher upper siderails. I really liked Jack's stanchions, but felt I would have to significantly compromise the desired shape/fit/mounting structure to meet my needs. So I tweaked the design and made my own.

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Cheers, Tom

My Car9 build: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=14613
"It's the construction of the car-the sheer lunacy and joy of making diverse parts come together and work as one-that counts."

Ultima Spyder, Northstar 4.0, Porsche G50/52


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