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It looks like I'm settling into an every-other month update cadence. Wanted to get something up here before the new year.



Moved the frame to the ground on blocks so I could get the engine and axle located before proceeding too far. Also got to sit in it and make vroom vroom noises. A little wild that you can put your hand on the ground from the drivers seat.



The engine is quite the lump. I have the oil pan hanging an inch below the frame and it's still tall. But I don't think it's so tall that I won't be able to get a standard nose cone to work as long as I either relocate the oil cap, or make a low profile one.



I picked up this "Billet" oil cap for less than $10, figured I should be able to modify it into a sort of low-profile unit. As it comes its definitively taller than the stock cap. I'll post an update once I figure out how much metal I can take off.



I added a piece of extra square tube above the pinion. The way it was I would have a little under 2in of bump travel from ride height. Probably could have worked in those constraints, but adding something now is a whole lot easier. This gives me approx 2.75" of travel, which should be more than enough. Will cut out the existing piece once I get the frame on the rotisserie.



Building the axle mounts, I used some 2in x 3in Rectangular tube and cut one side off. Was pretty impressed with the bow that developed in the flat side that was cut off.





For my radius arms I used some weld inserts to to locate further forward on the frame. using a step bit I drilled the hole to the full 3/4" on one side, and a little over 1/2" on the opposite so I could thread a bolt onto the insert with a bit of off-cut tube. The inserts turned out pretty good. will be welding a br@cket to help locate the final rod end.



I ended up purchasing some tube and bushings off ebay to use for engine mounts. I used the original mount holes, and then cut the box sections at an angle off the plates to locate closer to the frame.



Here is 2/3 of the mounts. For some reason I didn't get a picture of the plates that bolt to the engine.



I boxed in this entire section so I could have a solid piece for both the engine and suspension mounts to attach to. You can see the finished engine side mount in this picture. The angle is funny, but the edges fully land on top of the plate.



I found someone that had a 5 speed for sale for $250, A good price with half the miles of the 4 speed attached. Also its out of a much newer truck so it has a digital speedo signal vs a spinning cable. Will make things easier if I decide to go with a non-gps based speedo. Plus, overdrive will make freeway speeds a little more tolerable for the motor.

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Cheers,
Logan

I didn't see any questions. Did you get your answers? I have some myself!
Is this a "book" chassis?
Is that an R150, 154, or 155? 3.0l v6 bell?

I expect your overdrive is around 0.80:1. IMHO, 2500 rpm at 65 mph is a good balance. 3.27 and 225-60-16 on the 16x7s would put you at about 76 mph at 2500 rpm and 60 mph with the current trans. A 3.73 ratio would make it 66 mph but first would not be of much use. A 3.08 with the old trans would be close to ideal with 64 mph and a useful first gear. There are lower profile/ skinny sidewall tires that will fit ok on a 7 inch rim but you will be running lower air pressure than normal anyway so bead seating could be an issue. A 22.75 inch tire od would work well with the 5 spd but that would be a 15 or smaller rim.

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Miata UBJ: ES-2074R('70s maz pickup)
Ford IFS viewtopic.php?f=5&t=13225&p=134742
Simple Spring select viewtopic.php?f=5&t=11815
LxWxHt
360LA 442E: 134.5x46x15
Lotus7:115x39x7.25
Tiger Avon:114x40x13.3-12.6
Champion/Book:114x42x11
Gibbs/Haynes:122x42x14
VoDou:113x44x14
McSorley 442:122x46x14
Collins 241:127x46x12

Tibimakai was suspensefully waiting for questions on his other topic.

Custom chasis based off the McSorley drawings effectively a +402. Wider to accommodate the axle, and taller to accommodate the engine.

I hadn't thought about shorter sidewalls needing to run a higher (than what we need) pressure. Was originally thinking of going with a 205/50-16, but could go with something taller if that's going to be an issue.

I'm not too sure of the trans as the guy I got it from didn't give me a lot of info. I believe it's the R150. The overdrive number that I found is .84. That would be spot on 65@2500 with the 205/50-16

Thanks for bringing these things to my attention.

_________________
Cheers,
Logan

I've been the victim of the latest winter storm... All work week we were looking at single digits, which made it hard to spend any appreciable time in the unheated shop. Now my weekend is here, and all the roads south to my Fiance and other house are either iced over or in a blizzard. The upside, is that once it started snowing the temp got up to about 25, which makes it bearable to work in the shop.

Decided to tackle my rear control arms.



Started off with a couple strips of scrap wood to center the tube. Used a thin strip in between and under the tube to get it to the right height on the bushing. Had to get out a couple business cards to get the height right.



The three wood screws did an adequate job holding the bushing sleeve. I noticed some play after the first one and just made sure to snug the tube to the sleeve so it couldn't move that direction. Seemed to do the trick.



Something about making parts that is extremely satisfying, time to work on the other end.



These inserts are for 1" tube instead of 7/8" but the thin wall on my tube made it an almost perfect fit. Used a die grinder to get rid of the seam, and they slid in like butter.



I used this bolt to clock the insert threads so that they will all start in the same place. I know the most I could have been out of is 90 degrees which comes out to be only .0125" but hey, it's something I can do. Once I had the ends clocks I plug welded the holes in the tube. Then I removed the bolt and finished welding around the end.



Here the driver side arms are test fit. They turned out well. Although with about 3in of bump they interfered with the body. So I will most likely move axle mount out about a quarter inch on both sides. I do plan on limiting the bump to 2-2.5" but if the other side was in droop I want to cover my bases. I only have two rod ends right now, as I order a couple cheapies from Amazon to hold me over until my order from Kinetic came through.



Here is one side of the rotisserie that I threw together. I'm using lazy susans for the bearings. Lets just say that this is most likely a single use. I will keep the frames and build a rolling work bench out of them post rotisserie, but if I build another frame I'm going to have to look at installing something like pillow blocks.



That being said I pulled the engine and axle out and got the frame mounted. We'll see if I get to welding tonight, I also need to tidy up the shop as I have to consolidate to half the space by the end of the month.

I was really hoping to have a rolling frame to take with me to Southern Oregon, but it's getting to the point that I need to get it welded up and on a trailer.

_________________
Cheers,
Logan

That's good progress.

Cheers,

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Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886