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Yo, anybody out there? Is this thing on???

Went to the shop Sunday, all excited about putting the front end together. Didn't happen. I can't quite give a good reason why I decided to buy "off the shelf" parts as opposed to getting some adapters made, but I did. I got a Mustang bumpsteer correction kit from Racecraft.com, shown here:

The adapters/heim joints were too long for my application, which isn't Racecraft's fault. Looks like I'm gonna have to trim off a half-inch or so of the ends of the arms on the rack to make things fit. AND... The threads on the heim joint end of one adapter were buggered up, right out of the box. James tried putting it together, no luck, I gave it a shot and pronounced it hopeless. And, of course, his tap n die set was in Tallahassee at the Ford Dealers. Dammit! Obviously, this is a very small sample of the products from Racecraft, and I can't make any conclusions about their other products... But... Just Dammit!

OK, so being all PO'd about the front end, we moved to the back. Better luck there. I'd had a plan in my head for a differential mount, and we fabbed up some bits-n-pieces and it actually worked! We put a piece of 1" across the gap in the X in the rear of the frame, welded a triangular plate on top of that, and then cut a piece of 1.5" at the angle of the plate so it stood vertical. A couple of pieces of flat and we got ourselves a diff mount!

Then we cut a piece out of the lower cross bar of the cockpit frame, and put in vertical braces for the cut-off ends, which also served as front mounts for the diff-

I've got to fab ("bend") up a top bracket for the front, I'm thinking a long bracket that'll bolt down to the frame on each side of the bushings, have a hole for the bushing bolts to go thru, and then arch over the nose of the diff to the other side, and do the same. Again, I'll report back to ya.

Oh, and then the last straw... We ran out of gas for the welder... It was time to go home and watch Jimmy Buffett's concert from the Gulf Coast any way...

Peace, Love and Pushrods-
JDK

Don't really know, but is it ok to solid mount a diff? All the ones I have seen are usually hanging or have big cushions and such. I see you have big bushings on the front, but if you solid mount the rear like that you would probably want to solid mount the front as well so that the forces are applied/shared somewhere else besides just that rear mount.

Yo Daed-
Guess we're critiquing each other's build logs this morning! You got those gussets welded in yet? LOL...

You are correct, the front is mounted in bushings. They are the very hardest poly bushings you get from drag race supply places for hot rod 'Stangs and kit cars. I don't own a durometer, but the l'il bastids felt like bricks! Supposedly (I have been told) they will work with a solid rear diff mount. I got them at the same time I got the new poly bushings for the rear uprights, from the same supplier, whose name escapes me at the moment. (I'm at work, notebook is at home.) I pondered solid mounting the front, just didn't do it (yet).

Good call, Sir, I'll do some more research on mounting of Ford IRS diffs. Remember my standard disclaimer, "I ain't no engineer."

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

To follow up on the "solid rear/bushings in front" diff mount question:

I emailed the supplier I got them from, wrote an explanation of what I wanted to know, asked for his "technical advice" and got this reply:



Short and sweet, to the point, but somehow not all that re-assuring...

The local racer community that I've talked to is divided, but the majority go with "Soild at both ends." I'm kinda thinking I oughta replace those new, just purchased poly bushings with some aluminum ones. I've seen 'em on-line somewhere for 95 bucks , but I'm sure I know somebody with a lathe...

JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Yo, Evvey-Boddie!
Got a sort of an update from the weekend. I can't say that we actually got much done on the car, other than assembling the front suspension, with steering rack and bump-steer correction kits installed... Guess that's pretty good, now that I think about it. We had to drill out the steering arms on the spindles, put a 5/8 bolt thru them, then three spacers and the heim joint. The heim was threaded into the adapter to mate it up to the 9/16 steering arms, and it all went together just fine, now that James has re-threaded the adaptors and drilled out the spindles.

However, the big news is... wait for it... I got an engine!!! In a previous post, I had said that a "friend of a friend" had traded a motor out of an F-150 for some wheels. Wellll, the kid backed out on the deal. That was bad enough, but he has also managed not to answer or return my calls about returning the wheels or paying for them. (His dad is a County Sheriff... I'll give him another week or so and then call Daddy. That'll straighten his li'l "donkey" out!)

But, on Wednesday, James called me and said "There's some Slotus motivation on Craigslist." Took me a minute to figger out what he was talking about. (That happens with him... Often...) Seems there was a 92 Lincoln LSC Mark VII for 500 bucks. I called, talked to the nice lady, went to look at it, we went back Sunday with a battery and some gasoline and fired it up. Suspension is totally shot, but the 302 HO sounds good. Brought the old girl home (Car, not the lady that owned it...) and parked it at Jamey's house where it's gonna become an organ donor!!!
So, I told TWWTFM that I'd bought her a Lincoln, but that I was gonna take it apart before she got to drive it. She didn't totally understand, but that happens with us, too....
Peace, Love N Pushrods
JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Your honest, your world headquarters sign proudly proclaims your an "Egineer"!

I think the poly bushes will be ok for your diff, since they are so stiff. I have seen pictures on this site of that rear mount on the cover having been broken off. I think some of the cars (Fords) use that style cover and others don't, but can't point you to a thread for that.

Perhaps it makes sense to use a single bolt to the rear mount you fabbed? Then if there are very small movements it could pivit a tiny bit as opposed to using two bolts. Not sure about that. You could weld a tube the diameter of those poly mounts on that rear mount you made at the right height, stuff the bushing in and sandwich it up and bolt...

If you stand on that rear mount, does it flex the frame up and down at all? You may get as much flex that way as the bushings...

Great to hear about the motorvation! This is going to be fun

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Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Congrats on scoring that sweet Lincoln. That thing would look good on cinderblocks in front of my trailer.

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He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Geez Chet, this is the internet - be careful what you wish for! It won't be so funny after the third or fourth one shows up in the middle of the night. Well, not so funny for you or your neighbors, but it might be pretty funny for the internet

_________________
Marcus Barrow - Car9 an open design community supported sports car for home builders!
SketchUp collection for LocostUSA: "Dream it, Build it, Drive it!"
Car9 Roadster information - models, drawings, resources etc.

Horizen wrote

Hey Horizen! Good to hear from you! I hadn't thought of using one bolt in the back, that might help. A few other folks I've talked to said it looked OK as is, given those were very stiff poly bushings. I'll probably chicken out and use aluminum in the front before it's over, and the poly's will become motor mounts or something. There's not much flex in the support for that rear mount, but I haven't stood on it. We'll test that theory too.

We got all excited about buyin' a Lincoln and didn't do much with the rear suspension this weekend. I'll get back to it shortly.

As for "Egineering"... GEEZE!!! I can't believe I did that and didn't notice!!! OMG, what a Goober I am.... Wonder if it's some Freudian slip, me trying to return to my days on the chicken farm? Guess that would be "EGGineer, though...
Catch ya later... Gotta go EGineer some more now...
Take Care-
JD

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

I'm pretty sure Chet was just making a WV joke for me... Although, the thoughts of secretly delivering the remains of the Lincoln to his yard are pretty funny... Hmmmm... I know a guy that drives a car hauler... Wonder if a case or two of Natty Light would bribe him to make a detour....

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Yo-
I just got an email from a friend of mine, actually the wife of the guy who sold me the differential and the wheels. She says I oughta race the Lincoln! Hmmmmm.... It would look kinda good, fenders flared, big ol' slicks on it, hunkered down on the ground.... Hmmmmm.... Maybe I'll keep it around, might be a fun project after this one.... Hmmmmm.... Two race cars... I'm blessed with two race cars... A life of poverty....

JD "Tevye" Kemp

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Yo! Anybody home? Is this thing workin????

Been away for a while, one month actually. Geeze, time flies sometimes. Since we last talked, there's been two autocrosses in Dixie Region, I moved, and I've been working out of town from Sunday night or early Monday morning until Friday evening. Kinda cuts out the "Tuesday night work sessions" on the car, doncha know.

So, in other words, I don't have a good excuse for not workin' on the car...

And then, there was this other thing. When I decided to go back to the original IRS idea instead of solid axle, the first thing I did was figure out where the control arms would attach and weld in some square tubing there. Wellllllll..... Upon closer inspection, we (Me and James) realized that there wasn't sufficient clearance for droop of the half-shafts.

If you look past the smirky expression on TWWTFM's face, down to the bottom of the picture, you can see the offending rail. It's the one that doesn't look rusty.

So, having figured that out, the first order of bidness was to cut out a piece of the rail to make room for axle movement. First time working on the car in a month and all I can do is "un-do" something from earlier. Arrrgh!!! How-some-ever, we got the cutting and bracing almost done, as shown below-

Still needs some lateral bracing, that'll happen soon, but not today!

So, I guess I'm back to workin' on it, even if I can't brag too much about "progress"!!!


Y'all Take Care-
JDK

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JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

Yo, it's me again...
In the continuing tutorial on "The Basis of All Science Is Accurate Measurement" I present to you an illustration of the proper alignment of the half-shafts of an independent rear suspension:


And, mostly for Horizenjob, who caught my error last time, here's the NEW and IMPROVED banner for Slowtus World Headquarters!

JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

I love the concept of a Mallock, but I always assumed it would be limited to a 4cyl or a bike engine. I'm keeping my eyes open to see how you manage to fit the 302 in there.

Good luck, keep us posted

Hi Andy-
Thanks for lookin' in on my build.

You're correct in that most Mallocks had small 4-cylinder engines. They were one of the original "Clubman" racers in the UK, at about the same time period as the early Lotus designs, including the 7. I've loved 'em for years...

I have thought about how far I've strayed from the "Original" design of the Mallocks of the 50's and 60's. I think the thing you (and I) have to remember is that it's the "concept of a Mallock" (as you put it) or a "Mallock Tribute" (as I called it).

The design of the frame wasn't exactly done on a bar napkin, but it was close. I did look at a lot of pics of Mallocks in various stages of construction/restoration and did take some ideas from them, but I can't truly claim to have copied the Mallock design. I did use the offset drivetrain and the extreme rear seating area that looks like it was originally wide enough for two but was converted to single seat. The front end of my frame is rather rectangular, as opposed to the trapezoid of a Lotus. The control arms are mounted on top of frame rails on the bottom and outboard of them at the top. That's another Mallock design feature I borrowed. So, I guess there's more Mallock inspiration in there than it seems at first glance.

The 302? That's pure, old fashioned American hot-rodder. I've raced a 4 cylinder car for years, and want to move up. Always loved the rumble of an American V8, love the torque. So, if I'm building my dream car here, why not go for the V8, what the hell, ya know?

When I get down to making bodywork, there's gonna be a big "internal argument" going on. Should I build it "modern" and swoopy, or boxy and basic. Mallock Mk 15, with sidepods and aero, or Mk 8 with sheetmetal fenders that hang off the rear of the cockpit? Hmmmmmm....

Keep watchin'... I'm not sure where it's all going myself!
Take Care-
JD Kemp

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom