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A '69 Build... "Brought to you by Don Juan Productions" Full index added to page #1

Overview Gallery Discussion
bigblock72 said:
Looks like a great solution for a tight spot.. Good job!!
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Thank you Sir..:waytogo:




Made a little progress this weekend. It sure seems that this one slider tie-in sure is taking a good amount of time.

Here are a couple of pics of what I have come up with. I did the last couple in paint to show you the rest of the proposed tube bracing. As you can see, I went for the lightweight option.

First I made a couple of these

IMAG0234.jpg


IMAG0235.jpg


Finished the outer bar and the B down tube.

IMAG0237.jpg


I tacked everything together. I'm not sure If I'm going to use those frame plates yet. I'd like to have it hit at least one more leg of the frame tied into the plates. The plan is to finish up both sides and move on to the doubler mount. At that time, I figure I can see what is going to be the best mounting method for everything at that time.


Still need to fix one of the cross bars. One is still a little long.

IMAG0250.jpg


IMAG0243.jpg


IMAG0244.jpg


And the rest of the tube, I'd like to knock out soon.

Sliderfrontmount.png


This one will be from the back of the B down tube, to further back on the frame. I think that I'll use a frame tie in bushing on this one. It should make everything really easy to take back out and really tie-in everything for some awesome rack resistance. I just can't see anything moving down the road, even with hitting the largest rock/tree, with all of the bracing, I hope that it will distribute all of the force to all three of the frame tie-in's.

Rearslidermount.png
 
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I sure hope you don't have anything to worry about after all that is in there! I think the local trees/rocks are shuddering right about now. Looks freakin sweet man, nice work!
 
Lol, I don't know if their shuddering, but I like to keep the playing field even. The one thing that is starting to bug me with all of this tie-in, is the frame. I do believe that it will end up being the weak link in the whole puzzle.

All of the tube should give me some great rack resistance and help with anything coming up through the floor too. Heck, I've even stated to think about some UHMV on the underside. I think that it would be pretty easy to install down there now.

I guess it all depends on how low the doubler hangs. :dunno:
 
All of your cross bracing for the sliders, then tying them into the cage is going to stiffen up the frame a ton though. Add a couple strategically placed crossmembers and you'll be in great shape I think. Somebody correct me if I'm wrong though...
 
looks pretty f'ing sweet to me! I'm in awe of the skills and tools you must have to make this all possible (not to mention the time!).
 
ashman said:
looks pretty f'ing sweet to me! I'm in awe of the skills and tools you must have to make this all possible (not to mention the time!).
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The thing about it is, I really don't have that many tools. All of my stuff that I've gathered through the years has been to cut wood.

I have the bender, a 211, three grinders, drill press and hand tools. That's really about it.

I tell ya what though, a plasma would be the chit. Cutting 1/4" with cut off wheels gets so fuggin' old, it's insane. :deal:
 
guess its all in the skill then. :D

NorCal69 said:
I tell ya what though, a plasma would be the chit.
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oh man, tell me about it. thinking about all the cool **** you could do with a precision cutter. /drool

I'm looking into welders right now and eastwood is offering a package deal with a plasma cutter... really tough to say no I tell ya.
 
NorCal69 said:
The thing about it is, I really don't have that many tools. All of my stuff that I've gathered through the years has been to cut wood.

I have the bender, a 211, three grinders, drill press and hand tools. That's really about it.

I tell ya what though, a plasma would be the chit. Cutting 1/4" with cut off wheels gets so fuggin' old, it's insane. :deal:
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It's looking awesome! Excellent work.

I had to have a friend help bend tube since I don't have a tube bender, however I would have never started my front suspension if I didn't have the plasma cutter, it makes cutting any shape you want easy and pretty quick. Cutting a shape is almost as easy as drawing it.

Keep up the sweet work.
 
ashman said:
guess its all in the skill then. :D


oh man, tell me about it. thinking about all the cool **** you could do with a precision cutter. /drool

I'm looking into welders right now and eastwood is offering a package deal with a plasma cutter... really tough to say no I tell ya.
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Plasma is definitely a favorite of mine, but mostly important for thick metal cuts. For a lot of sheet metal cuts I'm happier with a simple 4-1/2" cutoff disc.

Another recent favorite is my big 20" disc sander. It gives me really nice crisp edges and radishes on thick plate.... A step above what I can accomplish with a flap disc and careful finessing.

At some point, you have to acknowedge that tools are sometimes more "cool" than necessary.... They can save time, but cost so much money that they are hard to justify for a single build project. I know I could do nicer work with a Torchmate CNC plasma table..... But the one I want is around $5000. So I will cut out my parts to old-fashioned way and spend more time finishing them perfectly.

This hobby is often about creativity and working within the constraints of your workspace and toolbox. Figuring out solutions is half the challenge....and half the fun. :D

-G
 
Greg72 said:
This hobby is often about creativity and working within the constraints of your workspace and toolbox. Figuring out solutions is half the challenge....and half the fun. :D

-G
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absolutely agree. right now I'm searching out the basics though and I'm having a bit of trouble with "might as well". "I'm going to spend $300, but for an extra XX, I could also get Y". it starts adding up quick if you let it get started.
 
I forgot to add two major tools on that last post.

Chop saw: Set it at 28* for all of the tube notching

Big compressor: Used to run my favorite tool. 1/4" die grinder with a plethora of every grit roloc disks in the world.:pimp:

I'd love to own a plasma. Been trying to talk my bud into going in 1/2 on one. :insert devil smiley here: He does all his work at my house anyways.

Greg, always been jealous of your 20" disk sander. No matter how I handle the flap wheels, it still never comes out perfect for me at least. I've been looking on CL and Ebay forever trying to get my hands on one. They all look to start at about $500.00 minimum though and go all the way up to 2k+. What did ya end up paying for yours, if you don't mind?

On another note, without the big HF press and the Swag bender attachment, how are you guys bending the thicker metal?
 
The 20" Apex grinder is one of the nicest brands out there.... something like $2500 new.

I kept my eyes on CL and was able to pick mine up with a great old patina for $500. There are smaller versions out there, but only a small amount of that disc is actually useable for grinding....less than half the diameter, in fact. A 12" or 16" disc didn't really seem like it was going to be worth the trouble. And so much of the machine's value comes from the heavy platter and strong motor combo. You want to be able to really "lean into it" when you grind, and a smaller unit will just bog-down when you try that.

The only complaint is that the startup current is 23A, and it's on a 20A breaker. I need to either rewire it for 220V or at least run a thicker 110V wire and upgrade to a 30A breaker for it. I blow the breaker just about every time I try to start it unless I give it a manual spin, or "throttle" the switch quickly on/off/on/off/on to soften the electrical load.

Hydraulic bending > Manual bending
BendTech S/W > Chalk on the floor
Apex Grinder > Flap Discs
Plasma > Cutoff Wheels
Plasma CNC Table > Sliced Bread

You can always find a more awesome tool or process than what you have... but then you end up with a "Might As Well" issue for your tools, not just the truck! :yikes:


-G
 
ashman said:
still trying to figure out how you use Sliced bread instead of a Plasma CNC table. :whistle::haha:
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If I spent money on a plasma table....I would not even be able to afford bread. Sliced or otherwise. :whistle:

-G
 
I'm guessing that you'd have a lot more free time however. you know, since the wife would boot you out on your ass. :doah:
 
Yep, that is about the same price, or lower, that I have seen them going for. Good info on the 12-16-20" disk though. Never really thought about that.

So, how are you guys bending the 1/4"+ stuff? Does heat take away from the integrity of the steel enough to compromise it?
 
It doesn't hurt mild steel to heat it to bend, as long as you let it air cool. Quenching any kind of steel to cool it can make it a little more brittle.
 
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