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Reply to "Thunder Ranch build thread"

Update: I finished my improved sway bar brackets to move the bushings out to the ends of the beam where they rightly belong. Being me of course I made a complicated hash of these out of box stock instead of doing the efficient thing (like Danny) and just welding angle iron to the shock towers. I have no excuse.

Here is me at the beginning of the process. I mocked it up on a spare beam I had in the shop:

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At this point the box stock looks reasonable. It's near the edge of the beam and can be affixed with muffler U bolts. Much easier than clamping it up and trying to weld directly to the car...or so I thought.

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Ah but. In this position, the brackets would make it impossible to get a grease gun on the zerks, so I had to slice/grind a section out of the box to fit it closer up against the shock towers. Also, the U bolts are too short to account for the swaybar bushing carriers (and no one makes 2 1/8 inch J bolts, so they had to be extended.

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No U bolt on the bottom beam tube—won't fit with the frame gusset I already welded in. So just a bolt welded in as a stud for the carrier. And a bit of angle to fit up against the stock beam gusset on the frame, bolted through. Why am I not just welding this in place? I don't know! 

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All test fitted. Center hole for the U bolt has reinforcement tubing to keep the cut box from deforming when the bushing carriers are tightened with "Chevy hands."

IMG_6197Studs are welded on the outside and the inside—same reason. Painted all the bare metal edges to discourage rust. In my defense: once these are installed all the ugliness of these cutaway edges will be invisible.

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Still. This little interlude well illustrates why "building cars for money" will not—cannot—be my second act in my life's career. Chuck Beck I ain't. Not Carey Hines either. 

Alan Merklin is a damn genius and I don't have enough years remaining on this planet to develop a tenth of his skills and ability.

Meanwhile, my oil cooler bits came. I got Karen to help me take the back section off the car today and started test fitting that stuff. 

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That little fan is going under the cooler as a puller. I need to make a bracket for the front of the cooler body, and cut and fold the aluminum underpan into a ductworks so all the fanned air gets pulled through the plates. 

I'll start on that tomorrow.

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