Builds Shipwreck (4 Viewers)

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2 1/2 exhaust pipe, 4" ID schedule 40 brace, there's plenty of room

add to that, the exhaust is hooked up via a ball-style header collector, and the muffler is hung on a rubber muffler hanger... it's fine. Heck GM has 1/4" around its exhaust on C3 Corvettes... see the holes in the cross member? that's where GM sends the exhaust on 1964-1982 Corvettes (C2 from 1964 shared the frame until 1982)

street_shop_inc_shark_large_11.jpg
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
it's like grouse hunting, you can't shoot at the bird - you have to lead it... same with a build you head to where you want to go and if something happens, doesn't work, or something better comes along you adjust.

The color I got from Summit... it looks really close to the color of mr. jits '40 - and the more I see that color the less I like it. I'm really, really considering getting the color you painted yours... which would fit with my history of either light blue or tan FJ40s... did you go full flat or is it a matte finish?
Click to expand...

Not sure who your question was for..

But, mine was painted when I bought it... Not showroom by any stretch, but perfect for my uses.

The plate says it was originally 416 Dune Beige... There's a little red orimer in places... And someone repainted it... Close to Dune Beige, but not sure how close. Part of it is shiny and part us like a matte.
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
2 1/2 exhaust pipe, 4" ID schedule 40 brace, there's plenty of room

add to that, the exhaust is hooked up via a ball-style header collector, and the muffler is hung on a rubber muffler hanger... it's fine. Heck GM has 1/4" around its exhaust on C3 Corvettes... see the holes in the cross member? that's where GM sends the exhaust on 1964-1982 Corvettes (C2 from 1964 shared the frame until 1982)

street_shop_inc_shark_large_11.jpg
Click to expand...
I totally understand why you did it. From the pics it just looked really close clearance. I am curious as to what your frame does all welded up offroad. I have never seen a cruiser frame welded up before that I can recall.
 
To some critics, it's one of those hotrodder things I do that get some all irritated (and give me lots of fodder for jokes about them).

I want the suspension to do what a suspension is supposed to do an a frame to keep the doors from rattling.... that's the short answer. Frame flexing is simply a manufacturer taking a short cut for the people who'll never use their 4x4s as 4x4s. For the general public, flex is okay because they'll never blow down a washboard road at 70 mph, nor will they ever park in a spot where their doors are jammed shut because the body flexed so much as to hold the doors in place. To follow that, there is a 4x4 that actually rotates at the middle that was built during/just after WW2 that was an unmitigated failure... frame flexing is bad.

Background - GM publishes a "magazine" where it gives tips for its cars on how to race them, prep them for racing and ways to optimize what the engineers designed. For C3 Corvettes (1968-1982), they say to weld up the frame (plus one hole) and that it gives 60% more strength to the frame. That's important because you want the vehicle to do the same thing, every time when you're going fast - if the frame is flexing, it simply won't. When I started on this I realized that the ICON FJ40 used a complete custom frame from Art Morrison that is based upon 2x4 square steel. I'm sure ICON would be glad to weld the frame, but at the number of hours it'd take (at $100/hr) the Art Morrison chassis would be the same strength, but less expensive. I'm expensive at my day job, but I consider this work to simply be "tv time" - so the hourly rate is zero (by way of comparison the Art Morrison frame is between 12,000 and 25,000 depending on the features.)

Thus I had two different data points - GM's engineering that says a fully welded frame is stronger by a bunch, and ICON's experience building high-end FJ40s. No one, in my opinion, would buy one of those if it rattled... after all, while they're all about looking cool - they're not so good at the features we enjoy (like rattles). And honestly, it didn't add that much weight (less then 30 lbs).
 
I see total sense in frame strengthening. My new 45 project is going in the shop in January for coiling and part of my stipulation was that the frame be braced to allow the suspension to do it's job. I think on early 4WD's manufacturer's like Toyota riveted their frames to specifically allow more flex and travel, but it also resulted in everything you've listed above as well as excess NVH. Weld that sucker all the way I say.
 
Riveting is less expensive - or at least in that space and time it was. Welding has come a long, long way since even then 80s. The issue with riveting is like what you seen with '40s that crack their frame at the engine/trans motor mount. Distributing that force over a longer area creates less metal fatigue.
Worst case, there are cases where people have been killed by rivets letting loose in ships - and at that time, until welding processes started to develop, it was all there was. When welded was developed, however, rivet really did go away pretty quickly.
And with all of that said, the competition didn't box their frames at all - so please don't think this is criticism, (their frames were light-years ahead of Jeep or Land Rover) merely a treatise of metal fab.
 
so I'm back... I spent the weekend out hiding from kids, dogs and cops (successfully, I might add); and was eventually discovered, dead. The H3 is cleaned back up and I got a bit to get another bite of the elephant done.


yeah, I'm welding and finishing something that doesn't matter and isn't seen... but I know it's there and that's enough

some trimming done


I think I'm going to put a rubber edging there to keep down the dust, mud and (most importantly) squeeks.


verse 2
 
onward







all for access to a bolt


ground pretty


the problem with tacking with a mig, no penetration


anyway, that is now fixed and onto the next bit


nice how they put that slot on this safe... pop the electric panel off, slide your screwdriver back... and voila, broken into safe...


anyway with the electronics gone, it's simply a keyed safe that isn't waterproof but a good seat base and place to store my emergency gear (gloves, blanket, fire extinguisher, etc)
 
as many know, I'm doing an on-board air compressor system. I've had every other system there is and I really like the York system because, where the ARB/Viair systems are in the 2-4 cfm output range, a York system starts at 9 cfm and can get as large as 12 cfm.... for those counting, that's about the same as your 5' tank system in your shop... yeah, you could go to the wilderness and paint your vehicle (oh how I'm sure that would go over well with those who forgo girls for trees).

so... these two links are about the best instructions on both finding and modifying the York system... so why reinvent the wheel when these guys did such a good job?

York Onboard Air Compressor

to modify

ROCKCRAWLER.com - Getting Rid of an Oil Mess in a York Air Compressor

and also, this I haven't yet verified (because the last one I did wasn't a serpentine system) but apparently the input shaft is the same diameter as the GM serpentine.... that I will double check next week...
 
back to the back
originally, I thought I'd move the lights to the ends - but the more I thought about it the more that seemed kind of silly. Not only would they be more exposed from collisions but they'd build up dirt and mud behind them....
so this is what I decided


I'll still have my jacking points and protection on the corners - but without fear of crushing the lights


like so


and yes, that's 5 potential tow-points on the rear.... though really it's two anchor points and 3 tow points with 2 places to attach tow chains though I seriously doubt this is ever going to tow a trailer - I'm still planning on building an overland trailer with either my rtt on it or build a teardrop.... we'll see, at this point I've got this and several other projects of varying importance ahead of it.
 
I dig what you are doing and dig the build. Also agree on what you are saying above about the frame. Right now I am building a Nissan Patrol pickup (see siggy) and not to bash Cruisers but the Patrol frame is much more heavy duty being fully boxed with way more cross members. Still, I am plating the frame a lot with 1/8th and 3/16s. Not so much for strength as to just give me nice new steel to weld everything to rather than aged steel that is nearly 40yrs old. But ya, I am also building the entire frame so that it will not flex in the slightest.

Cheers
 
The '40 is boxed from the front horns to the forward, rear spring mount - but it's done with rivets, at least it's not boxed with air like the Heeps ;)

That said, I really like Patrols... almost picked one up recently until I was reminded I'm pretty set for projects by my wife (I also suggested a diesel, IH Scout - which is powered by a diesel Nissan motor - and she suggested something that I'm pretty sure is impossible)

a couple day of update
time to coat fenders... which I got to do twice because the "new" duplicolor bedliner is crap...


notice the nice "wet" look? it was wet, 4 hours later


anyway, wiped off and recoated with the old duplicolor - which works pretty well.... good thing they improved it

back to the rear sway bar (read, only sway bar)



didn't like the lower bolt hanging down so did a bit of mod


now it'll just knock the bolt head off rather then hanging it up on the spacer
 
SuperBuickGuy said:
The '40 is boxed from the front horns to the forward, rear spring mount - but it's done with rivets, at least it's not boxed with air like the Heeps ;)

That said, I really like Patrols... almost picked one up recently until I was reminded I'm pretty set for projects by my wife (I also suggested a diesel, IH Scout - which is powered by a diesel Nissan motor - and she suggested something that I'm pretty sure is impossible)
Click to expand...

Right on, that is exactly what I am doing. Patrol with the Scout TD. Thing is the turbo diesel I am using is from an 84 Patrol not a Scout, same motor though. I have got half a Scout TD and a T19 trans sitting here along with a beat down Patrol or two, if you ever reconsider. ;)

Cheers
 
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