ntsqd
technerd
I'm making a run of these in 304 Stainless Steel and am curious if there is any interest?
The Confer design just really looks period correct on older trucks and they work extremely well. I have some of these clamps, but not enough to completely support the planned RTT. When I went looking for more of them I found that they're really expensive when you can find any for sale at all - which isn't often. I decided to see about making what I needed instead. The original parts are steel with a cadmium plating. As I live in CA getting that plating done would be next to impossible, so I decided to make these parts in 304 Stainless Steel instead.
I have modified the cross-bar bracket's design subtly to use 80/20 extrusions, specifically their 1530 series, which is 1.5" X 3.0" https://8020.net/catalog/category/view/ ... sions=5567 If you are unfamiliar with these extrusions I suggest looking around that web page. They are called the "Engineer's Erector Set" for good reason. I'm personally partial to the 1530-S extrusion.
The angle brackets are 5.45" from the gutter to the top of the flat of the bracket where the 80/20 cross-bar extrusion will sit. I have since modeled two more brackets that are progressively lower. at 4.58" and 3.70" for the same dimension. All three brackets can go up as much as another .75" from there. I also made the bracket to clamp body bolts 3/8 UNC instead of Confer's 5/16 UNC. Mostly because the clamp bolt/stud is already 3/8 UNC. The bolts or studs for the 80/20 extrusion are either 5/16 UNC or M8x1.25
Picture of my CAD model:
Pictures of the prototype part sets (tension stud yet to be welded on):
Image of the 80/20 p/n: 1530-S extrusion:
As the number of parts goes up, the cost comes down so I thought that I would see if there is more interest. At my first parts run volume these will cost $135 + shipping for a pair of clamps, you'll have to buy the cross-bar separately. Please PM me if interested.
The Confer design just really looks period correct on older trucks and they work extremely well. I have some of these clamps, but not enough to completely support the planned RTT. When I went looking for more of them I found that they're really expensive when you can find any for sale at all - which isn't often. I decided to see about making what I needed instead. The original parts are steel with a cadmium plating. As I live in CA getting that plating done would be next to impossible, so I decided to make these parts in 304 Stainless Steel instead.
I have modified the cross-bar bracket's design subtly to use 80/20 extrusions, specifically their 1530 series, which is 1.5" X 3.0" https://8020.net/catalog/category/view/ ... sions=5567 If you are unfamiliar with these extrusions I suggest looking around that web page. They are called the "Engineer's Erector Set" for good reason. I'm personally partial to the 1530-S extrusion.
The angle brackets are 5.45" from the gutter to the top of the flat of the bracket where the 80/20 cross-bar extrusion will sit. I have since modeled two more brackets that are progressively lower. at 4.58" and 3.70" for the same dimension. All three brackets can go up as much as another .75" from there. I also made the bracket to clamp body bolts 3/8 UNC instead of Confer's 5/16 UNC. Mostly because the clamp bolt/stud is already 3/8 UNC. The bolts or studs for the 80/20 extrusion are either 5/16 UNC or M8x1.25
Picture of my CAD model:
Pictures of the prototype part sets (tension stud yet to be welded on):
Image of the 80/20 p/n: 1530-S extrusion:
As the number of parts goes up, the cost comes down so I thought that I would see if there is more interest. At my first parts run volume these will cost $135 + shipping for a pair of clamps, you'll have to buy the cross-bar separately. Please PM me if interested.
