The life of a scratch builder

[Johnson]

The life of a scratch builder:

Spend most of the day fabricating the jig for the base frame, and only one hour welding it together (while you wife is out boutiqueing:cool).

Two days later set the engine in frame rails.

Next day, fabricate your own engine mounts, because you are not satisfied with what you can get locally, and you don’t want to wait.

Next day, fabricate transmission mount.

Three days later fabricate front suspension chassis uprights.

Next day, the upper control arms, then spend the rest of the day trying to figure out the lower ones.

Next day, waist precious time after work finding the correct size tubing to fabricate the lower ball joint cups.

Spend the next Saturday bouncing between running the tractor on the plot for the corn patch, and fabricating one lower control arm.

Two days later trade three basket case jeeps for one 46 Studebaker flat bed truck.

Next day, mock up one front tire/wheel, and the two rear tires/wheels, then admire how cool a cobra looks while your dinner is getting cold

Two days later, build shelves for your wife in the laundry room.

Spend the next two weeks working 60 hours of overtime.

Take time on the next Saturday to go exploring the back roads with your kids, because you haven’t seen them for two weeks.

Three days later trade antique 6000 pound lathe for miniature antique 5000 pond bulldozer you came across on Saturday.

Two days later make your wife happy by using that ugly tractor you just came home with to move the “pile of junk parts” from behind the horse pens to behind the barn.

Next day, spend that overtime money to buy another gun; you should have spent the money on the windshield for the cobra.

Spend time after work fabricating a new sun shade for your future boss’s boat.

The next Saturday you get your argon tank filled so you can finish the other lower control arm.

It’s now five O-Clock on Monday, and it’s quitting time so maybe I can get that lower control arm fabricated this week, and then move on the rear suspension.

[elgecko]

I feel your pain

DAVE

[mickmate]

Okay, what did you fabricate your front uprights from for material and to for numbers?

[fasterpatrick]

You forgot now where's that (insert tool you need next and can't find)? I too feel your pain. Shop is a mess but work is progressing. keep pluggin away you'll win the war just not all the battles. Patrick

[Dominik]

In cape town it's different:

monday, take drawing for front uptight to supplier (sub-liar) asking for a quote.
he: how many thousands do you want?
me: make one, and I tell you if I like the quality

next supplier: I can't get that material
next one: I can do it
when? first thing in the morning (which morning?)

eight weeks and 150 excuses later: I am calling for my parts...
sub-liar: you know, since they build the Airbus A380 I cannot get any more carbon fibre...
me: what does that have to do with my aluminium upright?
he: I have to change from carbon fibre producion to glass fibre, that's why I don't have time for your upright...

a year later: ...

dominik

[Johnson]

I made my uprights out of 7075-T6 aluminum (had some sitting around from the P-40 project at work). Then I made the spindle from 4340 round rod (about $30.00 a foot). And everyone said I should have been a doctor instead of a helicopter monkey, ok, if I were a doctor I might just buy a Kirkham. I don't know what you mean by to and for numbers, I'll have my 1D-10T (Idiot) form in the mail tomarow. I just made them look like the Kirkham ones. I thought I would re-invent the wheel and place the upper ball-joint a little higher, but now it is about .250 from the tire to the edge of the ball-joint and 1.5 inch from top of tire to center of ball-joint. After I get the right hand lower a-arm fabricated, I will run the suspension through, and see if it gets any closer, although it shouldn't.

[mickmate]

Didn't your mother teach you not to tease dumb animals? Put a picture in your gallery! I wondered how far into the scrub steer, pivot point line up thing you got.

[fasterpatrick]

We want pictures, how else will we know what you are doing? Come on PLEASE throw us a bone. Patrick

[Johnson]

My cobra is a little embarrassed, as she must share a dirt floor pole barn with all the other projects. But I’ll post some photos in a few days.