Gt-12

[gwaii]

Dude wtf and where do you come up with this stuff....

you don't want to know

 

[gwaii]

not too bad a match...now i just have to trim and tack.

this has to be the smallest main hoop i've ever bent,and i've bent lots.a fullsize truck generally needs almost 20' of tube for a main hoop,this one i cut 10' and will be trimming about 1 1/2' off.

 

[gwaii]

there...told you it was small.

keep in mind,though,that the seats will be 3" lower so there will be a little more head room.the hoop is at the inside height of the gt6 roof.can't wait till i get more of the cage formed up,it really shows how it all goes together,makes it look more like a car than a frame and engine.

but,i should get going on the rear suspension before i get too carried away-the cage needs to tie into it,so it should be there first.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

I gotta get one of those benders.The Porta-Power idea sold it for me because Im lazy and getting fat...lol!
Running any kind of pipe/tubing gives me a headace.I have welded for some damn good fitters and tried to figure it out but it never comes out right.
Laying it out so everything fits is truly an art.

 

[gwaii]

it's not so tough.just need to know the process.if you have some basic math skills i can teach you the tricks in minutes.

 

[gwaii]

progress report....

cage is shaping up,decided to carry on with the front before digging into the rear suspension.

 

[COPPERHEAD85]

Looking good at least you had a pretty productive day.
I shot the last coat of red on the kiddo's buggy and hit it with some clear.
My oil-less compressor blew a seal and had to drag out my old one to finish.
It wouldn't run,had a dirt dobbers igloo on the contacts so I had to clean it before I could use it.
It was like I had to work on stuff to work on stuff all freakin day!
I was hoping to get the 460 on the stand at the neighbors shop and i need to adjust the rockers on the 85,only like the drivers side,so I can put that pig on the road.

 

[gwaii]

sounds like a typical day for me,too.half the time i have to fix stuff so i can get to work,too.
ah,the wonderful world of low budget.still better than sitting in front of the tv.

got a few more tubes in place,and set the tires up again to check clearances.

found out something interesting-usually when i set up a cage in the basement,i can just tack and fit...it needs to be broken down again to get it out,so i can fully weld it.this one is small enough to fit up the stairs and out the front door,so i can fully weld it in place.i just cant attatch it to the frame.thats no big deal,i can take it out for that.

 

[gwaii]

i like this shot,the air cleaner is almost level with the top bars-and the air cleaner doesn't even have the top on it yet.visibility for right hand turns may be a little compromised.

like i care.

 

[WoodyB2]

wow...that is going to be awesome!!!

 

[gwaii]

wow...that is going to be awesome!!!

hope so.

so,i figure i got enough of the cage built that when i look at it,i can see what it will become.time to move on.

this is the jag rear end i have for it.i don't know exactly what year or model it's from,but it's the real thing.i think it's a late 60s unit.
as mentioned in an earlier post,it's way too wide....so now i have to tear it down and figure out how i'm going to narrow it.i'm thinking all the bolts are going to be rusted in place.
i actually got this unit about 7 years ago,before moving to the islands.i had no idea what i would do with it,but it was worth dragging along with me.if i hadn't,i would be kicking my ass big time right now.

 

[gwaii]

here's something you don't see too often on a factory suspension-safety wires.

 

[gwaii]

i was absolutely amased.it all came apart slick as if it were new.

a cool feature of this system is that it uses roller bearings on the suspension arms.they also have such an effective seal design that they are all in excellent shape after more than 40 years.
another interesting thing about it is that the drive axle is used as the upper suspension arm.makes for fewer parts to deal with.

 

[gwaii]

another shot of the cool inboard brake setup.note the levers for the e-brake.these are simple and effective,why do all the e-brakes on disk setups need to be so complicated and,really,inneffective these days.

 

[gwaii]

in this shot you can see how much width needs to be taken out of this thing.the pivot bushings can be seen at the bottom of the diff.with the wheel mount set where it needs to be,the right side arm is in line with the left side mount.
this is a difference of 9",so it means a total of 18" needs to be taken out of the rear suspension's width.it's still workable,and the geometry of the system looks good still,but that is a lot to take out.
puting all this stuff into this little car is like stuffing an elephant into a toaster oven.it's fun though....i love a challenge.