Suedes Car Club

General => General Discussion => Topic started by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 4:44 am

Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 4:44 am
Is this something you were thinking of doing?
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 7:13 am
Actually, I had this in mind. It is on this website in the gallery and I love it, lack of windshield, metal seat and all. Like i said, I'd like to find a separate cowl to spare the whole tudor i have, but i'm getting impatient.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 7:21 am
this is what i'm starting with. the 31 cowl and door are there for kicks. Its the 28 frame, 28 roadster body, '61 394 olds motor. Making a non roadster cowl and doors fit should be interesting. Any suggestions anybody?
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 2:45 pm
you could use a duvall styled windshield. and smooth out the cowl. if you used sedan doors and cut the tops off you could gain and inch and a half in the doors.  Not sure how the body lines would match up.

here is the duvall styled windshield
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 2:53 pm
here is a coupe or sedan cowl with the post laid back slightly.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 2:54 pm
now that is sweet! I love that windshield. too bad i don't have a 32 grille and frame laying around too. I hear they give those things away nowadays.
thanks for the pic.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 2:55 pm
here is one of tucks.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 2:57 pm
i think i like the duvall much better. See the seat in that black one? The driver must be like 5'4" tall!  I'm 6'4". Should a guy just bolt the body on top of the frame for starters and get the car going, then channel it, or just channel it right away because i like it when the body is flush with the bottom of the frame.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 2:58 pm
If you are going to the drags tomH I think will have his roadster there  you might be able to get some ideas off that.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 2:59 pm
tucks is flippin' sweet! Did he just notch the top of the frame at the firewall and bend it up? I think the channeling he did was perfect. nice motor.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 3:00 pm
I'm not missin the drags.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 3:05 pm
Quote from: "racerjohnson"
i think i like the duvall much better. See the seat in that black one? The driver must be like 5'4" tall!  I'm 6'4". Should a guy just bolt the body on top of the frame for starters and get the car going, then channel it, or just channel it right away because i like it when the body is flush with the bottom of the frame.

I would channel it right away, because if you  are like me once its going you arent going to want and go back and take it apart again.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Tom on August 24, 2006 3:08 pm
6'4" and your gona channel?? I'm thinking you going to be eating lots of bugs. :)  Now that I have to bring my pickup to the drags I will be trailering my modified down. Be leaving the roadster at home.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 3:08 pm
check out mad fabricators dvd #2. they do the mock up of tucks car on there.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 3:08 pm
well in that case I imagine one would bolt the existing subframe to the chassis and build extensions downward to lower it?

In racecar world, I'd just build a tubular spaceframe on the existing chassis and just hang the body with brackets, tabs, etc. simple to adjust that way
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 24, 2006 3:16 pm
few more of tucks
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on August 24, 2006 3:20 pm
is imitation still the sincerest form of flattery? i'd like to copy a couple aspects of that car.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: 31Rodder on August 25, 2006 2:44 pm
Quote from: "racerjohnson"
is imitation still the sincerest form of flattery? i'd like to copy a couple aspects of that car.


just when you think that you are going to do something original you find out that is already been done before.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: sko_ford on September 05, 2006 7:52 pm
hey racer i know this is a pick up but check ou the channel
http://www.johnsonsgarage.com/tito/index.html
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on September 06, 2006 2:37 am
Thanks for the link. I dig it. I don't know why, but I prefer the low frame look vs. a z'd front frame, and it's simpler. I like the thought of just inclining the whole frame like tucks hemi powered roadster (i think we talked about that).

To look at it positively however, z'ing would raise the front roll center and shorten the moment arm between that roll center and the CG of the vehicle (mostly influenced by that hunk of beautiful olds iron). the nose high inclined frame wouldn't allow the spring perch to go as high as the "z" without wrecking that parallel frame rail/oil pan rail look we were talking about. Heck we wouldn't even see the oil pan rail if I z'd it, so then I'd want the valve covers and the frame parallel. But i suppose when z'ing i couldn't forget about those exhaust ports aiming downwards. hmmmm. . . style vs. function.
By the way, how do these old cars handle at their respective limit of cornering? are they pushy or loosey goosey or just too scary to bring to that limit? I'm just wondering with this roll moment stuff if i'm worrying too much about something that won't have much of an effect on handling. If I build a low frame without a suicide front spring perch and have a respectively high rear spring perch, it sounds like bad understeer on corner entry switching to no rear traction and oversteer on corner exit to me.    J
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Eyeball on September 06, 2006 4:07 am
My A feels like a go kart.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on September 06, 2006 3:33 pm
eyeball, if i remember right, you just lowered the frame and z'd the rear? your frame and motor have about 4" of ground clearance?
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Eyeball on September 06, 2006 4:12 pm
I have 6" at the back of the car and that is the lowest point. It is z'd at the toe board 3" and 13" in the rear with the spring behind the axle.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on September 06, 2006 5:01 pm
thanks!
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Serious on September 06, 2006 9:37 pm
These cars dont handle,  My car is kinda scary actually, but i know my rear suspension geometry is all wrong. It needs a panhard par bad. Your not gonna make these things handle like a racecar,  Worrying about roll center and stuff is cool, but if you want it to sit like you want it to, its gonna be real hard.  These cars were never meant to handle like a slot car.  My car actually feels more stablew at 100mph+ than it does at 50mph..  It smooths out and works nice.  its wierd.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Serious on September 06, 2006 9:38 pm
Oh yea, to answer your question, my car wants to push when cornering hard.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Eyeball on September 06, 2006 10:32 pm
Mine doesn't push when cornering. It is hard to steer though cuz I set it up with 14-15 deg of caster in the axle but you don't have to steer it going down the road. :)

I will beg to differ about good handling. If it is set up correctly they can hold their own. Last year or the year before a 32 roadster won the egorama with a "hot rod" suspension under it. It won't handle for shit if you set it up stock like Henry did but like Serious said if you set up the geometry correctly and have panhard bars and suspension travel it is impressive how they will handle. ......oh yea didn't that Gasmonkey Garage win some cross country race with an A sedan last year too. I know it has a beam axle but it think it is on air bags.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Serious on September 07, 2006 2:27 am
I never said he couldent make it handle,  but it isnt gonna handle like a independant.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Eyeball on September 07, 2006 3:40 am
Quote from: "Serious"
These cars dont handle,  


I must have misunderstood! :) :lol:  :shock:  :?:  :)  :D  :D  :o ...... geeeeezzzzz your serious.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on September 07, 2006 3:50 pm
thanks for the heads up. I've simply never driven one of these jalopies.I saw that minnesota hotrod hardware car had a rear swaybar too, i'll bet that would help a lot. I guess I was planning on building 6-8 degrees caster. I don't think i've ever driving anything with 14 degrees! wow. Would you do that again?

p.s. go to Google videos, search "hot rod" and there is a video in the first 10 results called "old hot rod video". It's 13 minutes long. It's an SCTA type deal. Guy gets beaten in a street race, so goes out and buys a hot rod and runs the salt. lots of cool old racers rolling around.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Eyeball on September 07, 2006 4:25 pm
Quote from: "racerjohnson"
Would you do that again? quote]

My roadster is set at 9/10 deg an it is alot easier to steer. I think I would shoot for that on my next one.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: Serious on September 07, 2006 5:32 pm
My T is set at 7 degrees on the nuts, and works great, steers easily and tracks very well...  i can let go of the wheel at any speed and she drives straight as an arrow.
Title: RacerJohnson
Post by: racerjohnson on September 07, 2006 7:32 pm
sweet, thanks guys. less is better as long as it rolls straight.