Got the front end completely welded up, except for the frame horns. I'll do those last once I've coated the insides of the rails. So I moved on to the back.

A little trig to get the right cuts. I decided on 2 pie cuts for a total of 90 degree upward bend, erring on the side of less angle (slightly angled backward of the body).

Chop chop

Bend bend

And a couple more feet will go over the axle.

Bonus: I bought an original 29-31 Model A bed and tailgate for $175 at a swap meet.

Unfortunately, the Challenge budget only has room for this part and $10. Which would be fine if I had every part I needed. But I still don't have a windshield, tail lights, head lights, basically everything to legally put it on the road. So this bed is more of a post-Challenge plan. I will probably build a simple one for the Challenge out of discarded lumber.

There's a hot rod somewhere in this corner...Oh and I'm getting married this weekend. Don't worry, she knows what I'm up to in here and generally approves Her pottery studio is on the other side of the wall.

looks great, and congrats!!

Great progress!

I look forward to each and every update on this build. Going to be Gonzo when it is done. In a good way.

I kinda wish you were not building it for challenge $$$$ since it does have a lot of potential to be a nice rod to cruise in. Not saying you are not doing a great job, just that some frosting is always nice on the cake.

In reply to NOHOME:

Me too. That's why I'm taking the time to get the chassis just right, trying to make it a good jumping-off point after the Challenge. That's also why I have a box full of turbos under the workbench

Build continues to look amazing. I agree with NoHome, gonna be wicked cool when completed.

Oh, and

Congrats on the wedding this weekend!

Indy-Guy wrote: Oh, and #Congrats on the wedding this weekend!

Thanks! Since I'll be gone for a while, I leave y'all with this. Front is rolling on dummy shocks. And it is wide...very wide.

Your shop is too clean.

That makes me feel funny. Like when I used to climb the rope in gym class.

This is by far my favorite build/creation of the year. Congrats on the Wedding!

Enjoy the Wedding and Honeymoon! be in the moment as much as you can! it goes by so quick.

Looking forward to your return and further updates :)

Beautiful work!

CONGRATS TO YOU ON THE UPCOMING NUPTIALS!!!

(Condolences to your bride)

You know, it could be easy to fix the "wide" issue with the right offset...

Great progress!

Double up those rear wheels! Or make them wider to match the front track width.

In reply to Gimp:

Great Depression has an F20C no? That was a cool build too.

Finally, more frame progress! Life is back to normal. Gussets, grinding, and plating to follow.

After lots of math, I am pretty sure the front end should ride well with the GSXR600 coilovers. With a motion ratio of .62 and spring rate of 525 lbs, the front frequency is at or just under 2.0 Hz.

But now I need rear coilovers. They need to be roughly 150 to 200 lbs/in, and cheap. $50 or less for a pair. There are tons of cheap take-off motorcycle shocks on eBay, but finding the actual spring rates is a challenge. Harleys are dual-shock bikes, and their rates are 50 lbs/in according to awful forum sources. Most sport bikes are mono-shock and start at 300 lbs/in and up. Does anyone know of a motorcycle with a coilover rear spring rate around 200 lbs/in? Closest I have found is old Honda CB750, which might be around 100 lbs.

Depending on ID and length, bicycle springs may be the answer.

Could you do a rocker setup to use the sport bike shocks? Not sure how that would work w/ a stick axle, but you're not afraid to mix and match tech, are ya!

What about using sportbike shocks with stiffer springs and putting them on the lower links (is this getting a 3 or 4 link? I forget) using the length to achieve the ratio you want?

Somewhat common in the offroad world, and lets you multiply the shock travel as well:

I have a set of these

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Mustang-II-IFS-Front-End-Coil-Over-Kit-fits-QA1-qa-1-Components-/272678722546?hash=item3f7ceb1bf2:g:umcAAOSwH09ZH2Aw&vxp=mtr

They have a 225 spring. I will put them in the mail as a donation to your project if you want them. Just message me your address.

In reply to ¯_(ツ)_/¯:

It's a 3-link, with 2 lowers and 1 upper. Mounting to the lower links would give me flexibility with shock choices, but require a lot more fabrication as those lower links would need to be quite beefy. That would also require the car's weight to be carried through the 5/8" heim joints I bought for the lower links...would prefer to avoid that. However it does look quite bitchin', and aesthetics have been known to drive a lot of otherwise unnecessary work on this car.

Rocker-arm setup is also possible, but again a lot more work. I'm itching to see this thing rolling.

Traditional coil spring + tube shock setup could also be junkyard-able. Edit: Research tells me Crown Vic rear springs (P71) are 160ish and fronts (03 up, non P71) are 250...My local yard has temptingly low prices on coil springs and shocks...

In reply to MulletTruck:

That would be amazing, though I would have to include the FMV in the budget. Look out for a PM.

3-link fabrication is coming along, using cut-off scraps left over from the frame build. 2 links on bottom close to wheels, 1 link on top, centered on the diff housing, and a nice long panhard bar across the back. Axle-side link mounts came with the Ford 8.8 which I bought at the $2016 Challenge and was originally set up as a 3-link. So I just have to build the frame-side mounts. These mounts space the links properly to keep them parallel, while still allowing wrench access to the bolts for the heim joints.

Also I put gussets on the frame Z to beef it up a bit.

maschinenbau wrote: 1 link on top, centered on the diff housing,

If it's not too late, I'd suggest setting that link slightly to the passenger side to offset engine torque.

Congratulations on the welding. Oh yeah, and getting married.

Saw this. Thought of you.

In reply to STM317:

I want that very much.