mklotz70 Posted February 17, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2012 If you compare this closely, you can see that it's a bit wider and the vertical center plate is moved toward the wheel some so that the shock will have more space. Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 21, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Holy cow did they get done quick!!!! I just put the order in yesterday morning and they were ready first thing this morning!!! Wow! Can you see $300 worth of difference? LOL ....damn was that box heavy!! The top row is the new ones....except for the 2nd pc from the left. In the assembled pics, the new stuff has the vertical plate more toward the right....so the back/left set. Just a bit of clean up grinding and these will slip right in! Too bad I don't have one of them metal grinding monsters! :) Quote Link to comment
BEEBANI Posted February 21, 2012 Report Share Posted February 21, 2012 Really nice work Mike! Been watching this for a while. I've been doing similiar things with my designs where I can with the alignment tabs/slots like you have there. Makes things so much easier to layup for welding. Who are you using for laser? I'm currently using Bridge City Steel off of 22nd ave in portland, they do all our parts at work and make me sweet deals. Quote Link to comment
wayno Posted February 22, 2012 Report Share Posted February 22, 2012 Did you do a whole new order Mike? What I mean is, did you start over again? Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Bee....thanks. I use NW Technologies in Estacada. I work with Nate. I haven't heard of Bridge City.....I'll have to check them out and get a quote or two for comparison. Wayno.....I did not reorder the front Y gusset or the tension rod mount piece, but otherwise, yes....all new parts.....nearly $300. Just couldn't bring myself to use the others even though they were only off a 1/4". It was...at least in my opinion...a critical 1/4" :) Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 24, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 I came across these looking for something else in my PB account.....I haven't posted them in this thread, so I thought I would. These are the original arms, bought by Bre620 from a guy in Gresham. They were made by Charlie's Drop Shop and were $500. You can see how I changed up the design to drop the shock a bit and added some ground clearance by nesting the tension rod mount. The gussets on this set were only 1/8" if I remember right. I used 3/16" on the NL's and previous set. The ones I'm doing now are all 1/4". Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted February 24, 2012 Report Share Posted February 24, 2012 Finding all sorts of old pics eh? :D I remember those too :lol: Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Change things up a bit....rather than come home, set the laptop up, get caught up on email, fall asleep at my desk, wake up too beat to bother going into the shop........I got a bite, a cup of tea, then hit the shop. Got a good 3 hrs in!! I think the pics say enough, but if not, just ask :) Oh...in the last pic of the sticky....these arms will drop the rig a full 2" while gaining 1-5/8" of shock travel......so you could lower the rig 3.5" and the shocks would be about where they started. Bottoming out the shocks is a common prob....especially on the 320's since you can't get a shock as short as the stock one any more. The gussets need a bit of clearance grinding to fit just right, but you'll get the idea. Hated spending the $300, but it looks like they're just right now! :) Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 + a hair True engineer speak :lol: Quote Link to comment
Uber Deaf One Posted February 29, 2012 Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 This thread is full of win... I don't know how I didn't come across this before! Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted February 29, 2012 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2012 Thanks :) I've got a few threads out there like this LOL ....6800+ pics on my photobucket and most of them are on Ratsun somewhere. Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 4, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2012 Started marking the arms so that I can keep the sets together. This place will be covered up anyway. I needed some kind of mark that wouldn't sandblast off....this shouldn't. Worked on the welding jig a bit more. I took a few vids. I've shied away from them a bit since photobucket gives me so much grief when I try to load them. Maybe I'll try IE.....but I hate firing up IE....it's like waving a "come get me" flag at viruses. :( Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 7, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2012 Got a bit more done. I'll bet the guys with slow connections avoid my threads like the plague!!! :) Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Got a bit more done. I'll bet the guys with slow connections avoid my threads like the plague!!! :) Too bad for them :cool: Quote Link to comment
flatcat19 Posted March 8, 2012 Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 When I see a thread you started, I can't open it in a new window fast enough. Always great work. I love watching the process. Quick question--- Are these on a core basis? Or do you have a set to send out, and (customer) sends their set back to you? Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 lol Thanks :) It will be a core kinda thing. The set of arms will be at least $250 completed...bare metal. There will be a core charge....possibly as high as $100, refunded when a usable set of arms gets back to me. I have to make some call. Basically, it will cost me at least $50 to buy another set of arms and if I have to remove them, I'm getting paid for that time too. :) That ought to be enough incentive for guys to send the stock ones back when they swap them. We'll see how I feel about these when I'm done. These may be the only ones I do. Once I've done a project like this a couple of times, I don't really enjoy coming back to it. 3 of the 6 are sold and I'm pretty sure a 4th is spoken for. Part of the challenge is the cost of having all the plates cut. I need to order enough plates to do another 6 sets to get the same price.....I really don't want to do another 6 sets and I kinda doubt they'd all sell.....leaving me with a chunk of my play money tied up. I guess we'll see how it works out. I'll probably collect more arms...then maybe in another year or two, do another batch? Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 8, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2012 Got a couple more hours in them. First two three pics...once I tacked the front part on, I found out that the side plate was captured. I managed to get it out, then I had to do a bit of grinding to get the part back in. Also had to shorten the aluminum piece to make it a bit easier. As much as I suck at TIG welding, I wanted to get the shock plates welded. I didn't mig because it would build up too much weld and I'd have to do a bunch of grinding. The tig stuck them together....not the strongest welds, but it "supplemental" welding anyway. As I progress, the other side of the plates will get fully welded too. OMG! I hate cleaning parts!!! I'd like to know exactly what the hell was on this set!!! 2600psi didn't take it off and then they sat in the mineral spirits for at least another 2wks!!! I still had to scrap it off with a razor knife since the putty knife didn't do it!!! Argh!! Once I got the heavy stuff off, it cleaned up pretty nicely in the blast cabinet....which is so much nicer to use with the cover over it! :) Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2012 Still plugging away. Got the majority of the sandblasting done, then cut off the excess pieces. Now for some grinding and touch up sandblasting. Quote Link to comment
mklotz70 Posted March 14, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2012 Needed an easy, repeatable way to measure/mark the arms for cutting..... Quote Link to comment
a2lowvw Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 lt me know where to paypal you the $$ for a set of these Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Love the tooling Mike, that scribe template is gonna be handy for you. :cool: Quote Link to comment
oldskoolvws Posted March 17, 2012 Report Share Posted March 17, 2012 Hey Mike, glad I was part of "pressuring" you to do this again. Its full of awesomeness. I was really not in any kind of hurry but your getting me excited now... I know your busy in getting these complete, but I don't know if you recall, we were going to try to make mine 1/2" shorter...still a possibility? If not, I can live with it, but that 1/2" goes a long way for me... Thanks for the hard work, dedication and support to the cause... P. Quote Link to comment
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