highspeed Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Finally getting some work done. It's been a long time coming. Front end was welded back on Friday and the steering column, pedals, and rear end with springs should be installed this week.Hope to have it running in about a month. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Todd B Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Wow, I give you alot of credit. I could take the top of a house off and add a second story in a heart beat, but there is no way I would attempt to saw the front end of a truck off and feel safe driving it down the road. Hopefully you get it done by August, I am planning a get together and you are only 1 state away. I would love to see it. Great job, Todd B's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4msfamly Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Can you post pics on how you put the frames together? Did you make a new front sub frame for the K member? Nice wheels! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NiftyFifty Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Wow' date=' I give you alot of credit. I could take the top of a house off and add a second story in a heart beat, but there is no way I would attempt to saw the front end of a truck off and feel safe driving it down the road. Hopefully you get it done by August, I am planning a get together and you are only 1 state away. I would love to see it. Great job, Todd B's[/quote'] It's a pretty common practice, the big thing is you can't butt weld the frames, you need to box it in at the connection and strengthen in.... There's a local hot rod that has a v12/front clip with coils in it and is butt welded only.... I shudder every time I see it... Technically illegal here for our safety Program but I guess it's all who ya know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave5711 Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 What are you using for an engine? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highspeed Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Thanks for the input. I'm not a welder so I had a friend who is a frame and body man do the work. He has over thirty years experience and I trust he's doing it the right way. I will find out how he made the connection. The last thing I want is to end up with two pieces while driving down the road. Will post more pictures as they are taken. The wheels are off a 1981 Cordoba. Trying to keep everything as much MOPAR as possible. So far the only exception is the 1995 Caddy taillights that will be mounted in fabricated stake pockets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highspeed Posted April 30, 2012 Author Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 Todd B's--- I'd like to make your gettogether. Keep us posted on the details. The engine is a slant-six. I found a 1979 Volare with 17000 miles and used front craddle, rearend with leaf springs, steering column, gas and brake pedals, Super-six engine and transmission. I plan to use this as a daily driver and wanted the modern power and brakes. The slant-six will be something a little different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted April 30, 2012 Report Share Posted April 30, 2012 (edited) The upper A arm control towers up to 83 don't have the extra support Chysler added in or around 84/85. The towers were leaning in on the Diplomats the cops were driving and affecting the performance a lot. This lead to the design change. Even though it was a slant six, I would check the towers for cracks and bends at the base of the K member, plus put in a tower brace on the final build. http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=14259 This is the build that lead to my truck "The Brick" we race at bonneville. 48D Edited April 30, 2012 by 48dodger left words out again...hard believe i that much geesh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highspeed Posted May 1, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 1, 2012 The upper A arm control towers up to 83 don't have the extra support Chysler added in or around 84/85. The towers were leaning in on the Diplomats the cops were driving and affecting the performance a lot. This lead to the design change. Even though it was a slant six, I would check the towers for cracks and bends at the base of the K member, plus put in a tower brace on the final build. http://www430.pair.com/p15d24/mopar_forum/showthread.php?t=14259 This is the build that lead to my truck "The Brick" we race at bonneville. 48D Thanks for this info. We checked everything over when we removed it from the car and it all looks good. The tower brace sounds like a good idea. How and where would you put it in ? Is there an aftermarket product to do this? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 What I did was notch the frame and weld in the front suspension. The upper control arm towers end up above the frame rail. So I welded a 1/4" flat steel plate from the frame to the tower. Nothing fancy. I'll try and get a picture, though difficult with everything installed. It's worth noting for those who haven't put a Diplomat/Volare in, that the front ends have about a 1 1/2 inch window of play with the torsion bars. A lot of guys think they can unwind the anchor adjusting bolt all they want to lower the front end or worse, crank it up. To loose or to tight and the ride suffers. Geometry is real important to get proper control out of the alignment, so check more than just "how the tire looks in the wheel well" to get the most out of it. 48D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
48Dodger Posted May 3, 2012 Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 Ok....picture of the painted frame. You have to zoom in on the tower to see the flat plate support. 48D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
highspeed Posted May 3, 2012 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2012 48dodger-- A picture's worth a thousand words. I see what you did and will look into doing something like that on mine. We didn't notch the frame but fabricatated perches and mounted the craddle the same way it was mounted in the Volare. You are right about adjustments on the torsion bars. In the mockup, the gap between the tire and the fender was about 2 inches. We figure with the steering column, hood and everything else put back on and a slight adjustment the gap will be about an inch while still keeping the geometry intact. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MiltYergens Posted May 11, 2012 Report Share Posted May 11, 2012 (edited) I have been faced with this problem for several years, my Volare unit is poised under the 55 dodge "hourglass frame" and ask myself why do things happen to me. I've seen all the Ford, Chevy and Dodge type B builds(48-53 plothouse) and even 60's era A100's all relatively straight frames and then my hourglass framed 55 Dodge comes along and if installed the frame rail collides with the Volare steering gear. Some law of physics states that two things can not occupy the same place at the same time. I've thought about cutting off the front of the frame as you did it but I would like the appearance of the stock frame as it exits the front sheet metal to attaching to the bumper to appear stock. I have even considered grafting rectangular tubes on each side, welding at front and back leaving the front frame and cross member and the removing rails where they get narrow. The most elegant Volare graft I've seen is on the snapshot of a 56 Plymouth I have attached, The section of the frame is cut, boxed with three round tubes swoop out the the frame to hold the Volare in place then continuing on to support the bumper (done by a skilled race car frame builder). Edited May 11, 2012 by MiltYergens Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Mathias Posted May 19, 2012 Report Share Posted May 19, 2012 I have been faced with this problem for several years, my Volare unit is poised under the 55 dodge "hourglass frame" and ask myself why do things happen to me. I've seen all the Ford, Chevy and Dodge type B builds(48-53 plothouse) and even 60's era A100's all relatively straight frames and then my hourglass framed 55 Dodge comes along and if installed the frame rail collides with the Volare steering gear. Some law of physics states that two things can not occupy the same place at the same time. I've thought about cutting off the front of the frame as you did it but I would like the appearance of the stock frame as it exits the front sheet metal to attaching to the bumper to appear stock. I have even considered grafting rectangular tubes on each side, welding at front and back leaving the front frame and cross member and the removing rails where they get narrow.The most elegant Volare graft I've seen is on the snapshot of a 56 Plymouth I have attached, The section of the frame is cut, boxed with three round tubes swoop out the the frame to hold the Volare in place then continuing on to support the bumper (done by a skilled race car frame builder). I've got the same "hourglass" frame under my 54'. Have you thought about the Fatman IFS? I know w/me, cost is an issue, I'm going to be putting mine onto a Dakota frame cause my 54' frame is way to hacked up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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