Project "Why Not"

[meadowfield 1,900]

looking good Ian

[Ian 2,417]

With no more steel to hand to make any more of the frame (an order was put in today), I turned my thought to narrowing the rear axle.. Time to get serious and work out how narrow it needs to go.

 

So the chassis was welded to some bit's of box at the right height... This is the rear..   Did I mention I like MIG welding?

 

 

 

And once I was sure the chassis was central on the bench (I had drawn a big rectangle around the bench with a line right through the center), the bit's of box were firmly screwed down.. The chassis isn't going anywhere now

 

 

 

So out came the wheels, bit's of bodywork and the odd bit of wood for some mocking up..   Moving the rear wheel in and out, backward and forwards until I hit the "Grin spot".!

The "Grin spot" is when you know you have got it just right and a big grin breaks out on ones face quite often followed by some silly giggling

 

 

 

 

Once I'd had a coffee and calmed down a bit, out came the tripe measure followed by some scribbling and head scratching..

 

The standard width Reliant  axle is 1288mm hub to hub..

I need one that's 780mm in width..

So I need to narrow it by 508mm or 254mm each side, or the bit between the masking tape need to be cut out!!

 

 

 

I won't be doing any cutting here though, Nigel has a powersaw thingy that's far more accurate than anything I have here..   So see you soon for some metal sawing Nigel

 

 

Oh, for me one of the best views of Why Not is from the front.. The trouble is there is not enough space to get a camera in to take the shot....

 

So I tried the Panarama setting on my phones camera... Not quite the result I was after

 

 

 

Thought I'd better add this as well...  The latest Project "Why Not " video

 

looking good Ian

 

Thanks Mark

[Stormin 4,458]

At the rate your going, Ian, Why Not will be finished before to long.

[Ian 2,417]

Thanks Norm, a long way to go yet and as I've set myself new higher levels it's going to take even longer...  It will be worth it though

[diggerjames 543]

Looking brilliant mate your welding is getting brill it's a lot easier using the mig to tack things into place etc . I'm looking forward to watching the axle been shortened .

[Ian 2,417]

Thanks James, I hope my welding is better as I plan to weld the axle casing back together today

 

Speaking of which...

 

Both halves of the casing marked out for cutting..

 

 

 

Scribe lines top and bottom so I can line the halves back back up for welding..

 

 

 

 

Chopped        Thanks Nigel for letting me loose with your metal slicing machine yesterday

 

[Stormin 4,458]

Looking good, Ian.

[Ian 2,417]

Thanks Norm

 

Have a photo of a rather narrow Reliant axle housing

 

 

 

And here's how I narrowed it

 

[Stormin 4,458]

Spot on Ian. I see you got the spring mounts at the top. Fitting rear suspension?

[Ian 2,417]

Thanks Norm.. Nope, no rear suspension I just left the spring mounts on should they come in handy for mounting the axle

[Stormin 4,458]

I was jesting. But they could be handy to mount something too in the future. Frame for a rear seat maybe.

[C-101plowerpower 548]

I was jesting. But they could be handy to mount something too in the future. Frame for a rear seat maybe.

 

maybe snow plow mounts? 3 point mounts?

 

 

Koen

[meadowfield 1,900]

Good progress Ian!

[Ian 2,417]

Thanks chaps..

The spring hangers will be used for mounting the axle, I think I've got it worked out in my head how the chassis will attach.. With a bit of luck the steel I've ordered will turn up tomorrow.

No snowplow mounts or 3 point on Why Not Koen, this is a strictly fun build only... Though a tow ball wouldn't hurt

[Ian 2,417]

I wish I had more of an update on Why Not for you guy's, but as my ordered steel has yet to turn up (fingers crossed for tomorrow he says yet again ) I've not been able to get on with much..

 

These two bits of blue box have been welded to the back of the body and screwed to the bench..

 

 

 

And a couple more lengths at the front.. These hold the bodywork in the right place so I can work out how the new chassis rails will run..

 

 

 

Nothing is set in stone yet, but I do know I want the top rails to run inside the bodywork..

 

 

 

Roll on when the steel arrives, it will look better and be a bit stronger than the lengths of wood

 

[diggerjames 543]

I hope your steel comes soon mate it's looking Brilliant keel it up bud

[Ian 2,417]

Thanks James.. The steel turned up last thing yesterday afternoon

Now for the tricky part.. Working out how and where the chassis will run, and how to mount the axle to it!!

[Ian 2,417]

Well, the time had come to get cracking on with building the rest of "Why Not's" chassis, but before I could do that I needed to make sure the rear axle was in the right place and would stay there.. So I dug out some old angle iron to make a pair of bolt on axle stands..

 

 

 

But how to find the center of the axle!!

 

 

 

Not a problem... I bolted a thin steel plate over the hole and gently tapped around the edges of the bearing hole which kinda gave me an outline, but a rough one..

 

 

 

Once  the plate was removed it had a nice smooth sharp bearing hole mark... Just right for marking out the middle

 

 

 

The center mark was given a light nudge with a punch so it could be seen on the outside and then bolted back to the axle like so

 

 

 

A view from the rear.. The axle is 100% in the right place now and is firmly fixed down to the bench..

 

 

 

And the prop shaft mocked up..

 

[Stormin 4,458]

  Coming on.

[Ian 2,417]

And onto the chassis....  Almost

 

I thought it would be handy to have a way of mounting the axle to the chassis so I marked out a couple of squares of steel, cut them out, tack welded together, but it was only when I started to bore the centers out on the lathe that I realized the square plates were going to be too small!! 

 

 

 

Take 2 on a slightly bigger scale.. That's take 1 on the bench behind it!

 

 

 

A perfect fit around this axle off cut..

 

 

 

Chopped in half's and tacked on to the axle.. The sticking up bit's at the back are temporary and were only added to keep the plates the right distance apart for tacking onto the axle...  Strengthening will be added but on when I have the chassis sorted..

 

 

 

 

And finally the first 2 new bit's of chassis roughly in place..

 

 

 

Working out the step up and step out so the rails line up with the axle mounts is going to be fun

 

[pmackellow 2,738]

Getting there mate   :thumbs:  

[nigel 1,876]

wish you would come round and help sort my lathe out

[diggerjames 543]

Looking good like your imaginative marking out skills

[Ian 2,417]

Getting there mate   :thumbs:  

 

Thanks Paul, it is getting there.. Slowly but moving in the right direction

 

 

 

wish you would come round and help sort my lathe out

 

I will do when I can... It's just getting a lift over.. No Pete for a couple of weeks now.

 

 

 

Looking good like your imaginative marking out skills

 

Thanks James.. It was the only way I could think of finding the center point without putting an axle back in.. And they are still a bit too long to fit

 

 

Why Not now officially has lower chassis rails... Only tacked together and in need of a few cross members but they are there all the same

 

The angles look a bit strange in the photo's but the rails kick out and the up to reach the axle..

 

 

[meadowfield 1,900]

Coming together Ian