Arachnid Build

[Silvergrizz]

Well, I was hoping to have a rolling chassis by the end of today, but I didn't quite make it. Following Bill's guidelines, I only welded 1/4 to 3/8 inch at a time and waited for things to cool before progressing. :toetap05: All that stopping and starting sure makes for some UGLY welds as well.

I wasn't idle mind you, there is always grinding and cleaning to be done. However, I think my grinder is just about ready to give up the ghost. It's making some awful noise when I turn it off, and it stops real fast. And they were just on sale 2 weeks ago for 60% off. I knew I should have bought one or two.

Finally tackled the main suspension framing today. The A-arms and suspension halves were done on Wednesday, but I was a little reluctant to start welding the final assembly.

After checking, checking again, and a checking a few more times, (well, you get the idea) I was finally satisfied everything was square and ready to go.

Pictures of everything clamped up and ready to weld, assembly tacked, not completed yet and a shot of the suspension next to the frame. Still have to grind off 3 nuts to fit inside the a-arms for the heim joints (another great suggestion of Bill's), if the grinder holds out that is.

BTW: It;s Friday night, I'm taking the rest of the night off.

 

[theo]

Well I'll tell you one thing Grizz. You won't have to worry about that front end bending. Looks pretty ballzie. Is that 1 1/4 square?

 

[Bill CNC]

Looking good Bob, ... Looking Good!

Have you bolted an A-arm up to it the suspension block and tightened it down and tried to move the A-arm through it's travel?

Does it bind a little anywhere in it's travel?

Mine did on one, ... lower right. But since I made my bushings, .625" dead on, ... I took a .625 reamer and ran it in and out about 3 times and, ... Presto.

Their good to go.

 

[Bill CNC]

Well I'll tell you one thing Grizz. You won't have to worry about that front end bending. Looks pretty ballzie. Is that 1 1/4 square?

Theo,

Yes the front is made up of 1.250" tubing.

Bill

 

[Silvergrizz]

Well I'll tell you one thing Grizz. You won't have to worry about that front end bending. Looks pretty ballzie. Is that 1 1/4 square?

As Bill said, yes it is, not only that I couldn't find any 14 guage here in Canada, this stuff is .10 (25% thicker). I am soon going to have to hire a helper just the move it around. I figure the metal alone is over 100 lbs for the entire build before I start adding all the rest of the components.

 

[r97]

i'm still not completely sure what 14 ga is i get to many answers ranging from .065 to .097, i ended up with .083 which i think is good cause i consider .065 thin-wall

 

[Silvergrizz]

i'm still not completely sure what 14 ga is i get to many answers ranging from .065 to .097, i ended up with .083 which i think is good cause i consider .065 thin-wall

14 guage is actually .0747

 

[r97]

ohhhhh, well at least my steel inst too thin!

 

[Silvergrizz]

Looking good Bob, ... Looking Good!

Have you bolted an A-arm up to it the suspension block and tightened it down and tried to move the A-arm through it's travel?

Does it bind a little anywhere in it's travel?

Mine did on one, ... lower right. But since I made my bushings, .625" dead on, ... I took a .625 reamer and ran it in and out about 3 times and, ... Presto.

Their good to go.

Bill, tried it today, travels fine within the normal range, but without the upper shock brace in place yet, I do start to get binding around 75 degrees from horizontal. But I figure that's way outside the normal travel anyway. The bushings I used are Cat 1 tractor link 3 point hitch bushings, probably not the same tolerance as the ones you made.

 

[Bill CNC]

i'm still not completely sure what 14 ga is i get to many answers ranging from .065 to .097, i ended up with .083 which i think is good cause i consider .065 thin-wall

Here is something to print out and stashed with your welder. I actually laminated a few copies and tossed them around the shop at home and at work.

http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/gauge-sheet-d_915.html

 

[Bill CNC]

Bob,

Actually, ... I wish I would have used an .005" over-sized reamer on my bushings. My tighter tolerances actually were working against me. Like you, my suspension block moved a little at the open end, and all it takes in .001" to start the binding. I had my issues, but it all worked out in the end.

I have no binding on 3 of my A-arms throughout it's full travel until the suspension block stops it from traveling any further. I have one that starts to bind a few degrees near the up and down 90*, which we know it will never travel.

Was the front end it a P.I.T.A. or what?

It was just basically practice for what I have planed for the rear end.

 

[Silvergrizz]

Bob,

Was the front end it a P.I.T.A. or what?

It was just basically practice for what I have planed for the rear end.

It certainly has been to date, but I must say I have certainly learned a tremendous amount about suspension in the past month. Front end is almost done, but with the heat wave we have coming for the next week, it just makes for longer wait times for things to cool down before welding again.

Next step is to weld the completed suspension block to the main frame. That is going to take a little planning. It is one tight area to get all the welding done, but I am getting anxious to have a rolling chassis.

I need to see how much room I have to play with to get the engine and jack shaft setup configured. Right now, it is difficult to tell just how much slope is in the rear suspension block. I am going to try to mount the engine basically level to start with.

I was also thinking of putting the battery up on the front suspension block for a little added weight up there. Should fit nicely above the rack & pinion union. Probably should stay with a totally sealed battery though, hate to see any acid leaking onto that nice billet setup.

 

[Bill CNC]

It certainly has been to date, but I must say I have certainly learned a tremendous amount about suspension in the past month. Front end is almost done, but with the heat wave we have coming for the next week, it just makes for longer wait times for things to cool down before welding again.

Next step is to weld the completed suspension block to the main frame. That is going to take a little planning. It is one tight area to get all the welding done, but I am getting anxious to have a rolling chassis.

I need to see how much room I have to play with to get the engine and jack shaft setup configured. Right now, it is difficult to tell just how much slope is in the rear suspension block. I am going to try to mount the engine basically level to start with.

I was also thinking of putting the battery up on the front suspension block for a little added weight up there. Should fit nicely above the rack & pinion union. Probably should stay with a totally sealed battery though, hate to see any acid leaking onto that nice billet setup.

Hmm, ... Ive been pondering since the beginning, the thought of bolting the front bend to the kart. ut:

.250" steel plate with a hole cut for the steering goodies on the front of the cart, and another on the rear of the suspension block. (8) bolts total, (2) on each side between the bushings and (2) on the top and another set on the bottom.

I was thinking I might possibly upgrade the front suspension later on down the road if need be, ... and without the use of a torch.

 

[Silvergrizz]

Hey silvergrizz those tires are the same ones that I have on the batmobile go kart ( not the rins though ) let me guess ebay 18x10-10 from Jed's .... I dont know about those rims but mine have to be balanced because around 20-25 they start to wable up & down, so you might need to have them balanced latter.

T-Man, finally got around to taking my tires and rims up to get balanced this morning. Mechanic told me they were so far out, it wouldn't be worth my money to try. First rim he tried was out by 4.5 oz.

He then asked how fast I would be going? I told him current gearing calculates to 40 MPH max. He said at that speed, I wouldn't even feel it. Hope is right.

He said to try them out on the kart, if they did cause a problem, he would start by breaking the bead and moving the tire 180 degrees around the rim and try it then.

My guess is since these are marketed for Golf Carts, it's probably not an issue for them. I have never seen anyone really booting along in a Golf Cart.

 

[Silvergrizz]

Hmm, ... Ive been pondering since the beginning, the thought of bolting the front bend to the kart. ut:

.250" steel plate with a hole cut for the steering goodies on the front of the cart, and another on the rear of the suspension block. (8) bolts total, (2) on each side between the bushings and (2) on the top and another set on the bottom.

I was thinking I might possibly upgrade the front suspension later on down the road if need be, ... and without the use of a torch.

Bill, That's an interesting idea. I like it. Would allow me to use the front suspension on another build, If I find this one is too short for me. I would just add a solid front set-up and downsize the motor for my grandson.

 

[Bill CNC]

Here was the crazy part of that idea;

It all started because the IRS is going to give me some really sweet travel in the back and limited in the front. To stay with the smaller shocks up front, ... I was going to have the front end rotate like as if I had a "Lazy Susan" between the two .250 plates up front. (a version without the 8 bolts)

The only thing I was/am afraid of is if I could do it cheaply. When I was a heavy equipment operator in the Sea Bees, ... We had earth-movers that pivoted like that.

You should see those bearings, ... YIKES!

I have the idea on the back burner and am still trying to figure it out, ... but I still have a ways to go until I'm at that point.

 

[r97]

are these what your talking about?
12"
9"
p.s. be-ware of the square shaped ones they are a bit(more like extremely) bendy(bad experience)! also you will have to resist putting one on the ground and spinning around on it (sooooooo much fun!)

 

[theo]

It all started because the IRS is going to give me some really sweet travel in the back and limited in the front. To stay with the smaller shocks up front, ... I was going to have the front end rotate like as if I had a "Lazy Susan" between the two .250 plates up front. (a version without the 8 bolts)

The only thing I was/am afraid of is if I could do it cheaply. When I was a heavy equipment operator in the Sea Bees, ... We had earth-movers that pivoted like that.

That system might be ok for a slow moving machine, but with speed and power, I think it might be a little ifffy.

 

[r97]

ohhhhh i re-read and realized what i posted earlier isn't gonna work.

 

[Silvergrizz]

It was August 27, 2010 and I was planning on having a rolling chassis at the end of the day. Here it is Sept 2, 2010, 7 days later. I'm almost there. past week has been fitting and running for last minute parts, with little of any accomplishment showing. Today, I finally welded the front suspension to the main frame.

Am I a happy camper or what. I went inside to get my camera for a few pictures, came back outside, snapped a few shots, then got a message telling I needed flash. Sometime back I disabled the flash on the camera, now I can't figure what I did to turn it back on. Anyway, back inside to get my flash, man it is getting dark outside. I was so intent on getting the pictures and admiring my progress, I totally missed the thunderstorm that was rapidly creeping up on me. Next thing I know, its raining cats & dogs.

On a positive note, It's nice to know, I can still move as fast as a teenager (for a very short period of time) when required.

Here are a couple of shots of progress today. Geometry on front suspension looks good, just need to reassemble the back axle, put the tires on and see how it all sits on the ground.

BTW: Temperature last couple days working outside has hit 40 degrees when you factor in the humidity.