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Assembling the Chassis of STALKERV6 #29 Page Two
2/14/04
Once the rear axle is shoehorned into the frame, completing the installation is...fun! It is just a matter of bolting together the trailing links, panhard arm, and shocks. Each of the rod end bearings on the trailing arms are spaced with washers so they will be centered in their brackets. The rods need to be adjusted so an equal amount of threads are exposed on each bearing when the bearing eyes are 12" apart. Don't forget the jam nuts! Note: The rear shocks are longer than the front ones.
The panhard rod bracket has to be located and bolted to the frame. I ran the rod end bearings into the rod so that about 1/2" of thread was exposed (making sure the jam nuts were installed), attached the rod at the axle, slipped a bolt through the loose end of the rod and the bracket, and moved the bracket around on the mounting pad until the rod just cleared the differential cover.The bracket ended up centered on the pad so that holes for 3/8" bolts could be drilled without hitting a frame member. I drilled two holes in the bracket using the drill press, put the bracket into position on the frame, marked for one of the holes, removed the bracket and drilled the hole. After deburring the holes, the bracket was bolted into place, and the other hole was match drilled through the bracket.
The panhard rod needs to be adjusted so the axle is centered exactly in the frame. Measurements can be made from the backing plates to the frame, but I just sighted down the trailing arms and made sure they were parallel with the frame longerons. Teflon sleeves were inserted into the shocks, and by gently adjusting the floor jack that still supported the axle, the bolts could be slipped into place along with the necessary washers.
Michael used a 12" square to recheck that each rod was exactly 12" center to center. Since one of the bearings on each rod has LH threads, the length can be tweaked by rotating the rod. It is very important that all the rods be the same length so the differential pinion will be level in reference to the frame, not pointed up at the transmission. Make sure the jam nuts are tightened! The rear wheels were then mounted.
This was a big moment. Even though the car has no steering or brakes....it rolls!
The dune buggy headlights were bolted into place so the Stalker would have eyes, and it strolled out into the sunlight for the first time and cradled it's future drivers.
Of course Sam and Michael had to get in the car and make some Stalker noises.
The fuel cell was reinstalled into the car; it was necessary to bend the forward ends of the tank mounts down slightly so they would clear the panhard rod.
It has been two weeks since kit #29 began to take shape in our shop. Brunton Automotive has put together a fine kit that really is a bolt-together project. A major portion of the project has been researching and purchasing running gear components. As soon as we have our transmission, the drive train will be installed and fuel and electrical systems will follow shortly.
2/21/04 Since I don't have welding capability in my shop (or in my set of skills), I drilled the quick release steering wheel adapter for two 1/4" steel rolled pins. The pins were pressed into place and the stubs sticking out were cut off and ground smooth. The pins are captured by the adapter when the steering wheel is in place and there is no way they can come out of the shaft. This is a quick and safe alternative to welding the adapter to the shaft. The instrument panel had to be relieved slightly to allow for the steering column tube.
Here is the complete steering set-up. I put a 3/4" collar with setscrew (from Tractor Supply) at the base of the steering tube so the shaft is captured in the tube. This means the column can not be pulled up out of the tube; this eliminates the very remote possibility of the U-joint coming loose from the steering rack. The shafts were drilled slightly through the setscrew holes so the screws would set into the shafts, and LockTite was used on the threads. A grade eight 1/4" bolt secures the 3/4" shaft to the upper U-joint so the system can be disassembled if necessary.
The driveshaft has arrived from the driveshaft shop after being shortened, balanced, and the U-joints replaced. Driveshaft is early model S-10 which has smaller diameter than later models. The transmission is a 5-speed from an '89 S-10. The '89 and up trucks have an electric speedometer sender which is much easier to use on the Stalker than a cable drive due to the narrow transmission tunnel. Also necessary is a bellhousing that uses the hydraulic clutch slave. Standard transmission and engine mounts are used in the Stalker frame.
Continue to Assembling the Chassis, page three Back to Assembling the Chassis, page one Return to StalkerV6 Front page |
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I am amazed, no, I am thankful, that the chassis
dimensions are so accurate! Dennis and Justin do a tremendous job of jigging the chassis
on the welding table so all the suspension parts literally slip into place. At no time did
I resort to hammers or crowbars to get anything to fit properly. This would have been a
nightmare if the dimensions were out of whack.
