Jaguar suspension? In *my* classic?

"RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile) 07/23/2015 at 10:05 • Filed to: None

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It’s more likely than you think. MOAR drivetrain stuff below.

The whole drivetrain to this point. Sharp eyes will notice fluid filled motor mounts of Teh Awesome at the extreme top of the picture.

^Horrible blurry picture from the side that nonetheless suggests I need some oil pan editing. Low CGs, broheim. Grounded to the ground.

^Engine clearance lol.

At least it’s better than trans clearance - see below, that I have had to edit my cross-brace. A bit.

Notice that the reverse shift fork is actually behind the crossmember, while the other two are in front of it. Pic taken before I had the trans on its mount, obviously.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:04

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These are reporpoised subframe rails from the Mustang floor replacement kit (which I didn’t need). I needed a drop to interface with the IRS, I needed something to increase the cantilever strength of the chassis rails, and I just happened to have some 14GA channel lying around, man.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:06

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Notice: I have gotten back some of the strength lost to crossmember sabotage by making a really, really burly trans crossmember. It’s 1/8” angle reinforced with a piece of 3/8” plate where it might otherwise try to bend, and it bridges nearly all the way between the subframe rails. I still am going to reinforce the crossmember on top, though.

Party-vi > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:07

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lolololol

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:08

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This wee bastard is actually sitting about 7/16” too high, if you can believe it. To make things work with the steering will require an oil-pan notch *and* some additional cleverness, as well as a swap to V8 Mustang droplink and pitman arms, tie rods. Which all connect to my existing steering box and spindles and I needed to replace most of anyway, so I ain’t care.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Party-vi 07/23/2015 at 10:09

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INBOARD IS A BETTER KIND OF BOARD, BRAH

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:10

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These hubs are no longer 5x4.75, they are now 5x4.5. Hence holes.

Mattbob > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:21

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Pictured: Several demonstrations of clearance versus interference. You should start a class.

TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:26

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And miss an oportunity to be in the same situation stance bro’s are, except without the stance?

LongbowMkII > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:30

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You’re mad.

I like it.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > TheBloody, Oppositelock lives on in our shitposts. 07/23/2015 at 10:30

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No lie, my Rover V8-building book cautions the use of Range Rover oil pans on sports car builds, because if you spend time bellying out, the drain plug can come unscrewed. It’s the deepest sump version and baffled pretty well, but that’s a hilarious drawback for sure.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > LongbowMkII 07/23/2015 at 10:32

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RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Mattbob 07/23/2015 at 10:33

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Clearance: everything down to the last five thou.

uofime-2 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 10:43

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3/8” plate

Holy mother of Beefcake!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > uofime-2 07/23/2015 at 10:49

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I think it was 3/8” and not 1/4”, but I’m going from memory. Surprisingly, because where I used it I used a fairly narrow piece, the crossmember only weighs like six-seven lb. Oh, and the MIG welder looked at that and cried - this was an only stick welders need apply thing.

Basically, any strength lost in my cutting holes in the top of the crossmember arch? Not worried.

RallyWrench > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/23/2015 at 12:20

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This is the kind of completely unjustifiable but totally necessary madness I wish to inflict upon my Vanagon. Or the Maudi Quancho. Someday.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/28/2015 at 17:31

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I’m looking forward to your column shifter install. With baited breath actually, because I can’t tell whether it’s going to be a world of pain for you or not. Also, what’s the plan for the pan? Cut and shut?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 07/28/2015 at 17:41

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The remaining floor pan? I’ve got a big sheet of 20GA for cutting pieces out of that I’m going to just take one big piece from and radius along the outer face of the frame rails, lay another piece on the inside to make a two-wall sandwich, and cut through both to round out the tunnel to the rear axle with another piece cut to fit. No donors here, it’d be quite hard to find a good one, pull the decking out, and get it all back in, least of all have it how I want it. I’m repurposing one of the torque boxes for a battery location, for example, and as I’ve described it with a curved two-wall bit in the back is kind of like a Midget - a lot stronger than the single-wall floor it had.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/28/2015 at 17:47

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I was meaning the sump, she looks a little low! Does the Ranchero have a perimeter frame?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 07/28/2015 at 17:55

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The sump is a bit low, yes. Going to raise it a bit, cut and redo. The car doesn’t have a perimeter frame as such, but being a unibody, does use the rockers as frame rails of sorts. I’ve made the rockers taller, which should greatly increase body stiffness.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/28/2015 at 20:09

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Taller rockers make sense, any idea on overall weight increase yet?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 07/28/2015 at 20:13

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Not really, but it shouldn’t be too much. Drivetrain other than the rear axle should be close to a wash, and body increases are pretty minimal. I’ve got a lot of lightening planned for my doors, and the seat only weighs a few pounds more than the original. All told for everything, it might end up 200lb-300lb heavier (a lot of that in a PTO box I’m adding and the rear suspension kit).

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/28/2015 at 20:15

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Wait, why the PTO?

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 07/28/2015 at 20:16

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Because my Rover has one, and so I can drive a jet drive if I take it for a swim.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/28/2015 at 20:18

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Haha, neither of those are a credible answer, unless your plans for this Ranchero amount to some sort of redneck Rinspeed Squba type affair.

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 07/28/2015 at 20:36

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Short breakdown: the curb weight of a Ranchero is such that it only needs about 5” submersion over plan to float. The rockers are raised to 7” higher than their stock height of approximately 4 1/2”. The improved weight balance, revised radiator layout and nose inlet design, and the ability to adjust the height of the suspension on the fly are not by accident. The front subframe to center body pan area is hemmed in in a rectangle in such a way that it makes a detachable belly pan/skid tray very possible, and such a tray can be sealed to the subframe. Such a tray would seal at a depth of approx 6” at deepest (0.22psi intrusion pressure - negligible) and extend to sufficient depth for several hundred pounds surplus buoyancy where it’s most needed.

The pontoon-like body of the raised rocker on both sides and numerous other voids in the body are accessible to install 2lb closed-cell expanding foam - watertight. Not only this, but a coal tar epoxy primer is of greater elasticity than most, provides factory undercoat-equivalent chip protection, and is capable of sealing small voids. Given a fixed-position rear drive, it is possible to position a standard aluminum-bodied 4wd transfer case (with reversed fluid pump) effectively backward in an intermediate position in the driveline, giving selection between two output drives.

redneck Rinspeed Squba type affair.

Crikey, I’ve been rumbled.

4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht 07/28/2015 at 20:39

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OMG I can’t wait! Make it!

RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > 4muddyfeet - bare knuckle with an EZ30 07/28/2015 at 20:45

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The seed of this idea was “well, an OG Beetle floats... why can’t something else?” If nothing else, every little thing in the direction of making it swim makes it a more unique hot rod and more capable of a raft of different things, say, 2WD lightweight trail running or low-riding through town. If I were to somehow chicken out, I’d still have a corner-carving, playing at Citroen height-adjusting, quick, comfortable, efficient, off-road capable, stylish, and unique vehicle. Utilitarian even, with that 6ft bed.