Just got down from the shop.

Kinja'd!!! "RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht" (ramblininexile)
08/01/2017 at 23:22 • Filed to: racnerho

Kinja'd!!!2 Kinja'd!!! 5

Got a sheet of 22GA steel in to do some bodywork with, just about finished making column shift relay arms + shifter arms and shortening the Z-bar for the Ranchero. No pics, sorry - maybe tomorrow.

Making a four-speed column shift front-mid setup with manual clutch linkage is haaaaard


DISCUSSION (5)


Kinja'd!!! Die-Trying > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
08/01/2017 at 23:26

Kinja'd!!!0

yikes, that is a TON of work........ you have been after it.......


Kinja'd!!! pip bip - choose Corrour > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
08/01/2017 at 23:32

Kinja'd!!!0

(deleted)


Kinja'd!!! RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Die-Trying
08/01/2017 at 23:37

Kinja'd!!!0

The two purposes in the short term for the 22GA steel are the roof for the Ranchero and (possibly more important) the trunk seal edge repair on the Galaxie. I also want to go ahead and make a die for forming repair pieces for the front fender edges on the Lincoln, but that’s lower priority, at least than the Galaxie.


Kinja'd!!! Die-Trying > RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
08/02/2017 at 00:14

Kinja'd!!!1

that sounds like a lot of fun. its a challenge to get a good bit of progress made, without overheating and making a warped mess of things. whole lot of set up work too, getting everything laid up JUST so. but definitely worth it in the results.......

i am fixing to have to pick all the metal men/ body guys’ brains here in the soon to come. i finally managed to get the ball rolling on the truck insurance claim. and soon as i can get everything settled up and done, i am going to need some advice on how to BEST put things square again....... i have already started the great body hammer build-up of ‘17........

but those shift arms, and z bars, are a lot of work to get so that they are right. having enough movement, and pointing in the right directions to not get bound up.......


Kinja'd!!! RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht > Die-Trying
08/02/2017 at 00:36

Kinja'd!!!1

I would’ve had to shorten the Z-bar anyway just for being a Z-bar for a 144 six - funny enough, there’s a boss on the engine block in a useful place to attach a bracket for the ball pin. Anyway, so it had to shorten *but* I also had to rework it to unbolt in the middle because it has to go *through* the header AND has to loop around the steering column, and there’s not enough room in the install to remove the headers in place, not really.

So, the Z-bar would otherwise make it basically impossible to remove the engine if I didn’t rig it to break. Which is fun.

The linkage has to miss the exhaust, and the Z-bar has to miss both, and the linkage has to change the angle of force by about 60 degrees - while the shift levers coming out of the column have to be short enough to miss the manifold, the Z-bar has to reach through the manifold, and the manifold has to route just perfectly to miss the motor mount and the shock tower and the steering box. It. Is. A. Circus.

I’ve got 12 8mm-3/8" mini-Heims on order from summit to make the 6 linkage rods with and a bunch of 5/16" rod, and just made the plate on which the little relay levers mount - which also has to be low profile enough to miss the manifold. Obviously.

Did I mention that because the engine is so low, I will have to notch the subframe slightly to lower the steering box? Because the steering link is so close to the crank journals, and I’ll have to dick with the oil pan and I’m trying to reduce how much.

By close to the journals, I mean it is about an inch from the bearing caps. and the block skirt. Yay. I could screw with the link, but it isn’t a good idea because it has a bearing/joint in one end. It would be even worse, except that I have a Shelby Mustang steering relay and pittman arm that are slightly longer than original and the whole linkage setup is V8 Mustang...