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Post by vmrod on Jul 31, 2008 14:18:13 GMT -3
Yesterday, I managed to roughly cut-out one of these parts, and almost the second one. I used a side grinder with a cutting blade, and took my time. (The side grinder is one tough machine!) Today (time permitting) I'll buy my own grinder, and finish cutting out the 2nd LCA-1. I'll use the grinder to make the round area where it hugs the ball joint. Since I already have the ball joints, I can make sure I get a nice fit. I'm not sure if I have the right sized drill bit, but I'll use the closest size I have without going over. The LCA-1 parts are the thickest parts that need fabricating, so everthing else will be a cake walk!
LCA-2 and 3 are next (another day), since I already have them basically cut-out, but still need to shape and punch holes in them.
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Post by vmrod on Aug 1, 2008 7:29:51 GMT -3
Here are some long awaited pics...(click for larger view) Bushings and stuff... Control arms parts and brackets... My little paper dolls. (I realized that the smaller pieces should have gone on the bar-stock though. I'll remedy that later today.) One front wheel assembly, complete with modded knuckle, hub, rotor and brake caliper. My first welded welded parts are done. (Thanks Ricky) Nothing beats a nice smooth weld...mmmmmm
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Post by vmrod on Aug 5, 2008 9:10:06 GMT -3
Wasted day. I fought with my pipe notcher and cheapo, under-powered drill press. If I can find my receipt, the drill press will get returned. The pipe notcher may work, but I need a 1/2" chuck drill, or a big drill press. I really hate to buy expensive tools to use once or twice more. Anyway, I tried to notch out the cross bracing on FA-SM-6, to accomodate the mating to the 2" tubes. Since my contraption moved around a bit, the cut was very inaccurate. Fortunately, the material was not cut to size, so no material wasted. (just reshape the end with the mighty side grinder!) On a positive note ;D, the lower control arms are looking sweeet! I am supposed to have the rest of the materials for them today. With a bit of luck, I should have them tack-welded together and handed over to Ricky for a pro-welding job! I might even have them ready for powder coating this weekend!!
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Post by vmrod on Aug 12, 2008 8:20:12 GMT -3
I was missing one tube for the lower control arms, so that now has to wait until the new materials come in. (metal enroute! ) Holes are cutout in LCA-1 and it was ground down to ensure a good fit with the grease fitting on the lower ball joint. I have searched and searched and could not locate the proper sized tubes for the tunnel frame attachment to the front assembly. I can get a tube with the proper ID, but smaller OD than what is called out. So, I will get something with a smaller ID (and proper OD) and have it machined. Construction would go much faster, if this was specified prior, or if a bushing/tube was selected that required no machining. Saturday, I cut out all of my paper dolls! That side grinder was busy! These are the brackets that hold the control arms in place, the shocks, and the transmission. I still need to go back and grind some parts down. (like the arcs on the parts that mate to tubing or holes in metal) Due to me not following the very first set of instructions, my front assembly is off by 9/16". I have measured everything carefully, and revised the upper control arm brackets to compensate for this. Funny, but Mr. Riley had done the same thing!
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Post by vmrod on Aug 15, 2008 22:07:20 GMT -3
Spent a few hours with my close friend, the side grinder. Was able to shape several Front Assembly parts. Still need a little more work on the upper control arm brackets, but they are close.
I also shaped and welded together 3 pieces of a spring-perch. looks good so far. Armour-making experience came in handy when shaping the metal. Might be able to get more done on Sunday. (Building medieval tower tomorrow. ;D)
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Post by vmrod on Aug 17, 2008 21:57:31 GMT -3
All my paper-dolls are ground down to proper size except for 4 pieces that need a tiny bit more work.
I tackled the spring perches Saturday and today. They were fun to make. I used some of my armour-making equipment to bend the parts as needed. Instead of bending them according to the instructions, I bent them to fit the adjacent part. There's 1 tab that I need to bend over on one perch, then weld those big 4" circle pieces.
I also need to drill holes in all my paper-dolls. Then I can remove the paper and stop calling them 'paper-dolls'.
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Post by vmrod on Aug 18, 2008 20:39:17 GMT -3
All of the paper dolls have now been cut-out and/or ground into shape. They look really good. I still need to drill holes in them, but that will come soon, very soon. I want to buy the proper bolts/nuts (with bushings in hand for size verification), then drill the holes to the right size. Anyway, major accomplishment with the grinding!! ;D I completed the minor welding and bending on the second spring perch. They are both done now, sans the 4" circle that still needs to be welded in place. (need holes drilled first!) So far, so good. They look nice. Won't be long before the chassis starts to look more like a chassis, and less like kiddie monkey-bars!
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Post by vmrod on Aug 19, 2008 21:16:22 GMT -3
Finally got these guys done and will send to my welder the next chance I get. (I'll remove the ball joints first! ) I'll drill holes in the perches, once I am closer to mounting the air springs.
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Post by vmrod on Aug 21, 2008 9:28:37 GMT -3
My front-assembly was 9/16" off, due to the order I assembled the tubes together. To compensate for this, I offset the brackets for the upper control arms accordingly, so everything would fall out perfectly. After reviewing the 3D drawings I noticed that I would also have to alter my perfect spring perches to accomodate this imperfection. Enough is enough! I just re-ordered the steel required to build the first few steps. It will not take me long to get these assembled properly, and it will be worth it in the long run. This means that I will have to get back to the grindwheel to reshape 4 of the upper control arm brackets, but more-so, I will need to totally remake the other 4 (cuz I had made them short). I MIGHT have the required steel laying around. I'll poke around this evening and check. I really would like to get past this mistake quickly, so I can start attaching these brackets! It will be worth it in the end, and I may need some of this steel anyway!
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Post by vmrod on Aug 25, 2008 8:34:15 GMT -3
Found some extra steel, so I recut the 4 Upper control arm brackets, then ground them to shape. This process went fast. Having the tools and know-how helped make this a no-problem. I also shortened the existing 4 brackets I have, so now they are all (8) the exact same size. Holes still need to be drilled though.
FA-SM-18 got shaped. Took a big hammer and an anvil (a little vise work, but not much) and sweat! Beat it into submission and it looks good. The holes were then cut with a jig-saw. Just gotta go slow and cut out a little pie shaped piece very often. (Jig-saw did not like the tight circles.) Drilled the 2 mounting holes for the transmission bracket. Next I need to shape the rear of it, to accomodate that long mounting tube. Might get this done tomorrow evening.
Using my chop-saw with a metal cutting blade, I made some precise 45 degree angles in the Tunnel tube steel. 7 pieces have been cut to size and once there is a slight edge-bevel, I'll tack-weld them in place. Weather permitting, this will get done tomorrow (Monday) evening.
Looking forward to restarting the Front Chassis. Metal will be coming in this week. The 2" hole saw is ready and waiting to go!
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Post by vmrod on Aug 26, 2008 17:40:53 GMT -3
Welded those first tunnel tube pieces together. Must remember to turn the amps down when welding thinner metal. At first, I blew through the metal in a spot, but was able to 'fill' it in with weld. All in all, not a bad start. Managed to draw up some more parts in Autocad today. Since I had modded the tunnel to be 1" wider and 0.75" taller, it becomes critical to accurately draw the parts up and see how they fit in 3D. Again, so far, so good. Using the paper-doll method of cutting parts is great, cuz I don't have to worry about dimensioning. Ricky has completed heli-arc welding a spring perch and a lower control arm. He will get the other pair done very soon for me. He is going to machine a lower control arm from scratch to compare weight and such with the ones that I fabbed. Lastly, since Cafe Electric will be closing, I'll be ordering the controller this week. I wasn't ready to order it yet, but I have no choice. By the time I'm done, $3k will be spent towards the controller and related items. This is reportedly a bad-ass controller, second to none! Since this day is going so well, I might skip the shop work tonight. Maybe just sneak in there and play a good ole game of Total Annihilation. ;D
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Post by vmrod on Aug 28, 2008 15:20:33 GMT -3
Due to the #1 EV DC Controller Company closing its doors (Cafe Electric) , I decided to go ahead and make this purchase now. I could have saved 800 bucks by ordering the smaller version a few weeks ago, but now it is no longer offered for sale. Good news is since the controller can handle more power than what I have, I have room to grow. (either when battery technology improves, or if I build a larger vehicle) (Although I fancy a small 1-seater tilting trike.) I started on the Front Assembly again. Not so bad, and it is going better than the first time. I may have it done this weekend. (I also have to lay a wooden floor, and be a host to family fleeing the hurricane, so not much time.) (Monday is for me, though ;D.) More paper dolls got printed today. With the leftover metal I have, I'll glue the patterns down for cutting (later). I still need to order more metal for the Tunnel Assembly, but this will come after I have used up the supplies I already have. Can't I just quit work and build my e-car all day?
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Post by vmrod on Sept 5, 2008 9:59:44 GMT -3
Rather than come stay at my house, my relatives sought higher ground. Instead of their visit, Mr. Gustav came instead. He made a lot of noise, left my yard a horrible mess, then ran away with my power! I've been out of power since Tuesday, and not sure when it will be on again. Needless to say, since my shop is now serving as my sleeping room (has generator and A/C unit), I can not cut metal or do any car work for awhile longer. So, I will have to take a week or so off!
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Post by vmrod on Sept 25, 2008 7:30:02 GMT -3
My first parts from Cafe electric arrived this week: The HEPA accelerator pedal and the Motor speed sensor. (all with wiring) My 6-8 month wait begins for the controller now! Not too bad, since my chassis project is slow right now. (RenFest season)
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Post by vmrod on Dec 26, 2008 23:40:04 GMT -3
Today, I used the hole saw to cut the 4 tube braces out. (yes, again) The process wasn't that bad, just time consuming. I have one more hole to cut, in the large, rectangular tubing, then I'm done with the cutting for the chassis! I'll use wooden jigs during assembly this time, so it should be much more accurate this time around. Hopefully XR_Minion will let me in on how he made is upper control arms. I like the idea of them being adjustable. Hopefully, I will complete the last hole tomorrow, and might even get the time to tack some of it together. I'll post pics, once it looks like a chassis, and also show pics of my first chassis.
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