Amazon: Brake System Upgrade

[dheming]

Over the last few days I've been drafting my Mk 4 design in Sketchup 2013. I'm not done yet and some things are simplified/incomplete, but here are a few screenshots to just show the overall layout of what I wanted to build:

[Bartezz]

Originally Posted by dheming

Recent events in my life the past few months have forced me to make some major reconsiderations about my future. Long story short I've decided to go back to school full time this spring and pursue another degree... That being said I will have to get rid of my shop in order to focus 100% on making that happen financially. This also means I will have to sell my estate as a project car since I will have nowhere to work on it or to even store it.

Dude, what a shame. But life's all about priorities! Learned a lot from your posts, thanx again for sharing your ventures!

[Colonel Froth]

Gutted. I really want to see this come to fruition. I can't help but think that the work you've done so far is worth more than the likely sale price, is there no one who can park it in the corner with a sheet over it? I just finished a year's postgrad study that took some hard decisions to finance, I'm glad I didn't sell my estate. You don't get many short degrees over there though do you, how long will yours last?

How about sell the Silverado and just get the Amazon roadworthy before spring, you'll need a car right?

[classicswede]

You really should stick with it if there is any way you can. You will only regret it otherwise.

[nonhog]

Not sure how I missed this thread. It is awesome. I wish we were closer.
I'd find a spot for you to store it.
Good luck to you and thanks for the entertainment and inspiration!

[Colonel Froth]

Have you finished the semester yet? Did you sell up or find a way??

[dheming]

Thanks for all the feedback guys, I truly appreciate it. Like I said this is a pretty big decision. Since last posting here I have been in contact with four people interested in my project wagon. One guy ultimately felt he was too far into his 242 project to turn back and the other three declined in the end due to how much work was still required.

This whole time the rear axle setup has been on pause since I've been waiting to see what the buyer wanted done. No point in putting in an adjustable coilover setup if they didn't even want them. For example one of the guys mentioned that he hated lowered cars, but liked the thought of having coilovers at stock ride height.

At this point I have 19 days until my shop lease is up so I'm moving into a new phase on this project. Once the shop is gone I'm going to find somewhere to park this wagon until I figure out what I want to do with it long term. For now that means a paid parking spot somewhere local to keep it simple. Sometime in the first few months of 2014 I'm planning on sharing a house with some other students. So maybe I can figure out something that will work such as parking it in the backyard.

[dheming]

That being said I have to get her rolling ASAP in order to move. Since all the design work is already done I'm just going to continue on with my original plan of a fully adjustable coilover setup. Today at the shop I finished welding the end plates on the chrome-moly crossmember:









Tomorrow I'm going to start fabricating the lower brackets for the axle. Once they are on the axle then I can measure the exact lengths for the 4-link tubes. I still need to figure out a simple panhard mount as well. I'm just going to order pre-made chrome-moly swedged tubes for all the links: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/3-4-In...bes,49375.html

For the 3/4" spherical joints I found some super affordable ones that are too loose to be sold at normal price. Obviously they should do just fine for moving and storage duty. Link for anyone who's interested: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Search...00000-9.999000

[123GT-AMAZON]

Originally Posted by dheming

That being said I have to get her rolling ASAP in order to move. Since all the design work is already done I'm just going to continue on with my original plan of a fully adjustable coilover setup. Today at the shop I finished welding the end plates on the chrome-moly crossmember:









Tomorrow I'm going to start fabricating the lower brackets for the axle. Once they are on the axle then I can measure the exact lengths for the 4-link tubes. I still need to figure out a simple panhard mount as well. I'm just going to order pre-made chrome-moly swedged tubes for all the links: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/3-4-In...bes,49375.html

For the 3/4" spherical joints I found some super affordable ones that are too loose to be sold at normal price. Obviously they should do just fine for moving and storage duty. Link for anyone who's interested: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Search...00000-9.999000

hi ya

i hope all works out ok you have put a lot of hard work into this with some real nice fabricating going on , very nice tight welds you should be very proud of so try your best to get her rolling and see what the new year brings

keep us posted

kind regards
robert

[dheming]

Originally Posted by 1800necwinner

hi ya

i hope all works out ok you have put a lot of hard work into this with some real nice fabricating going on , very nice tight welds you should be very proud of so try your best to get her rolling and see what the new year brings

keep us posted

kind regards
robert

Thank you for the kind words. You are right, you never know what the new year will bring.


The 4-link brackets are coming along nicely so far. I had some 3/16" (3.8mm) cold roll steel left over from a previous project. The corner pieces were just the right size for the brackets:















The spherical rod ends I'm using have 3/4" (19.05mm) bores so I decided to make the brackets use 3/4" bolts. That way I don't have to use smaller 1/2" bolts with spacer tubes like I will have to on the frame rail brackets.