zclubhouse

Let me know what you think once you get them. I'll be ordering a set from MRT or DRW in the next few weeks. Diamond quoted me 114 a wheel in 15x10 with 4.5"bs 4x114. D window procomp or whatever their .095 wall lighter 20lb wheel is. So it looks like MRT is certainly cheaper

I did not know that Diamond was more expensive than their website, that's unfortunate. I understand the issue with the extra weight and that certainly is a dilemma for me. However in my circumstance, sometimes building a car for performance also means picking the best 'band for your buck' performance rather than just what would be the ultimate choice given all the options. For the sake of discussion, any idea on the weight differences between a 15x8 DRW and a 15x10? Painting or powdercoating would certainly be a reasonable option for the MRT wheels if the grey doesn't float the boat. Even the extra cost involved with powdercoating still balances in favor of the MRT wheels if DRW selection really is more than their posted info.

Yeah I'm partial to Diamond Racing's D-Window pattern compared to MRT'S design. The grey might take some getting used to, but I can get used to the price!

I have been looking around the circle track community to find a set of 15x10" wheels on the cheap. Of course everyone is familiar with Diamond Racing and I understand that many members here have had positive experiences with their products and that is what I have been leaning towards so far. However, I found a company named Marsh Racing Technologies and I am looking for any input or information about them? Any experiences with the company? The 'lightweight ultra star racing wheels' look pretty good, and at a price of $85 bucks with a 4x114 bolt pattern, it seems like a deal. 21 lbs for the 15x10 version which I believe is similar to Diamond racing. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. Here is a link to their wheel selection. http://www.mrt-wheels.com/Racing%20Wheels.html

You may want to try a series of spot welds instead of trying to lay a bead on 20ga. Start an inch apart and then alternate filling in the middle (ie 1" - 0.5"- .25" etc..) till it appears you have a continuous weld. Through my personal experience I have learned that the speed required to not blow throw thin metal leads me to missing the desired weld area. Taking your time with lots of spot welds gives you a chance to aim at the joint a bit better, and reduces the risk of warping the piece or blowing through. It does however require a very tight fit and as always, a clean piece to weld to. Good luck!

Very interesting! Thanks for the input and provided example, now I can better visualize what you were talking about. I like your idea of the adjustable link. I'll have to chew on that idea a bit, see if I should go that direction with my set up. Thanks again.

I wasn't talking about the stiffness of the sway bar, I meant to describe the offset of the sway bar bracket as the "lever" that would allow the sway bar action to apply twist to the control arm. I think I will avoid the method of attaching it to the strut housing, as I want to keep the sway bar I already have and I cannot see how I would be able to perform this modification without purchasing a different sway bar?

How much force do you guys think I will be dealing with in regards to the twisting of the control arm from the sway bar? This is some seat-o-the pants hillbilly physics talking here, but I figure that a 2000lb car cornering at 1G putting sway bar torque motion through a 1 inch effective "lever" (sway bar bracket) doesn't add up to enough to harm the radius rod by twisting it. Or are you guys thinking that not mounting the bar in the middle of the control arm will load the suspension in some adverse manner, causing the car to be a handful when turning? Thanks again for the input. doublexl, thanks for the pictures. Interesting design. Definitely interested in your progress, its a cool project.

That looks good, I like the idea of reusing the stock ball joint attachment points but changing the rest of the design. I also really liked seeing your chassis work so far. That approach crossed my mind but lack of time, space and talent persuaded me otherwise! Do you mind sending me some pictures of the top shock mounting area? I'm curious to see your approach given the tube frame idea. Thanks

I apologize I did not describe the design properly. The LCA/TC rod junction is effectively a solid rod eye. I used a forged rod end for the pull strength and thread application, but I have machined spacers that sit flush against the rod end housing, therefore it acts like a solid joint. This eliminates any sway bar "twisting" and limits the functional motion to the frame/crossmember attached pivots only (with the exception of the ball joint itself.) I hope this clears it up, otherwise I certainly missed something major?! Thanks for the input guys.

I finally took the plunge this winter and cut out my rusting away front frame. I built a replacement front frame and thought it was a good time to modify the suspension for my needs. After spending hours on here researching different approaches, I decided to explore the blank slate I had to start from and try something different from stock. I kept the factory crossmember but changed the pivot point as many have done here. I scrapped the radius arm/tension control rod bucket concept and instead used a shock mounting tab. The reasoning behind this idea was to use rod ends at both pivots and have the bracket in shear instead of tension. Its welded to a reinforcement plate to spread out any forces applied to it. I also changed how the cross member attaches to the subframe. I drilled a new set of holes and welded two sandwich style plates on the frame so that I could bolt it directly through the frame instead of hanging it from a tab. The control arms are made from DOM tubing, QA-1 rod ends and circle track style screw in ball joints. I have order military spec bolts for installation, however for mockup purposes they were held together with any old thing laying around, so dont worry! I am having a local machine shop make a piece similar in appearance to the AZC steering knuckles which will serve the purpose of adapting this larger taper to the strut housing. I will update further as I complete the install. Let me know what you guys think, I appreciate any feedback. Thanks.

Heres a picture of the model/vintage of welder I am trying to describe. This is not the exact welder in question, merely a picture for description purposes.

Yes the miller comes with a torch, foot pedal, ground cable and a holder for the stick welder lead. He said he would throw in some tungsten and filler rods to get me started, along with a couple different size tungsten holder tips for the torch. I will try and get a picture but I don't one readily available. I know there are a few with that basic description, sorry I can't be more helpful. I am pretty sure this welder is also from the early 80's Thank you both for the help

No opinions? Any help appreciated

I* am looking at purchasing a decent welder in the near future and a friend has a Miller Dialarc HF AC/DC TIG/arc unit with a foot control pedal. I think its 200amp 100% duty cycle. He wants to get $650 out of the machine without a bottle or regulator. I know it is good operating condition and have seen it used. What do you guys think about this model of welder? Price? Thoughts? *My background- Proficient MIG welder, using a Clarke 140 unit right now. I have never TIG welded before. Im looking to get a more serious (ie high quality) welding set up but I do not want to spend more than $1000 total. I understand this puts me at either a complete used TIG setup or a brand new really nice MIG set up. I will not get anything except single phase 220v. I would be using the welder a few times a month mostly for basic mild steel fabrication (18gauge to 3/16").TIG appeals to me but I am open to suggestions or advice from those wiser and more experienced than myself. Thank you in advance.