1964 Dodge A-100 Hot rod sort of rat rod build thread.

Phase one of operation rear removable storage rack. I love it when you think about something for several days or weeks and then it finally comes to you how to build it. Tomorrow when I dimple die the 8th inch main brackets I will make sure to use a torch. Last time I pressed it cold and it was a lot of pressure in the press.

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Have you been tracking the number of hours you have into this?

 
We currently have two Renetto canopy chairs. Very nice and higher quality than most. But they have been around a long time and age is taking its toll. I would like to buy two new ones. Lots of cool colors to choose from. Today I was struggling trying to figure how to fit them and the ice chest in this little rack. It is only 53" long and 19" wide. Then tonight it dawned on me. Just recut my uprights a little taller and I will have storage under the rack. These chairs are pretty big and take up some space.. Excited to look at this in the morning.  https://www.renetto.com/



 
Raising that rack three or four inches is not going to be an option. There would not be enough room underneath even if I did. They actually don't overhang as much as I thought they would and it will be just fine.

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When the rack is removed the only thing that will show will be two holes on the outside of the frame. It was the cleanest way I could think of to attach it. Dimple die on that 1/8 inch thick material worked well using the torch. He did it to where it was just starting to turn cherry red and then pressed it. These plates are warped from the heat and I will have to straighten them.

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See if I can get this rack finished this weekend. Pretty decent size project. The 8 uprights have to have a little angle cut in the top hoop moved in towards the center of the truck so it doesn't get the tailgate.

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That was quite the circus act to get those eight uprights cut and fit in. All that to move the upper hoop over three quarters of an inch so it wouldn't hit the tailgate. Two full cans of paint. Let it dry overnight and try it on tomorrow. I cut notches in the bottom so it'll slip right onto the lower bolts then tighten the upper bolts. Glue my pieces of leather back in so it doesn't scratch the paint. I bought the thinnest 1 inch square box I could get at 1/16th wall. Rack came in at 29.5 lb. Easy to manage. All this so I didn't have to drill holes in the wood. I had to weld every little end on the expanded metal. I was beat yesterday from welding so long. Glad I got this thing built and out of the way. So I don't have to mess with it later. I needed to do this now anyway because I had to weld the blind nuts onto the frame anyway.

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High heat paint on these pieces. The foil heat shield will get sandwiched in between. Overkill but I wanted something different and unique for the heat shield. I'm definitely getting faster at bead rolling now. And I don't have to do practice pieces anymore.

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I think a Littlefield would have been a better choice for induction. There's nothing quite like the whine from a gilmer belt and some blower surge at idle through zoomies.

 
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KLC said:
I think a Littlefield would have been a better choice for induction. There's nothing quite like the whine from a gilmer belt and some blower surge at idle through zoomies.
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Yes, But you can't build cool plumbing running everywhere. Booooost!!!

 
I knew this was coming and haven't been able to sleep over it. This is my real first mother f****** f*** moment on this project. I truly do not think I'm going to be able to get the wheels out of this truck once the axles are in. There's just so much offset in these wheels.. I think I'm going to have to examine plan b and trying to lower the whole rear cradle. Crap crap.

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Kraut_n_Rice said:
If you pull the shock off, do the ball joints have enough movement in them?
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Right now the shock is disconnected at the top. So it is not a factor. As I was pulling this wheel off the rotor was hitting and I had to hold the rotor and the wheel at the same time pulling them off. Complete s*** show.

 
The problem I'm seeing with trying to drop the whole cradle down and let it pivot at the motor mount bolts is the rear tires are going to swing forward at the same time. All I can do is sit here and fight with it.

 
Well it looks like if I drop the center line of the wheels down 10 in the tires only swing forward about 1 3/8.

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or just cut the studs down some???  IIRC you were not too far off of getting them out.

 
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