This is a good idea. Chris mentioned attaching it to the floor for pulling. I may just wait to see if I have to pull something. I could put stabilizers on it to prevent rolling over, but we'll see if that's even necessary.

I found this one that someone made. I wish mine was this light. it looks like good bracing to make it strong enough to stay in shape.

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You could test deflection of the jig... Measure bottom of jig to bottom of floor. Place as much weight on the center of the jig as you can (Like 300lbs) and remeasure. That would give you an accurate deflection of your jig so you can determine if it needs extra help

Today was a day of making templates for the mounting plates.
Making the templates was easy. Cutting them out not so much.

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A plasma cutter certainly makes it easier to cut 1/4" plate. Probably didn't need to be that thick, but it's what I had leftover from a bumper build for my jeep.
Tomorrow I get to grind, shape, drill and that's probably as far as I get.

Also, found some angle iron and a 2x2" in my junk pile that I will be using for making cross bracing. I wasn't going to use the 1.5" x 1.5" square tubing but realizing how short they would be, I think they will be plenty strong. they are 1/8" thick. Plus some 1.25" square tubing that will slide into the 1.5" and fit snug. I can either bolt them or weld them to the distance I need.

That is all, I'm going to go put some Aloa Vera on my welding sunburn.

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Dan - It looks like I'm late to the party but going forward, if it's of any help, I'd be happy to cut stuff for you on the plasma table. All I need are the dimensions...

Best of luck with your project!

Thanks Chris, I'm more a seat of the pants type of designer. Cut the cardboard til if fits, then cut it out of plate, and then grind it till it fits like the cardboard did. I'll keep you in mind if something else comes up. Well, you're usually in the back of my mind when i'm working. "what would Chris do in this situation", then do it completely wrong..

It was a bit funny watching me hose down the weeds outside the shop every 20 minutes just in case a stray spark flew out there. anything to cut metal using Fire..
I know they are rough, but I'll see what I can salvage. I do know I need to use long sleeves next time. need more aloa vera..

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that jig in the above pics was made by my buddies body shop,When they started it was a body dolly and I added the other points to do a front clip, no pulling , just cut and weld it was supported in the center when in was in use , the body gaps came out perfect... and chassis square..

oh ya it was attached to a straight chassis during the building of..

Very cool
I'd love to hear more about how you mated the sheet metal together.

many cuts zig zagged and purposely.. factory spot welds intact.. there is a factory manual that shows factory front clip procedures ...I have it somewhere ..I moved 1300 miles... not pretty

So did you butt weld it back together, or overlap and then weld together?

Can you tell why i'm so curious?

Today's update is minor, but still somewhat significant my mind. I place an order to Eastwood for some sheet metal tools. Also visited my local Harbor Freight. Even got a little honey dues done.

But still I managed to attach 4 plates to the car. Needed some tools to do that which slowed the day down a bit.

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The rear 2 plates won't be on the 74 chassis. That's for the big bumpers.

Never say that I don't learn things.. every single day....

Im gonna guess you didnt have those big torx 45 drivers for those bolts and it probably killed 3 hrs of your day...

I should have mentioned to you that the bumpers front/rear would be slightly different for your 74 vs your 76 donor... Sorry..

I remember it as tasting very much like a Manhattan. It was gooooodddddd!

Those were from the Bimmer. Yes, I did, and I was so proud that I found a set of 4 bolts and even had the torx bit for them. Oh well.
I was going to ask about the front bumper. I guess I'll just go with the chassis pickup points and call it good. It seems to work well for the jig that 6not4 built.

I don't need bumper mounts for the front, so it won't matter that they are different.

I've never had a Manhattan, I may have to expand my horizons...

another update.
The weekend was a wash, but weekdays are for working so I got a bit done. I made the mounting plates for each of the chassis mounting points. (minus the bumper mounts, since apparently I assumed too much..)

So, now I'm working on cross members that will accept the arms that will weld to the plates. I have two mocked up, in the pictures below. I decided on round 1.5" tubing instead of square tube mostly due to being able to index the tube to get a nice perpendicular (isn't that a fun word) connection to the jig cross members..

I'm finding that I will probably need to finish weld at least 2 of them so that I can hang the Jig frame and get the exact measurements of the other arms. I'm thinking that I will go and get some more 2" square tube along with some 6" bolts to go thru the 3" + 2" square and mount them to the main Jig for consistency. Before I do that I will align and level the main Jig frame. (not that I think it matters but only because it may at some point down the road.) then I will trim and final weld the 2 end mounting points. (rear trans mount and front lower control arms mount). Then build and tack weld the remaining arms. if all looks good, finish weld and call it good. I may add some cross bracing that will reinforce the arm positioning. I'll have a better idea once I get that far.

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Another update.

Now the front and rear arms are fixed
I moved the jig forward so there is about a 2" jig overhand on front and rear. Leaves more options down the road.

I remade one of the front arms that was too short. When working on a slanted plate, the arm length changes with positioning on the plate.
Then welded the front and rear arms to the the 2x2 cross bracing. (Also picked up some more 2x2 so I could be more consistent with the build)
Also picked up some 6" 3/8" bolts that will be used to locate and somewhat hold the cross arms. They will also be welded, but the bolts will allow them welds to be cut and still retain the mounting positions.

Since I now know the exact lengths of the other arms, (well somewhat). I can begin cutting them out and welding them to the cross braces.

I can't wait to start working on the white car.

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Continue to make progress on the Jig. A couple more arms to make and it will be ready to test. I say test, because it might be a challenge to unbolt and separate from the body. Ive already make some adjustments to the arms to allow it to drop down and away. I'll make the remaining arms and give it a try.

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If your concern is not being able to lift it straight up you could unbolt and separate the arms from the jig on the ones that look like they will bind.

I think it looks great. Did you get any body/seam clamps? I think doing one clamp on the front of the long would be a good idea. Give you something strong to hold the front of the body with while you separate the bad pieces.

I'm not sure what you mean by seam clamps. Here is what I just purchased from Eastwood. BTW, the package of 8 is from Harbor Freight. 1/2 the price, 2x the clamps.

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A mid day update. All the arms are built. I have to finish welding a couple on the front. Then shim the cross bracing where it lifted. Most are flush, but a couple I got to hot too soon and they shrunk.

I think I'm going to tac weld the cross bracing before I drill it. I can test the arms for clearance and so on, make sure they aren't in a bind.

When it's where I want it, I'll begin drilling positioning pins/mounting bolts. That will be a chore as most have to be done from the bottom. Then I might throw a couple more welds on the cross bracing. i don't intend to remove arms until I'm done with the project. Then the welds can be cut off and the positioning pins/bolts can be used to relocate for future use if need be.

Forgive my ugly welds. It's hard to get in a good position and I always rush these things. I switched to square tubing on a couple on the back. It just made more sense.

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We have Liftoff!

It's only being held by spot welds. (well, heavy spot welds.)
I still need to drill alignment holes and add the bolts. Then I'll call it done.


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Ok, this is more like liftoff.
The arms are made, they are solid. No bracing needed. They seem to be holding in place without heat warpage.

I did make a tactical error on the motor mount bracket. I put it on top of the mount since it was flat and easier to locate. Does make it very difficult to drop the frame. So I made a cut and bent it out of the way. i can put it back later if I want to once the jig is in place on the white car.

Next step is to put it back on the blue car. Make sure everything aligns. Then drill for alignment bolts. Then I can pull it off for good and reassemble the blue car suspension to make it a roller again.

Then the fun begins...

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Looks great Dan!
I'd be inclined to separate the strut tower pieces from the lower brackets though.

You bring up a good point. One of the questionable spots is the circled area under the drivers seat. I may need to do something different there if I have to pull it into position.

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Dan-

I am impressed with what you have accomplished in less than 2 months. It would have taken me 3X as long...congrats.

You're a man on a mission and it helps that experienced members are chiming in to offer their input.

No doubt this car found the right home

I can't wait to see it in person someday in the near future.

Oscar

Thanks Oscar, It does most definitely help. 40 years ago, I struggled through repairs with books checked out from the library. it's a different world.

A quick update.
I completed the reassembly of the chassis and Jig.
Only minor adjustments needed. YAY!
one more disassembly and it's done.

My Datsun friend came over and we assembled the suspension for the blue donor and rolled it out of the shop!

After some Laurel and Hardy efforts in getting the Z car in the shop, we were able to pull the engine on Z car and determine the cause of the 'ceased engine'. it was the flywheel rubbing on the trans bell housing.

a bit more work to do on the Z car and we'll be back to our regular program.

The Z car is running.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNTN7Soy__4...eature=youtu.be

The BMW suspension is on deck.

Then back to our regular scheduled program.

In the meantime. I'm shopping for wheels.
I really want to go with something like this with a deep dish, but I can't find it anywhere. Anyone have any ideas?

I have 3" spacers I can remove and use that distance as dish...

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What ET did you determine you need?

mag center 20bolt bbs 10x17 and 11x17

Math ug...

1"=25.5mm

It's 50mm et now.
plus 3" spacer 76.5mm
If i move it back to a 1" spacer and a 0et, I would be just outside the current location by .5mm

0 ET calculations.
-76.5mm + 50mm = 26.5mm
1" spacer = 25.5mm
leaving 1mm difference, ( can live with that but not much more)

-26.5mm ET calculations
-76.5mm + 50mm = -26.5mm

So, if you're still reading.
either 0mm ET
or -26ish ET

The deeper the better...

Yes, this!

I'm at 8x18 and 11x18 right now.
I'm thinking 10x18 square for track tires. But we'll see what turns up..

https://www.apexraceparts.com/wheels/fl-5-w...fl-5-wheel.html


https://www.augmentwheels.com/

I love those wheels! They are the right look. deep dish, choice of finish, and best of all not 1000+ each...

But.....
They are for BMW.
Why can't they make the exact wheel in 5x130....

Still, I'm going to call them...

Thanks for the find

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Dan - There are "non-bimmer" options...my old car. These use the 16" Fuch centers and then are converted...Lindsey Racing I believe? AFAICR...

Cracker

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Lindsey's are 17'

here is 18's
https://braidusa.com/products/bz-series-whe...=12204569296938

Staggered wheel widths are better for handling with a big high powered engine in a 914.

I like the look of your car, nice classic styling race car.
There are several I would go for, but I'll have to find them second hand.

I like the wheels you are posting, but it's too rich for my blood.
I guess I need to monitor the used market for deals.

My short term solution may be to get a couple "stockers" to replace the bent front wheels and keep my eyes open for a deal on some track wheels.

I really wanted to go with a square setup as a way to get the most out of my tires. Being the fastest at my autocross track isn't my goal. There are some blazing fast EMods out there. Track days would be the other big use of the car.

One of my biggest goals is to Not be 'that guy' that screams down the straight and then slows down for the corners and holds everyone up.

Ahh you mean like me?

I'm pretty sure your skill will overcome that quickly once your used to the car..

I would say patience and lots of Craigslist/eBay watching will turn something up

You can always call them and see if they are interested in sponsorships..

The wheels you are looking for need to be custom built to fit your car. The only way to get what you need is a 3 piece wheel. Now for the bad news there are no used wheels available in your needed size and ET. Viable options would be BBS, or CMW used of course but do not be surprised you will still need to buy some new inner and outer rims as the sizes/ET is special for your car. I build Speedline wheels and make custom sizes for the 930/911 wide body, 965/964RSR, 993/TT/GT2 cars. I have a Techart Daytona centers available for a custom build. My sets are however around $4,000 using the Daytona centers. I am attaching a picture of a set I built.Click to view attachment

Those are nice!

Yes indeed. Just out of my price range.

Not exactly what you want, but comes with tires, and a decent deal...

https://m.ebay.com/itm/PORSCHE-18-WHEELS-5x...JkAAOSwHk9bedvx


Edit: just noticed it's an auction. Will likely blow your budget.. those wheels are expensive....

but I would toss in a crazy price bid and see, if it goes over it goes over

Those look nice, but I'm going to keep looking and try not to jump into anything to quickly. I have some time to be picky.

I installed the BMW suspension on my buddies car. He loved it. Low and tight. Tomorrow I get to lay hands on the Porsche.

Dan,

A big thank you for buying and rebuilding the Screamsicle. I helped Paul with the car for about 6 years. I am also the purveyor of the Gas Can.

I fixed many systems on the car but never got the chance to fully refine them. I'm a bit anal about certain things, i.e. how it looks or can it be simpler. A good example in the "octopus". Once we figured out all the issues with the old one, I build the one on the car from scratch that was stronger and simplified. If you keep the same basic setup around the clutch and brake masters, I'd be more that happy to make a version 2.0 of the carbon fibre mini skid.

Good lucky in the project and I can't wait to see the finished project. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions.

--Matt