With only three weeks to go, we're spending every spare minute in the shop getting the Online Deuce ready for its SEMA Show debut. Actually, as this story is being prepared, we have only four days until it's scheduled to be at Gabe's Custom Auto Interiors, in Bloomington, California. Like many other projects, they always seem to go right down to the wire.
This update will give you a glimpse of three different steps in the buildup: Mounting the body, assembling the steering intermediate shaft from Borgeson Universal, along with an abbreviated look at some of the steps it took to mount our Wilwood brakes.
To give you an idea of how things go, yesterday, I went to The Deuce Factory to buy a few stainless steel grease fittings (about $10.00) and came out with over $500 worth of "odds and ends."
But, since our time is short, we'd better get to the photos for this update. Please wish us luck. We've got a deadline date at the Street Rod Marketing Alliance Reception in Las Vegas, and we're still waiting for some important parts. None to worry, we'll make it!
I got the easy job when it...
I got the easy job when it came time to mount the body -- camera man! The only thing difficult here, was dancing around all the other projects at SRRC. Left to right, my helpers included Jerry Dexter, Barry White, Chris Brown, and Ryan Rivers.
Once it was positioned over...
Once it was positioned over the frame rails, Barry checked to see that the boys had things on the mark. Orange frame welting cushioned our body-to-chassis union, and then drift pins were used to line up each body-mounting hole.
Here, Barry was well into...
Here, Barry was well into his wiring exercise, which is done from scratch, using a "Black Box" from Enos Custom Components. He prefers to use non-insulated terminals and seals each connection with heat-shrink sleeving. Man, that makes for a clean connection!
When building a steering system,...
When building a steering system, measure from the output shaft of the gear box (or rack) to the bottom of the steering column to determine the length of your intermediate shaft. Our measurements showed the Online Deuce needed a 14-inch shaft.
Let the shaft slide all the...
Let the shaft slide all the way in to each joint and you'll have enough room to engage the spline on the gear box, and the Double-D on the column. Then, you can set your depth so the shaft sets properly in each yoke.
Each yoke has a set screw...
Each yoke has a set screw and lock nut that bottoms on the splined shaft for added safety. With this particular column, the Double-D stub has a through-hole that accepts yet another set screw and lock nut, which is also for added safety.
Our Mullins Vega gear box...
Our Mullins Vega gear box uses a 5/8-inch, 36-spline, by 3/4-inch, 36-spline U-joint, and the ididit column accepts a 1-inch Double-D, by 3/4-inch, 36-spline joint. When designing any steering system, remember that splined, or Double-D shafting provides a positive connection, due to the irregular shapes.
We're finally starting to...
We're finally starting to bolt things on for good, as shown with this front rotor and hub assembly.
Wilwood supplies shims to...
Wilwood supplies shims to center the calipers, for optimum pad-to-rotor contact. Two shims on each side, and our rotors were perfectly aligned.