Karrier rebuild

Ah! Memories! OR should that be mammaries??

OK, tacked everything in place, mounting bolts facing straight down parallel with the engine, offset leaning in towards the engine block. Took the whole shooting match down to a structural engineer and let him run rampant with the mig after he tacked a couple of braces to stop the crossmember twisting. Ended up with about 25mm clearance all around the sump. Bit of trimming required on the off (drivers) side engine bracket as it was fouling on the chassis rail, so beefed the bracket up with some extra 4mm plate to be welded in next cab off the rank. Then a trial fit to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be. Once I get the front crossmember bolted to the chassis rails, check all my driveline angles and then tighten up both the rear engine/trans mounts and the mid-ship bellhousing mounts. Made a bit of a blue with the near side mid ship mount but found a 5mm thick X 12mm centre X 50mm O.D. hardened steel washer should just about slip in nicely between the bottom of the flange on the mounting bracket and the original donut rubbers.
Get that done and I can roll the chassis out of the shed and maybe find a few tools and such which had been hurled at the wall when things were not travelling so well. Besides, good weather, want to get the Honda motorbike out, had to put a new battery in it and hasn't been ridden for months.

Cheers, Dave_64

These came back from the structural welders last night, gave them a rub over with the linishing wheel on the grinder and shouted them a coat of paint. Sitting in chassis at the moment with the weight of the engine on them, minor foul up (me) have to shim near side crossmember to chassis rail (3mm), so bolts all drop straight in without belting the bejaysus out of everything and putting the mounts under too much tension.
Think I'll leave it up on the jack stands and blocks, rip the front spring hanger pins out after taking the front wheels off, let the front axle drop on the floor. That way I can leave the setup clamped together when I drill the crossmember to chassis rail bolt holes. Xmember was made a couple of inches too long either side so it would sit on the jack stands. once bolted up trim off with the 5" cut off wheel. Can't fall down any further, also supported in the middle of the xmember with blocks and an extra block between it and the sump.
Dave

Kogz M80
FCS
the Queen Mary has has less to hold the motors in
looks a bit of overkill
But
tiz your dollrs n Wheelz
hope U aint got a big nose bag in the cab with U coz it could put U ovr Weight wize on the steers
Thanx fir the pix
cya
§

My thoughts as well Swishy - extreme overbuild.
That looks like 1/2" steel x 2"? :dry:
I used 3/8 steel once when doing an engine swap and the inspector suggested my mounts needed support gussets - until I pointed out the original chassis rails were barely 1/8" at which point he conceded that they were probably stronger than most. Most, excluding yours of course! :blink:
At least you can be reasonably certain they won't fail . . . :silly:

You think? I asked the structural engineer when ordering the steel, said keep it the same as the existing crossmembers, all made out of either 4 or 5mm plate, flanges rolled, then cut out to that stepped pattern, then he welded new flanges at the steps. The engine block to rubber mounts have been beefed up, I admit. Got a few new gussetts in them.
Had a mishap when fitting up into the chassis where the engine lay over alarmingly, but can't fall any further as the rear transmission as well as the bellhousing mounts stopped it going any further. hastily got a jack under it and was a bit worried may have undone all the good work, but it went straight back in and the bracket to engine mounts still lined up, didn't really have to clout them at all, eased in with a pinch bar.
Don't know what grade the original steel used, although it is reasonable easy to drill with a new drill bit, but makes the angle grinder with the thin cutters work!
Kept the width (80mm) same as the existing xmembers as well.
Yeah, probably gone overboard a little, swapped out a lot of the old bolts (5/16" and 3/8" for mostly 7/16" hi-tensile, where I had plenty of meat left, even used a few 1/2" in places.
Probably doubled the tare weight already and doesn't even have the cab on it!
Way I look at it, what started out as a hobby, transitioned into a labour of love, now everybody within cooee reckons it has become an obsession!
Told the mates missus that I kept a mistress in the shed , soaks up all my money as well as time, for little return! (so far, anyway).
She reckons that I'd have been better off chasing skirt, even a second hand one?
Still thinking about that, not sure what context she meant!
Dave

Ah! See now why you blokes reckon I was trying to anchor down the QE2.
That new crossmember may look like one piece of solid material in the photos, in reality is 4mm thick flat with flanges rolled either side, then when I removed what wasn't required to get around the oil sump bulge, had the welder add the flanges back on so it looks pretty close to an original. Admit it does have a couple of small gussetts on the upswept piece.
Shoot, fellers! I know I'm a pedantic over-complicating, over-killing old phart, but if the member was solid, I'd never even lift it, let alone attach it to the Kogzbilt! Have the old girl sagging at the front springs!
Like I said earlier, probably already doubled it's original tare weight!
Cheers, Dave

Oooh! That was hurtful!
AND, you should see the size of the dog those chains are used for restraining!

You blokes reckon I get carried away overbuilding something that should be relatively simple?
Went over to a blokes place recently (scrounging for Karrier bits n pieces) and this old guy, well, older than me anyway, showed me his pride and joy home made fork lift, needed something to clear all the cr*p out of his paddock for scrap.
Looks like the chassis rails off one of those old "elephant" Fruehauf trailers cut off, welded in a couple of early Dodge diffs, facing each other, welded (obviously loves his Mig) a couple of rims together a-la one of those Franna cranes, Red Holden engine and trimatic auto driving a reduction box out of an old sawmill, into a landrover transfer case.
Told me that it kept trying to nosedive, so filled a 13 gallon drum with concrete, made up a frame with said chassis rails left over, and swung it on the back for a counterweight.
Should have got a photo of it, twas a classic! If I go over again, I'll ask if he minds me recording it for posterity.
Bloke who took me over to this fellers place was telling me that many years ago, this fork lift builder had bought an old ex-police motorcycle outfit, BSA, Matchless, something around that era. Wiped the sidecar off on a tree coming home from the waterhole, too drunk to get hurt though. Dragged it home somehow, cut what was left of the sidecar off with the gas axe, looked at the frame and decided that the missus's rocking chair off the front porch would be an ideal replacement. Grafted it on, much to the missus chagrin, and for quite some time after, on a warm summers Saturday night, could often be seen jogging into town (well, this IS the bush, and many years ago) to the local dance. But the missus wouldn't get in the rocking chair/sidecar, and apparently she was only tiny, so he would kick start the bike, leg her up into the saddle and would arm himself with a flagon propped up in the rocking chair, "ascertaining the natives". She couldn't kick start the bike, so when it came time to go after the last waltz, she'd go inside and try and find someone sober enough to do it for her.
Story goes he gave the outfit riding away after he had a mishap (again) when deciding he needed a comfort stop on the way home , only trouble was the damn fool thing was still mobile, only going slow though. Outfit wheel ran over his ankle, fracturing a few bones and removing a heap of bark off various parts of his bod. Got home and had to work the next day, used to be a smithy shoeing horses when a young feller. So, cut the guts out of an old pair of Blundstones and with the aid of baling wire, stiched it together and went and done a few racehorses. Never did get to either the hospital or the doctors, my mate said that is why he still walks with a limp to this day. How much of it is fact, I dunno, but did make a good yarn!
The mate added that when his missus was buried he wanted to bury the bike with her, but she must have got in first, leaving instructions that if her hubby bunged that on, she was going to come back and haunt him. Tough old bloke, but apparently she was the only known person whom he was scared of, as my mate described her before she passed away, "five foot nothing, about 5 stone wringing wet, and wouldn't throw a shadow in the noonday sun"!
Characters!
Dave