6/27/15

And the weather is getting hot.  I’m not ready to say I regret quitting “Corporate America” but an air conditioned office job is quite nice this time of year.  No, the job is going well, I think, but I still have to get out of the “hobby” and into the “for profit” mindset.  When I got started on the Bronco, I did a few things the way I would have done them if it were my vehicle… in other words: expediently.  Then the more I worked on it, the less confident I became that the thing was going to turn a profit.  I kept saying things like, “We’re putting a lot of lipstick on this pig.”  John and Patrick kept replying that the lipstick is what is going to sell the pig.  I’m still having trouble with the concept because I just don’t care that much about the outward appearance/condition as long as it is a good vehicle.  I’m also worried that I might not be pulling as much weight as initially expected.  I’m trying, but the whole “hobby mindset” is slowing me down a lot, I’m afeared.  This truck alone has eaten up way more weeks than they had initially intended.  I feel so bad about it that I’m donating the rear bumper to the cause, to the tune of a couple hundred bucks out of my pocket.  Hopefully when this one is gone… hell, I just don’t know what to think.  Anyhoo, on to Datsun news.  I finally got around to trying something on a 1200 that I have wanted to try for twenty years.  I took a 200SX axle and made some links with Heim jointed ends to connect the axle to the chassis.  I ran the lower links from the axle’s lower pickup points to the front leaf-spring hangers on the chassis, a one would.  Then, rather than make brackets to attach the upper links to the chassis, I ran them from the upper pickups on the axle to the same leaf-spring hangers.  I have seen this setup in my head for, well like I said, twenty years and was convinced that it would triangulate everything without the need for a Panhard bar or Watts Link.  Well, it turns out I was right.  Unfortunately there is not as much individual wheel articulation as I’d like, but I think for the street it will be enough.  On the other hand, we have also decided that the Chickenhawk is going to be the faux rally car I have wanted to build for the last thirty years.  Our reasoning is manifold.  First off, raising the car will make installation of springs easier… if not simply possible!  Another item in the decision is the fact that John finally got his 1200 on the ground and rolling.  It is Chickenhawk 1.0 low!  I didn’t really want to get into that arms race.  The final thing going for faux rally car… actually, I decided that it is more a “Baja Bug” inspired theme than true rally car… but I digress.  The final thing going for the idea is the Omni flares are just big enough for some 25.5” tall all terrain tires.  BF Goodrich still makes a 195/75-14 All Terrain TA, one of my all-time favorite all terrain tires, which calculate out to just over 25.5” tall.  I have tasked John with sourcing a set for me so we can poop or get out of the Ganges on the thing.  He wants me to use Z-car “Iron Cross” wheels because they are virtually bulletproof.  I don’t particularly want to use them because said bulletproofism means they weigh a brazillion pounds each.  I want to run the turbine wheels because… well, I like turbine wheels!  With the decision of calling it a Baja 1200 rather than a Rally 1200, I think the turbine style will work.  If you don’t like it, print out this rant, fold it until it is all sharp corners, then SHOVE IT UP YOUR… know what?  Never mind.  As for the front suspension, I think we’re going to go with 240Z gubbins… like cross member, struts, control arms, steering rack, and everything.  We took some measurements and we have the option of either notching the frame to make the cross member fit, or space it down a bit.  I think we’re going to space it down so that we can fit an L-20b.  I’m going to want more torque than an L-18 will provide so’s I can turn those big assed tires.  Spacing down also gets the control arms level with the raised suspension.  It’s a win-win.  By using a 240Z rack, we will free up lots of space for headers… and I can point to John’s car and say, “Aw, ain’t that cute?  Look at the steering box.”  Tee hee.  Well, that’s about it for now… except for van news!  I think I have decided on going for the Datsun L-28 six cylinder after all.  I want to use the Skyline single downdraft carb manifold off of the 260Z so I bought, I think, a set of SU carbs for Patrick to install on that car freeing it up for my van.  I went ahead and bought the parts for the disc brake conversion as well but am still waiting for the kit to arrive.  I paid with PayPal so they might get called in to resolve the situation if he doesn’t send them soon.  And THAT is all I have to say… for now.  Toodles.