'84 Dodge Rampage Build Thread

[SteveM]

Gregg - I was hoping you might be able to extract some information from those pics.  Your stuff shipped out on Monday.  According to UPS, it is "Out For Delivery" as of 6:47 this morning, in Rocky Mount, NC.

I left the windows oversized, so you can trim them to a perfect fit.  When I trimmed mine, I used my OEM windows as a template, clamped the polycarbonate to the OEM glass during the cuts, and was VERY careful with a jigsaw. (wood cutting blade worked best, a metal cutting blade just melted the polycarbonate).

Steve.

[Milwaukee Midget]

Steve, Gregg -

I found that a small, sharp cabinetmaker's plane worked really well in trimming the edges of my Lexan, at least on the straight edges.

Smooth, even light strokes with just a fingernail width of blade standing proud - let the tool do the work.

 

[Tman]

Try a ground/reverse tooth laminate blade in your jigsaw on a test piece. I have notcut lexan with one but use them for  anything fragine and they work wonders. The kerf is very thin and the reverse cut pulls the matrial UP into the pressure of the foot. This keeps the saw;/material from "jumping"

[Captthundarr]

For the windshield on the camaro I used a CO2 laser tracked with free protons that escaped the CERN lab..nope thats how I set up the suspension. The window I use a med. wood jig saw blade at med speed, let the saw do the work, to sneak up on the line the used a handheld belt sander to get it just right. Greggs a smart guy. He'll figure it out.

[SteveM]

I also used a machinist's carbide de-burring tool to remove the sharp edges on the polycarbonate.  Before de-burring, those edges are SHARP!

Steve.

[SteveM]

Try a ground/reverse tooth laminate blade in your jigsaw on a test piece. I have notcut lexan with one but use them for  anything fragine and they work wonders. The kerf is very thin and the reverse cut pulls the matrial UP into the pressure of the foot. This keeps the saw;/material from "jumping"

That "jumping" was a bit of a problem.  That's why I clamped the poly directly to the OEM window, and had a friend help to hold the work in place.  Without good support, the saw definitely wants to jump.  I'll have to look into one of those reverse tooth laminate blades.  Are those the ones with teeth on both sides?

Steve.

[Tman]

Try a ground/reverse tooth laminate blade in your jigsaw on a test piece. I have notcut lexan with one but use them for  anything fragine and they work wonders. The kerf is very thin and the reverse cut pulls the matrial UP into the pressure of the foot. This keeps the saw;/material from "jumping"

That "jumping" was a bit of a problem.  That's why I clamped the poly directly to the OEM window, and had a friend help to hold the work in place.  Without good support, the saw definitely wants to jump.  I'll have to look into one of those reverse tooth laminate blades.  Are those the ones with teeth on both sides?

Steve.

No, the ones I use are blanchard ground so they have a thin kerf and upside down teeth so they cut on the upstroke. I buy either Bosch, Makita or even the Ace house brand ones. All seem to work pretty well.

[gkabbt]

Gregg - I was hoping you might be able to extract some information from those pics.  Your stuff shipped out on Monday.  According to UPS, it is "Out For Delivery" as of 6:47 this morning, in Rocky Mount, NC.

I left the windows oversized, so you can trim them to a perfect fit.  When I trimmed mine, I used my OEM windows as a template, clamped the polycarbonate to the OEM glass during the cuts, and was VERY careful with a jigsaw. (wood cutting blade worked best, a metal cutting blade just melted the polycarbonate).

Steve.

UPS Santa dropped them off this afternoon around 1:30.

Many thanks for doing these and getting the frames for me.....DUDE, YOU ROCK!

Also to everyone, thanks for the tips on cutting/smoothing.

Gregg
PS
Steve, PM on the way.

[SteveM]

No problem, Gregg - I'll send a PM later today.

For now, here are a few more pics of the window setup, and how I did mine.  First, I cut the polycarbonate to match the outside shape of the OEM glass.  I don't have any good photos of that step.



Then, I set one of the OEM windows on a pair of sawhorses, and then applied a strip of tape along the outer edge of the window.  I can't remember if the tape is 3/4" or 1", but you can figure that out. 





The next step was to set the tubular frame so it aligned with the edge of this tape strip on the OEM window.  At this point, the tubular window frame has not been bent to match the contour of the window.

After I was happy with the alignment of the tube frame, I started carefully bending the tubular frame to match the curvature of the OEM window.  I used a wooden dowel, placed on the floor of the garage, and just made a series of gradual bends until the curves matched on the front and rear edges of the glass.




I thought I had a few more photos, but apparently not.  After the tubular frame was bent to the right curvature, I put the poly window on the sawhorses, applied the same type of tape to the outside edge, then placed the formed frame on the poly, in the same relative position as on the OEM glass.  Again, when I was happy with the alignment, I carefully drilled through the pre-made holes in the window frame, directly through the poly, loosely bolting it as I went.

[SteveM]

Here's one more pic that might help show how the tube frame is attached to the door structure.  Once it's bolted in place, the structure is quite rigid - much more so than the inner door frame itself.

[gkabbt]

Steve,
I REALLY don't know how many more times I'm going to thank you for all your help.....but once again, THANKS!  
Naturally, I'll need to repeat what you have done and these pics will certainly help with the process.

Gregg
PS
In Wilmington now and ready to see some Land Speed Racing this weekend!  

[Captthundarr]

Lucky you Gregg, dodge the storm and see go fast. Have a good time and post alot of pics.

[SteveM]

I owe some updates, but haven't made the time to post them.  I've hit the phase of the build where money is flowing like gravy at Thanksgiving dinner.

Ordered the fire system today.

Engine is assembled.  Ordered a bunch of AN fittings and hoses.

Gauges will be purchased tomorrow.

Coilovers are all set up (about 1 inch lower than previous photos).

New this, new that, lots of hours logged recently, but I need to keep the pressure on.

I can feel the stress building...

Tonight, I took a break from the Rampage to get some exercise, and ended up doing pretty well (for me) in a bike race....



That's me in front of this mini-pack (momentarily), fairly early in the race.  Anyway, it was a beautiful night to get out and do some bike racing.

Steve.

[Tman]

Isnt it funny how we look like beer bellies on the bike and can be stick thin in person? Cycling is as odd as LSR. Kinda like solo around the world sailing.

[SteveM]

You speak the truth.  Sadly, the camera doesn't lie, and I forgot to suck in the gut in front of the guy with the camera.  I have not been training with any kind of seriousness.  The soft midsection tells the tale.  If I was 5 lbs lighter, it would make a difference on the bike.  If I was 10 lbs lighter, I would be at a good racing weight.

I'm hoping that by maintaining some moderate level of fitness, I'll be able to deal with the physical demands of being on the salt flats with a little more ease.

Steve.