Author Topic: Ford "Tauruck".  (Read 91401 times)

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Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #45 on: December 26, 2012, 01:02:26 AM »
Thanks Fordboy, It's all working out OK. When I started out I actually cut the floor out of the truck and installed the roll cage from below and temporarily welded it to the front and rear clips. It kept it's shape luckily and after removing the original body all I had to do was cut loose the the bits I didn't want. I've replaced the front and rear clips with the new ones and the laser level came in very handy. Everything lined up perfectly and it's all welded now save for a few bars that need to go in. I'm hoping to have the chassis off the jig by new year. The only problem is the pedal box. A driver sits fairly high up in a stock pickup but in this case with having the roof chopped and the driver sitting on the floor things move forward drastically. The left frame rail that connects the roll cage section to the front clip runs at an angle so creating a pedal box becomes tricky but I dummied up the seat and pedals anyway. I'm comfortable even though the pedals are a floor mount setup. I bought them in 02 and trying to convert them looked like big work. The only thing I have in common with Jeff Gordon is my size and it's a good thing because if I was a six footer my feet would be in amongst the front wishbones.

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #46 on: December 26, 2012, 01:27:02 AM »
I've also built/designed a composite oil tank for my project. This tank holds a lot of oil and should help temperature wise being made from Carbon. It has three baffle plates with belled holes and when installed it's a snug fit. There's a holder that will be bolted and bonded to the chassis. The tank attaches via a large hose clamp. The tank including all the hardware with it tops the scales at exactly 1lb. I'm waiting for businesses to open next month so I can get the return fitting powder coated and buy some stainless bolts for the lid mounting. The lid was built with a recess for a 3mm O ring so when all bolted down there are no leaks.

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #47 on: December 26, 2012, 01:29:40 AM »
The recess in the lid and other images of the tank. I don't have the kind of equipment one would use to flare Aluminum and bell holes so I used wood as a jig to get the desired shape.
« Last Edit: December 26, 2012, 01:31:26 AM by tauruck »

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #48 on: December 26, 2012, 01:36:07 AM »
More pics of the tank build. Excuse the plastic sheet over the window in the second pic, we had some hail and the insurance can only fit new glass next year.

Offline Rex Schimmer

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #49 on: December 26, 2012, 11:55:42 AM »
You sure make nice composite parts!! Looks like you have done this for a while. Love the tank, if you need a drawing for some "belling" dies for aluminum let me know and I can send.

Rex
Rex

Not much matters and the rest doesn't matter at all.

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #50 on: December 27, 2012, 12:07:00 AM »
Thanks Rex. I've been into the "black art" since 1988. I really need to invest in a good camera though. Here's a pic of my Bobber tank taken with a real camera. I'll PM you my email address and I really appreciate the help.

Offline DND

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #51 on: December 27, 2012, 04:56:28 AM »
Just to make sure that Murphy does not get you , maybe 2 clamps to hold your very cool oil tank in place?

Neat bike tank too, do you have a pic of the whole bike, thanks

Fisrt class glass work!!

Don

Offline wobblywalrus

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #52 on: December 27, 2012, 11:41:00 PM »
That clear fuel line to check the amount of liquid in the tank just got copied.  One of those will be on the Triumph next year.

Offline Peter Jack

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #53 on: December 28, 2012, 12:18:46 AM »
Will you have to cover it with a fireproof cover?  :?

Pete

Offline Koncretekid

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #54 on: December 28, 2012, 08:02:39 AM »
That clear fuel line to check the amount of liquid in the tank just got copied.  One of those will be on the Triumph next year.
Bo,
I believe Tech will make you cover any exposed fuel line with firesleeve or equivalent.  However, you can check fuel level at any time by disconnecting fuel line anywhere after the shutoff valve and connecting a clear fuel line which can be held up above the fuel level in the tank.  Open the valve and you will see the fuel level.
Tom
Thanks Rex. I've been into the "black art" since 1988.


Nice work, Mikey.  Oh to have an unlimited supply of carbon fiber and an artist who knows how to use it!
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Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #55 on: December 28, 2012, 12:19:49 PM »
Ha ha ha!. I was on another forum and there was a thread about what you got for Christmas. I said I never got a thing because the wife is in Scotland freezing her butt off. Damn, I lied. I got 50lbs of Carbon. :cheers: :cheers:

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #56 on: January 01, 2013, 02:05:58 AM »
I used an el cheapo oil pan as a starting point for my dry sump system. When I was happy that the shape fit the requirements I took a mold of it. This was in 2003 and the mold sat on the part for a few years. Some of what I write here may help some of you that don't have experience working with composites. This mold is for a one off item so I felt that using an expensive epoxy system was a waste. I used Polyester instead.This system shrinks between two and five percent as quoted by the manufacturer but experience will say different. If you're eyeballing the amount of catalyst(hardener) you're using you won't get a good result. The best thing to get for any type of fiberglass work is a digital scale. It's the most important tool for working with composites. Your ratios will be spot on and you won't have problems with exotherm which is the cause of shrinkage and warping of the finished product. When I built this mold I used woven glass fabric because it gives a stronger finished product at a reduced cost. Chopped strand is junk and I call it the resin thief because it just gobbles up product and due to it's thickness it does create more heat when curing. In my experience the cost is about one third by using the woven glass. If you're in a hurry composites are not for you, this takes patience and I leave Polyester parts in a mold for a minimum of three days but typically for a week or more and I build up the layers only a few at a time. I get no visible shrinkage. When I eventually pulled the mold off the pan it only needed a light polish so the gardener at the time volunteered due to the rain we had that day. He spent a few hours on it and it came out great. He was born to polish, a part of the process I hate more than death.
A few weeks ago I produced the finished product. It's about 8 layers of Carbon using my own blended resin that can handle 200c for 8 hours or 140 indefinitely. I went through all the usual steps and got it into a vacuum bag to consolidate the piece. The only tricky part is when you actually pull vacuum. This resin has a very short pot life but you can't go to soon either. Many years ago when I was young and dumb I panicked and pulled vacuum too soon. I ended up with resin in the connectors, the pipes and the vacuum pump. That clean up was horrendous. Never again. Now, I leave a little resin in the mixing bucket and as soon as I see the viscosity change I connect the pump. Another tip on cleaning brushes is that you don't need to soak them in Acetone. Use the edge of the mixing bucket to scrape off as much excess resin as you can followed by a pull through an old rag. You then soak the brush in a container full of a mix of washing powder and warm water making sure you stipple the brush vigorously. I leave the brush in the solution for an hour or so and then rinse off. This only works with Polyester resin though. In some cases you might want to use some Acetone to finish the job if the brush is a little hard after drying. The oil pan came out of the mold needing hardly any finishing but because the mold is a female the rough side is actually the surface that mates to the engine block. Easy fix, I layed up two strips of 4 layers of Carbon on a sheet of thick glass that had been pre released and placed the pan on that using some lead weights for added pressure. The pics are moblie phone examples so the quality is iffy but this is one strong part. I hope you got something out of this post.

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #57 on: January 01, 2013, 02:09:42 AM »
After post curing the pan to the required temperature I took it out of the mold. Next was the removal of the three neccessary layers of film used in the vacuum process.

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #58 on: January 01, 2013, 02:13:28 AM »
The finished product which still needed final trimming and drilling. It came out great. The release agent was washed off later. I've got a water pipe neck, accelerator pedal and a few other cool parts in the works but thats for next month.

Offline tauruck

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Re: Ford "Tauruck".
« Reply #59 on: January 01, 2013, 02:17:06 AM »
The cleaned up pan ready for drilling and fitting instalation. Most every part ends up on the kitchen table. :roll: