1973 Holden Monaro GTS

A local sandwich shop here sells sub sandwiches they call Grinders. The story goes that they were sold to shipyard workers building Liberty ships during WW2, and the workers were called Grinders, so the name stuck to the sandwich. Today I was a Grinder, a job that is dirty, noisy and definately not fun or as tasty as the sandwich.

I was hoping to get the halo and A pillars of the rollcage in but first the old rollbar tubing had to be removed from the 6x6 1/8" plate welded to the floor by the kick plates. When I put those bars in I was much less experienced and frankly did a pretty horrible job of fitting the tubing and tried to fill large gaps with the welder. The end result was a lot of weld metal to be removed. I cut out as much I could with the plasma, but ended up spending two hours with the angle grinder, on my knees, eating sparks. Picture is of one of the cleaned up floor plates.

Before that grinding experience I painted the rear housing with Duplicolor truckbed liner. It comes in a spray can and leaves a nice mottled finish and its supposed to be tough as nails. It definately looks the part. One tip I learned off TV is to take a piece of cardboard and use a hammer to punch the studs through, then overlay the gasket and cut around the gasket. This masks off the area where the third member installs. Very nice!

I bought a 1994 Ford Probe off craigslist for $100. It had been sitting for several years at an apartment complex and the owner was finally told to move it or lose it. I brought it home on the trailer, put a good battery in it and it fired right up and seems to run great. It has an exhaust leak and some condition issues but who could turn down a running car for $100? Haven't decided what to do with it yet, sell it, drive it, enduro car, rollover contest, who knows?

Something of an anual event for us is the February swap meet at the Deltaplex in Grand Rapids. In the past I've been able to snare some good bargains but frankly the last couple of meets have been disappointing with the number of vendors down and the quality of the stuff below par. Still, Joey picked up a good deal on a small block Victor intake for $130 and Bill found a Holley Pro-jection setup for $120.

I've been doing a lot of buying and selling with Jeff from Sturgis who calls himself USA Performance Parts. I've sold him a couple of big blocks and recently purchased a set of Dart 320 bare heads and a freshly turned 454 crank. The heads will go on a 452ci BBC (0.125" over 427) while the crank is for a 481 (0.125" over 454). I'm building the 481 with a pair of heavily worked 1971 LS6 rectangular port heads and will keep it as a spare unless someone makes me an offer I can't refuse.

Tomorrow I have the day off and will be back on the Monaro. I have bought 80ft of 1 5/8" DOM tubing from Alro which should be enough to finish the entire cage.

I got an early start on Saturday morning with the goal of finishing the main hoop of the rollcage. The main hoop is so called as it is the first component of the rollcage and goes up and over the drivers head and stops the roof collapsing in the case of a rollover.

I probably spent a hour with Bend-Tech EZ on the verify page which allows you to pick any two points on the tubing and view the verticle, horizontal and direct dimensions between the points. I wanted the hoop as tight to the roof as possible, while having 1" of clearance between the body and tubing. The main dimension I was tweaking was the top width and overall height which are critical to getting it up close to the roof while being as wide as possible.

One tool I've found invaluable is this angle finder which shares the same radius as the bender die. It helps me visualize how the hoop is going to fit. I have a friend (Bill) who is some kind of genius (Idiot savant?) when it comes to picturing in his head what angles are required for custom parts like rollcages and header pipes, and in fact he bent up the original main hoop that was in the car previously and made my headers, but I am not so talented and have to use software and other aids.

Time to start bending. Measure and mark the tubing where Bend-Tech EZ tells you to, pull the tubing into the bender and start bending. First bend is 26 degrees, second and third bends 68 degrees and another 26 degree. Each pull on the handle bends about 5 degrees, and the tube will spring back 2 or 3 degrees. The bender has a degree wheel on it which lets you know when you are approaching the angle but don't rely on it to verify the final bend, lay the angle finder over it and take your time.

After cutting the hoop to the correct height and test fitting I can now say I am a believer in Bend-Tech EZ. The hoop fits absolutely perfectly. It could not have gone any better. It is tight up against the roof, has 1" of clearance to the doors and has enough clearance on the crossmember to allow full welding around the tube. If you have a car that nobody makes a rollcage kit for, get a bender and Bend-Tech EZ! I've run out of tubing and next I'll be designing the halo and A pillar bars. All the other bars should be straight pieces.

Clearly someone is reading this journal as I got an email asking what the hell I've been doing for the month of January and the short answer is, not much. I've been procrastinating because the next step involved making room around the tubing bender and buying tubing. But today the sun was shining so I told the boss I was taking the afternoon off to get started on the next phase of the project, the rollcage. After my enclosed trailer argued with a Semi truck, I've decided to park it and just use it for storage. I moved a bunch of stuff out to the trailer and now I've got room to swing the bender handle.

The tubing I am using is 1.625" 0.120 wall DOM tubing. It runs about $5/foot at Alro Steel. DOM stands for Drawn Over Mandrel and is a step up from welded seam tubing and is recommended for any tubing that will be bent. It starts life as welded seam tubing and is then put through an extra process (the mandrel) which ensures a consistent wall thickness. The size and wall thickness will be IHRA and NHRA legal for a full 14 point rollcage.

The bender I am using is a Protools 105 with a 6" radius die. Its a manual bender but works great for the money. I have it bolted to the floor with concrete anchors. It takes about 5 minutes to make a 90 degree bend. Don't bother with those cheap chinese hydraulic benders that push up on the tube, they will kink the tubing, trust me I know.

I am an avid viewer of Extreme 4x4 and the other PowerBlock shows, where I saw them using software called Bend-Tech Pro. The software allows you to model rollcages or entire chassis on the computer and it will calculate and print out the cut length, bend angles and bend locations of every component of your project. The EZ version is reasonably priced and is all I need for this project so I decided to give it a try.

The first task in Bend-Tech EZ is to calibrate the bender. Without going into specifics you bend up a 90 degree piece of tube, measure it, and calculate the Center Line Radius of your die. The software uses this figure to calculate how much tubing is required for each bend. Once calibrated, you select a template for the piece you are bending and provide the outside dimensions. I am starting with the main hoop as everything else is tied to it. With all the measurements insert I can see that I need 126" of tubing and have all the angles and bend locations. The verify option allows you to see the distance between any two points on the hoop which is great for double checking your work. A $5/foot for tubing I think this software will ultimately save me time and money by preventing screw ups. The following picture is my actual hoop.

Tomorrow I put the software to the test and bend up the main hoop!

Todays goal was to have the Monaro back on all 4 wheels. That meant finish welding the crossmember, frame rails and upper shock mount. I played around with the welder and some scrap to find the best heat and wire speed to get a good bead on the .056" thick box steel. Making a nice weld on the bench, and doing it while lying on the floor in tight confines are two different things but after an hour or so I had good strong welds that I can live with. I then assembled the rear housing, axles, wheels, ladder bars, shocks and rolled it all under the car and loosely bolted everything together.

Dropping the car down onto the rear wheels I can tell I am going to have to remove the inner wheel wells. I was hoping not to have to do this but it will give me more room to work and I'll fill the holes with lighter aluminum wheel wells. The wheels are sitting about 1/2" too far to the rear, but the adjustability in the ladder bars will be able to correct that. Getting the car back on its wheels was a nice milestone to hit and I can now move it around the garage on dollies. The rest of the work I can do on the lift as all the critical components are welded in place.

I spent the rest of the day unloading the Ute and moving trailers around. I wasn't able to get it started because of the cold and a weak battery. The oil looks kind of suspect too, oil isn't supposed to look like mud. But small block Chevy's grow on trees around here so I'm not concerned about the mechanics. The body is pretty straight with some problem areas. It really needs some body work and new paint, but is in good driving condition. My problem now is not enough space in the garage. Hopefully the Ute will start tomorrow and I'll be able to move it and the Torana to the front of the garage and put the Monaro up on the lift.

I left for St Louis yesterday morning at 5:30 am. Roads were wet and slick all the way to Chicago so I kept it at 50-55mph getting passed by trucks the whole way. I turned onto I55 and headed south to St Louis. About 30 miles out of Joliet, without any warning at all, the rear of the truck washed out and turned me to the right. I corrected for the skid but it was too far gone. I felt the trailer jack-knife the rear of the truck and it was pushing me down the road at right angles to the road at 50 mph. I hit the manual over-ride on the electric brake controller for the trailer brakes and when the trailer wheels grabbed it jerked the truck straight. The whole rig moved to the left and I felt an impact but thought it was the force of the trailer brakes. I eased into the truck brakes and got everything stopped on the left shoulder of the highway. At that time I looked in the rear view and saw the tractor trailer into the side of the trailer and I realized with a sinking feeling that we had collided.

The trucker was from Michigan also and had seen the whole thing. He kept saying "You were totally jacked man". He was travelling with his young son who was sitting up in the cab freaked out and crying, no doubt from seeing my trailer coming rushing at him across the highway. We were not alone in our Ice-capades as there was a woman in a pickup stuck in the medien after spinning three times. She also stated there was another spin out but they had a 4x4 and avoided getting stuck.

I moved the trailer further off the highway as the traffic was still screaming past and we were concerned about someone else spinning out and colliding with us. The trucks front bumper had scraped down the side of my trailer starting at the front axle and ending at the rear door, with the worst damage to the left rear wheel and left rear siding. I jacked up the trailer and put on the spare wheel but it looked as though the axle had been bent as the wheel was angled out at the front compared to the front axle. Plus all the aluminum siding was hanging off. 200 miles from home, 200 miles to go, and 400 miles back with a fully loaded trailer. I was not looking good.

About 30 minutes later the salt trucks had gone by (thanks but too late) and the first cop arrived. He made sure everyone was OK but he was out of his jurisdiction so we had to wait another hour for the next cop who was in his jurisdiction. He had us move to the right shoulder of the highway were we sat for more than 1 hour. I later learned that the truckers name came up as a wanted felon but it was apparently a case of mistaken identity and he was not arrested to my knowledge.

3 hours later the police had finished their paperwork, I was cited for "Improper use of lane" to the tune of $75 to be paid via mail. At this time they allowed me to proceed and I headed to the nearest truck and trailer repair shop south of Odell Ill at Exit 201. I got there without the tire exploding and they spent 20 minutes checking out the axles and chassis and installing 6 screws to keep the siding from flapping about. I was charged $41. Even the mechanic was embarrassed by the amount and apologized but his boss had no sense of humor when I commented on how expensive his screws were. Compare this experience to the one we had in Seymour Indiana where we had a flat tire repaired for free because we were out of towner's needing help. Makes me want to buy a John Mellencamp CD.

They also recommended I head back to Michigan with an empty trailer but I was committed so I continued on regardless. I stopped several times over the next 200 miles to check the tires but they were not wearing excessively nor overheating so I continued on. Plan B was to abandon the trailer or find a scrap yard to sell it to, and rent a trailer to bring the Ute back on.
I was in constant contact with the seller so when I arrived 2 hours late it was no surprise. He was also meeting some guys from Bowling Green Kentucky at the same place to sell them a pro-mod chassis and as it happens they arrived within 5 minutes of me. I loaded up the Ute and drove 35 miles north on I55 to the Super 8 in Staunton Ill where I had a room booked. Again the tires seemed to be travelling fine. I arrived there at about 7:30pm and went almost immediately to sleep as I'd been on the road for almost 14 hours.

Next morning it was cold (4F) but the roads were dry and I made good time. Every time a truck passed me it buffeted the trailer in such a way that I now believe that my rig jack-knifed due a combination of ice and the truck I ultimately collided with trying to pass me at 70mph, way above the 55mph speed limit. Of course this idea appeared to late to suggest it to the police and probably would not have changed the outcome anyway. The rest of the trip was uneventful, the spare tire held up (I did have two spares just in case) and I got home about 3pm, in about half the travel time as Day 1.

More information about the Ute as I make room in the garage for it and unload it from the trailer.

I spoke to the seller of the HQ Ute yesterday and he had an interesting drive from Texas to Springfield MO in bad weather, nearly wiping out several times on ice. But he assures me the Ute is safe and undamaged in his enclosed trailer and the current plan is to meet tomorrow (Monday) at the truck stop opposite Gateway International Raceway just outside St Louis MO. I decided to take my enclosed trailer instead of the open one to keep the Ute from the elements and getting covered in snow, ice and salt.

My enclosed trailer is really a 20 ft construction trailer that I traded an old RV for several years ago. It's been great for extra storage space and being a trailer the City can't hassle me. I did have to buy two new tires for it and I'll be carrying two spares just in case. I'm going to try and do the trip down and back in a day but I'm prepared to spend the night somewhere if I get tired or my co-driver can't make it for some reason.

With all the brackets tacked in place I removed the housing from the car and set it up on the welding table. Finish welding the brackets is not hard but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Weld a little at a time. Even though we are dealing with 1/4" thick plate and tubing, excessive heat can still warp the tubes. Refer to your welders chart for the correct heat and wire speed, take your time and weld about 1" at a time and alternate sides.

Leave the rod ends bolted in when you weld. Because you can only reach the outsides of the brackets with the welder, the weld is going to want to spread the brackets apart when it cools. Leaving the rod ends and bolts in place prevents the weld from pulling the brackets.

Use the supplied boxing strips. The Chassis Engineering ladder bar brackets come with boxing strips that attach across the brackets, leaving reliefs for the rod ends. Some bending and forming is required here to wrap the strips around the brackets. I started welding at one end of the strip and used the BFH (Hammer) to form the strips to the brackets. I prefer to use the "stitch" weld method here as its easier to control and gives a TIG type look to the weld. The stitch method involves a series of short weld "bursts" moving along the seam.

Note also the bottom brace which is 1-3/8" .120 wall DOM tubing from Alro Steel. Alro sells "drops" of DOM tubing for $1.89/lb (prices vary with the market) and have a wide selection of sizes.

I had just enough gas in the bottle to finish the housing so I'm done for the day. Finish welding the frame will have to wait until I have recharged the welding gas.

Been a few weeks since my last post, spent mainly at work and waiting for the rear end to arrive. I picked it up from Lanes and it is a gorgeous piece, full welded with housing ends and back brace. I set the housing up at ride height (half the tire diameter 14.5") on jack stands and assembled the ladder bars. Lay the ladder bars on top of each other with the bolts through the rod ends and adjust until they are exactly the same length. Then install the brackets and bolt the front rod end to the frame. Use a square to reference the outside of the frame rail and center the housing in the chassis. Make a mark referencing the outside frame rail on the housing, I used a plumb bob for this, then measure 3/8" to the inside and mark again. The second mark is where the outside ladder bar bracket lines up. I found it useful to zip tie the bracket to the housing to keep it in place while you square it up and tack in place.

Diagonal Link

The diagonal link locates the housing and prevents side to side movement. It does the same job as a panhard bar, but because corner forces are not an issue for a straight line car, we can use the diagonal link instead. Chassis Engineering sells a bolt in kit specifically for their ladder bars (3/4" bracket up front, 5/8" bracket out back). Unfortunately, the bar is only 35" long and because of my wider frame width (34") it was not long enough. I had to add 2-3/4" to the center of it using some scrap tubing.

Shock Mounts

With the ladder bars and diagonal link installed, time to install the upper and lower shock mounts. Chassis engineering sells a "mock-shock jig" that is basically a dummy coil over shock. Lanes doesn't stock them so I made my own from some 1/2" DOM tubing drops from Alro Steel. I got lucky as the same tubing was exactly the size I needed to extend the diagonal link. The Strange single adjustable shocks are 17" fully extended and 12" fully compressed so I took a swag at the shock length at ride height and made them 14" long. You want to make sure they are both the same length and that the T's are square to the body. Use the shock jigs to assemble the upper and lower mount brackets. Cut the upper mount crossmember to a snug fit between the frame rails and use a zip tie to attach the upper mount brackets to the crossmember. Chassis engineering recommend leaning back the shocks 5 degrees to allow for up and down housing movement, use an angle finder to achieve this. The centerline of the shocks should be 2" from the inside of the frame rail. Mark the upper crossmember 2" in from the frame rail and use a square to transfer the mark to the housing. With the lower bracket square to the housing and vertical to the floor tack it in place on the mark. Tack the upper brackets to the crossmember. I found it easier to remove the crossmember and finish weld the brackets on my welding table. I then reinstalled the crossmember with the brackets installed, reassembled the shock brackets, checked the shock angle and tacked the crossmember to the frame rails.