Phew...Second 12 hour day fabbin'....

First day...Got the bender stand built and mounted...Removed the inner fender-wells in front....Removed the coil-buckets and old bump-stop mounts (front)...Got rid of all the remaining steering comp's...Cleaned up everything real nice....And did a couple of practice bends on my new toy (actually a torture device w/o hydro, but still a cool "toy").

Second day...Remounted the rear axle...Bent and mounted the primary shock-hoops (tricky for a first time bender like me)...Fabbed the lower shock tabs and welded in place...Did a trial articulation run with the shocks in place (was a little worried that the inside edge of the tires would rub the spring but cleared fine)...

Tomorrow...Fab removable cross-tube support to the two primary rear shock hoops...Mount the coil-overs w/springs and watch how high the rig sits now that there is little to no weight on the rear. Place the fuel cell in position, and fab the cross tube mounting locations. Replace the "bed".

Sat...Front end baby!

Sun...Position and locate the hydro...This one might be a couple of days...

Fun, fun, fun! Now if it wasn't 95deg F in the damn yard life would be EASY! :)

Don't worry...Pics will happen soon.

Bed time for this Bonzo?:zzz:

--D

The pics The pics


we must see the evidence of all this activity. :D :D

D, what brand bender did you get? I've been toying with the idea myself, but haven't decided on a particular brand yet.

Originally posted by Greg Davis
D, what brand bender did you get? I've been toying with the idea myself, but haven't decided on a particular brand yet.

Went with the JD2...Can't beat the price and (as far as I can tell) it's the same thing as the pro-tools except it's not powdercoated.

I tell ya, if I get into this stuff (bending) a bunch I'm goin' hydro. Working that handel in the yard in 95+ heat is a beaatch! I was sweating big time on a 160 degree bend this afternoon.

Operation is smooth and easy (1.75" x .120 dom)....But damn if I can judge the spring-back yet! I guess in time I'll be able to "feel" when to stop and end up with the desired bend WITH the spring-back. 90deg has less spring-back than 120...120 less than 180 etc. So I'm sure it's gonna' take a lot of pull's to get the feel...Hydro would make life a LOT easier let me tell ya'.

Who's the manufacturer of the JD2? Do they have a website? I'm getting pretty close to buying and want to make sure I check everything out. I've been looking at the Pro Tools MB105 with degree wheel and two sets of dies (1.5" & 1"), but still trying to decide. Sounds like yours is the same without the coating, so I'd be interested in the specifics.

jd2 is the manufacturer website www.jd2.com

Doug,

Does it take a lot of force to bend the 1.75 dia x 0.12 tubing? Or does it just take a lot of cranking? About how long does it take to bend a 90 degree bend?

Good to see that you are making progress on your suspension. I built the skeleton for the mold of the top section (the top will be removable) this weekend. Plan to check some of the dimensions this week, add the foam and start carving the final shape of the top over the next several weeks.

Rich

Thanks. That link just saved me a few hundred bucks! :smokin:

Much appreciated.

Bending the 1.75 x .120 is a breeze with the bender...Sure you have to put a little umph into it, but I used a 2x2" x 6' chuck of box I had laying around and it's not an issue at all. You do need to keep the follower, tube and die nice and lubbed for an easy bend.

Once you get the hang of the swing/ratchet process, the setting of your bend start, spring-back etc, it takes about 3 minutes for a 90..And that's with one extra pin set on the die for a 90...

Greg...Check out Van Sant Enterprises...I forget the web addy, but do a search. If you want your bender in less than 3-4 weeks order from them (I did). They have the JD2's in stock (and dies). Same price too...But you have to pay the shipping from JD2 to Van Sant ($20).