Saved From The Rock Pile

[supergoatsack]

This is my build so far. The cowl, doors, & wind shield are 29 Ford Model A. Cab corners, roof, & back of cab 33 Chevy. Radiator shroud is IH of unknown year or model.

 

[supergoatsack]

Some More Pics.

 

[cornfield customs]

looks like a good start, not really digging all the rebar on the steering and suspension. rebar is not a good quality steel and not meant to be used in stressed situations like this. i would re do that part for sure

 

[rainman]

Re-bar is awefully soft, bends way too easy!!

 

[dmw56]

Yes, rebar is NOT the material to use for a critical suspension component. It's good for reinforcing concrete and that's it. One good pot hole and it will bend! Please change it, for your life and others sake.

 

[skull]

lights

even magoo could see those tail lights

looks good,

l agree on the rebar comments, just not safe.

Later

 

[Tyster36]

Grill shell is 34-36 IHC. Looks good so far.

 

[supergoatsack]

It takes over double the pressure to bend the re-bar than the original steering components that came off the axle & steering box!! I did some destruction testing. My 12ton press could barely bend that 1.5" used for radius rods. The 3/4" for the steering wheel took 10tons to bend in a circle! The steering arms are 1", come on over & try to bend it!

 

[cornfield customs]

ok no need to get defensive over it, just pointing something out that is not safe. but what do we really know......................

there is a reason rebar is cheaper than DOM tube, used in normal hairpins and drag links

 

[supergoatsack]

I have bent DOM tube & it takes less pressure to bend the same dia tube as it does re-bar. Not getting defensive, just stating facts. The proses to make DOM tube is way more involved than re-bar hence the price difference. I have used punches & chisels made from re-bar & case hardened that hold up very well. I know the steering arms look small but are 1". The radius rods are 1.5"!

 

[crazyrick]

Is everyone looking at the same pics that i am? The radius rods are made of 1.5" rebar, how many of you guys that are saying rebar isnt strong have tried to bend a piece of 1.5"?

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

As stated previously, rebar is JUNK steel. Save it for reinforcing your new porch and spend a little for some quality materials. Your life, and more importantly the life of others depends on it. There is a lot more engineering that goes into testing steel than bending it in a garage press. There is a reason that scrapyards won't buy rebar. Not safe at all...

 

[bob w]

Actually rebar tends to be more brittle than mild steel. The physical properties can vary from piece. If you were able to bend it in a press without getting fractures it will probably not fracture in use. Certainly you have used heavy enough material.

I hand hacksawed some 1" at the home improvement store so I could get it in my truck. It was very hard to cut.

I'll bet you have been around metal fabrication, construction, welding for a while and know what to look for in terms of failure.

Cool project by the way.

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

Actually rebar tends to be more brittle than mild steel. The physical properties can vary from piece.

These are both inherent problems with the material. You are right on both points - it is more brittle than mild steel, so it has a much greater tendency to stress fracture over time, especially when exposed to constant load changes (like suspension and steering). Your second point is even more correct - it varies from piece to piece. Rebar is made from whatever garbage is left over in the steel manufacturing process - there is no way to reliably predict it's strength from batch to batch. JUNK STEEL. Nuff' said...

 

[crazyrick]

As i stated previously, anyone who thinks 1.5 in rebar bends easy hasn't actually tried to bend a piece. It isn't .5" its 1.5".

 

[rainman]

Love your build, good luck!!

 

[Blue Eyed Devil]

As i stated previously, anyone who thinks 1.5 in rebar bends easy hasn't actually tried to bend a piece. It isn't .5" its 1.5".

It's not about BENDING it - that has nothing to do with the problem, which is the composition of the material. The concern is the cracking resulting from stress placed on the poor quality brittle steel. Couple that with the fact that you have welded to it, making it even MORE brittle. Would you trust mig welding a piece of mild steel to a piece of cast iron? It's the same concept. There is a reason drag links are made of ONE piece of continous material - to reduce the likelihood of failure. Now you have introduced multiple welds and questionable materials into the equation. Who can honestly say that is a good idea?

 

[Dr Crankenstein]

Most rebar is not considered a weldable alloy. (Although I have done it to make non-critical items like plant holders for the wife. ). Like BED and others have mentioned, it is prone to breakage at the weld.

I beg you to try another experiment. Take a few 6'' long scraps and fry the butt ends to a plate. Any diameter will do. Now put a snipe on those pieces and try to bend them. I'll bet you fracture 3 of them like glass, right above the welds.

Nobody here wants to criticize your work and neither do I. We only hope to offer good advice and pull you away from a potentially deadly situation. I really like your build otherwise, fat tires, nice attitude, and that grille shell is beautiful.

 

[Neverdone]

It definitely looks neat! I like all the uses of the diamond plate. Not to sure on your carb linkage though [S

I am with everyone else though, ditch the rebar.

 

[cornfield customs]

so if cars are to be built by how hard it is to bend the materials, why not build the chassis out of black iron water pipe? larger diameters of it are not so easy to bend. same principle, the wrong material.