trouble fabricating suspension brackets.
skinned knuckles - 15/3/10 at 10:18 PM
i'm having trouble making the brackets as mentioned in the title.
first off, its the only thing in the haynes book that doesn't say what thickness of plate they should be made of, so working on the side of
caution, i have gone for 3mm flat bar.
i have one of those vice inserts that turns your vice into a press brake but dont seem to be able to get it to fold the steel at perfect right angles
to the length of the bar and also the bar seems to fracture at the back of the bend which isn't a big problem as i have been welding the splits
up and they are strong enough.
does anyone have a foolproof method for this, apart from getting an engineering firm to make them up for me?
i have to say, i'm starting to get a bit envious of all those of you who have bought a completed chassis
JoelP - 15/3/10 at 10:22 PM
i think a lot of people start with 50x50x3mm square tube and chop it into bracket sized pieces.
austin man - 15/3/10 at 10:25 PM
check ebay out the brakets are for sale on there. Last thing you need is a bracket failing due to stress fractures. try heating the metal prior to
bending it
RichardK - 15/3/10 at 10:28 PM
A lot of people use box section with a side sliced off. Drill the hole before slicing the side off though.
P.S Slice off the welded side 
Cheers
Rich
[Edited on 15/3/10 by RichardK]
skinned knuckles - 15/3/10 at 10:28 PM
quote:
Originally posted by JoelP
i think a lot of people start with 50x50x3mm square tube and chop it into bracket sized pieces.
that thumping noise everyone can hear is the sound of me banging my head against a brick wall. sometimes the best and quickest solutions are the ones
that have been staring you in the face for weeks
Thanks mate, you have just saved me hours of work with a success rate of 1 in 7 so far. have attempted 21 brackets so far
btw, has anyone noticed that the price of steel has shot up through the roof?
MikeRJ - 15/3/10 at 10:50 PM
quote:
Originally posted by skinned knuckles
also the bar seems to fracture at the back of the bend
You aren't using the stuff that B&Q laughingly refer to as steel are you?
[Edited on 15/3/10 by MikeRJ]
twybrow - 15/3/10 at 10:58 PM
quote:
btw, has anyone noticed that the price of steel has shot up through the roof?
Is it because you are buying so much 3mm bar?! Weigh in all your attempts, and we can all save some cash! 
eddie99 - 15/3/10 at 11:05 PM
As said, you can buy a bag of them on ebay. Will sort out all your problems and by the sounds of things, quite a bit of time.
skinned knuckles - 15/3/10 at 11:48 PM
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
quote:
Originally posted by skinned knuckles
also the bar seems to fracture at the back of the bend
You aren't using the stuff that B&Q laughingly refer to as steel are you?
christ no! i know i said that steel prices are high, but B&Q take it to a whole new level! if i were to be using them as a supplier my chassis
would have cost about 1K so far
[Edited on 15/3/10 by MikeRJ]
:
skinned knuckles - 15/3/10 at 11:50 PM
quote:
Originally posted by eddie99
As said, you can buy a bag of them on ebay. Will sort out all your problems and by the sounds of things, quite a bit of time.
have had a look on ebay but didn't see them. am i looking in the wrong place?
UncleFista - 16/3/10 at 12:37 AM
These 'em ?
TigerB6 Paul - 16/3/10 at 06:45 AM
quote:
Originally posted by UncleFista
These 'em ?
more of the little blighters 'ere
welderman - 16/3/10 at 06:54 AM
i can always get some lazer cut for you if there are a few of them
Joe
iank - 16/3/10 at 08:10 AM
Haynes roadster brackets (both sizes) are also available from 3GEComponents. Individually or in full car packs (both sizes).
http://www.3gecomponents.com/templates1/view_department.php?department=116&site=63
[Edited on 16/3/10 by iank]
Mal - 16/3/10 at 10:08 AM
Bright drawn mild steel strip is more prone to stress cracking when folded than black steel.
I also think cutting from RHS is a better method, as others have said.