Stopped by an off-road shop, one specializing in fabrication parts for dune buggies, Jeeps, and hard-core off-road race trucks. Boy, things have changed since the last time I was there (to buy Kimini’s steering wheel 10 years ago). They have all sorts of cool fabrication parts: rod-ends, tube thread inserts, gussets, fuel cells, steering and brake components, and aero-type plumbing fasteners. They were a treasure trove of information about who in town bends tubing (for fabricating dune buggies and race trucks). I checked out everything they carry and left with a Momo steering wheel and quick-release hub adaptor. I bought that particular adaptor (made by Sweet Mfg.) because it had virtually no play, very surprising for a spline-type adaptor. While all these parts are on the Web, sometimes it’s nice to be able to hold a part in-hand and test it for feel.
Waiting at home was the radiator along with a case of construction paper. Yes, big sheets of the material of what’s on the back of a pad of paper. I got a great deal – 70 sheets of 26″ x 38″. I went through a lot of it during Kimini’s build and it’s well worth the investment, using it for patterns and simulating paneling on the mockup.
This about does it for the parts needed to build the mockup. Now it’s just a matter of placing frame members everywhere the major parts aren’t… Some tube placement isn’t critical, which allows aesthetics to decide position. I’m looking forward to completing the basic layout and stepping back to see just what it looks like.
A reader suggested that I encorporate an RSS feed for this site, a good idea. I just have to buy the plug-in for Dream Weaver and find the time to hook it in. For those who don’t know (I didn’t), an RSS feed means you receive notification of when my site (or any site) has been updated since your last visit.