Thanks Rapid. Just starting to design the tree for the front end of the "Z". Are the support rods welded to the body pads or are there clevis & pin connections there? One thought was to weld a stub on the pad so I could weld the support tubes to the stub after it was glued on the front end (stub being sort of a heat sink to protect the glue). Or another thought was to screw the pads in place weld the tree then remove the screws, glue the whole assembly in, in one shot, then glass over the pads, fill the screw holes. Or, go with the clevis idea?
I guess I never paid much attention to that detail before.
You want to drill some holes for the pads so you can rivet them to the body. Then build the tree. The body pads have two tabs sticking up on the chassis side. You just use some of the tubing and make a "T" end of your tree. Then the cross bar of the tee fits between those tabs, picture it as a spacer or standoff between the tabs to keep to keep them from pulling together as you tighten the 1/4 inch bolt and nut to hold the tree to the body pad. After the tree is done, mark the position, or clocking of the body pad. Remove the clecios or rivets, whatever is holding the pad in place, and rough up the area where the pad goes. Epoxy it into place using rivets this time to make it tight to the body. When that is dry, remove the rivets and fiberglass the body pads down. Reinstall the tree, repair the rivet holes in the outside of the body, and 80-hours or so later you can paint your hot rod.
If I didn't explain it good enough, just give me a call,
Rapid