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Okay….Here we go. I have finally gotten started on the Morris build. After a year and a half of planning, collecting, planning, more collecting and even more planning, drawing and redrawing plans……I took two sticks of 2X3 tubing to the saw and now have the basics of a new chassis.
A 5X10 welding jig I built about 25 years ago for building utility trailers has proven to be very useful for many other projects. It should serve well for squaring and truing the chassis. I have not started welding yet as I want to cut some 1/8” flat plate to weld inside the tubing, rather than scabbing on the outside, to reinforce butt welds.
I will be using a ’32 ford front cross-member, transverse leaf spring and straight tube axle, from Lucky 7, with split wishbones. The cross-member will need some slight modifications to fit between the straight frame rails as the ends are not cut straight. There is a difference of 3/4” from front to rear. I cut some 3/8” flat plate and will weld it into the ends of the cross-member to make it straight and give more surface to weld. This will also allow me to clamp the cross-member into place, put the axle assembly in place and make adjustments as necessary before welding. Wow! That sounds simple enough.
The frame rails will be Z’ed 9 inches. I decided to Z them 90 degrees to allow for welding suspension brackets vertically. A four-link rear suspension with 18” upper trailing arms, 46-48” lower arms and coil-overs should provide adequate adjustment for a comfortable ride and still provide the old school appearance I’m looking for. And the Dana 60, 4:10 gear, Strange axles and M/T 15.50’s should handle the job where “the rubber meets the road.”
I’ll have to remove the old four-link brackets from the rear-end housing and construct some new ones. I had hoped to combine the wheelie bar brackets and four-link brackets but after considerable thought I don’t think it would work and still allow for mounting the coil-overs. I’m confident this will not be the last idea that doesn’t work, but that’s okay….I may even lean on some of you for guidance.
Well, that should keep me busy for a while. I will try to keep you posted on progress. I have some pictures I’ll try to get posted if I don’t encounter the upload issues some of you are experiencing.
A 5X10 welding jig I built about 25 years ago for building utility trailers has proven to be very useful for many other projects. It should serve well for squaring and truing the chassis. I have not started welding yet as I want to cut some 1/8” flat plate to weld inside the tubing, rather than scabbing on the outside, to reinforce butt welds.
I will be using a ’32 ford front cross-member, transverse leaf spring and straight tube axle, from Lucky 7, with split wishbones. The cross-member will need some slight modifications to fit between the straight frame rails as the ends are not cut straight. There is a difference of 3/4” from front to rear. I cut some 3/8” flat plate and will weld it into the ends of the cross-member to make it straight and give more surface to weld. This will also allow me to clamp the cross-member into place, put the axle assembly in place and make adjustments as necessary before welding. Wow! That sounds simple enough.
The frame rails will be Z’ed 9 inches. I decided to Z them 90 degrees to allow for welding suspension brackets vertically. A four-link rear suspension with 18” upper trailing arms, 46-48” lower arms and coil-overs should provide adequate adjustment for a comfortable ride and still provide the old school appearance I’m looking for. And the Dana 60, 4:10 gear, Strange axles and M/T 15.50’s should handle the job where “the rubber meets the road.”
I’ll have to remove the old four-link brackets from the rear-end housing and construct some new ones. I had hoped to combine the wheelie bar brackets and four-link brackets but after considerable thought I don’t think it would work and still allow for mounting the coil-overs. I’m confident this will not be the last idea that doesn’t work, but that’s okay….I may even lean on some of you for guidance.
Well, that should keep me busy for a while. I will try to keep you posted on progress. I have some pictures I’ll try to get posted if I don’t encounter the upload issues some of you are experiencing.




