Make Your Own Elephant Ears
Page 1 - Making a pattern
Page
2 Patterns Part 2
Page
3 Alternator Mount
Page
4 Finished Product
| Elephant ears
are $99 at just about any performance dealer, but you know how some guys
are...why buy when you can build. Thats me :) I'll try to build anything
before I buy it, if only for the fun of doing it, if not saving money as
well. I built these elephant
ears for 1 reason... I continuously modify my front suspension
as I find ways to improve it, so having the engine mounted to the frame
rails saves a quite a bit of work when removing the K. I started this project
with a 4" wide strip of 1/4" T-6 aluminum. Purchased ears are 3/8" thick
for added strength, but I've seen a few 1/4" ears working without trouble.
If you're buying the aluminum, you'd be best off the buy 3/8" for added
peice of mind. Also, my pattern started
this way too. I cut a 4" wide strip and started trimming from there, so
it matched the alum. I had. I made every effort to
make this section as informative as possible, but be warned, it is long,
with many pics to download. But if you're into this
sort of thing, here's the scoop on making them yourself.... |
| The first order of
business is to get everything out of the way so you can work. If you're the clumsy
type, you may want to get the rad out of the way as well so it doesn't
get damaged.
|
Next, grab yourself
a shingle or two...yep, standard roofing shingles.
Its the perfect material
in my opinion, to do this kind of work. It cuts with scissors, and is easy
to make nice edges for patterns, yet its also stiff enough that you can
drill it, it stays in place, and you can even bolt parts to it. Of course,
you also have to be careful you dont break your finished pattern, but once
you get used to how shingles behave, I doubt you'll ever use anything else.
One tip...drill the holes. You may have the urge to whack a bolt throught
it with a hammer to make a hole...you'll split the material instead of
driving a hole through it and your pattern will be junk.
Start trimming your pattern
until it roughly fits in the correct area..nothing special. Make sure its
bigger than the gasket area and rests on the frame. Dont worry about any
holes yet, just get the pattern to fit the desired area. If you cut too
much, no problem...just grab another piece of cheap shingle :)
|
With one pattern basically
in place, it's time to decide how to mount them to the rails. I found this
set of very cool poly bushings, which I believe are strut rod bushings
from PST. I may be able to find a part number somewhere. They require a
center hole of 1.125" and have an OD of 2" with a 5/8 bolt hole. I also have a set of
rubber strut rod bushings, but I felt they were too mushy for this job. The plates might even
cut into the rubber bushings. The poly bushings are
very stiff and I felt they'd work fine here.
If you have access to
someone that can weld aluminum, it would be best to use a solid collar
welded through the plate and install shoulder bushings. I simply had these in
my box, so I used them.
The methods described
here could be applied to build just about any type of mount, with the most
common being a simple bolt through two uprights.
|
I started with a piece
of 3x3x3/16 angle. Since the bushings are 2"od, I cut a piece 2" wide,
so the bushing and bracket would look good together. I placed the angle
under the pattern and did some trimming so the pattern would clear the
bracket and inner fender by about 1/2". It'll need room to move a little
with the bushings. Trim your pattern as needed to fit the bracket in there. I then held the bushing
on the angle and traced a nice radius. A grinder took care of
the trimming.
The previous photo shows
the final results. Before welding it, I put it together and tightened the
bolt a turn or two so the legs would stay close to vertical after being
fully tightened.
NOTE-- After the engine
weight is on the bushings, it will sit a touch lower. If clearances are
critical, make sure to figure this in if you use bushings. Jack the engine
up maybe an eighth before building the mounts. |
Now, all you need
to do is transfer your 5/8 hole from the bracket to the pattern to find
the center. Drill your 1.125" hole in the pattern, and you'll now have
a working package to fit in there. When you decide where
to put the bracket on the frame, remember to not put it too close to the
inner fender, because you'll have to weld fully around the perimeter. Also try to keep it back
far enough that its not resting out on the small "overhang" on the rail.
 |
Now just do the same
for the other side. Remember this side will be a different pattern, as
the engine is offset. Dont try to copy the first side, as you'll end up
with headaches and probably ruining the first pattern as well. Make a whole
new one using the methods described.
|
Step one complete.
That wasnt so bad.
|
You can trim any
excess edges now, as well as round off all the corners so it'll look nice
when completed. An easy way to clean up the pattern is to just slide the
edge across the pavement. It makes a real smooth edge, which makes tracing
the aluminum easier later.
We're not done yet though.
Before cutting any aluminum, you still have to work out the alternator
location.
Read on....
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Page
2 Patterns Part 2
Page
3 Alternator Mount
Page
4 Finished Product
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