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Young Gun's C6 Suspension Tube Chassis Mopar Cuda
Hello my name is Gant MacLellan and I am 25 year old car enthusiast and first time builder! I have always had a passion for muscle cars and particularly MOPARS in general. Originally I was going to find a project and restore it to its original condition; however after a couple years of lurking around these forums, the expectation level for my first build has drastically changed.
I fell in love with the CUDA and was finally able to track one down that met my requirements and primarily…………. met my budget. Looking back now, I realized that I picked one of the most expensive cars to build! I knew that it was going to be rusted and I knew that I was going to cut it to pieces. I have had the car for a little over two years now and it has been a long journey for me to get it to this point. Like many people on this forum, restrictions of time, budget, school, tools, resources, and knowledge have made progress painfully slow. However I am determined to one day complete my project, regardless of how long it takes. I have done all of the work on the car myself and it’s something that I am particularly proud of. Thank goodness for the Internet, because usually if I did not know how to properly do something, I would just research it until I had a better understanding of how it was done. After graduating from the University of Georgia, I was able to go back to school at a local technical college to take a couple classes TIG welding. I am still not an expert, but definitely can practice enough techniques to get the job done. Through this build I want to encourage people of all ages and financial backgrounds to build their dream car and never let any frustrations or doubts get in the way. I hope I can show that with a lot of hard work and trial and error, that anyone can achieve the results they want. No matter the level of experience! I want to thank all of the talented builders, companies, and helpful people that post their work and knowledge on these forums to help people like me understand how to do things correctly and have something to aspire to. If anyone ever has any questions or advice on something that I have done or my experiences, please don’t hesitate to ask. My next goal for the car is to blast it again, seal it, then builld my jig, replace the rockers, set the car at ride height, and mount all the c6 suspension at their correct pickup points. http://i55.tinypic.com/24vjl37.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/15xu3vl.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/dhacdx.jpg http://i51.tinypic.com/2a7ar07.jpg Completely cut the front suspension off and gutted the car http://i52.tinypic.com/qx6r7d.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/294tqn8.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/1z683gl.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/mv2mpl.jpg Spent alot of time on ebay waiting for good deals for c6 suspension parts, pressed old bushings out, balljoints out, sandblasted, smoothed castings, got AN AMAZING DEAL on powder-coating, replaced everything with pfadt suspension kit, arp chromoly studs, new hubs, etc. http://i52.tinypic.com/2h2f9cz.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/23lz80p.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/95rcs7.jpg http://i51.tinypic.com/nedx09.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/2yozno0.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/awsrx2.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/2hnvuar.jpg |
props to you, man for taking on a project of this magnitude and using speedblaster ,lol, that must have taken more than few hours and countless refills:) Good luck on this project from another E-body Cuda owner:thumbsup:
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Hi Gant,
Looks like fun! I'm likin' the Duster (I think) looks like a ton - o - fun! :yes: I'll be sure to keep an eye on this one! Chris |
Hey Gant - C6 front and rear, huh? Props man for taking this on. What city are you in? I want to see this when it's done....:thumbsup:
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Wow impressive work.
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Nice pics... is that a Pro-Stock Chevelle getting built there?
Tires almost look like they belong on the Batmobile that got blown up in the Dark Knight. |
Wow, great looking build.
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Hey Gant, you and me are not too dissimilar, but I'm building a Dart with Viper stuff. I like the project and am looking forward to seeing more. Back to my chassis build.
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oh hell, another UGA grad on the forum. Where's Wes so we can team up and make fun of him for being a Clemson grad? :)
Welcome Gant. I like the plans you have for the car. Good luck and keep us posted. |
WOW!!! Talk about taking it down to the bones!! Nice job Bro!!:thumbsup:
John |
Hey guys thanks alot for the warm welcomes and the encouragement. I definitely have learned alot throughout the build.
I used the spot blaster to do most of the car, the control arms, and random parts. It works great but, is very time consuming, messy, etc. Ive seen it a thousand times and anyone telling you to source this job out is 100% right. Spot blasting the car took about a week to do in my backyard! I blasted it with a material called garnet! The plan is for complete c6 suspension front and rear. Once I create the chassis design, I will have a cad or solidworks designer map it out and then transfer to a laser cutter. Ive already replaced all the balljoints, bushings, shafts, hubs, studs, etc. and upgraded with pfadt parts. I will post up my fathers drag car very shortly. Some specs on it include, 2000-2200 lbs full tube chassis duster, 750-850 dodge r3 drysump motor, 15x16 33 tires, airshifter, etc. etc. etc. Should pretty much be a monster and a great bracket car. It will be my first time drag racing, so definitely excited. |
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i'm signed up can't wait to see this progress
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Did you guys build the drag car as well? It looks Badass :thumbsup:
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The chassis was bought as a kit and the bare chassis was sourced out to be assembled and tig welded correctly by a chassis builder in Georgia and all the aluminum work was done by a great up and coming builder named BJ! His website is http://www.genesisoneauto.com/ Bj did alot of work for Franken Cuda, which you may have seen in alot of media lately , other then that everything has been done in our garage!
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Oh yeah, nice stuff going on there:)
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Sweet! Will be waiting to see your ideas for this Mopar.:thumbsup:
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Totally cool projects you and your father got going. Thumbs up to the younger talent around this site. Is your dads ride a kit from Bickel or SW?
Need to start a subforum for the irs set ups on here! |
this is going to be a fun build, I also have a cuda that i want to get to work on soon. can I ask where you guys find the pick up points for these suspensions, ie, c6 or viper? Thanks
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I like the way this turning out .What motor are you going with
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I believe the Duster Chassis was from SW.
In my opinion the Cudas and Mopars in general are the only way to go ;)! I have alot of big ideas for this car and I cant wait to share them with you guys. I’m not quite sure on which motor combination I’m going to go with yet, thought of everything from big block hemi, small block, twin turbo, dodge r5 engine, etc. etc. The one thing I know is it will be a mopar engine and more then likely depend on my budget at the time. I’m looking for something that’s going to be 600hp-700hp and similar in torque for the street. Nothing too crazy but, for me its all about being snapped back in your seat, not necessarily how fast you can go. Revmopar- There are alot of helpful threads on these forums you can search and members that will send you the pickup points! Stay tuned! |
-"In my opinion the Cudas and Mopars in general are the only way to go !"
Hey Gant, your are absolytly right about that.:thumbsup: Looking forward to see your ideas, dont keep them to yourself. Another Mopar-guy from other side of the world ,Juhani |
Very nice work! I've seen a few Camaros takin down that far now that they aftermarket metal is available but it's pretty impressive to see a Cuda getting such a rebuild
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Yeah, except for the C6 suspension.....:lol: |
Rebuilding the car from scratch should be a great learning experience and I have alot of great ideas for the car. Should be interesting!
Ron you are correct all Mopar but the gm suspension. Its just unfortunate that anything like a viper suspension is so exspensive. Control arms for those cars on ebay are super pricey. I was able to save alot of money by finding used parts, sand blasting them, replacing them with all upgraded parts and having them powdercoated for a steal. |
Gant - I've already told you I'm diggin' your project and your work. I was just teasing, cause the 'Mopar's the only way to go comment sounded funny w the control arms spindles.' Whatever you build is cool w me, so keep goin Bro! :thumbsup:
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can't wait to see some pictures:D
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Update
Hey guys, hope all has been well! Little update, I came across a great deal on Craigslist for some 3x10 1/2 steel sheets that I am planning on building my chassis jig with. They could be in better condition and there is some pitting, especially on the first sheet that was exposed to the elements for awhile, however this side will definitely be a bottom piece. I would love to have them Blanchard ground but at a quote of $900 a sheet, its way too pricey. The other sides are much better and I should be able to finish them very nicely. I plan on cutting plates, fixtures, and rotor stands out of this plate as soon as I can get my design to a CAD designer and then water jet or laser. They weigh about 1200lbs
I want the jig to be adjustable and mobile. I am going to build something similar to the strong hand tools build pro table, but instead of plates running the width of the jig they will mostly like run the perimeter of the jig and be 5'X1' with cross sections so I can move around in the car. You can see by the chalk I'm just mocking some things up of potential hole patterns etc. I'm considering 5/8 holes with smaller holes in between for bolting. I chose 5/8 because I can maybe use some of stronghand tools fixtures in the future. I will have the corners radius-ed and the jig wont be welded to but more of a platform to mount my car, etc. The tricky part is designing the platform below the plates, but I think I have some good ideas. If you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them! Also, does anyone know of anyone that could help me get my drawings into CAD for the plate? Gant http://i52.tinypic.com/10y3yaq.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/2gvijdc.jpg |
Hey guys just wanted to throw out some updates! Not too much going on, but sourced a complete c5 rear suspension with the upper rails attached, so I can have a good starting point of all the suspension points to build a jig off of! Contemplating duplicating all of the control arms with chromoly tubing, howe racing balljoints, spherical bearings, larger splined hub bearing for a 934cv stub, etc. and then selling off the rest.
Anyways hoping to take the steel next week to have water jet, into my jig pieces along with all the holes. Got to keep on moving, any progress is PROGRESS! http://i51.tinypic.com/2nle2wl.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/2klsty.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/2zycx14.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/xn95q9.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/2hqtq28.jpg |
Hey guys hope all has been well! Well my build just got really interesting and even more complicated lol! How about plans for a twin turbo R5/p7 Dodge NASCAR engine?????????? I think so! I wanted to do something that was exotic and a combination that was rare and I think Ive met that criteria so far. I hope to build a stout combination that is reliable for the street and will make heads turn. Hard part now is going to be mating the bellhousing/clutch/ to a strong enough transaxle/diff and researching the best combination of parts.
As you can see I was playing mock up in the living room haha! But you get the idea. I have a good head start on the major parts for the engine to be mocked up on the jig and in my chassis. The block is a brand new unmachined piece with billet mains, 6 bolt heads, etc. The amount of R and D in these engines and heads is a work of art. Its really amazing and I would like to thank Mr. Arrington in Concord, NC for the great hospitality and answering my questions. Tell me what you guys think and as always any advice is welcomed! http://i54.tinypic.com/xgifc.jpg http://i51.tinypic.com/15rlizl.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/r20sxs.jpg http://i54.tinypic.com/2q33hgl.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/2z7liyr.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/vht2zs.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/30wkto7.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/2zji4is.jpg http://i55.tinypic.com/2wefe4w.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/zjvwgo.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/2rctjxz.jpg http://i52.tinypic.com/j5az3s.jpg http://i53.tinypic.com/14ltqhw.jpg http://i56.tinypic.com/j832ma.jpg |
Wow, white carpet and engine parts. You must be single or have one hell of a wife! Looks good:thumbsup:
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Haha yah, the carpet is already on its last leg, so its about to be changed! Parts are pretty clean as it is.
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don't stop now
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I like where this is going! I wanted to do a twin turbo engine for my Cuda as well but am settling on a stroked small block for now. Do you still need help with CAD ? PM me if you need a hand with that.
Dave |
very cool. It will be a very nice car when finished. Nice job on the c6 peices.
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SBDave
I think a small block stroker is a good setup, my father's drag duster is a stroked r3 motor. I thought the twin turbo r5 would be something alittle out of the box, but turbos sure do complicate a already highly complicated engine. I actually still need to put my chassis jig design into cad for a waterjet to cut the plate for my fixture attachments. Would you have experience in something like this? Know any solidworks? Hows your project coming? Jay Hilliard Thanks for the comment! You have quite the build also and great attention to detail. The c6 pieces took awhile to collect, lots of work to sandblast, replace bushings, smooth castings, etc. But would it shock you if I am contemplating duplicating them out of chromoly tubing with spherical bearings and selling them? I know it seems crazy, but really considering it. |
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