Project “Ghost Duster”, 1970 Duster Corner Carver
To tie in the the shock mounts to the j-bars, I made up these brackets from 1/8” cold rolled and some DOM tubing. Obviously I was inspired by the Hotchkis Duster.... It was a compromise of getting the bar as close to the corner of the firewall/inner fender landing plate, keeping it within reach of the shock mount and having the bar tight to the inner fender. All in all it turned out great.
It is amazing how different the shock mount contour is, side to side. The brackets are totally different. Here they are laying in place with the j-bar.
Once I had everything where I wanted it, I mig welded the inside of the brackets. I made a cover plate with a couple holes that are dimple died, these welds will be covered so I just mig welded them in. A little sheet metal work was done to completely cover the gaps that I left when I did my original cuts.... a little too big. I’ll drill a couple holes for water to drain after I finish welding. You can see a slot I machined in the tubing to allow water to run out.View attachment 1715585623
Here is the bar with the top plate laying in place. I have a little more work to do but it should tie everything together and stiffen the front up quite a bit.
View attachment 1715585619 View attachment 1715585620 View attachment 1715585618
To tie in the the shock mounts to the j-bars, I made up these brackets from 1/8” cold rolled and some DOM tubing. Obviously I was inspired by the Hotchkis Duster.... It was a compromise of getting the bar as close to the corner of the firewall/inner fender landing plate, keeping it within reach of the shock mount and having the bar tight to the inner fender. All in all it turned out great.
It is amazing how different the shock mount contour is, side to side. The brackets are totally different. Here they are laying in place with the j-bar.
Once I had everything where I wanted it, I mig welded the inside of the brackets. I made a cover plate with a couple holes that are dimple died, these welds will be covered so I just mig welded them in. A little sheet metal work was done to completely cover the gaps that I left when I did my original cuts.... a little too big. I’ll drill a couple holes for water to drain after I finish welding. You can see a slot I machined in the tubing to allow water to run out.View attachment 1715585623
Here is the bar with the top plate laying in place. I have a little more work to do but it should tie everything together and stiffen the front up quite a bit.
View attachment 1715585619 View attachment 1715585620 View attachment 1715585618
