Steel wing washers...first attempt

[hotrod98]

I made up a set of wing washers for Allen's Daytona clone this last weekend. The fixture that I had made for forming them is a little too wide. That made the finished product a little too wide so I had to tweak them. The pic below is the set that I made. If I narrow up the fixture, they will form up pretty nice. Will they look like originals?...no. Will they work for the intended purpose of stiffening the quarter and preventing flexing and possible damage of the quarter?...yes. Since there are many different wing stud locations, it would be best to leave them un-drilled.

Now I need to know whether I should continue on with this project or not.  With the amount of hand forming, it takes a while to make them. Looks like I could sell them for $100 a set plus shipping which would be probably less than $15. While they're not as nice as the correctly formed steel pieces, they're a far cry better than fiberglass. Last time I checked, the fiberglass pieces were running just under $100 a set. Besides, they're mounted up under the quarter and in that case the durability would be more important than the looks.

What do you guys think?  Simple steel pieces or fiberglass?

And, no one is going to hurt my feelings either way. 

[A383Wing]

They look good from way up here...if yer gonna make 'em outta steel for $100, I'll take a set

My wing uprights only have 3 studs each.....

[Old Moparz]

Hey Larry, they look good as far as I can tell from the smaller pic & the price is very fair. Like you said, they aren't exact, but then a replica wing car isn't really exact either. I have a fiberglass pair of washers & a fiberglass wing, but would definitely be interested in a steel pair of washers to go with the steel braces I bought from you to use under the aluminum wing I bought from Dane.  


Just wanted to add that I recall you telling me you've had shipping troubles in the past with packages opening up. The things you've sent to me were fine, but for heavy steel objects with sharp corners, you'll have to keep them from moving inside the package. The parts themselves are fairly durable & don't need the cushioning to be protected, but the parts become projectiles inside the package if there is space. The package gets beat up from the inside, out when the parts shift around in transit. If you wrap the corners & edges with scrap cardboard & tape, then fill in the space with crumpled newspaper it should be okay. 

[hotrod98]

In the beginning I had problems with the wood shipping containers coming apart. I now wrap everything in stiff paste board and so far haven't had any problems. Live and learn.
I still have several sets of wing braces and a few sets of front braces. I really do this stuff as a hobby and the little money that I make goes into parts for the other projects.
As soon as Allen's Daytona clone is finished and my Superbird has been repainted, I'll have more time to work on the projects. Then I can alter the fixture for making the wing washers.

[moparstuart]

look good to me

[billssuperbird]

 

[mauve66]

how flexible is the "fixture" for making these??

[hotrod98]

It's solid 3/16" steel plate. I have the edges rounded over. I'll have to cut it down all of the way around. I have a friend that has a machine shop. I'll take it over to him in a few days.

[A383Wing]

Done yet??