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Cruisin Products �32 Ford Build Up Article Segment 12 Jul 6, 2004
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With the chassis now bolted together and a couple of shows under our belt, I wanted to get the chassis back into the shop. I wanted to reinforce the front 04 Ladder Bar (the name we have given the new design ladder bar system, 04 being the year it was designed) mounts. Being that the front mounts hang down from the chassis crossbar to mid rail height without any side support needed our attention. The solution for strengthening the mounts is to design a set of gussets that would be functional and not look like an afterthought. Tom, my son, works as an engineer for Daimler-Chrysler and graduated from Lawrence Tech University. Since he has the degree I gave him the task of designing the gusset system. The gusset system has to be functional, add strength and most of all LOOK GOOD. Well that VERY expensive education paid off. The set of gussets he designed was exactly what I had in mind (after I added my minor suggestion). The gusset system is made up of three plates. A front, back, and top piece will give full support to the outer mounting brackets. Since the grade 5, 1/2� bolt connects the two brackets through the front of the ladder bar, the inner brackets will also benefit from the gusset system.
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The front plate in the gusset system will be welded to the front outside vertical mounting bracket of the 04 Ladder Bar. It will also weld to the vertical X member tube forward of the top crossbar. Next we install the top plate. That will reinforce the intersecting tubes and finish the top section of the front plate. Check out the pictures.
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