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Dry run practice to maintain tungsten a dime width from work piece. The more you can do this the better puddle start and control you'll have. Stick out just enough to see clearly. Good lighting helps. Once you're feeling comfortable/confident crank the amps to establish your puddle quickly and start moving. This will keep the heat affected zone smaller. It's common when most start is to slowly add current which causes the work piece to overheat quicker while trying to get the puddle started. Hope this makes sense.
The exhaust is almost finished! I cut in some flex joints (still need to weld them fully) so it would be a little easier to hook up. The hangers are welded to the exhaust pipes, but I still need make up the pieces to the car. I also pulled the transmission to get it rebuilt, and it should be leaving this week. Some ok welds, mixed with some less than good ones. I may end up grinding them a little, but I'm still proud of the progress I've made.
What a disaster, the 4L65 from the SS and the 4l80 from the el camino, not to mention the replacement for my broken compressor. Theres no real reason I'm posted this, I just love this truck and its so much fun
I made a remarkably short list of things I need to do before I can put the car back on the ground, so thats my short term goal.
Jessica
I'm so glad someone else sees it this way, I usually get the "why is it a mess, clean up!" I just tend to leave parts around until the project is complete. Like the compressor, I was/am waiting on parts to get shipped for it. The 4wd transmission is just an issue of not having a good spot to stash it, so its on a dolly lol
Jessica
Lots of things finished on the car this weekend. The transmission was exchanged for a rebuilt one, its ready to handle about 750hp and should be just fine for the 408 I'm planning to run.
A local member on here does rebuilds and I reached out to him and he knocked it out of the park!
I also wanted to show the progression of my welding. I figure if someone is reading this and sees it maybe it'll help them get out there and put in the time to learn something. I avoided starting the exhaust for a long time because I kept having issues with learning TIG. Once I just started to be able to make a puddle and actually fill it I figured the best thing was to stop playing around with mild steel and wasting argon. The last joints I welded were on the flex section I added after the rest of the exhaust was done, I was actually able to make not terrible weld beads. I'm still not at the level of those instagram welders that make art, but I'm really happy with it. So even though its kind of embarrassing I'm posting a more close up picture I took while I was working on it. Its all about improving, even if you start off really kind of bad
All done, the hangers just need paint Nice and tucked up under the car, and the turn downs are only tacked in place, so I could go over the axle in the future (gotta get the suspension done first) Transmission installed, no flywheel or torque converter, because the engine has to come out still.
If I really stick to my list I think I could have what I need done, and the car back on the ground ready to pull the engine this week (No one hold their breath though)
I can't get over how even with a lot left to go, and the bed cover being a shelf, the car looks like a car again!
What you got going on w/ that compressor pump? Another project?
Yeah, I had an older Craftsman oil-less 60gallon and it finally died a few weeks ago. I grabbed a new compressor at harbor freight and that motor off ebay. I was about to bolt them onto a frame and stuff on top of the old air tank when my friend sent me a link to a 120gallon tank for cheap. He even offered his F350 and his time to go grab it, and the seller had an excavator to lift it into the truck. So now I have a huge air tank I need to put on the back of my garage and enclose in a box. I'm just taking my time with it so as not to hurt my back getting things moved alone. I just don't have a ton of open space to store the pieces, but it should be moving out soon.
I see you have a charcoal canister in the back. Are you running a purge line to the front and a purge solenoid?
Andrew
Hey!
I did add one, its from a mid 90s S10 (early round body design). I don't plan to run the purge solenoid or anything from the engine to it.
I added it to cut down on the gas smell on hot days from the tank venting.
I added one to my 78 dually as well and its really helps keep it from smelling like a gas leak, and I have the factory one on my Fiero still but its only attached as a tank vent now with the 3800SC in it.
I didn't always run them, but a year or two ago I decided to try it on the dually and it really helped, so I added it to the El Camino. Plus I'm running a modified Blazer pickup in the tank, so I needed the hoses to go somewhere.
Hope that makes sense why I'm sort of running it
Jessica
OK big updates (at least to me they're big).
I finished almost everything I needed to under the car. I ran into an issue with the brakes and I'll have to pull the backing plates to hook the brake cables to the levers.
That meant I couldn't swap the yoke on the rear end, but I'll just do it with the front end on the ground and the back on jack stands. It felt a bit sketchy to have the back up on stands and no wheels and the front on the boxes. Adapting the Factory 4th gen F body hand brake to the Lokar universal cables and back to the f Body rear discs (that are mounted on the opposite side) All the exhaust brackets, the brake brackets, and the intake brackets got painted and installed this weekend. The exhaust is done! It has isolators and flex sections, but its very strong and well mounted, fingers crossed it sounds good and doesn't rattle I'm getting the hang of tig welding, its taking some time but I'm getting there
The intake snorkel, vacuum, ram air? whatever it is, its all installed with the new brackets! Pretty subtle, hidden under the bumper and unless you're on the ground I don't think anyone will ever notice it.
ITS OFF THE BOXES!!!!and yes, I know it still looks like a dusty shelf!
Still a long ways to go, but the engine is going to come out and all of that will be finalized and go back in the last time.
I'm really hoping I'll have the engine back in by May, but I'm not going to rush it if I'm not ready.
I did add one, its from a mid 90s S10 (early round body design). I don't plan to run the purge solenoid or anything from the engine to it.
I added it to cut down on the gas smell on hot days from the tank venting.
I added one to my 78 dually as well and its really helps keep it from smelling like a gas leak, and I have the factory one on my Fiero still but its only attached as a tank vent now with the 3800SC in it.
I didn't always run them, but a year or two ago I decided to try it on the dually and it really helped, so I added it to the El Camino. Plus I'm running a modified Blazer pickup in the tank, so I needed the hoses to go somewhere.
Hope that makes sense why I'm sort of running it
Jessica
All that makes sense. Thank you.
Why not hook up the purge solenoid if you have one on the engine and there is a connection from the ECU?
Andrew
Last edited by Project GatTagO; 03-15-2021 at 02:01 PM.
Why not hook up the purge solenoid if you have one on the engine and there is a connection from the ECU?
Andrew
I don't have any provisions for the solenoid on the engine actually. The solenoid and wiring is all gone, I also didn't run a hose down the car for it.
This really is for the smell from the tank on hot days when it is evaporating.
Jess
Happy St Patricks day, I spent it in the garage listening to Drop Kick Murphys and working on the car.
The engine I had been using for mockup is out, and I'm ready to drop the new one in when it arrives.
I still don't know if I'll be able to get this driving this year, but I'm far closer than I have been in a long time.
It's just nice to be putting things in the car for the last time, or at least with the intention it'll be the last time.
I will even be able to put the hood on and adjust the front body panels this year...or I may leave the hood off and just drive it with the hinges sticking up like a goofball.
Jessica
what a thread really enjoyed the progress. I'm building my 79 Elky!!!!!!
Great info!
Awesome!! If you have any questions let me know, I'm still figuring out some stuff myself (and I've made my life more difficult with some of the custom stuff I've done).
Jessica
Awesome!! If you have any questions let me know, I'm still figuring out some stuff myself (and I've made my life more difficult with some of the custom stuff I've done).
Jessica
Well the short block showed up, and I'm just over here buying parts and pieces for it.
The things that will/could slow me down are money for the project haha, the cam, the converter, and the driveshaft.
Most of everything is in stock or short lead times, the three things above are the ones that have long lead times or whatever. Still making progress though, and lots to still do.
Jessica
02-18-2021, 11:43 AM
