Need a new compressor, MIG and I would like a small tubing bender.

 

Well I didn't get quite as much done this weekend as I planned, but still progress. The biggest set back was my aluminum not showing up until Friday, when I had hoped it would be there Monday. Anyway, I still worked on it all night last night and got a good amount of the sheet metal welded in and finished. On to the pics!

I wanted this piece to be sheet metal to add some rigidity back to the rear section. Plus with how I want to do the aluminum it will look better.




The lip will give me something to rivet the aluminum to, and adds some more strength. I completely guess on the angle when I bent it at work, and it was spot on! I could never repeat that


Next up was extending the driver side tub, and then closing in the gap it was going to leave. I didn't take pictures of it all, just the end.




Again, the lip is there for the aluminum to rivet to.


I am sure most of you know about the stud on the passenger side frame rail where the jack attaches, well that needed be removed of course. I cut it off, but there is a little hump behind it that was bugging me, so I cut it all out and patched in a new piece.


Now its all nice and smooth on the passenger side rail. Both rails will get covered with a decorative piece anyway, but I am kind of ****.


Couple small patches on the ends, and its all done!





And just a quick overall shot for the hell of it


Doesn't look like much, but that little **** is very time consuming! There is minimal sheet metal work left, and then the panels can go in. I should have them made up during the week (have to "borrow" a bead roller) and then it can all get wrapped up. Then I can FINALLY move on to some other projects!



Thanks for following along!

Sean

 

Nice work on the alum tins. I think it will be nice too if you have to down the road remove them, and work off the lips for a new setup. LOL and the time it takes, I know that 2-3 hours just in one area at 1st. Then you get out of the car, and look back in there and go. Fuuuuuuuuuuu, another 20-30 feet to go.

you leave it long on the outside to put the lip in the stock metal? you see the tools I got for that? worked out good on my junk

 

Lookin good!

 

Broke ef let's here a tool list you have to do this work? Been on CL looking for a tig welder and bandsaw and couple other fab tools. Do u have a metal brake?

 

Thank you! I do have plans of changing the aluminum at some point, so that was something I was thinking about. The time thing is a double edge sword, I want it to be a certain way, but I want it done. Usually my OCD wins the battle, and I spend too much time on things nobody will ever see.

I did not leave metal for a lip, I have something else in mind. I saw yours when you did it, I haven't gone back and looked lately.

Thanks! Whats up with your car?

Well this is kind of unfair in a way. In the garage we have a good amount of tools. Mig welder, Tig welder, angle grinders, air grinders, sawsall, chop saw, drills, tons of hand tools. At my work we have mills, lathes, turret punch press, brakes, shears, and so on. So if it is something we cant handle in the garage I will make it up at work during the week at work. So that vertical panel is good example, I made a cardboard template of it last weekend. I actually just made it rectangular, because I didn't think the template was good. Otherwise I would have made up a program to punch the shape on the punch press. That worked out good since I had to change that around some. Anyway, I needed a bend in that piece to have the lip to support the aluminum which I can only do at my work since that piece was somewhere around 35" long.

Hope that helps answer your question.


Thanks,
Sean

 

Yes sir. Just need to stop buying parts and buy more fab tools I need.

 

Buying tools is one of my favorite things to do That is really how we got started with the TA way back when. We decided that going turbo was probably the best course of action at the time, and stated looking at different options that were out at the time. Even the lowest cost option was a fair amount more than the tools and material needed. So instead of buying a kit, we bought a MIG welder and a bunch of material. Here is what we had bought for a good amount less than the kits out at the time







Since then we always take that option into consideration before buying anything. Most of the time we decide to go with the tools and the material over buying something that is already done. Gives us a chance to expand our skills, make the part exactly how we want it, and now we have more tools for the next project!


Sean

 

I have the same mig welder. It does great for exhaust and the like. I am with you, if you can buy the tool and materials for cheaper than buying a built piece, then thats the way to go.

 

This is exactly how I've approached anything with my car. I still say that one of the best things I've ever learned in high school was welding, well that and math I guess. It's been great having that skill to use for this hobby. I bought a cheap Clarke 180 amp mig about 5 years ago and I've used the crap out of that thing. Installed the 10 point cage, made custom SFC's, welded up patch panels for the windshield cowl cutout, custom LCA brackets on the rearend and countless other projects. So much fun and rewarding doing this kind of stuff yourself IMO.

Everything you'vd done so far is looking really good man! Jealous as hell about your "work" tools though. I did pick up a small Enco milling machine for the garage and I've been learning to use that thing. I find myself wanting to surface mill everything now lol...

Mike

 

My car..? Ehh little bit here n there. Made that catch can and mounted that all up so my cooling system is 100% finished. Need to buy a throttle cable n that's done then its basically finished besides wiring.

 

It has been a great little welder. Big enough to handle just about anything that comes up, and small enough to be portable if needed. Having the tools just pays for itself over and over.

I have never learned welding, just get a little better (hopefully) every time. I am actually the best at aluminum, which everyone always says is the hardest. Not really sure why that is, but its a good thing regardless. I really just like not having to wait on anybody.

The work tools are great to have access to! There has been a lot of things that would not have really been possible if it wasn't for that. I am with ya on the mill too, I want to mess with it constantly. There is so much you can do with a mill, its always amazing to me.

Hell, you can have my throttle cable if that is what you are waiting on! I saw the catch can, looked great. Glad to see you kept the car, I want to drag that MF'er next year



Sean

 

Yep going to buy some more fab and home tools this year. Just have to pay off my snap on and Matco bill and start again ha. But keep on keeping on I enjoy these threads.

 

I get lucky on the hand tools, I will just say that the Snap-On employee discount is pretty good If it wasn't for that I probably wouldn't have any Snap-On tools.

I have some big plans for this car, so stay tuned! I have a lot more sheet metal work coming up before it gets a cage. So updates should be pretty good for the next couple of months.


Sean

 

Ya ill take that cable off your hands!! And I say a 4.0 whipple will do nicely on your 5.3!

 

How well do you like the Handler 140? Does it do decently on 1/4" plate with .035" and still get good penetration?
I'm about to buy a welder in the nExt couple weeks, I've considered the handler 140, and 190. Local tractor supply has the 140 for $469, and the 190 for $649. Same case, just beefier internals on the 190 I suppose, since the DC is higher.

Id you we're in the market to buy a small MIG welder like this, would you buy the 140 again, or would you shell out the extra cash for the 190?

 

I like the 140 a lot! Seems to do fine on that, but its at its limit for sure. Bigger is usually better when it comes to welders, if you have the juice for them. I would shell out the money on the big guy if I had the money, and the power to run it.

Sean

 

We want updates dammit!!

 

I didn't forget about this, I promise! I will try and keep this short, but I'm not really good at that

So having never done aluminum tin work before, I had a hard time figuring out how best to attack it. I am pretty sure I was over thinking it, but it is what it is. So I had cut the rough pieces to fit in the car, and bent up the rear fill piece. I started by installing that rear fill piece, and I was dumb (over thought it) and put it in crooked. I have no idea why I did it, I knew better, but that started the evening. Next up came the main center piece. It fit well, and seemed OK but once it was in I really didn't like it AT ALL.

So now I am standing there, not happy with how things are going, and it just snowballed. I wont get into ALL of the details but I wanted to start cutting the car again! So I walked away for the day, and ended up not going back since I guess I should explain that some. I was rearranging the plans with the car for a while, and then ended up thinking to myself "why not buy a house!". So then the wife and I stated looking for a house, and that put the kabash on the car.

That's where I am at right now. The plans will include a pretty drastic change in the back of the car (Ill keep that a surprise for now). But the main thing is I wont start working on it until I get it moved into my own garage. We have an offer in on a house, but its a short sale meaning its a big waiting game. It seems to be going good, and we are hoping to have an answer somewhat soon though. Once we get moved in, and I get the car and all my tools over there I will get it up in the air and start back on it.

I wish it would have been moving along like I had planned out in the start, but that's life. It will be awesome to have the car in my own garage for a change, and I wont have to drive 2 hours just to work on it. The car will also end up a lot better because of it too. Like I said I hope to be back on the car in the next couple of months. When I get started on it again, I think everyone will really like what I have planned out.

Thanks for following along! I did warn you this was going be slow going


Sean

 

Need some updated pics on that trunk flooring!