College budget restoration, Trudging forward |
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College budget restoration, Trudging forward |
ThePaintedMan |
Dec 29 2011, 07:02 PM
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#1
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 3,886 Joined: 6-September 11 From: St. Petersburg, FL Member No.: 13,527 Region Association: South East States |
Hello all,
I'm finally getting around to documenting my restoration after the past several months of work. This may not get updated immediately as I'm trying to get as much done as possible before grad school kicks in again in January. However, I'm going to try and post pics when I can. I purchased this car from a gentleman less than ten minutes from my house named Ray. He apparently is/was a member on the forum as well and was a very cool guy to meet. We talked several times about the car and he was very up-front about its condition (to the best of his own knowledge). He recommended it be used only for the drivetrain, which at this point seems like it was the correct suggestion. However, being 27 and stubborn, I saw it as an opportunity. Most of my experience in the past has been with American and Japanese cars from the the 1980s and newer, and most of that spent doing body work. This car I saw as a chance to learn something (mostly because I figured I couldn't make it any worse than it already was (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) . So, after seeing the thing run and falling in love, I gave Ray 1,000 for it and convinced my girlfriend to help me tow it home. Unfortunately I do not have pictures of this, but wish I did! The look on her embarased face was something like, "Oh my God, now I've become trailer trash." We towed it five miles clunking the whole way because Ray failed to mention that the CV joints had been disconnected from the wheel. What a ride home. I then set to work on it immediately, replacing a broken clutch fork and cable over the span of a weekend. Drove it around for two weeks to make sure I was still crazy enough to keep it, then began tearing it down. I should mention several things. First of all, this car always had an intention of being raced, which initially was to be in Chumpcar. However, I realized the amount of work needed just to get the thing safe to drive warranted me keeping it for more than just track use. So, at the moment, its going to race Chumpcar next August, and I'm going to PRAY it doesn't get clobbered so that it can be driven afterward. Trust me, I already know I'm (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wacko.gif) . Second, I have made it a point and a promise (to my forever understanding girlfriend) that I'm going to keep the cost to a minimum. That means a minimum of pre-fabbed parts, which also forces me to learn more about metal working as well. This build is certainly not up the past quality work of many of the folks on this board, but like I said, I'm a cheapskate (student loans ain't what they used to be). So, here it goes! I'll try to explain more as I go along. Attached thumbnail(s) |
ThePaintedMan |
Dec 30 2011, 09:40 PM
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#2
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Advanced Member Group: Members Posts: 3,886 Joined: 6-September 11 From: St. Petersburg, FL Member No.: 13,527 Region Association: South East States |
The pieces I fabbed here are made from 18 gauge steel that was hand-formed using a hammer, clamps and channel steel as a brake. I don't have money for a sheet metal brake, and didn't feel I would have enough to do to warrant buying one. In hindsight, it might not be a bad idea for most people. I would recommend it if you're looking for spot on fitment. In my case, it wasn't a big deal since I'm fabbing much of the outer longs as well. The only concern I have right now is introducing some kind of twist or something into the frame. When its finished and I take the brake out I'll let everyone know if the gaps stayed the same. I also chose 18 gauge over what I was told was factory (20 gauge) so I could grind more without worrying too much and not burn through so fast.
This is all done with a 110v welder that I picked up on Craigslist. Its a "Firepower" by Thermadyne, model FP-130 I believe. I'll confirm that later if anyone is wondering. Its an American company and like Lincoln, Miller and Hobart is manufactured in various countries. I am really impressed with it for being used and relatively cheap. I am using flux-core wire at the moment simply due to its simplicity and cheapness. I have considered full MIG but for the most part, it serves my purpose - to learn. Also, I read many others talk about having problems burning holes in their metal. I had similar problems, but usually when the gaps between pieces were too far apart. I usually keep my power settings high, but chose to use a copper plate behind the weld to bridge the gap and keep it cool. Also, don't try to weld long lines. If you have to, just do single spot welds. Once you get a feel you can move up to longer, half-inch welds. Thats about as much as I can do while still getting good fusion between the pieces without warping or burning through metal. Remember if you use flux-cored wire to clean them well with a wire brush after each series of welds. When you try to weld too close to another weld still covered in slag, those two welds will not completely join - you'll have small amounts of slag between them. You'll see this is you start grinding them down. I did my welds in a series of steps, cleaning in between till the thing was completely fused. Attached thumbnail(s) |
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