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Full Version: BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Tygaboy's '75 LS3
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tygaboy
A bit of edge trimming and the inside upper plates are tacked in.

On the driver side, I ended up having to weld on about a 3/16" extension to the front, inside vertical edge of the plate to get a nice fit round the entire plate. Again, no surprise in that we know there's all sorts of variation across 914 chassis.
tygaboy
But I was able to get complete contact on all mating surfaces!

Most all of that credit goes to the quality of the Tangerine product, but I did take the time to fine tune.
tygaboy
Now it's on to the "fun" part: fitting the plates that live inside the fender well.

Ugh. Not great access and really hard to get line of sight to all the joints that need welding.

And as it relates to the inner and outer large plates, these need to be first in line for final welding as any shrinkage here will add negative camber. I need to lock these down before going after those inners I just tacked in.

But I'll figure it out!

Hmmm, maybe this is the time to add some fender vents... idea.gif
914forme
Your fenders are tacked in place with several welds, easy to remove and redo. It would only be your _______ time.
Andyrew
QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 7 2019, 03:53 PM) *


Hmmm, maybe this is the time to add some fender vents... idea.gif


He's a mad man!! sawzall-smiley.gif (i would love to see this)

dan10101
Woops, that was really OT. 'deleted'
Carry on..

I would like to do fender vents too, but I don't have the steel for it... smile.gif
FourBlades
Wow, great work as always! Looking good. The time you spent getting it all square and level will pay off the rest of the cars lifetime.

Sorry to hear about the health issues, hopefully they can take care of it easily.

Keep on building an entertaining us all! chowtime.gif

Helps inspire me work on my own projects.

John
tygaboy
QUOTE(dan10101 @ Dec 8 2019, 07:57 AM) *

Woops, that was really OT. 'deleted'
Carry on..

I would like to do fender vents too, but I don't have the steel for it... smile.gif


@dan10101 - Dan, come on now! I have a roll of carbon fiber and mold making capabilities... Just sayin'. happy11.gif
Mueller
Nice trailing arm mounts, Chris
ChrisFoley
QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 7 2019, 03:32 PM) *

Then there's the "top cap" (even though it's the bottom part. Hey, the car is upside down and it's my build. Deal with it. happy11.gif )

I haven't verified this w/ @ChrisFoley , but I suspect these pieces are used in both the 2" raise and the 3" raise kits. Since mine is the 2", you can see there's some trimming needed on that inside leg to get it to sit down where it needs to be.

They are different. However that doesn't negate the possibility I sent you the wrong ones. smile.gif Due to space considerations, parts storage is not fully organized.
tygaboy
Flip things over and you can see there are some openings to close!

The kit comes with a piece that closes the long and extends over to the inner pick up plate and the inner support piece I covered in the last couple posts.

However, it didn't quite fit my chassis/pick up. I assume it's another "all these cars are slightly different". No matter as I opted to go with a slightly different design.
tygaboy
First, I cut this piece to close off the long.
tygaboy
Then I tacked it in and fully welded the areas that wouldn't be accessible once I added the other gusset plate I had planned.
tygaboy
Next, I cut, folded, fit and tacked in this piece. I also fit the trailing arm, just to be sure there would be no clearance issues.

Yes, I see that little opening in the corner... poke.gif
tygaboy
Little opening in the corner all gone. Everything in this area ready for final welding.

On to the other side! sawzall-smiley.gif welder.gif
tygaboy
Lather, rinse, repeat. For some reason, I ended up with some sort of contamination on the under side of the one plate and ended up with a couple surprise "POPs" that left me with a couple holes. No worries, they'll be addressed during final welding.
tygaboy
Now the fun part: fitting and welding in the outside upper reinforcements.

After starting on the passenger side, I was reminded I haven't yet patched the hell hole-related inner wheel housing damage at the battery tray. You can see the holes, just above the upper edges of the plate.

Anyway, this gives an idea of the available access I have.
tygaboy
I wanted to make at least some progress with one of these uppers so I moved to the driver side.

Have I said that I don't see how folks do this install without a rotisserie? blink.gif

This piece needed just a bit of trimming in a couple spots. I was able to get it tacked in and with a touch of hammering, should be able to get the edges in contact with the chassis all the way around its perimeter.

Again, this is the piece I want to final weld first (on each side) to help control any distortion-induced camber change.

In all, a pretty productive day.
Jeff Hail
[quote name='tygaboy' date='Dec 9 2019, 03:04 PM' post='2768607']


Have I said that I don't see how folks do this install without a rotisserie? blink.gif

Just reverse the polarity, its like flipping the tub upside down! lol-2.gif
tygaboy
Boring, I know, but progress is being made!

I patched all the battery acid and rust damage on the inner wheel house (except the small hole you can see just ahead of the reinforcement plate). This allowed me to get the passenger side outer reinforcement fit and tacked in; I can deal with that hole later. I REALLY want to wrap up the install of these raised pick ups.

And after looking more closely, I think I can weld these plates in with the access I have. At the very least, I'll give it a go with things as they are.
Andyrew
Love the progress and all the boxing!!!
Jeff Hail
QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 13 2019, 02:47 PM) *

Boring, I know, but progress is being made!

I patched all the battery acid and rust damage on the inner wheel house (except the small hole you can see just ahead of the reinforcement plate). This allowed me to get the passenger side outer reinforcement fit and tacked in; I can deal with that hole later. I REALLY want to wrap up the install of these raised pick ups.

And after looking more closely, I think I can weld these plates in with the access I have. At the very least, I'll give it a go with things as they are.


Nice job Chris!

...about 600 trigger squeezes to button it up.
dr.tim
QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 9 2019, 04:04 PM) *

Have I said that I don't see how folks do this install without a rotisserie? blink.gif



It's not unpossible, but it does require a remnant of youth, flexibility and determination; knowing how to speak cursive fluently, and understanding when to just walk away.
tygaboy
QUOTE(Jeff Hail @ Dec 13 2019, 06:52 PM) *

QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 13 2019, 02:47 PM) *

Boring, I know, but progress is being made!

I patched all the battery acid and rust damage on the inner wheel house (except the small hole you can see just ahead of the reinforcement plate). This allowed me to get the passenger side outer reinforcement fit and tacked in; I can deal with that hole later. I REALLY want to wrap up the install of these raised pick ups.

And after looking more closely, I think I can weld these plates in with the access I have. At the very least, I'll give it a go with things as they are.


Nice job Chris!

...about 600 trigger squeezes to button it up.


Jeff - I've been TIG'ing everything so far but to your point, I've been thinking these outer plates would be simpler to MIG. At least along that upper edge. I hope to find out later today! Thanks for the encouraging words, too.
tygaboy
QUOTE(dr.tim @ Dec 14 2019, 06:06 AM) *

QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 9 2019, 04:04 PM) *

Have I said that I don't see how folks do this install without a rotisserie? blink.gif



It's not unpossible, but it does require a remnant of youth, flexibility and determination; knowing how to speak cursive fluently, and understanding when to just walk away.


@dr.tim - Fluent cursing and walking away: Interestingly, my go to, which I spontaneously and uncontrollably shout ends up being "Piece of s*** mother f***er!!!"

I find if I really emphasize that 2nd to last syllable, I don't have to walk away and can keep after the work at hand. But I hear you - whatever gets you through it!
lol-2.gif
tygaboy
I opted to go MIG along the top edge. Not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.
Not my best welds but so long as they are strong, this area is really function over form.

And there's no doubt I got good penetration! welder.gif

That rubber isolation mount was reinstalled after things cooled.
Superhawk996
QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 14 2019, 10:44 AM) *

- Fluent cursing and walking away: Interestingly, my go to, which I spontaneously and uncontrollably shout ends up being "Piece of s*** mother f***er!!!"

I find if I really emphasize that 2nd to last syllable, I don't have to walk away and can keep after the work at hand. But I hear you - whatever gets you through it!
lol-2.gif


According to my wife, I'm the only one that acts this way. hissyfit.gif

av-943.gif


Jeff Hail
QUOTE(Superhawk996 @ Dec 14 2019, 03:43 PM) *

QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 14 2019, 10:44 AM) *

- Fluent cursing and walking away: Interestingly, my go to, which I spontaneously and uncontrollably shout ends up being "Piece of s*** mother f***er!!!"

I find if I really emphasize that 2nd to last syllable, I don't have to walk away and can keep after the work at hand. But I hear you - whatever gets you through it!
lol-2.gif


According to my wife, I'm the only one that acts this way. hissyfit.gif

av-943.gif


That's funny..... yet there is a collective of fine gentlemen that can eloquently turn five words into single word with only one syllable. If they weld they can under some circumstances simultaneously break dance while removing one boot in two seconds flat reminiscent of a bizarre ritual.
tygaboy
After some TIGing, I decided I would have better, faster, less heat results going MIG.

There are places where, despite my best efforts to clean things, I still had crap pull though the weld from the other side of the chassis panel and cause some blotchy spots.

But in all, I'm happy with how this is coming out. It's going to get tinted bed liner on the entire underside so things will be all nice and tidy. Still, I'm after the best I can do.
Cairo94507
Man, that's some nice welding. beerchug.gif
Krieger
That looks really good Chris!
Jeff Hail
QUOTE(tygaboy @ Dec 16 2019, 02:40 PM) *

After some TIGing, I decided I would have better, faster, less heat results going MIG.

There are places where, despite my best efforts to clean things, I still had crap pull though the weld from the other side of the chassis panel and cause some blotchy spots.

But in all, I'm happy with how this is coming out. It's going to get tinted bed liner on the entire underside so things will be all nice and tidy. Still, I'm after the best I can do.


Nice work! That area looks much cleaner with the flanges trimmed down at the lower cap.

Funny thing about your observation that crap pulled through the weld from the other side. Seriously its like Casper the ghost walking through steel. Very annoying.


tygaboy
Major Milestone: Install of the Tangerine Racing rear pick ups is complete! piratenanner.gif

OK, so there are a couple spots where I got contamination in the welds so I'll go back and tidy them up but that's essentially cosmetic so I'm calling this DONE!

In all, it wasn't bad. I was just so paranoid about it because it seemed like I could really screw it up, what with it being the suspension points and all. But I took my time and quadruple triple checked things along the way and it turned out pretty well.

And the final welding did change the camber measurements. Following Mr. Hail's recommendation of welding upper outside/lower inside first was spot on. I added a couple tenths negative camber and can happily report that with no shims, I have -1.9 degrees on both sides!

Can't hardly believe I did it. Hopefully, my experience will help others like @914forme who have this install ahead of them.


Big thanks to Jeff Hail and @ChrisFoley smilie_pokal.gif for their help and encouragement!

On to the next to-do...
sixnotfour
Thats a strap..I mean a Wrap... Great Job....Tangerine will sell more kits with documentation like this,, and Jeff Hails too... popcorn[1].gif idea.gif sawzall-smiley.gif welder.gif
tygaboy
Back to the custom fab to-do list stuff. There are a ton of little things to finish off so this afternoon it was welding in the side supports for the main fire wall panels.

Drill some plug weld holes, prep and weld-through primer between the mating surfaces and in they go. welder.gif

It's finally happening: less Clecos! happy11.gif

I'll be seam sealing all these panel intersections, too.
tygaboy
And here's one of those "well, I didn't see that coming" items.

The door bars and rear suspension tower brace bars were installed prior to my fabulous idea of a custom fire wall. The aforementioned bars are welded to plates that were plug welded to each other when the factory fire wall was there. Now that things are "different", these plates ended up sort of hanging in space. They are plenty strong and are pretty well tied in to the chassis so I'm really just trying to visually tidy things up.

After a bit of head scratching, I decided to plate them in.

This first pic shows what's left of the original fire wall below the rear window on the driver side. The sharpie line is what will be removed and gives you an idea of how the plates look like they're just hanging there. The second pic is the passenger side showing the fire wall trimmed to final shape and the beginnings of the plating in of the plates.

Yes, I have a full plate! av-943.gif
tygaboy
Chipping away at all the chassis stuff. Here is another "extra thing" I have to do due to the custom fire wall.

You can see the shape of the factory floor panel means there's a gap between it and the lower cross member, which leaves a nice little passageway into the interior. That won't do!

A quick cardboard template transferred to sheet metal, some trimming/fitting and it's ready to weld in. Repeat on the other side.
Andyrew
sawzall-smiley.gif smash.gif welder.gif type.gif beer3.gif

Your making a lot of progress in such a short amount of time! Not gonna recognize the car shortly!!
tygaboy
QUOTE(Andyrew @ Dec 21 2019, 07:34 AM) *

sawzall-smiley.gif smash.gif welder.gif type.gif beer3.gif

Your making a lot of progress in such a short amount of time! Not gonna recognize the car shortly!!


@Andyrew - Thanks. For the first time, I created a to-do list of what's left before I can send the chassis off to be media blasted and epoxy primered. It's about 40 items. Some quick and easy, some not. Some require design decisions (radiator vents in the inner fender or not).

I have the skin cancer surgery on 12/23 and the doc says because of how close it is to my eye, and because I've had two other surgeries near it, he doesn't want to reconstruct until after the tests come back showing they got it all - which takes like a week. This means I'll have a covered "open wound" until the Jan 7, reconstruct surgery.
All this means I'll be required to limit physical activity for almost 3 weeks.

Hey, after over 3 years, suddenly NOW I'm in a hurry to finish! lol-2.gif
Cairo94507
I will be thinking of you on 12/23 buddy. Hopefully it all goes easy-peasy and you are home relaxing before you know it and counting the days until you can get back to work on your car. beerchug.gif
Krieger
How on earth are you going to sit still for three weeks? biggrin.gif I may have to drop by and verify you are not exerting yourself. Let me know if you'd be up for some of the local BBQ later this week.
tygaboy
Surgery complete and here's the look I'll be sporting until the Jan 7 reconstruction.
After he did the excision, the doc said he didn't think the reconstruct would be a problem, so that's good.
Again, no lifting more than 10 lbs for a week, they don't even want you to bend over.
Oh, well. Time to do some binge watching!
Let's start with some car stuff, shall we?

And a big thanks to everyone for the kind wishes! Happy holidays to you and yours! santa_smiley.gif
Cracker
Good to hear Chris...Merry Christmas "on the low" this year to you both! biggrin.gif

Tony

djway
Same group did a documentary on Carol Shelby which was really good also.
Dion
Enjoy the shows and Merry Christmas to ya Chris.
See ya working on this project in the new year!
bbrock
Speedy recovery Chris. Amazing what they can do with plastic surgery these days. I had a two inch hole taken out of the middle of my forehead down to the skull but you can barely tell it now. I'd post a pic but I've been told it makes some people want to throw up. confused24.gif

+1 on the Carol Shelby documentary. It's nicely done.
Cairo94507
Hi Chris - Scars give you character. Looks like you have that well under control and will be back to fabricating in no time. Please follow the doctor's advise.... don't want you sneaking out to the shop and lifting stuff or getting in weird positions and welding and aggravating your open wound. Until then, relax and enjoy the holidays. Cheers,
Michael beerchug.gif
Superhawk996
QUOTE(bbrock @ Dec 24 2019, 10:56 AM) *

Speedy recovery Chris. Amazing what they can do with plastic surgery these days. I had a two inch hole taken out of the middle of my forehead down to the skull but you can barely tell it now. I'd post a pic but I've been told it makes some people want to throw up. confused24.gif

+1 on the Carol Shelby documentary. It's nicely done.


Same here Chis. I just went though this with Mohs on my face in April and then the big melanoma on my shoulder all summer. You'll get though it.

Go ahead and send Brent and I the gore pics . . . he and I traded them back and forth and the Doc's did do a great job on Brent he is even more handsome when you can't see his skull. rolleyes.gif

I highly recommend you start tearing down an engine or something to keep yourself distracted. av-943.gif

Have a merry Christmas, this will heal before you know it but you have my utmost sympathy in the meantime!
Andyrew
Great to hear!

I hear chicks dig face scars wink.gif

If you don’t have Motor Trend on demand nows the time to get it!! Any of the originals are fantastic
914forme
agree.gif

Ant Ansteads special build, while not my thing was a fun watch, which leads me to say, your building a special.

Speedy recovery and don't go to crazy in the down time.

Merry Christmas Chris, can't wait to see what you do in the new year.
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