Results 21 to 40 of 100
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06-14-2017 #21
I was able to buy 18"x60" of 10ga steel from local steel warehouse for $30 this is more than I need.
My plan was to cut it out with a 4-1/2 grinder with a cut-off wheel, but a buddy was kind enough to plas cut the parts:
Since I planned to bend them with a bench vise and a BFH, he also put the 90 bends in!
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06-14-2017 #22
All this welding justified a Fathers day gift to myself, Lincoln Power MIG 210MP!
One thing leads to another, so this gave me a good Saturday project, running a 220 circuit for the welder.
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06-14-2017 #23
I gave the Lincoln a bit of a workout and burned in the plating
Driver side:
Here is the passenger side that was broken after I hit it with a wire wheel:
2 layers of 10ga over the damaged areas should be overkill.
I know my welds arent the prettiest but I wanted to keep the heat up for penetration.
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06-17-2017 #24
Now that the back of the frame is fixed I moved on to the center non-boxed section of the frame.
There seems to be a few options out there to address the inherent weakness of the A-Body frames.
The inside of the channel on my car seemed to vary between 2-1/2" to 3" on the inside.
I decided to slit the remainder of the sheet of 10ga. I purchased and have some bends added.
The kits I found online were anywhere from $400 to $800 for a couple formed channels. (too much $$)
By forming the channel to install over the existing frame it adds a fair amount of work fitting the part.
This is mostly due to factory variance on frame.
I make a quick sketch to verify dimensions:
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06-17-2017 #25
Fitting the part to the frame rails took me probably an hour per side and the welding was painfully slow.
To not risk warping the frame I tack welded every 6" the whole perimeter before doing any longer welds.
Then I proceeded to weld it up 1-1/2" at a time moving from one end 1-1/2" then the other side 1-1/2" and so on until complete.
The result is a 3-3/8" wide boxed center section.
Getting close to being done with the frame work!
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06-17-2017 #26
Measuring in a x-pattern from body mount hole to hole puts the frame within 1/8" of square.
I hope to not have to have the frame put on a frame rack, but we will see after I am done with repairs.
On the brighter side my welding now looks much better than when I welded to braces inside the rear x-member
I cant wait until its time to primer and paint the frame so I can start re-assembling this car!
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06-18-2017 #27
awesome build!
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06-19-2017 #28
Stripped off all the rear suspension over fathers day weekend.
This allowed me to flip over the frame and begin stripping down to bare metal.
While cleaning the frame I found that the rear crossmember had come loose at the drivers side lower weldment as well.
I ground it clean re-welded the factory weld, and plated over it.
Now both sides are matching as well, however I wasnt expecting to find the weld broken on the drivers side.
These a-body rear crossmembers take a brunt of the force from the drive axle and are not designed for high h.p.
Re-welded factory weld:
Plated over weld joint:
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06-25-2017 #29