El Raton

[camarorad]

This is the new project El Raton (the mouse). The story behind the name is that the guys at work call me El Gato (the cat). I was under a cobra loosening the bolts to a seat and one of the guys walked by and thought I looked like a cat under a car, so thats where I got the name. They said I was the cat chasing the mouse hence the name Raton. The chase was a long one but finally caught it and now just need to put it together.







https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0716001246a-1.jpg?t=1290968752



The body is a 427 cobra with a stainless steel frame. The Kirkhams used this frame to show the construction of their frames(they are very similar Kirkham frames and originals). The body was going to be used on the billet chassis car that we built for one of the richest men in america. Right before we were going to attacht the body to the billet car it was switched to another body. That is a little history on how the body and frame came together.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0716001248a-1.jpg?t=1290970032


First step was to attach the front clip to the frame. we did polish a few parts of the frame before riveting the body down, they would be more difficult to do after.







https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0716001657b-1.jpg?t=1290970176


we use vise grips with a tube cut in half welded to one end. The half tube is placed on the tube of the chassis and then a 1/8 piece of aluminium is used between the other side of the vise grips and body so that it does not damage the alumium body.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0716001541a-1.jpg?t=1290970165

for anyone that does not know about the Kirkham cars they have a factory over in Poland that use to build mig fighter jets for the soviet union. They now build alumium bodied cobras. I was fortunate enough to have one of the guys form Poland come over and teach me how to mount the bodies and make a hood, doors, and trunk.

[camarorad]

This is the union between the front and rear clips, it will be finished welded and then filed, sanded, and polished. When I welded this I had to cut some scrap off the body for welding rod. if you use anything else once its polished you will see the seam. the weld needs to penatrate all the way through to make sure it is not filed thin. I usually weld the back side also just to make sure. The other problem is trying to keep the heat out of the body so that it does not warp.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0731001648-1.jpg

[camarorad]

here you can see the edges wraped around the tubing it is then riveted on the underside and the corners will be welded then filed into shape

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0731001649-1.jpg

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0731001649a-1.jpg

we used a plastic mallet to fold the alumium around the tubing with a chunk of rubber behind the tube so that it does not walk

[MSTSFabbed]

My gosh what a work of art!! Can't wait to see more!

[camarorad]

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0807001533-1.jpg

starting the hood. the tubing is stainless that is fitted about a finger width apart from the hood opening. the aluminium sheets are going to give the shape of the hood opening and then the hood skin will be fitted to them and wraped around the edges.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2010/11/0807001603a-1.jpg

here i want to get the tube about two sheets of alumium below the body, because with the edging and the skin thats where we want it to sit. This way the hood skin will be even with the body.