Alternative technique to rolling quarter flange...

[trapin]

Once upon a time there was a member on these boards who outlined a process for trimming the flange on the quarter panels by using a length of tube steel and bending it around the flange inside the quarter lip and tack welding it in place. He then said to trim the flange off rather than roll it and fill the spaces with weld. Coming back later to round off the edges as not to leave a sharp edge.

I know I've pretty much outlined the process but I'd really love to get in touch with this guy to find out what thickness of tube steel he used. I searched for the information on the old message board but turned up nothing. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

[OLDFLM]

So are you thinking of going with a bigger wheel/tire combination?

[trapin]

Ty....you've got mail.

[B Schein]

That was Dennis Linson whom you’re speaking of he used stainless steel brake line I believe 3/8 probably wrong though. John Parsons did the same thing on his car.

Brian

[trapin]

Thanks Brian....I'll drop those guys an e-mail.

[parsonsj]

Tony,

Sorry I didn't get you an answer sooner. Kevin Kosir over at Art Morrison told me about this technique. You've got it: shape the brake line to fit exactly into the flange. Tack weld it in place slowly and carefully. I used my MIG welder with ss wire and tri-mix gas, but standard wire and 80/20 mix will work fine too. Then cut the flange back to the edge of the ss tube, and gently hammer form the flange around the tube. Finish weld, grind, and sand smooth. Since you're welding the flange, warpage shouldn't be a problem, but take it slow to keep warpage down anyway.

The result looks good, retains much of the original structural integrity, and should give you significantly more room for rubber. You'll need to seal between the tube and outer fender (water can get trapped in there), but the original flanges needed sealing too, so it isn't any worse.

Good luck with it!

jp

[trapin]

Thank you very much John, I sent you an e-mail on this but this answers my question. The 3/8 Brakeline sounds good.

Any concerns I should have welding that stainless brakeline to the flange in the area of toxic fumes? I heard welding stainless can produce a toxic gas...is this true?

[parsonsj]

3/8 Brakeline sounds good

No it doesn't. Not 3/8" anyway.

3/16" is the right choice. Standard size ss brake line.

Stainless and toxic fumes? Never heard of that. Perhaps you are thinking of galvanized steel? That will release zinc and lead fumes which you should be careful of.

jp

[trapin]

Thanks for the clarifications. I'll be sure to post pictures of the modification when I'm done.