Project WidowMaker - The Chevelle Build Thread

[796spdbu]

Nice project! It looks like you are making some good progress!

[The WidowMaker]

I have to ask somthing here. What all are you using for major tools? Welders? Chop saw? Benders? Fixtures? The tools/cost of tools are what have kept me away from doing anything like this. Do you have quite the collection of awesome fabricating tools?

well, i actually dont have that much to work with. my wife would disagree, but i think my collection is on the average.

miller 210 mig - wish i would have got the 251 for the infinte adjustability

miller dynasty 200dx tig - but havent used it yet. still sitting in the closet brand new after 4 months

makita 4.5" variable speed angle grinder - wouldnt use or buy anything that didnt have variable speed. its proved to be very valuable especially when using flap discs.

makita variable speed router - makes aluminum work a breeze

makita 12" sliding compound miter - old carbide wood blades for cutting aluminum if i take it real slow. spins too fast for true aluminum work.

bosch varible speed jig saw - use this for cutting the 3/16 plate

dewalt chop saw - wish i would have bought the carbide tipped version since none of the abrasive ones i have tried cut straight.

home built 48" sheet metal brake - i could do better the second round, but it works for what i need

woodward fab 8" shear - $100 shipped to my door, and it makes patch panels a breeze. i used to trim everything with the grinder and cut off wheel.

ingersoll rand 80 gal 7.5hp compressor - makes painting and tool operation a no brainer. my old compressor would run constantly and then i would have to stop. this one kicks on, build up and shuts off, all without me stopping. got a good deal on ebay and it was brand new. spent about 6 months looking though.

index vertical mill - its the newest addition and its sweet as hell. i picked it up from a family friend for 300 bucks, and spents about 2 full days taking every single piece off of it and cleaning it back up. the lead screws are pretty worn so im off about .020 in the x and y, but my z axis is within .001. the x and y just make it a little more difficult to move it one direction and then move it back. i have to rezero it every time. i looked into replacements and index wants $1000 for 2 screws and 2 nuts. if anyone has a lead on these, let me know! either that or DRO.

other than that, vices, hammers, hand tools....... nothing else special. im 26 and got married young, but i did my best to buy everything before she could tell me not to. shes still understanding, but its much harder now. i have to come up with a house project to get anything now. i actually finished the kitchen this summer. saved my self about 10k, got some cool tools, and the confidence to spray the car. conversion varnish is much harder than any auto body stuff ive ever sprayed!

[Roadbuster]

well, i actually dont have that much to work with. my wife would disagree, but i think my collection is on the average.

miller 210 mig - wish i would have got the 251 for the infinte adjustability

miller dynasty 200dx tig - but havent used it yet. still sitting in the closet brand new after 4 months

makita 4.5" variable speed angle grinder - wouldnt use or buy anything that didnt have variable speed. its proved to be very valuable especially when using flap discs.

makita variable speed router - makes aluminum work a breeze

makita 12" sliding compound miter - old carbide wood blades for cutting aluminum if i take it real slow. spins too fast for true aluminum work.

bosch varible speed jig saw - use this for cutting the 3/16 plate

dewalt chop saw - wish i would have bought the carbide tipped version since none of the abrasive ones i have tried cut straight.

home built 48" sheet metal brake - i could do better the second round, but it works for what i need

woodward fab 8" shear - $100 shipped to my door, and it makes patch panels a breeze. i used to trim everything with the grinder and cut off wheel.

ingersoll rand 80 gal 7.5hp compressor - makes painting and tool operation a no brainer. my old compressor would run constantly and then i would have to stop. this one kicks on, build up and shuts off, all without me stopping. got a good deal on ebay and it was brand new. spent about 6 months looking though.

index vertical mill - its the newest addition and its sweet as hell. i picked it up from a family friend for 300 bucks, and spents about 2 full days taking every single piece off of it and cleaning it back up. the lead screws are pretty worn so im off about .020 in the x and y, but my z axis is within .001. the x and y just make it a little more difficult to move it one direction and then move it back. i have to rezero it every time. i looked into replacements and index wants $1000 for 2 screws and 2 nuts. if anyone has a lead on these, let me know! either that or DRO.

other than that, vices, hammers, hand tools....... nothing else special. im 26 and got married young, but i did my best to buy everything before she could tell me not to. shes still understanding, but its much harder now. i have to come up with a house project to get anything now. i actually finished the kitchen this summer. saved my self about 10k, got some cool tools, and the confidence to spray the car. conversion varnish is much harder than any auto body stuff ive ever sprayed!

Very nice collection of tools! You can build just about anything with those!

[jackfrost]

what about just gluing the pedal pads on? maybe some panel adhesive?

[TRANSAMERICAN 79]

Wow! In the backyard and a firefighter..... awsome!

[gearheads78]

Nice work on the pedals.

I get all my machine shop questions answered on Practical Machinist. You might do some searching there for the mill parts.

Richard

[MoparCar]

Did you say somewhere that you purchased the crank parts for the Watts through Fays? Somehow I recall that but can't find it? Also, what size of DOM did you use on your Watts frame?

Great build!

Thanks!
Wes

[The WidowMaker]

Did you say somewhere that you purchased the crank parts for the Watts through Fays? Somehow I recall that but can't find it? Also, what size of DOM did you use on your Watts frame?

i did get it all from jim at fays. it was ~$75 for the bellcrank and the bearings.

for the construction, i used 1.5" .120 dom, 1.5" .120 square tube, and 2x4" .188 for the cross. its really beefy, but it serves as my shock mounts as well.

Tim

[41565 chevelle]

Tim, let me know when you are around this weekend, working sat/sun night...like to stop by.

[MoparCar]

Tim,
Thanks for the info on the watts. Just what I was looking for.
Wes

[The WidowMaker]

Tim, let me know when you are around this weekend, working sat/sun night...like to stop by.

we sent a USAR team to Haiti, so i picked up another ot on saturday and my normal shifts are fri and sun. but, im starting a 96 off on monday. give me a heads up if any of those work for you.

[The WidowMaker]

just got the ricks tank delivered today!!!! its beautiful to say the least. i needed a custom tank that was shorter in order to clear the watts, and although i wanted to do a dual pump, internal surge tank, this should be more than adequate for spirited driving and autocrossing. hector sold me on the new design which includes an internal sump and check balls (last we spoke this was going to be a regular option). there is one checkball on each side, and one at the back. the sump is sealed on the front, back, bottom and sides, with the top 1/4" open to allow fuel to flow back into the tank when the sump is full. it also has an internal bosch pump with -8 fittings which will be more than i need for now.

i cant wait to get this tank installed and get some pictures taken. once all is said and done and i can show that it fits well, this will be an option for anyone needing a tank for a chevelle with a watts.

and i have to say thanks to hector and the guys. the quality is amazing, and the service is second to none.

[Wicked58]

Very nice!

[The WidowMaker]

i got the tank mocked up yesterday, and it fits just as expected. i have about 2" btwn the front of the tank and the watts, so running lines wont be an issue. the cut corners will also really help with the exhaust routing.

however, i am still going to raise the floor. id rather get the tank tucked up a little higher with my low ride height. the plan is to cut the floor out tomorrow and get something fabbed up and installed in the next week. i need to find someone with a good bead roller to put some strength in a sheet of 18 ga, so that will be the only hold up.

pics to come.....

Tim

[41565 chevelle]

You want to try my bead roller? I'll bring it over with the dies and you can give it a shot!

[The WidowMaker]

rj,

does yours have the ability to start in the middle of a panel? im trying to make it all one piece, and i need to bend the floor at the front and back, so i cant start off the panel. im hoping i can find someone local looking for a little work.

Tim

[The WidowMaker]

i got the new column from ididit last week, and it too is a piece of art. the upper portion of this column will be different on the production version (to match the original), but i didnt need that with the proposed dash. they had to rework their design a little in order to place the mounts in the correct place without disrupting the collapsible feature. but all works and i will have some install pics shortly.
also, the trunk floor is out and the new one is almost in. i should have pics by thursday night if it doesnt rain in the next couple of days.

[The WidowMaker]

a little more progress has been made. i started on the trunk last week in an effort to raise the gas tank for a little more clearance. although the ricks tank is no deeper than the stock tank, with my slammed height, i had about 5" of ground clearance. enough, but more would be nice. so i set off to raise the tank 3". on the first mockup of the pieces, i was at 3 3/4", so i said f-it and made it a little more than planned. it is all still really rough and all the welds will be ground for the finished appearance, but i figured id post a real update. also, the pictures really make the surface rust look much worse than it does in person. the bottom is going to get reblasted and expoxied after the exhaust is done, and the inside will get a good sanding in the next couple of weeks, followed by the interior getting por 15 and dynamat. ill have more interior pics to come.

in order to raise the sides, i needed a piece that was curved for the bottom to match the existing outer floor braces, but flat on the top for the new floor. since i wanted a 90* on each side for better mounting, i had to use two pieces. the lower was shrunk to match the curve, and the top is just a 90* done in the brake.



this is the inside at the start of the tack welding. i left the side mounts long so that the floor can be extended over to the quarters.



old floor braces tacked in place. they were curved at the back where they rolled and started to go upwards, but i made some relief cuts and made them flat to fit the new floor. if i would have cut the extra off, they wouldnt have been long enough.



this is a pic with most of the final welding done. who ever has to take this all back apart is going to HATE me. i hated the gm worker for just spot welding everything. but, once finished, it will be nice and smooth. you can also see the front mounts i welded up. 2x2 tube and threaded to accept the front strap bolt.



i was initially concerned that it wouldnt be ridgid enough, but a tap gets a nice firm sound. a little dynamat on the inside and u-pol on the outside and it wont make a sound.

Tim

[jake72ss]

Tim, is IDIDIT going to start manufacturing that column with the mounts as you specified or in another location? Also if you dont mind how much did it cost? I would like to replace my factory tilt column which has been rebuilt but still has some slop.
Thanks

[The WidowMaker]

the mounts will be in the factory location, and their design had to slightly change to make it happen. it just means that the 2.25" tube is a little longer than their universal column. not a big deal at all.

also, the collapsible column is $75 more than the current one, but since you have to reuse your stock mount, youre not tempted to buy an expensive aftermarket mount.

Tim