914-6/904 project begins Options

[tygaboy]

16 ga isn't what you want. It's unnecessarily heavy and that much more difficult to shape. Unless you're willing to cut out and re-do the recent work on the frunk area, I'd simply recommend that from here on, you use 18 ga, and even consider 20 ga, depending on what you're building.
What I'm finding is that I need to really think through the piece I'm making and understand what it needs to do: Is it bearing or transferring any load or is it primarily closing off a space? You've left the main cross brace between the suspension towers so the primary stiffening design is still intact. But look at where and how they reinforced when running the 100 liter tanks. It's 18 or 20 ga with lots of section / shaping to recoup strength (from removing that main panel) and transmit the loads into the chassis.
The pic is from Armando's build and he did a neat thing by welding in that tube to fully enclose the sway bar and create a "lower" cross brace. Pretty neat touch.

Something to consider as you move to other parts of the chassis mods.

[Unobtanium-inc]

16 ga isn't what you want. It's unnecessarily heavy and that much more difficult to shape. Unless you're willing to cut out and re-do the recent work on the frunk area, I'd simply recommend that from here on, you use 18 ga, and even consider 20 ga, depending on what you're building.
What I'm finding is that I need to really think through the piece I'm making and understand what it needs to do: Is it bearing or transferring any load or is it primarily closing off a space? You've left the main cross brace between the suspension towers so the primary stiffening design is still intact. But look at where and how they reinforced when running the 100 liter tanks. It's 18 or 20 ga with lots of section / shaping to recoup strength (from removing that main panel) and transmit the loads into the chassis.
The pic is from Armando's build and he did a neat thing by welding in that tube to fully enclose the sway bar and create a "lower" cross brace. Pretty neat touch.

Something to consider as you move to other parts of the chassis mods.

Unfortunately once I finish this front suspension area there isn't much sheet metal work left. I have to shorten the center and take care of the cage, but that's about it with the chassis. At least the major work, the rest is covered up with the 904 body. The shock towers in the rear are already lowered. The front area was the biggest hurdle and the most intimidating one.

[Unobtanium-inc]

I couldn't find the sports car of my dreams, so I built it myself.
Ferdinand Porsche


Adam....Keep building Brother!

For the record, that quote is what drives me to take on these projects.

[Unobtanium-inc]

16ga is too think and it is hot rolled which makes your job harder. What is your wire diameter?

I'm using .030 wire and the gas is 75% Argon/ 25% Carbon Dioxide

[tygaboy]

16ga is too think and it is hot rolled which makes your job harder. What is your wire diameter?

I'm using .030 wire and the gas is 75% Argon/ 25% Carbon Dioxide

For non-structural sheet metal, I've found I have better results with .023 wire.

Check to see if your welder has a wire drive wheel that can be flipped around to accommodate various wire sizes. You'll also need the appropriate sized tips.

[SirAndy]

Please don't make me come back here for more cleanup. I hate cleaning.

Maybe we can hire Ferg as the forum cleaner?
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[mb911]

16ga is too think and it is hot rolled which makes your job harder. What is your wire diameter?

I'm using .030 wire and the gas is 75% Argon/ 25% Carbon Dioxide

For non-structural sheet metal, I've found I have better results with .023 wire.

Check to see if your welder has a wire drive wheel that can be flipped around to accommodate various wire sizes. You'll also need the appropriate sized tips.

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[Unobtanium-inc]

16ga is too think and it is hot rolled which makes your job harder. What is your wire diameter?

I'm using .030 wire and the gas is 75% Argon/ 25% Carbon Dioxide

For non-structural sheet metal, I've found I have better results with .023 wire.

Check to see if your welder has a wire drive wheel that can be flipped around to accommodate various wire sizes. You'll also need the appropriate sized tips.

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/agree.gif)

Thanks guys, I'll check it out.

[mb911]

Another suggestion if you have time is take a short community college or tech college welding class on GMAW .. I have a ton of people that come to my classes that are building cars for hobby or race.. Even 20 hours of helmet time will drastically improve your welding skills.

[KELTY360]

Please don't make me come back here for more cleanup. I hate cleaning.

Maybe we can hire Ferg as the forum cleaner?
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Thanks Andy! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif)

[Unobtanium-inc]

Another suggestion if you have time is take a short community college or tech college welding class on GMAW .. I have a ton of people that come to my classes that are building cars for hobby or race.. Even 20 hours of helmet time will drastically improve your welding skills.

I did that about 7 years ago in Brooklyn. Wasn't a lot of help. The teachers were plumbers and were very confused about why I would want to grind down a weld. Also, it was all stick welding. When I asked about Mig or Tig, they had an old mig in the back they got working for me. So I got really good at stick welding, which I've never done again.
The other problem is 90% of the welding I've done has been on really rusty 356's so the skilled I learned there don't always translate into working on good steel. It's a journey.

The funniest thing about the class in Brooklyn was a couple of guys were asking me who my PO was? Previous owner? Huh?
Probation officer, apparently, taking this welding class was the first thing you took to become a licensed plumber in NYC, and a lot of probation guys were funneled there. It was funny, me and the ex-cons.

[mb911]

Wow thats too bad. We currently have 200 students enrolled in our program and teach around what the students actually need based off of what the purpose of their needed outcomes are..

I can see why that class wouldn't help ..

[Unobtanium-inc]

Wow thats too bad. We currently have 200 students enrolled in our program and teach around what the students actually need based off of what the purpose of their needed outcomes are..

I can see why that class wouldn't help ..

Sounds like that would have been a much better move.

[jd74914]

I did that about 7 years ago in Brooklyn. Wasn't a lot of help. The teachers were plumbers...

Yeah, I think it's a location issue. In CT you can take classes more geared towards aerospace fabrication techniques given the local industry. Likely the same where Ben teaches in WI (though his program also does sound pretty awesome (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) ). Not much of that in NYC; you're looking at a local need for pipe fitters and structural welders. A lot of pipe fitters can really weld, but not really relevant.

[Ferg]

Please don't make me come back here for more cleanup. I hate cleaning.

Maybe we can hire Ferg as the forum cleaner?
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[Unobtanium-inc]

Well, thanks to the help from this forum I was able to figure out that the steel I bought was not going to work. Hot rolled is not the way to go. But what to do with the steel, take it back? That's a pain.
Then today Big John was getting a motor off the shelf to crate up and was crabbin about how hard it is to move the motors around on the wood shelf, they grab at every turn. he said, "We should put sheet steel up here and then we could slide the motors."

Sheet steel you say? I just happen to have a pile.

It all works out in the end, right?

[mb911]

There you go perfect..

One side note. Going with thinner metals will increase difficulty for welding so do some test welds 1st to ensure proper setup.

[Mueller]

The price of plasma cutters have come down so much , even JEGS has one that would be perfect for sheet metal for $300 . Sometimes much safer than a cutoff wheel. One exploded wheel and a trip to the ER could pay for the plasma!

[mbseto]

It should sound like bacon frying when the speed and voltage are right...

Good lord, I've come to love that sound.

[Unobtanium-inc]

The price of plasma cutters have come down so much , even JEGS has one that would be perfect for sheet metal for $300 . Sometimes much safer than a cutoff wheel. One exploded wheel and a trip to the ER could pay for the plasma!

It wasn't an exploding wheel, but a tiny chunk of metal, from using the wheel. Went to urgent care, they sent me to the ER, and then had to follow up with an eye DR who scrapped the rust spot off my eye. Ironic, Porsches rust everywhere, even in your eye!

Ever since then, it's full face shield, no glasses.