BUILD-OFF CHALLENGE: Dirty Cossack's Build Options

[JoeDees]

What you see is 6 hours of work. This was probably the most difficult fabrication I've done so far, not just because of the shapes/curves, but because of the personal pressure knowing that it is a seen and on a blatantly obvious part of the car. These 3 little patches were a pain in the ass, the first was tough to get the curve right, at the correct angle with the line of the car, etc. The 2nd one sucked because it is such a subtle curve, but mostly because welding next to that edge of the door jamb was absurd. The 3rd one had an odd little angled part, but once again was on that jamb edge. I had to weld these really slowly, welding spots on opposite corners and then letting it completely cool to prevent warpage. As you can see there is a definite low spot on top of the fender, but the worst (most annoying) thing is that I kept blowing out/overgrinding that damn edge. I should have taken more pics, but that edge is comprised completely of weld and then shaped with the grinder; there's still another spot that needs some metal, and unfortunately this entire area will need a little thicker skim of filler than I had hoped, and I'm half thinking about some fiberglass on the underside as reinforcement (overgrinding that edge has me a little paranoid that I've overgrinded elsewhere). I keep looking at it thinking I should have done better, but really, I should be satisfied with the work.

[JoeDees]

You can also see in the pics (not really this one) that this fender has had a respray. I've found some evidence of a wreck on the right front corner, but not the rear outside of a ding or two, I guess they just sprayed this whole side, because the driver side is still original paint...

But here's another look at that edge.

[Garland]

Nice work, attention to detail will pay off.

[JoeDees]

Post for Friday 27 May:

Shop soundtrack: my Iron Maiden Pandora station

The day's plan was to get a bunch done in the garage on my day off, but as I was taking the garbage to the street I happened to notice an odd, white spot on my DD Honda Fit's tire. Of course it was a nail. I had been planning on replacing the tires towards the end of summer anyways, hoping to milk a thousand more miles out of them; the previous owner didn't drive the car much so they had minor dry rot along with wear. The funny part is that twice over the last 2 weeks the tire went a little low but on inspection I saw nothing (could it really be possible that the nail was down both times I inspected?). Anyways, I spent quite a bit of the day dealing with this. NOTE: If you buy a Honda Fit for its incredible affordability and such, get the basic model and not the "sport," the sport's 16" wheels have a weird 185 55 tire that cost me $100+ more to replace and the ride is a little louder and worse.

But the time I did spend in the shop was spent welding up the sail panel. The piece was a little tricky in that it has a minor curvature that I think I managed to get right, but I was worried about warpage on such a broad, flattish sheet so I welded really slowly. I'm not sure if it was a heat warp or what, but the top welded edge did manage to sink and there's a bit of a low spot I think filler will fix without violating my 1/8ths inch rule (filler will be no thicker than 1/8th inch). I tried to show the low spot in the pics, but it's hard to see; though you can see the low spot on the fender top. I guess it's also worth mentioning that I filled in the little trim holes and reworked (welded a fat line and grinded) that jamb edge too. Overall it was a good day in the garage.

[JoeDees]

Post for Saturday 28 May:

Shop soundtrack: my Willie Nelson Pandora station:

Another shorter day in the shop... My plastic lawn chair kinda broke so I spent some time trying to fix it with fiberglass filler stuff, didn't really work. But it did give me the idea to use that to reinforce and back the little patches at the top of the door jamb now instead of later. It kinda sucked getting up in there, but the fact that it squeezed out a few pinholes was a good sign.
I then moved on to the door sill in an obvious attempt to avoid that suspension console. The door sill fit really well and went on easily, but as I went to install the little triangles and grind the welds I noticed that I screwed up and the thing wasn't straight. It was kinda weird drilling out my own welds... but I managed to get them broken with the help of a little hacksaw underneath. The sill then went on straight and easy without damage and the triangles fit perfectly. NOTE: IF you're asking my opinion, or if I were to weld another sill on, I would either figure a way to do it with the triangles pre-welded, or at least use them as a guide (as I did the 2nd time) to keep the gap straight and what not. After the error I was paranoid, so I checked and double checked this thing at least 50 times. Overall it was a good day in the garage, and great that I got away with an error without permanent damage/costing $$$.

[JoeDees]

Post for Sunday 29 May:

Shop soundtrack: my Little Richard Pandora station

JUDGEMENT DAY HATH COME!!! ie I finally had the nerve (read no choice on further procrastination) to weld in the suspension console, but only because I finished the other jobs tasks early.

A full day in the garage. I started out welding the triangles under the sill, went on easily. I then decided to play with the door jamb and determine whether it was worth the RD replacement piece for just the bottom 4 inches... So as a test (after wirewheel, sandblasting, ospho, etc) I played around with the hammers and dollies and got the thing well within personal tolerance so I rolled with it. Yeah, there is some metal missing at the bottom edge, but I think I can make this work and still stay on the good side of the 1/8ths inch rule (no filler thicker than an 1/8th inch-but will that still count if I have filler on the underside too?). After more fiddling and welding I decided to waste some time applying seam sealer on the underside, on the triangles' welds, and up in the fender, but when I looked at the clock it was waaay too early to quit, so I turned to the suspension console.
I figured it would take hours to figure out its exact position, adjustments, mounting, and what not and I wouldn't have to deal with the stress of welding on a piece with such exacting tolerances and financial implications. However, the next thing I know,
I have the thing in the perfect position, clamps on and only welding to be done. So I measured a few hundred more times, cracked open another beer, and realized that I had to weld...
As for measuring, I used a triple attack: measuring tape, string, and sticks. As for welding, I was paranoid, so I'd make 2 welds on the opposite ends of each other to prevent heat issues, then measure the thing about 60 times while waiting for it to cool completely. This technique resulted in far more Chuck Berry air guitar singalongs, beer, and cigarettes than planned, but in the end I ended up with a suspension console far within my personal tolerance. From ear to ear I have the perfect 33.5 inches, and from the firewall hole thing to the console ear I'm 1/16th of an inch off, sitting at 28 5/16" instead of the prescribed 28 1/4"! I even added a measurement in which I checked the console's angle and it seemed on the money.

I was completely paranoid of this thing, and whether it was luck or miracle, it really wasn't that bad with rock n roll and paranoid, OCD procedures. This was an extremely fulfilling day, and I feel even better knowing that I can throw suspension, wheels, whatnot on this little car rather quickly and move it if I have to. Maybe I was right in putting off the suspension console so long, or maybe I'm ridiculous for it, who knows? Overall it was a wonderful day in the garage.

[914forme]

Wow looking good

[cary]

Looks very nice. Always a great since of accomplishment.
Now comes the hard part. Tying the inside to the outside.
This might help.
http://www.performanceforum.com/wesvann/91.../rd-9-1-08.html

We're going to actually cowboy up this time. Plan is to use a forge to soften the 14 gauge so it's easier to form. Like they do when the do a tire change on a horse.

Super In Law says there's one down in the chicken house. Chicken house : that will be another entire OT thread some day. 600 sq. ft building that Mike and Frank from American Pickers would enjoy going thru.

[trojanhorsepower]

Looks good!

[JoeDees]

Looks very nice. Always a great since of accomplishment.
Now comes the hard part. Tying the inside to the outside.
This might help.
http://www.performanceforum.com/wesvann/91.../rd-9-1-08.html

We're going to actually cowboy up this time. Plan is to use a forge to soften the 14 gauge so it's easier to form. Like they do when the do a tire change on a horse.

Super In Law says there's one down in the chicken house. Chicken house : that will be another entire OT thread some day. 600 sq. ft building that Mike and Frank from American Pickers would enjoy going thru.

Yeah I'm dreading this too...hahaha I was really hoping that if I put it off this long somebody would have produced some...

[jmitro]

nice job especially with fabricating patches from scratch. I'm where you are in terms of the progress of my project......still lots of rusty sheetmetal to cut out and replace.

[JoeDees]

nice job especially with fabricating patches from scratch. I'm where you are in terms of the progress of my project......still lots of rusty sheetmetal to cut out and replace.

Thank you everyone for the kind words.

You know it's weird, but I realized today while at the bar for my wife's birthday dinner, that I think I am over the hill when it comes to welding and rust repair. I feel I have finished far more than I still have left to do. It's a really weird feeling thinking that the welder will go to the sidelines and other tools will hit the field in a starting role.

[Darren C]

Looking good Joe, rest that shoulder up, lift your beer glass with your other arm!

[JoeDees]

Shop soundtrack: Euro 2016 matches and then Harry Belafonte and other stuff.

Took last weekend off because it was over 100 degrees in my garage and I was avoiding the task of making the suspension ties. But this weekend I got right down to it. I was really dreading this and was super worried about trying to get the little one done in one piece with 12 gauge steel. I bought a scrap sheet from a local fabrication place for $5 and had about 5x what I needed. My method was to make cardboard models and then cut the metal from it. I also made some test and experimental pieces from 20 gauge to test the feasibility of the project. I elected to drill the holes while the piece was flat because it made it easier in the drill press. A bigass hammer and a vice were the primary tools, and I used a blowtorch to heat up areas that were tougher to bend. On bend at a time, and a lot of test fits and I got it. All of the minor bends, twists and whatnot made the process crazy, but it really wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. My one regret is that I should have made it a little bit longer towards the inside, but that may have just made it impossible...who knows.

[JoeDees]

For the second tie, I used the method from the above link. It was far easier to make, but somehow harder to weld. I guess because I designed the little one to be primarily plug welded. I still need to grind them all pretty like.

[JoeDees]

On 2 other notes:

Those are some ugly ass welds... and
My measurements regarding the suspension console didn't change!

[JoeDees]

I'll start with a medical update: Physical therapy has given up and referred me back to the surgeon. In January the surgeon wouldn't touch it because muscles weren't working, now they kinda are... So the surgeon can do 3 things: convince my primary care doctor that my neck needs checked by a specialist, operate, or refuse to cut again which would mean that I would be medically discharged. The medical discharge is practically inevitable at this point, but I need to make it to next May because it will give me a magic number and allow me to walk into my next career as a teacher instead of doing a bunch of extra stuff.

Now the car.

It's been way to hot to really work on this thing, and I've sat out a weekend or 2; and the new job involved the craziest work week of my life so on Saturday I just lounged around drinking. Sunday I had the intention of installing the engine shelf and battery tray but I was getting frustrated by the terrible fitment of the AA engine shelf (came with the car) so I moved on the front corner and the idea of deleting the warts. I knew there was some body filler up there, but no idea how much. I first suspected a problem when I removed the bumper and saw some crinkle and got really scared when I first looked under the fender and saw the filler-seep through holes. I was tempted to keep the warts and this previous fix because it looked good, but I guess I love pain so I explored...

I am currently under investigation by UNESCO and pending trial at The Hague for destroying a previously unknown Michelangelo. But seriously, somebody was a very talented sculptor to do what they did. Now I've got to figure out what to do. I have several options: 1. Play Rodin myself with the filler. 2. Cut and patch the really lumpy areas. 3. Shop for a new fender. 4. Chalon (j/k. No way). I'm totally leaning towards 3.

Here are my concerns/questions: If I go with a new fender, how much do I use? The whole thing or just partial? If I'm going through this trouble, should I address that front clip too? Look at pics 1 and 8, see the crinkle and the improper lines below the light hole? Can I bang it right with the fender off for replacement, or does it need replaced too? This is a major issue--biggest since the long repair, if not bigger.

Let's hear some ideas on how to approach this. Meanwhile, I'm gonna be going back to that stupid engine shelf while I figure this out.

[Olympic 914]

Great job on the fabrication.

I feel your pain, my front fender looked similar, without the holes. I straightened it a little with a hammer and dolly before putting on the bondo. Much less work than cutting off the fender.

JMHO

[JoeDees]

I posted a WTB ad in the classifieds in case somebody has one on the cheap, but in the meantime I'm going to experiment with the hammer.

[JoeDees]

It was a long weekend but that did not equate to a lot of work.

Friday was one of those days where nothing seemed to go right. I tried dealing with a greyhound rescue to adopt a dog. Arizona banned dog racing so something like 100+ orphans hit the system, but the local group won't adopt to Soldiers because their policies and Army policies conflict. Then in the garage I decided that I need to build a car dolly for repairing that front end since the rotisserie will be in the way. It'll also help with other things, like taking it off the rotisserie so I can put it back on the rotisserie outside for pressure washing or turning the car around (my garage is stupid and has a curb in it so one side is on that, the other on a box to bring it level). Anyways, I went to Lowe's and bought the supplies but came up a 2x4 short.

Saturday I went back to Lowe's for the wood but forgot the nuts to go to the bolts, so I had to go back. Eventually I finished the dolly, only to decide that I didn't feel like tackling the front when I still had other repairs to make, so I took it apart and stored it. I then tried to go back to that engine shelf, it still wouldn't fit... so I fixed the little spot of damage/hole on the floor.

Sunday things began to turn around, I went back to the engine shelf, this time completely determined, only to find the thing went perfectly into place the first try without even trying. Go figure, then I had to make the little patch at the rear there and the brake line holder. The brake line holder was fun to make: drilled a hole in steel and bored it out with the dremel to the right size, drilled another hole for a plug weld, bent the thing, then rounded and shaped the end as well as shaping the weld side so it would saddle into the recess between engine mount and suspension console. It was all too easy on Sunday, I even got an email back from the dog people saying we might be able to make something happen if I work my end.

Monday I figured it was time to hit the driver's side since I was done melting on the passenger side! (I've decided to hold off on the battery tray--it's fitment is confusing me...Anyone ever have problems getting the RD tray support to line up? And the other thing needed is the front damage, which I'm putting off) So it's the driver's side! Which is a lot worse than I thought. The jack point is jacked, which I knew, but the top layer of the long there is/was pretty rusted so I've worked to strip it off. I keep having to expand my area, even up to cutting out a portion of the sill near the back triangle. I used an old webcam to look inside the long and it doesn't look too bad. The Eastwood green stuff and some antirust paint should do the trick. This side's rust is way different than the other. The passenger side rusted from the inside out, but this is going outside in--which is good. But getting this first layer of rust off has been quite the trick. I've used an angle grinder with 3 attachments, a drill with 3 attachments, a sawzall, and a dremel with 3 attachments... and I still have metal to remove but ran out of dremel cutting discs. So I slathered the area in naval jelly and called it a weekend. I made a particular point of raising the top layer edges up and getting the jelly up in there. Hopefully I can finish up the area next weekend.

Medical update: I had the MRI on my neck (finally) and it found issues that are probably at the root of my shoulder issues and the arm pains, etc. The problem is that this may complicate or make repairing my shoulder impossible, which would end my Army career. So I have to start thinking of when, how and at what point is it best to stop the build and prep the car for moving. I haven't been to the doctor yet, so this is just speculating, but I figure I have 9 months left here. I figure I need to finish the metalwork, prime anything bare, then start putting the necessary parts back on. But we'll see what the future holds when it gets here, meanwhile I'll keep working on the car, working to adopt a greyhound, and just working.