In reply to NOHOME :
Thanks. I always appreciate additional insight from experienced welders. I suppose it's one of those things where the theory is all well and good, but the actual doing it is where feel, gut, and instinct take over. I learned welding when I was 19, but for the past 20 odd years it seems I only do it often enough such that I lose "the touch" in between projects.
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
I hear you on the "touch" part of things. By the time I finish this MGB, I will be back in the swing of it and then have to re-focus when I do the next project. I seem to "forget" how to see past the smoke and sparks and concentrate on managing that little blob of molten steel. I have done enough of this stuff that I can get by if I go through the motions, but when I really focus, the results are so much more pleasing. I guess that is what people call "being in the zone".
Pretty sure I read it here many years ago..."Welding is a lot like driving an 18 wheeler; if your mind is not really into it, you should not be doing it".
Pete
Actually got in the grove and did a few hours straight yesterday.
From wehere we left off:
The middle membrane and castle rail have been repaired. You can see the scar where the middle membrane was cut back and a piece of a patch panel used to replace the rusty bit. Since the patch panel was not BMH, the "waffles" do not line up and you can see the repair. I care, owner does not. Notice pinch weld area was masked off: POR and welding do not mix.
The PS sill graft is complete and I am happy with the results. Skim of the green Kitty Hair filer and the scar will be gone.
The DS is still waiting for me to run the long seam weld. Getting the thin floppy metal to aligning perfectly even with the existing tin is always nerve wracking.
So, I decided to procrastinate and cut out the quarters.
UGH! More unanticipated work that needs to be done. When I say "Unanticipated" I mean more from the owners perspective. They tend to come in with a budget and when that budget is hit you go from a very cordial "Just do it right" to "can that be included in the budget"? It is a threshold I have come to recognize from every single project I had done for other people. At this point my mind goes into "Time to wrap this up" mode.
The PS did not present any holes after I cleaned it up with a wire wheel so I went ahead and POR'd the inner tub and trimmed the car and the panel to fit. Once again, a mistake here means I could wreck an expensive patch panel and that goes on my tab. Warp is another demon that I worry about doing quarter panels; Fixing warp also eats into my time.
And here is 4 hours of fitting, edge cleaning, hole punching and welding later. Still needs the entire seam ground down, but happy with the results. Just need to replicate on the DS and the car can go home. The sills I was pretty much on time, but the quarters I under-guesstimated the time. It's a hobby so I don't really care cause I would be in the shop doing E36 M3 like this anyway, but I am trying to get a good feel for how long stuff really takes and how much it really cost when doing this work. ie...shopping for stuff , meeting with owner to discuss options and plans, picking up supplies and parts eats a lot more time than you would think, and if you were doing this for profit it would have to be factored in.
Pete
I've done just enough of this sort of thing to know how hard it is to estimate the effort. There's always rust or bad repairs lurking somewhere unexpected. The work you've done looks great as usual.
In reply to JoeTR6 :
Amen...Here is a good example of where it all goes wrong. See the little tiny bit of rust along the edge of the outer wheel well? Gotta do something about that.
These are always fun because they have a lot of shape to them and curve in all three dimesions. And this one has two ribs in it that needed to be cut through.
I COULDA just used a piece of flat steel and hammered it into place and nobody would really be the wiser.
But where is the fun in that? Three hours later and using the e-wheel, shrinker, stretcher , bead roller and some melted wire, we got it all done. Not going to go nuts grinding the weld since it will be invisible. Wire wheel and POR and done. Billable? Maybe an hour. I would normally ask that a full panel be purchased and I would have cut out the bit I needed. But said panel was not here and I did not want to wait for one to arrive.
The new quarter panel has been sliced and diced to fit into a matching hole in the side of the car. Happy with the fit and hope to get it welded in tonight. Takes me about 2 hours to weld in a seam this long as I want the panel to be cool to the touch and it is a lotta little tacks. Then I figure three more hours of grinding and she can go off to the sandblasters.
I really like the 3d tin work there. I've never used an english wheel or stretcher/shrinker, but have always wanted to. Would love to scrub in with you on a repair like that.
In reply to TVR Scott :
People who wander into my shop saying stuff like that get handed a piece of tin and told to do it. If need be I will fix their berkeley up later. It's that kind of environment.
Pete
In reply to NOHOME :
I figured so. And I would so dive in and learn. If only we were about 2000 miles closer...
In reply to NOHOME :
If I win the lottery, I might be buying your neighbor's house and moving in next door with my crusty Volvo for as long as a short-term visa would allow. 
In reply to TVR Scott :
Did I mention there is Beer?
In reply to NOHOME :
That's one thing I don't do....drink in my shop. I mean, if company comes over, and we're just B-S ing, then yea, but while I'm working, no booze.
In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
While I cant claim the same high ground, we are a pretty tame bunch, since age and a 0.05 blood alcohol limits for driving are realities in our lifes.
Pete
In reply to NOHOME :
You're driving a hard bargain. Big fan of beer, I am.
My kids would have to learn to speak Canadian, but young minds are plyable.
NOHOME said:In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
While I cant claim the same high ground, we are a pretty tame bunch, since age and a 0.05 blood alcohol limits for driving are realities in our lifes.
Pete
I apologize if that post came off as a bit snooty. I do like me some beer, don't get me wrong. I just find if I have any distractions in my shop, I don't get E36 M3 done. So I have no screens (other than my phone for taking pictures), listen to terrestrial radio, and don't have any food or drink, except water if it's hot.
volvoclearinghouse said:NOHOME said:In reply to volvoclearinghouse :
While I cant claim the same high ground, we are a pretty tame bunch, since age and a 0.05 blood alcohol limits for driving are realities in our lifes.
Pete
I apologize if that post came off as a bit snooty. I do like me some beer, don't get me wrong. I just find if I have any distractions in my shop, I don't get E36 M3 done. So I have no screens (other than my phone for taking pictures), listen to terrestrial radio, and don't have any food or drink, except water if it's hot.
I agree with you that it's important to know the line. I never would run my milling machine while drinking. It's way too powerful and mistakes get loud, ugly, and expensive. Shrapel is involved.
And I wouldn't weld either, just because my hands start getting shaky.
But after that, I'll happily crack one to enjoy with some wrenching!
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