Project X71, reheating Stampie's leftovers(FCFC)

A couple slow, distraction filled weekends have led to little progress here. I have plenty of excuses....

Last Friday started out pretty normal, get to the shop, get busy! I drug the axle out and tweaked the fitment of the left LCA support bracket. This bracket is also the new lower location for the left rear shock. Satisfied with that, I grabbed the CAD and used it to create the right side LCA support tab. Clean the axle where welding was about to happen, get ready, and fail.
Like seriously big time fail. I spent over an hour fighting to make a decent weld, and I was losing. Grind it out, clean it again, change welder settings, change the pack in my cup, clean the tungsten(multiple times), change regulator settings, etc. Cut stuff apart, clean more. Bench test a weld. Frustration thru the roof. I finally stepped away and had a conversation with myself.

"WTF is wrong with you?"
Dude, I dunno. I'm lost.
"You know what this is, and it ain't you, dumbass."
E36 M3, you mean I have a bad bottle of argon??!!!?!?! That's so berkeleying stupid, no berkeleying way it's that.
"I'm tellin you, I mean me, no you, whatever. Just change the bottle shiny happy person."

Swap out the bottle and put everything back to baseline = perfect welds again. This simultaneously fills a person with so much joy and rage there is no way to explain it. Truly something you hafta experience, but no one ever should.

Putting that behind me, I closed the day with the axle back under the chassis and everything hooked up in final locations.

Today I measured for the driveshaft and started work on stuff that will keep the spinny bits away from the fleshy bits.

I like keeping the spinny bits away from the fleshy bits. 

Bad Argon is a thing? W.T.F.

I wonder what the contaminent is in the Argon? And how it got there. I have never seen it, and it would for sure throw me for a loop.

I think every bottle of argon I have ever purchased must have been bad.

Just now found this thread, I am looking forward to going back and reading through fully!

In reply to TurnerX19 :

I would think it's air. I know when we do service on the Argon system at work we do a lot of purging to make sure it's pure at the end. 

Ok, I'm caught up and I love it. Carry on!

Shop day! I made a bonsai run last night for a FBMP purchase, so I had to make some room

Something I planned from go with this building was to set up machines in one area, semi-partitioned from the rest of the space. Enter my new-to-me lathe!

Then put everything back in

I will sheet the lathe side of the shelving with something white to divide up the space a bit more, and reflect light into this area.

I did push Brad back in, even though it looked really good outside...

In the same vein I went to get some weld-shield and they gave me pure argon by mistake. That was a weird looking weld and arc right there! Other than the hour of driving it wasnt too bad, SIGH!

In reply to gumby :

Wow that corner of the shop really cleaned up nice. 

I can't believe I've never looked into this thread before.

Also, yeah, that corner of the shop turned out real damn nice.  Me likey

Me on page two of  this thread: 

ClemSparks said:

One word:

Bonkers!

 

 

 

[Doc Holliday:  Proceed, sir]

Me reading pages 4-10 of this thread after rediscovering it for the first time since page 2:

This build is fantastic.  Inspirational, actually.  Thanks for sharing and in such detail!

Im surprised that weak, dangerous pile of tubes didn't kill you just sitting there because it's so unsafe. Got to get my weekends back so we can get more stupid stuff done.

Oh the joy of new tools and work space.  Coming along nicely, and yes, it does look good outside.

Wow how did I not see this?!

Truck looks meeeean.  Also the car is shaping up nicely.

Those wheels look much cooler on your truck than on a Toyota Avalon.

In reply to AWSX1686, Mr_Asa, ClemSparks, and java230 :
Welcome and welcome back! Pull up a seat, drinks are in the cooler.
 

In reply to pres589 (djronnebaum) and maschinenbau :
Thanks for noticing the truck. Due to my schedule and project load, it has kinda been in hibernation. Felt good to boost the battery and fire the engine. Smelled good too burning that 110oct. There are plans in the works for the truck to emerge in 2022 as a somewhat different creature. That's all I can say for now.

BTW, whats the engine in the bad azz truck?

In reply to 03Panther :
2.3L SOHC, turbocharged generator engine
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In actual X71 news, BEHOLD MY SHAFT!

A'ight, stop freaking out. I flipped out too, but I fixed it. It's ok.
Old me made a decision to point the tailshaft up in an attempt to reduce the working angle of the ujoints because we thought the driveshaft was going to run uphill....Old me was wrong. I think he was looking at things with bigger tires on the axle and the frame on the floor, not blocked at proper height. He may also have been intoxicated; don't judge.

So, anyhow, I removed the transmission mount and lowered the tailshaft to a more appropriate height and angle.

I then proceeded chopping out the frame bracket and made it shorter to accommodate the new location. Lost a little clearance in one spot at the back of the engine, but gained some at a critical point near the front. A bit of attention with a grinder next time the drivetrain is out will turn this whole mess to a win.

Back into the cockpit area with a couple more tubes.

Things are nice and cozy

In reply to gumby :

That side angle isn't anywhere near as bad as I thought it would be.

This is soooo hawt!

gumby said: BEHOLD MY SHAFT!

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Old me....  may also have been intoxicated;

Usually the second sentence explains someone yelling the first sentence.

Any chance you'd be willing to detail how you do your tube measuring and angle-finding?

Some of those tubes look pretty easy, but some look mighty tricky to fit in right.