Met with the window folks to get a quote for replacing windows in our house. Wow. THAT is pricey.
Welded brackets onto a buddy's bumper bar to mount a splitter.
Trial fitted V.4 of the disc brake adapter. Fits REALLY well, and now just needs final welding (no, the vice grips are not staying):
More blasting today. At least I did this in the evening - it was much more comfortable. The other side left to do. And the tailgate. And the braces. And the fenders. And the steps. Oh my.
Lots of hammering and shrinking to get these bed sides flat again. Wow.
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
I love the explanations of the techniques you use. I've really learned a ton from this thread.
Ok, FIFTH try, and I'm confident enough to weld it all together. We now have 9"-Ford/Z-28/Caprice brakes.
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
I like to prototype brackets like that on my 3d printer. Quick and easy, and strong enough for mock-ups. Does your school have one handy?
In reply to SkinnyG (Forum Supporter) :
me rikey!
We -do- have some 3D printers, but I didn't bother to check if they would fit the small sprint area or not. Instead, I just cut test bits out of thin metal as I worked out my thoughts.
Plasma cut the chain-hook-catch-holder thingie for the trailer hitch I made for the '61, then forgot that the receiver sits below the bar it's welded to, so I had to cut it down some.
Finish blasting the bed. Eight hours, ran the abrasive through about six times, then added a new bag. Went through two plastic screens for the hood.
Overheated the compressor motor twice despite it's own fan blowing on it and an extra fan blowing on it and another fan circulating air and the compressor shed door open to the outside. It's an IR 5hp 2-stage rated for 100% duty cycle. Odd.
Each time I waited for the motor to cool down, I worked on fixing the front fenders. Got this far, close-to-zero-filler TIG:
Your a sculptor. And your median is metal. Keep up the good work.
Norma66-Brent said:Your a sculptor. And your median is metal. Keep up the good work.
My median is pretty average.
I used to say "friends don't let friends take Art," until one of my instructors at BCIT disagreed with me and said I was an "Artist" myself.
What? What do you mean?
He said it's because I cannot leave vehicles alone. I -have- to modify them. I -have- to have them "look" a certain way, -sound- a certain way. And I guess, reluctantly, he's right. I -have- to molest vehicles. I have never owned "stock," ever.
So now, I say that "my artistic canvas has four wheels."
I feel I have certainly improved in my metalwork skills on this project.
As always your execution is remarkable.....in this shot I see a faint red sharpie line on the fender opening. A surface to adjust or just repair metalwise?
I don't work in red sharpie, so it's likely just a scratch/rub through the laquer into the enamel from years gone by.
The black sharpie mark at the top left is where I was figuring out where the wheel was going to turn full-lock, so I could determine where to cut so it could steer aired out.
Did some blasting of the left fender in prep for epoxy. Might get to epoxy tomorrow; I'd like to do both front fenders at the same time.
Worked on the air compressor pressure ON and OFF settings to try and reduce how much it the motor cycles. IR figures the motor goes into thermal protection because of the stops and starts, not the constant running. Motor is rated for 100% duty cycle.
Also tried the smallest blasting tip that would still pass sand in hopes of cutting down the CFM required. I did set the line pressure at 60psi and it seemed to last reasonably well.
Welded in the patch on the passenger side. Needs a bit of planishing, but should be ready for epoxy tomorrow.
I wish I did a better job of estimating how long it takes to do things.
Today I scraped out the last of the undercoating, fit more patch, planished a ton, fit the brace, and cut out another rusty area that needs blasting before I can repair it.
I had a bit of time after dinner - got the entire passenger fender blasted.
No more bungie cords.
Was securing a tarp so I could sandblast under some shade, and had one bungie hook let go, zing past the skin over my jugular vein, and draw a bit of blood. Could have been very very very worse.
No more bungie cords.
That is a close call with the Bungie. So Im curious about what can be done as far as metal stretching and shaping once a repair is welded in. I just finished welding in some quarter panel patches and I have some warping and a bit of shrinking at the seam. Is it possible to use a hammer and dolly to get it closer to the original shape? (The heat drew the repair patch in at the butt weld.)
The weld will always, always shrink. It will shrink -less- if you place it close to a fold or crease, shrink -more- in the middle of a panel.
Try to chose where you weld to be somewhere near a crease, and accessible from the back.
Try to weld with as little "bead" as you can. More bead means more metal which means more shrink.
Planishing the weld properly will bring the panel back to true, but you need access from the back to do so. You need to -stretch- the weld bead back out.
TIG or Torch welding makes for the most stretchable welds. MIG is least stretchable.
I'm no pro - I can get it all to an "acceptible level of filler."
Last blast of the front fenders. Primer next, but it's 40°C today
Notice NO bungee cords holding the tarp stands, eh?! 
Two coats of epoxy primer. Give that a few days to cure, and I'll weld the patches in.
Oh thats niiice
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