Originally posted by MD11Fr8Dog


Final job looks nice!! What did you use to cut the sheet metal? 3in (Or is that 7.62 cm in Europe??:D ) cutting wheel?? Also, how did you do the welds to the wheel well? Poor man spot welds?? Got any pictures of the the fabbing of the wheel wells and the welding to the qtrs and the bed?? I'm about to teach myself to weld and then cut out my rears, and the top and sides of the wheel wells and wled in new sheet metal. Just looking for some visual help/advice!!

Thanks!!

Took some pics for you today.

Christof

I used my Dewalt (called Elu in europe) angle grinder to cut all the new sheet metal.
Used special cutting blades meant for stainless steel, diameter is 125mm (4.9") and 1mm (0.03") thick. They cut through sheet metal like butter but the downside is that you'll be using a lot, if you twist them up a little bit the will shatter and they are expensive. They cost 1.5 euro (1.35 $) here in Belgium.

To get nice straigth cut, just use a piece of flat metal (i used flat bar, 0.25" thick, 4" wide) wich you clamp to the sheetmetal and grind next to it.

This is what i mean with the flat metal bar to use as a ruler for grinding.

Christof

These are the tools I used, used two grinders, caus with all the grinding and cutting you will be doing, they could overheat.
I also own a "Speedglass" welding helmet, very easy, it's expensive but worth every penny! Makes tack welding very easy.
And don't forget your hearing protection, because your are cutting and grinding 75% of the time, 10% welding, 10% measuring and 5% of saying " Fawk this shit I'm selling it and buying a nice little Heep!!" :flipoff2:

Also printed out a picture of a 40 series as a guideline on how it should look.
Christof

As for welding, I welded on a fairly heavy setting so I'd get good looking well penetrated welds. Downside to this you can only weld short welds at a time because otherwise the metal would warp because of the heat.
Not one weld is longer than 1.5". It's a lot of work, but this way the metal won't warp.

close up

outside view

you can avoid to do all this welding if you've got access to a sheet metal cutter and plate bender (don't know the english words sorry for that) then you can bend the entire bed, including the fenders out of a single sheet metal plate.

Christof

this is how i bent the quarte panels, cut them out with the angle grinder and tacked them into place. Then put a big ratchet strap aroudn it and tightened it up till i had the bend i wanted, then welded them in place, i used 2.5 mm (0.09") sheetmetal, and I think it was due to the thickness of this metal that i didn't get a perfectly smooth bend.
Christof

Final toughts :D :

What I would do differently next time.

- MEASURE better, I've just cut out the pieces and tack welded them in, I didn't mind if the pieces didn't fit right and i had grooves of 5mm.

-Instead of using the ratchet strap method to bend my quarter panel i'd cutout the quarter panel and then take it to a shop and have them roll it to the exact radius. Can' be too hard for them if you take the originela quarter panel with you as an example. Wouldn't be expensive too. And you'd have a nice smooth bend.

- I'd keep the hard top on the body during the entire work of welding in the new sheet metal, I didn't and now there is an ugly groove between the hard top and the hard top rails, wich could of been avoided easily if i had know it before i welded the quarter panels.


Hope you understand what i am blabbing about, Christof

If you have other questions let me know, maybe i can help you.

All I can say is wow, that looks like a lot of work. Keep it up. Looks good.

Wanna come to the states and do my rear tub while I drink Cheap american :beer: ???

Looks really good man...

Wow...

Originally posted by Jason M
Wanna come to the states and do my rear tub while I drink Cheap american :beer: ???

Looks really good man...

Wow...

Looks really good? Perhaps in the pics but there are a few hidden flaws. Quarterpanels aren straight probably 'caus in bended them myself using the "ratchet strap" method, and my fenders are 4 cm higher in the rear than in the front!

As for coming to the states, you pay for the plane and I'm there!! :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2: µ

Christof

Hey that picture of the ugly red tub with new metal going in is MY TRUCK! Haven't seen that picture for a while. Man, I'm glad that part of the project is over!:rolleyes:

Originally posted by Diesel_Cruiser


Looks really good? Perhaps in the pics but there are a few hidden flaws. Quarterpanels aren straight probably 'caus in bended them myself using the "ratchet strap" method, and my fenders are 4 cm higher in the rear than in the front!

As for coming to the states, you pay for the plane and I'm there!! :flipoff2: :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

Christof

Damn, now I wished that I worked for a passenger airline and had pass privileges!!:D

Christof, Thanks for the pictures and the advice/tips. I already have the sheet metal parts. I figured it was easier to just get the qtrs and wheel well parts from Rocky Mtn Cruisers than get into all that amount of fabrication. It doesn't change the fact that I still have to cut out the qtrs and wheel wells. After using a 3 in cutting wheel to cut a baffle out of my il pan yesterday, I think my angle grinder will be the tool to cut my qtrs out.

Nice work on the welding up. Did you leave a lip on the wheel well sections at all?

Thanks again! I'll try to throw up some pictures when I get to that point. I'm to the point where I have to teach myslef to weld - the SOA or the tub work. Nothing else can really be done until these are done now!!

Wish me luck and thanks again!

Nope didn't leave a metal lip in the wheel well section, i am going t obe using a rubber strip that pushes on the metal, looks clean enough, cleaner than homemade lips! (see the pic)

IMO, angle grinders with stainless steel blades RULE, you get clean fast cuts. Only downside is the noise, be sure to have good ear protection or your ears will ring after a day of grinding and your head will hurt.

As for the welding, get some lessons from a certified welder, follow a course, I've tried welding a lot when i was 16 yo, and couldn't figure it out, then i followed a course and everything started to make sense. The danger of wire feed welders is that the weld may look good but in fact is bad, with a stick welder when your weld looks good it is good. But a person who can weld sheet metal with a stick without warping the metal and produce good looking welds, that's no longer a welder but that's an artist!

Christof

Originally posted by adamto
Hey that picture of the ugly red tub with new metal going in is MY TRUCK! Haven't seen that picture for a while. Man, I'm glad that part of the project is over!:rolleyes:

That was my guideline through my entire tub resto project, that's the first time i saw a pic of the ratchet strap method to bend the quarter panels, did you get perfect bends in the quarterpanels? How thick sheet metal did you use?
Also, how were you able to first fab the entire rear bed and fenders and make it fit inbetween the quarterpanels, I've tought about doing it this way but it didn't seem possible. I did it the other way around, first bend and weld the quarter panels and then the bed and fenders.
And was i rigth about the rear bed an fenders being bent out of a single piece of sheet metal, or did you weld, and grind all the welds smooth? Can't see it clearly in the pics.

Christof

Originally posted by Diesel_Cruiser
IMO, angle grinders with stainless steel blades RULE, you get clean fast cuts. Only downside is the noise, be sure to have good ear protection or your ears will ring after a day of grinding and your head will hurt.

Yea,

About time for me to upgrade my angle grinder. My cheapy is about toast. It picked up a wobble today while wire wheeling my knuckles, wheel hubs and SO axle housing. I'll do better than a Skilcraft this time!!

Here's my progress so far. Woody is gonna let me call and get some SO pointers this weekend. I think I'll finish the SO and engine rebuild prior to the bodywork. I also have 2 SM420s that are coming next week, plus a trip to the pick and pull for seats and PS stuff, and a visit to Rockstomper to order my rims and beadlocks.

Sheesh, I may never get to the bodywork!!:rolleyes:

Thanks Christof,