New Pro Stock tribute project

Show off your work! Anything from final results to full start-to-finish project journals.



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 7:32 pm
That ought to Pop!
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:40 pm
Yeah. I’m excited. This blue will be the 1” accent around the car.
Paint shop hooked me up >>> $25 for a quart. Not great stuff but mixed 2:1 to cover I’ll use less than half of it if that.

Sprayed the underside of the roof with the cheap gray I bought the other day and the matte clear. The reason I got the matte clear is the gray is going on the rear deck tray and floor and I want to lock it in without having a gloss. Never sprayed the matte and it seems to be sensitive on texture as to how it looks being even. The inside of the A pillars and sail panels will be gray too. Now I know.

Tomorrow get the upper bars done in white and cleared. Thursday kill the shell with the last coat of 2K. Friday, start the work to attach the roof. Saturday>>> end it :happy: .

Also noticed way more junk in the clear spraying the hood and doors and thought them being fiberglass may be the issue due to static. I noticed the hair standing up on my arms near the work. Gonna try the Endust or water trick like JCCLARK notes in numerous sites.

JT



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PostPosted: Thu Jan 14, 2021 8:20 am
I finished scuffing the hood for the stripe
Did a great job scuffing right through the red on the trailing edge of the cowl hood.
So a little touch up there is required as I do the blue stripe too. No biggie.

Then I switched gears and painted the top of the cage with the white and clear.
I used a combination of the Preval sprayers and the HVLP for the white and just the Preval for the clear which it handled well. I thinned it slightly and maybe got some runs due to it but overall I think it would have sprayed without thinning it. I had always planned to thin it first but then at the last minute thought to try un-thinned first but just grabbed the can and did it without thinking.

Pictures from last night

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Now I can get to installing the roof

JT



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:09 am
The parts of the cage that would be hard to paint are done so amongst other things last night, I started to test fit the replacement roof on the Camaro

Three out of the four points of connection are dead on by just chucking the roof on and clamping it in the back. The DS A-pillar is off a bit and it's hard to tell why but it just is. The measurements to the points on the roof we took prior to removing the old roof still hold, just that the A-pillar does not hit the "marks" where the cuts are by about an 1/8". I'm not too surprised or too concerned as the cars are two years apart in manufacture and who knows if one car had that tight a tolerance between cars made on the same day. I found one picture of a Fisher body plant where at least it looked like a robotic welder was being used on a 73 Firebird

Anyway; I believe I did a pretty good job marking and making the cuts. I've messed around with it enough, and it is what it is or like the Japanese say Shikata ga nai " it can't be helped" I kind of wonder if welding in the brace caused some kind of stress that relaxed when the roof was cut. the brace is up touching the cage on that side. I thought I did a good job to leave a gap so I could paint the cage.

I will just tweak the one A-pillar one way a hair and the other the opposite and it will be alright. It's getting a flush mounted Lexan windshield. I'll finish the patch repair once the roof is secured

Pictures

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JT



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:55 am
The Chevy is coming along nicely.
Lets leave Jims Thread alone talking about metal work, We can Talk about it over here.

I understood what you meant.

Welders

I Started with Gas then learned Stick then Mig and then Tig.
I enjoy all, I never did any Flux core. But its not a good medium for auto sheet metal neither is Stick.
Some Flux core welders can be converted to using Gas what welder do you have at home??? Their may be a kit available to convert it to Gas.

I will not say a Mig is good on all parts of a car as Tig and Gas have there place.
for a good inexpensive Tig look at Everlast welders yes its a cheap import BUT they have a Parts and Repair available here in the USA and a Nice warranty and there machines have a decent Duty cycles.
One of the Tig machines I have is a Everlast the other is a Miller.
https://www.everlastgenerators.com/prod ... rtig-250ex
This is the one I have its big enough to do Aluminum that I would need to do with a Nice AC Balance system and has Pulse function. When it first came out it was in direct competition with the Miller Dynasty 250.

I was a Dyed in the Wool diehard Miller man having Two other Miller welders and I wanted a Miller Dynasty bad but I could not swallow the $4000+ price tag for the Dynasty.
It was after watching Jody on WeldingtipsandTricks.com on his YouTube channel comparing the two machines that turned me on to the Green machine.
I bought one right after watching his video! In the end I am Happy with being Green!
It works! It works well, It has a great warranty and a Great Duty cycle! It has all the Bells and whistles the Dynasty has and I know I can get Parts and service here in the USA if needed.
I have been using it for several years now without a Hicup!
It comes with the Typical e'lcheapo accessories like a less than adequate Ground and a cheap Torch and regulator and foot pedal BUT after upgrading those to better stuff the Machine itself is a Monster! Tey also have a Nice Water cooler for it that I did purchase for mine and I am Glad I did its Nice!
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Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:01 pm
Thanks did not mean to thread jack his post

I have a crappy little Lincoln (125?) I have had for years and only gone through a little more than one spool. My wife gave it to me for a Birthday or Christmas gift. Most of my welding is done at my cousins. I went in half to purchase a decent 220v welder a while back when I did my roll bar in the AMC. He has the gas delivered to his shop all the time. I did most of the body repair welding on the AMC in my garage with the flux core unit only because it was in my garage the whole time. I made a stretched chopper bicycle too. I’ll have to dig up a picture of that.

There I a monstrous old TIG welder in the corner of the shop he got for nearly nothing and that is what it really is worth. It never worked well and sits most of the time. His mechanic used it to weld up a tank for the methanol on the Camaro and it needed a ton of work before it worked well enough to do that. I’ll get a picture later. My cousin has recently talking about getting a little TIG unit.

We just did a “tune up” on the MIG at the shop ad the wire feed was not working good and I was struggling with it while making that patch. I gave up on it and my cousin did some PM ion the welder. I used it last night to modify a stand for his new parts washer and it worked great.

I wish I had the “need” to weld more as it takes me a bit to get back into it again and then I’m done.

Just wow in response to the picture.

JT



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:22 pm
It looks like you did a Good job getting the Roof on strait not an easy thing to do and it took Balls to attempt it!

Again I don't know what Mig you are using or what your settings are or what wire your using or what thickness.

For Skins I like to use my Tig or Gas generally so I can Plannish out the Bead while its still hot. A Gas Bead and Tig bead are soft and can be worked, A Mig bead is Rock hard and hard to Plannish and can Crack if over worked.
I prefer Hammer welding when It can be done watch this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rv5bKXJ3kEM&t=17s

With a Mig welding Sheet metal is not easy! What works for me may not work for you!
I like .030 wire not the .023 stuff, I think the .023 is too Hot myself even though your using a lower setting and its a thinner wire. Why I have no idea I just didn't like it myself.
There is some Mig welding wire made by ESAB called Easygrind its a lill softer I think, Its probably just my imagination! in my mind But I like the stuff. I am out of it right now, It can be hard to find, ESASB on line is best to find it if you wanna try it.
I have learned to use My Tig for most all my needs and mainly use my Mig for heavy stuff or stuff I am just gonna leave as is or grind away.
If I am forced to use the Mig on Skin I use a Little higher heat and wire speed than directed in most charts and use a repeated ZAP zap zap method, allowing the metal to air cool after a half inch to one inch depends on what I am welding and I NEVER use a blow gun to cool it. The heat of the welding and shrinking of the bead itself causes warping not the residual heat some may disagree but opinions are like Butt holes every one has one! Some STINK!

There is A lot of False information and Myths repeated by mouth and on line about a lot of different topics by people that think its the way to do something as it makes sense to them and others when in fact they are false truths.

Like you need a Gap for all welds when in fact that is not true. When welding Thin metals such as sheet metal I think its best to use a ZERO gap! But in reality the use of a Gap really depends on what your welding material angle and fitting joints.

But yet you can find cute little panel clamps on the market that force a Huge gap between pieces. This video shows these
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No4RKNa_jqM&t=877s
I tried these clamps and I pitched them out of my shop! long before this video was ever made! They Suck! for me I don't like them and I don't use them! But that's Me!
My point being Do your own research don't be afraid to try other things or new things don't always believe what your buddy, brother, or Brother in law says or what I say! What works for me may not work for you! No two people weld exactly the same nor do they use the exact same equipment or materials! You have to make it your own! What works for you while you may follow some basic guidelines but make it your own make it work for you. When you do that then the world of welding opens up.

Another big falsehood is how a Bead looks! way to many think it needs to be a pretty
stack of dimes when in fact its what the back side looks like that's important!
Do you have complete fusion and complete penetration! Did the metal need to be Back purged? Was Back purging used when it should have been? Even Mild steel can benefit from back purging! its not only for Stainless, Aluminum Titanium and other exotic materials. Is it always required heck no but I have have done many welds that I wish I had!

Using Heat sinks and Heat dams
Another It has its Place when to use and what to use its one you have to figure out for your self. I myself have tried it on Skins I DON'T LIKE IT! It sucks the heat away!
Another myth I had to bust for myself! others May argue its the cats meow and it works for them! Great! It doesn't work for me or all of us! and by the way they don't show there beads OR the Back side of the bead! until after they grind it.

The Most important when learning: pieces to be welded keep Clean front and back no rust no paint no grease or oil wipe with Acetone before welding, Keep your Stick out short! watch your torch angle stay within recommendations.
Welding is a Skill and a Art with a Lot of Science involved any Skill requires a great deal of practice the Art follows creating your own way! the science is Metallurgy. Study the metals and welding rods gasses temps not all are the same!
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:47 pm
here is a simple to install gas kit for your Flux core welder there are other ones on the Market as well.
https://www.weldingandcutting.com/MIG-C ... 2526-1.htm
This one kind of spendy at $175 but search around for cheaper but I am sure you can modify your welder to run gas now.

As far as the Large Tig sitting in shop
What Brand and Model is it?
I think if you can Gas weld you can Tig weld with some study and Practice.

My first Tig welder machine which I still have is a huge Old Miller shop master 300 or 350 (I cant remember) with a Hi Freq box on it. It had a Mig attachment that I sold wish I hadn't now! But oh well.
Its like using a Bazooka on thin metals as the starting amps are a Little hi at 10 amps but there is a work around. Stomp on peddle let off then ease into it.
It took me forever to learn with this machine as it had an Argon line leaked to the Torch when I bought it! It took me forever to figure out the problem with it but once I did WOW! I can Tig weld! even Beer cans and Razors !
One thing I found on my Miller is adjusting and cleaning the SPARK GAP in the machine this needs to be done on my machine every so often Dusty environments require it be done more often. I keep my machines covered at all times when not being used because of this.

I bought my little Inverter machine because of the super low starting Amps My old machine can and does do the work though! I did not buy it because I needed it I bought it because I wanted it! I wanted the softer Starting amps and the Pulse function that as it turns out I hardly use!
The Inverter machine is a whole different animal! I use it way more mainly for its very soft Light starting amperage its 5 amps or less I think on paper, Its almost surgical welding with it beer cans and razors no problem!
No my welds are not pretty but I am getting better its the Back side that matters any way Not just the bead itself.

If you have access to that old welder I would be using it!
Tig Welding is a skill that will serve you well, and Don't look down at that ugly old beast in the corner of the shop Its more capable than you are!
You don't need a super expensive small inverter machine to learn with.
You don't need AC or Pulse either what you do need is gobs of Patients and time on the machine!
Last edited by Doright on Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Dennis B.
A&P Mechanic, FCC General radio Telephone Operator
Line Maintenance A&P Mechanic and MOC Tech specialist.



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:57 pm
I’m thinking I be getting to welding tonight. I’ll take pics.
It won’t be pretty perhaps but will be done.
Like I said, I don’t do enough of it to stay proficient. By the time I get done with a project I do well. Other than tacking that patch O had not welded for 5 months.

Thanks for the info and discussion

One trick or technique I do is if I do have a large gap or blow through on sheetmetal is to cut long slivers with my open throat shear and leave a nice size piece to have a good grip on it. I’ll lay it in there and bury it in the weld. I would love to have a TIG to try out but can’t justify the cost.

Pics to come later

JT



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PostPosted: Fri Jan 15, 2021 2:01 pm
I keep telling my cousin that about gas welding vs TIG. He can gas weld like no tomorrow and would do well with a TIG. He is talking more about getting one lately..

I have only gas welded one helping my daughter make the framework, backbone for a metal dinosaur for science class. I got to dig a picture of that out too along with the chopper bike
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