project insanity

[agnoraan]

The front valance was taken off the car & offered the oil cooler grille to it so that I could cut out the apperture. After a little bit of trimming here & there I ended up with quite a snug fit.








I tacked it loosely into position to make sure it sat in the apprture square & that it was the right angle to the valance

[agnoraan]

I left I small amount of metal protruding on the inside to give me a little bit of leeway to put it exactly where I wanted it to go. A few tack welds were then added to hold it in place





The valance was then offered up to the car to make sure it looked right. Once happy with it, the bottom of the grille that I'd made previously & the new valance were tack welded together. Unfortunately, in my haste to get it together I forgot to photograph this stage Doh!!. Once it was tacked together the whole piece was removed from the car & given a coat of etch primer just to keep the elements at bay until I can get to lay up the 'glass on the inside

cheers..Nige

[agnoraan]

The completed valance was then fitted back onto the car with body clamps.





In this photo you'll see that I tacked a piece of 1/4" bar to the bottom edge of the valance which will add rigidity to the lower part of the valance, whilst also giving it a gentle curve as per the original cars. The bar was welded to the outside of the valance as I'm 'glassing the inside





Here's a front on view.



I'm pleased with the way this has come out & think it'll look nice when it's all made in aluminium. I've only tacked the lower grille to the oil cooler vent in a few places as it's only on there for me to check that it looks ok. I'll be removing it when it comes to the fibreglass stage. As to the valance, again, it's all only tacked together, but because it's being used as a mould, it doesn't have to be structurally strong. The point at where the lower valance & the grille are joined have been welded at pretty much a sharp angle to each other. On the car they have a radiused edges, but for ease at this time it's not important. The fibreglass will be finished with a sharp edge at this point, but it's far easier to sand it down into a radius than trying to get the steelwork formed into a radius. I could of course just add a small bead of filler inside the panel where they join together which would form a radius on the finished piece. I have to stop myself doing things differently sometimes & keep reminding myself that this is just a buck & it doesn't have to be perfect at this stage. I'll probably alter the angle of the oil cooler vent to the valance when it comes to the final stages as it's out just a fraction in the photos, but that's the major benefit of doing things this way, as it's far easier to rectify a problem in steel or fibreglass than in a sheet of aluminium that's had a lot of work put into it lol.

The next part will be cutting out the raised sidelight plinth & grinding back the inner flanges on the vents on each side of the grille. I can then get to the point of fibreglassing the whole lot together Woo Hoo!!

If anyone has any queries, please feel free to ask

cheers...Nige

[catsx11]

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[agnoraan]

It never ceases to amaze me how crude this creative work actually is - just like Medical Surgery
For such a refined result, it shocks me to see hammers, saws and chisels being used! And relying on how it looks to the eye.
In my work I learn't that no matter how much measuring you do, if it doesn't look right - then it probably isn't!
Well done Nige - it's looking good!

Thanks Alan, I'm glad you're enjoying the journey. As you say it has to be pleasing to the eye to work. That's why I spent a couple of hours doing this so that I can see it in 3Dimensions and to make sure it "works" for me. Metalwork is very crude & there's no real magic to it, just a bit of time, forethought, patience & a little bit of skill here & there. If it doesn't work first time it's no big deal, as it's only steel & that can be cut, bent, formed, welded or whatever to get it to look right. if it's not right you just do it again, it's certainly not rocket science

cheers...Nige

[Roger King]

Yes, I love doing metalwork - with the right kit and experience you feel you can make almost anything. But I've not done much ali - Nige, do you gas weld your ali joints? I've thought about a TiG but get the strong impression that whilst they're good for manufacture on a bench they're not so well suited to car bodywork - need 3 hands etc. So I'm guessing a gas torch, with no filler?

[agnoraan]

Yes, I love doing metalwork - with the right kit and experience you feel you can make almost anything. But I've not done much ali - Nige, do you gas weld your ali joints? I've thought about a TiG but get the strong impression that whilst they're good for manufacture on a bench they're not so well suited to car bodywork - need 3 hands etc. So I'm guessing a gas torch, with no filler?

Hi Roger, I love gas welding as I find it so therapeutic & of course oxy acetylene is just so versatile compared to MIG or TIG welding. The parts I've fabricated above have been MIG welded, as I can just hold them butted together & give them a quick tack, just got to watch I don't burn my fingers doing it though . The aluminium shell will be gas welded together with a filler rod used, though there will be some parts that won't use a filler rod. Generally, if a filler rod isn't used, you get an undercut weld ie one that's below the surface of the parent metals and for something like a body or panel, you want to be able to file the welds smooth afterwards to form a smooth surface. If you have an undercut weld you can't really file it smooth unless of course you use a thicker guage aluminium which will allow you to file down below the surface of the metal to take out the undercut.

TIG welders are really good for making intricate parts or welding thin sheet like car body panels, just as you can with gas welding, but the main advantage is that you get very little warpage due to heat. Put a weld into the middle of a flat panel with oxy acetylene & it'll distort to buggery & back. Do it with TIG & you'll get very little distortion. If you're looking to buy a TIG go for an AC/DC set as you'll be able to weld aluminium & stainless too. Also don't go for a "scratch start", get yourself one with a pedal & then you can control the intensity of the weld.

Here's a good photo of a TIG welded roll cage ( I didn't weld this) & it shows just how neat TIG welding can be.




cheers...Nige

[Roger King]

Yes, beautiful. Does make you wonder how they did it in the fifties, doesn't it?

[agnoraan]

Yes, beautiful. Does make you wonder how they did it in the fifties, doesn't it?

They did it badly going by some of the stuff that I've seen over the years There are exceptions of course, but a lot of the run of the mill type work carried out "back in the day" was very agricultural compared with modern day standards.

cheers..Nige

[Dave Woodward]

Nige, that is sweet.