Didn't know they were worth that much!Deep breaths... Deep breaths...
CK5
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'72 K5 - Greg's @MightAsWellK5 Build
- Thread starter Greg72
- Start date
This is the build description. I will improve this later. (GB)
Didn't know they were worth that much!Deep breaths... Deep breaths...
Greg sorry for getting the weight thing started!
I would be happy to offer my scales, but they have a maximum of 6k pounds. Don't think that will help you, even less wheels/tires?
That's very generous, but as I've said before.... I don't like borrowing other people's tools (and certainly wouldn't want to lend my own!!)
I'll pick up a nice set of race scales at some point. I think 6K will probably be enough to be useful for what I'm doing now. Fully-dressed the truck may go over that amount... but I can still learn a lot by weighing individual components/systems and then adding all the weights together later on.
-G
I'll make you a deal.. you ship me your new tig, and I'll ship you my scales
You can make pretty accurate scales by making 4 metal teeter pads and using 4 bathroom scales under them. I know someone that did this and he is always within 1% of NHRA cert scales.
2015.01.20 - UPDATE! - EMBRACE THE ICE-COLD SUCK....!!!!
Winter doldrums indeed.
I've been logging hours in the garage, but it hasn't been pretty. The weather here makes it hard to get shop up to any sort of reasonable temps even when I try to pre-heat the space for several hours with the wall mounted LP heater. The other day I got up to 57* as my maximum.... and the cement floor NEVER gets any warmer!
In any case, I'm at least proud of myself for powering through and making forward progress even though it's been unpleasant. The way I see it... anything I accomplish NOW is one less thing I'll have to do later on when the weather is nicer and I want the truck outside again.....
The pair of rear framerails were finish-welded but still needed a lot of platework to strengthen up all those vertical cuts where I'd manipulated the tubing for either a horizontal or vertical clearance of some kind. I did some cardboard templating (and counting) and then knocked out the 12 plates that were needed to get everything finished....
Rough cuts:
After some disc-sander and holesaw lovin'....
The smallest plates were easy. I just clamped and welded them to the framerail with no drama. The remainder of the plates required 2 bends each... so I decided to do the "inside bend" first. Since these plates are only 1/8" thick material I was able to just stick them in my vise and hit them with a deadblow hammer to get the first angle...
...then it seemed to work well to weld the sections leading up to the final bend so that the metal was nice and hot where I needed to bend it again. A few more hammerblows and the last section would lay down really nice and flat.
Eventually, both rails were completed (one side only)..... so when I get some more time the last of those fishplates will go onto the other side.
Of course, I still need to do a plate across the bottom and top of each rail (the 2" wide dimension) so that those seams are also plated and beefed up.... fortunately, the weather has gotten a bit warmer (mid-20s) so my chances of staying warm in the garage are substantially better than when it's only about 5 degrees outside!
-G
Winter doldrums indeed.
I've been logging hours in the garage, but it hasn't been pretty. The weather here makes it hard to get shop up to any sort of reasonable temps even when I try to pre-heat the space for several hours with the wall mounted LP heater. The other day I got up to 57* as my maximum.... and the cement floor NEVER gets any warmer!
In any case, I'm at least proud of myself for powering through and making forward progress even though it's been unpleasant. The way I see it... anything I accomplish NOW is one less thing I'll have to do later on when the weather is nicer and I want the truck outside again.....
The pair of rear framerails were finish-welded but still needed a lot of platework to strengthen up all those vertical cuts where I'd manipulated the tubing for either a horizontal or vertical clearance of some kind. I did some cardboard templating (and counting) and then knocked out the 12 plates that were needed to get everything finished....
Rough cuts:
After some disc-sander and holesaw lovin'....
The smallest plates were easy. I just clamped and welded them to the framerail with no drama. The remainder of the plates required 2 bends each... so I decided to do the "inside bend" first. Since these plates are only 1/8" thick material I was able to just stick them in my vise and hit them with a deadblow hammer to get the first angle...
...then it seemed to work well to weld the sections leading up to the final bend so that the metal was nice and hot where I needed to bend it again. A few more hammerblows and the last section would lay down really nice and flat.
Eventually, both rails were completed (one side only)..... so when I get some more time the last of those fishplates will go onto the other side.
Of course, I still need to do a plate across the bottom and top of each rail (the 2" wide dimension) so that those seams are also plated and beefed up.... fortunately, the weather has gotten a bit warmer (mid-20s) so my chances of staying warm in the garage are substantially better than when it's only about 5 degrees outside!
-G
Awesome!
Hey on a side note, I was looking for which hole cutters you were using. IIRC you had some fancy looking drills vs using hole saws
Hey on a side note, I was looking for which hole cutters you were using. IIRC you had some fancy looking drills vs using hole saws
Awesome!
Hey on a side note, I was looking for which hole cutters you were using. IIRC you had some fancy looking drills vs using hole saws
Jancy.
They are technically called "Annular cutters".... they have a nice center bit that acts as a pilot to keep the saw from walking around, and they make really sharp, nice cuts.
Here's an example:
http://www.amazon.com/Jancy-Slugger-Cutter-Uncoated-Diameter/dp/B003ES4QBE/ref=pd_rhf_se_p_img_1
-G
Very nice Greg, I can't tell on my phone but are you stitch welding those?
Nope. Continuous welds in maybe 4" sections.
It was harder than I remembered trying to lap-weld 1/8" plate. I played around with the welder and brought the voltage down to 17.0V to prevent melting off the edges.... And brought my wire speed down to around 190ipm. They aren't the most consistent and pretty welds I've ever done (some passes are nice, others are kind of "meh") but they are all nice and strong. By the time these are all painted and in place I doubt I'll have any complaints about the finished product.
If I was better at TIG it would have been a great place to show off some nice beads....
-G
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Fully welded joints + fish plates = more than strong. I don't think there is any need at all for plating on the top and bottom
Not to mention the rigidity the cage adds
Not to mention the rigidity the cage adds
Stomis
Professional Amateur
As a man of many fish plates I agree. You would literally have to tear the crossmembers apart from the two frame rails to show the weakness of not fishplating the top and bottom. So yeah, good luck with that
Glad you piped in Eric, I was shaking head thinking holy crap, Greg building a tank ?
Remember the only thing that the rear frame pieces are holding is the tank and the back cage. What you did will be fine, well more then fine.
Remember the only thing that the rear frame pieces are holding is the tank and the back cage. What you did will be fine, well more then fine.
57 degrees is plenty warm to be working in. I keep the thermostat in my house set at 55 . . . . .
Martin
Martin
57 is fine..... It's the 15 degree air rushing past my ankles all day that bothers me.... I'm sure the rafters were at 80 degrees though.
My gift to you sir.
Thanks.
-G
57 is fine..... It's the 15 degree air rushing past my ankles all day that bothers me.... I'm sure the rafters were at 80 degrees though.
Thanks.
-G
Got head room for a ceiling fan or two? Make a hell of a difference.
