77K5. The IronMaiden...9/2 headed for Blazer Bash 20!

[76zimmer]

Me either AJ, can't have anything to do with Nitro burners though I'm sure.


Hooked up the shifters today...triple sticks and the trans, ran a fuel filler line through the bed to the gas tank, and also got the fire extinquisher mounted up today.
Got some more steel for rear seat mounting that should work out pretty slick using the factory mounting holes in the floor. Hope to get that done tomorrow.

 

[AJMBLAZER]

GF made a comment one day about it and my previous comments about my hearing to her.

I started listing all my "so wonderful for my hearing" past and present habits. Not a complete list but including:
-rock and roll
-punk rock
-loud exhausts
-muscle cars
-trucks with no interior sound deadening
-guns
-guns
-guns
-blowing things up
-airplanes (airshows)
-airplanes (standing next to F-18's at full burn in the Marines)
-airplanes (working with them after the Marines)
-big diesel trucks
-Uhm...I'm sure there's more...

She hasn't really mentioned it since.

 

[76zimmer]

thats impressive AJ....my latest noise maker is the Vette...open headers just outside of the door....of course the windows have to be down too!
Oh and the IronMaiden has headers and flowmasters, and wrapped exhaust pipes back to the rear wheelwells, we'll see how that does inside....

But 40 years of hot rods, drag racing, a little shotgun blasting now and then, wind in my ears from m/c riding, and 35 years of working in production plants have added to it as well. Its not to bad though, I can hear most stuff except high frequencies...forget about it.

 

[Deuling]

Hey dave that top looks pretty cool. Not exactly what I was expecting but I like it. Did you use the one I gave you or the one you had??

I still say you shoulda cut it like this with the red area gone, just to keep the flow on the front, but to every man his own. Still looks pretty kick a$$

 

[76zimmer]

I used my old top Adam, its pretty weathered and not much to loose if something drastic happens to it. I'll keep yours in one piece for winter duty!
I've cut enough off it now to make it manageable for me to handle by myself!

 

[max 02]

Very impressed with your work... everything is clean tidy and well placed.

I can tell by your pics of your yard and other toys that you are very fussy about your things.

I like that!

 

[Deuling]

Very impressed with your work... everything is clean tidy and well placed.

I can tell by your pics of your yard and other toys that you are very fussy about your things.

I like that!

Yah I remember this one time that dave was vacuuming his driveway with a shop vac before he would get the vette out.... Ahh good times

 

[shady]

everyone at the build n greet respected it too. all tools went back where they were found when done (mostly). Pretty impressive to see when that many guys from all over the place come together Daves setup is as sweet as they come

 

[76zimmer]

Very impressed with your work... everything is clean tidy and well placed.

I can tell by your pics of your yard and other toys that you are very fussy about your things.

I like that!

Thanks and that's true to a point Max, right now my benchtop is covered with a bunch of crap, the floor has boxes all over the place, and things are scattered....progress I guess....at least that's my excuse for the mess

Yah I remember this one time that dave was vacuuming his driveway with a shop vac before he would get the vette out.... Ahh good times

your right Adam, but can you imagine all that metal dust all over the Vette, just gives me chills thinking about it....

everyone at the build n greet respected it too. all tools went back where they were found when done (mostly). Pretty impressive to see when that many guys from all over the place come together Daves setup is as sweet as they come

you know Rick, that was such an awesome time when you guys were all here. what a great day(s).
I was really lucky to have all you guys show up to help....still can't show my appreciation enough for that few days in April.




So my electrical buddy came down last night after work, and we worked until 4:30am to get it fired again...so the I/M has life again...still alot of electrical stuff to do, but it was SO GOOD to hear it make noise again!!!!
A few more things and I can put the driveshafts in it, and see what the drivetrain has to offer.

 

[folkenheath]

Awesome! It seems to me like you are getting more done when you put less pictures on the this interweb deal thing. I hate to say it, but it's true. I always get so involved in what I am donig I usually take only a couple pictures during something, and then snap some of the finished project. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, time spent posting stuff is time not spent building stuff.

With that said...

 

[Smokinthehippies]

I cut it with a reciprocating saw, not the best choice. Hard to keep a consistent angle and depth even with a line to follow. Actually I was thinking a circular saw would have worked better to keep a consistent angle along the line....BUT even that would be somewhat of a challenge because of the curve of the top. After cutting, I tuned it up with a 4.5" angle grinder....yeah I guess you might know what kind of itching that will lead to.
I used a painters headcovering, and long sleeves while doing the grinding....it helps a lot, oh and for sure at minimum a good dust/mist respirator.

wanted to ask for anymore details on this? i've been planning literally the same thing with a few different cuts, but was super worried bout the itching and breather. other then sleeves and a mask, anything else to think about?

 

[AJMBLAZER]

On the subject, how are you securing the top to the roll bar?

 

[76zimmer]

Awesome! It seems to me like you are getting more done when you put less pictures on the this interweb deal thing. I hate to say it, but it's true. I always get so involved in what I am donig I usually take only a couple pictures during something, and then snap some of the finished project. When it gets down to the nitty gritty, time spent posting stuff is time not spent building stuff.

With that said...

This is somewhat true Heath, but really the stuff I"ve been doing isn't too much to look at....Wiring in looms with zipties....cool I know, but
I've taken a few pics but haven't uploaded them yet either....seems I get up in the AM (after about 6 hrs of sleep) and get out to the shop within an hour, work til about the last minute before I have to leave for work, or run for parts...you know, you need a small screw, or a fitting for a tipover valve or a particular electrical connector, or a fuel filler hose in 1.25 id and no one has it, and you waste an hour or two tracking something down, ....I'm running into some of that right now.

wanted to ask for anymore details on this? i've been planning literally the same thing with a few different cuts, but was super worried bout the itching and breather. other then sleeves and a mask, anything else to think about?

If your making dust while cutting, just wear a long sleeve shirt, and pants, some gloves help too, basically anything to keep the dust off your skin, and out of your hair, then take a very warm shower afterwards to wash off any dust...a well fitting dust/mist respirator will work good...the cutting dust should be treated with the same respect as sandblasting with silica sand. If when you take the mask off, and you see dust in around your nose or chin, it isn't sealing properly, you can check it with baby powder.
That said, I used a long pants/shirt/painters head covering (similar to a snow hat but way thinner) and a dust/mist respirator, and after showering had no itching going on.

On the subject, how are you securing the top to the roll bar?

I welded two tabs in the back of the cage to mount the rear of the top to. In the front I used the top 4 factory bolts to secure it. I crudely drilled a hole in the rear mounts, big enough for a 3/8 bolt...and just run a bolt with a fender washer through the top and into the mounting tabs on the cage. I used some shock mounting bushings for spacing between the cage and the top.
I plan on fiberglassing in a captured nut/cage into the underside of the top in the future when I get around to refinishing the safari top.

 

[folkenheath]

Yeah I am surprised you post as many pics as you do Zim, too time consuming for me, I wait until the end and post them all at once.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

This is somewhat true Heath, but really the stuff I"ve been doing isn't too much to look at....Wiring in looms with zipties....cool I know, but
I've taken a few pics but haven't uploaded them yet either....seems I get up in the AM (after about 6 hrs of sleep) and get out to the shop within an hour, work til about the last minute before I have to leave for work, or run for parts...you know, you need a small screw, or a fitting for a tipover valve or a particular electrical connector, or a fuel filler hose in 1.25 id and no one has it, and you waste an hour or two tracking something down, ....I'm running into some of that right now.

If your making dust while cutting, just wear a long sleeve shirt, and pants, some gloves help too, basically anything to keep the dust off your skin, and out of your hair, then take a very warm shower afterwards to wash off any dust...a well fitting dust/mist respirator will work good...the cutting dust should be treated with the same respect as sandblasting with silica sand. If when you take the mask off, and you see dust in around your nose or chin, it isn't sealing properly, you can check it with baby powder.
That said, I used a long pants/shirt/painters head covering (similar to a snow hat but way thinner) and a dust/mist respirator, and after showering had no itching going on.



I welded two tabs in the back of the cage to mount the rear of the top to. In the front I used the top 4 factory bolts to secure it. I crudely drilled a hole in the rear mounts, big enough for a 3/8 bolt...and just run a bolt with a fender washer through the top and into the mounting tabs on the cage. I used some shock mounting bushings for spacing between the cage and the top.
I plan on fiberglassing in a captured nut/cage into the underside of the top in the future when I get around to refinishing the safari top.

thanks!!! just went from chucking mine to probable keeping it!

also, how does it retain rigidity after the slice and dice?

 

[76zimmer]

Yeah I am surprised you post as many pics as you do Zim, too time consuming for me, I wait until the end and post them all at once.

Slacker

thanks!!! just went from chucking mine to probable keeping it!

also, how does it retain rigidity after the slice and dice?

It wants to bow a little in the middle now if picked up on the sides, but not too much to affect anything. Its light enough to handle by myself now too. After the rear bulkhead was cut out, that made a big difference. There is a steel reinforcment plate that runs through the rear from side to side, and multiple sections of fiberglass glued together back there.

 

[Smokinthehippies]

hmm i might not gain enough in weight loss to really justify it than.

i was planning on leaving the back legs for the rearmost bolt holes, and then shaving the top up to where you did.

whatever, i'll figure it out.

 

[76zimmer]

yeah there is a lot of weight in that rear bulkhead, I would say it dropped 50# between the first cutting and the second:

 

[AJMBLAZER]

I welded two tabs in the back of the cage to mount the rear of the top to. In the front I used the top 4 factory bolts to secure it. I crudely drilled a hole in the rear mounts, big enough for a 3/8 bolt...and just run a bolt with a fender washer through the top and into the mounting tabs on the cage. I used some shock mounting bushings for spacing between the cage and the top.
I plan on fiberglassing in a captured nut/cage into the underside of the top in the future when I get around to refinishing the safari top.

Hrmmmmm...like that idea. Might talk to my buddy about welding some tabs onto this bar I'm getting. Think I even have some bushings laying around...not hard to get if not.

 

[76zimmer]

I'll try to snap a pic of it if I think about it AJ...pretty simple though, I actually used one of Kerts brackets I bought for seat mounting and didn't use. It was already radiused to fit the roll bar!


Took the tank out today to get a Rollover/vent valve in it

The Walbro pickups in the tank:

I had to make a mount for the radiator recovery tank:

Got the windshield in today:

And I had a helper today also....she was just playing around in the shop while I was working on stuff, and she asked me if she could work on the Blazer, so I give her a couple bolts on the seats to tighten down:

she also added a special touch to our mini blueberry muffins for a snack: