It takes an hour to weld, and just short of 8 to make those welds disappear.
Glad to pretty much be done with this piece.
David
Glad to pretty much be done with this piece.
David
CK5
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The Willomet Charger
- Thread starter AgDieseler
- Start date
A desecration to Mopar nuts everywhere, this is my protouring, LS-powered, 1970 Dodge Charger; built at my shop, Willomet Motor & Fabrication.
How do you grind and file and flap wheel all that down without going through the metal or weakening the weld? Outside of lots of time and patience.
The first pictures looks like the right side if a down relief and the left is up. Optical illusion.
It’s a laborious rotation of tools and techniques, but nothing is terribly technical.
Assuming it’s a butt weld like most of what I’ve shown lately, I start by bumping the panel back to flat-ish. That’s usually low crown body hammer and a 2x4. Then, the side that will be visible gets the weld ground to just a hair above flat. The other side gets ground down a bit less so. My roloc won’t touch the work until much later; only grind the weld. Keep bumping the panel to smooth (high crown and small chisel hammer and even a ball peen work great) while removing small amounts of weld with a roloc until the sides are fairly even. Belt files are handy in tight spots where a roloc won’t fit.
At some point, I’ll switch to a Scotch brite to take the last bit of weld and gently make the weld match the work to 99% even. Then, it’s usually a fair bit of on-dolly with the high crown for a final planish, and then a ton of 40 grit on the DA for the final final blend. Files are useful for exposing low spots in long flat seams.
When I know there’s a lot of blending to be done, I’ll sometimes make the new flange out of one step thicker material. In this case, that was 18ga. That gives me some margin on at least one side of the weld seam, which has come in handy more than once.
Good TIG welds will shrink a panel less than the best MIG, so that’s almost always my preferred method. On non-structural stuff like this, silicon bronze is a good choice to keep distortion down even further. Just tack it with 70s every inch or so.
In all, I messed up a lot of panels to figure all that out, and I’m no expert.
David
Amazing work as always
Nothing terribly technical. Just a whole lot of hand work and tool work and certain welding styles and different thickness metals but nothing technical.
Major props on the work. It’s awesome for sure.
I reread my post, and what I intended to write was something encouraging like, “it’s a bunch of different little steps, but none are too difficult,” but on that second reading, I see what you might have, and it didn’t hit the mark.
In an attempt to be open, I was too quick to discard the “technical” label for a long and multi step process that when taken as a whole is demonstrably loaded with technique.
I’ll make a second, more general go of it and say that the steps taken to blend feel (to me) like the most artistic part of the fabrication process. Measuring for smooth involves feeling a weld seam by hand. For the most part, the rulers stay in the drawer. Make it even with hammers, grind only the weld, and repeat until the panel feels right to your hand. Then, file and DA until it looks right, too.
It is technical, but it is within our reach.
David
Working out some frame joint reinforcements.
This is where the front stubs tie into the torque boxes. The upper chassis will go a long way to making this whole area very rigid, but this joint needs more than just a single weld over a wall section that’s thinned a bit from being bent.
David
This is where the front stubs tie into the torque boxes. The upper chassis will go a long way to making this whole area very rigid, but this joint needs more than just a single weld over a wall section that’s thinned a bit from being bent.
David
Filet fishplate 3d
45s are stronger
I was searching videos on building a chassis table, and your channel was suggested @AgDieseler . Lol.
The vid when you were building the chassis.
Great work as always, and I'll be pulling pointers as I get into my A body chassis.
The vid when you were building the chassis.
Great work as always, and I'll be pulling pointers as I get into my A body chassis.
It's the patience and attention to detail that is so mind blowing! Not many can do what you do.
Is everyone going to see or appreciate it… no! But your documentary of the build is outstanding and the guys that are paying attention are the ones that can say “ Wow” that’s unreal!
I could list about 5 guys on here that are so good it makes me feel like a fool … but I’m ok with it.
I think watching all the epic builds makes us all better and more, less hack!
If you know what I mean.
Is everyone going to see or appreciate it… no! But your documentary of the build is outstanding and the guys that are paying attention are the ones that can say “ Wow” that’s unreal!
I could list about 5 guys on here that are so good it makes me feel like a fool … but I’m ok with it.
I think watching all the epic builds makes us all better and more, less hack!
If you know what I mean.
So many great examples out there for your car, too. Half of my work is directly inspired from a few roadster shop builds, while the other half of mostly made up of trophy trucks from Triton and Geiser. Whatever I’ve gleaned, I’m happy to share with you.
What’s the build plan?
We might have similar lists. I didn’t start reaching for more and deeper skills until coming back to CK5 in 2014, and pouring over @Greg72’s and @ryoken’s builds, and saying to myself, “I want to do that.” I think a lot of us come from that place of aspiration. We don’t have these skills, so we must build them, and sometimes (if we’re lucky) we get to build the workspaces, too.
You’re right. The shared experience is valuable. Recently, seeing @mrk5 and @skunked get there respective phat blocks up and running along with @Bent77's continued and unyielding devotion to the SBC inspired me for some of the next phases of this build. Mostly, all their junk runs and drives (well), and I'd like mine to do that, too.
Meanwhile, I drew up the outer sections of the firewall, and these are in production at SendCutSend.
Given that the engine is set back 12.5", the whole assembly will be at least three sections - two sides and the dog house. To make the exhaust, I need to know where the steering shaft will go, which means the column needs to be fit, and that requires a firewall. Why so wrapped up on headers and exhaust? Because their placement will require some amount of frame carving, and I can't make the center spine (basically a structural center console) until that's sorted out. I can't make the upper chassis (cage) until the spine is built, and the front and rear suspensions tie into the cage work.
Thinking about the Gantt chart hurts my head.
David
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Could dimple die that reinforcement plate if you're concerned about weight on this thing.
There's just barely room enough for a 1/2" dimple on either side. It's .083" 4130, so it doesn't "need" the dimple, but it would be a good spot if I can make it work.
David
The same inspiration you saw is what my truck is built off of, the front 4 link is because of @ktmoutfront and the rear suspension is because of you. When the body work and paint are done it will be because of @ryoken . The interior is going to be me, lots of electronics and gadgets. I just need to figure it all out and do it!
Love seeing this come together David, I really hope to see it one day.
For my 71 cutlass in the "Ole Red" thread, I plan to take the body off this winter.
Then have the frame sand blasted, square it up and mount it to a chassis table/rack/jig whatever people call them lol.
Then box, stiffen, clean up, brace and epoxy coat the whole works. For as solid of a foundation as I can reasonably get. Without going quite full custom chassis.
I want a chassis that will be just fine if I decide to make it a canyon carver some day. Give me that solid sports car ride and feel right now. But to the outside on looker I want the car to still sit and look like it's built and owned by a 17 yr old kid in like 1976.
For now it'll still have a slight rake, and 15" wheels, etc. But that may change some day, so I want a frame ready for it.
There's all sorts of great inspiration around here!
I
I forgot to add when I originally quoted this that the dog house sounds like an awesome candidate for a 8 into 1 header.
