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Truggy build Season 4 (Project Freak)

can someone pm an admin and have them fix my account? I had them change my screen name to bgreen, but when that happens you have to re-list the member to have pic posting ability again (ie. paid member).

Thanks guys
 
A bit of how to on making and mounting custom body panels.

 The first step I normally take is to lay a piece of posterboard over the area I intend to panel. I then roughly sketch the shape of the panel onto the poster board and cut out with scissors. I keep trimming until the lines of the poster match the lines of the tubing (or whatever its going to mount to) and will set at the right distance from the tubes. (if the panel is going to be formed, make sure you allow enough material to account for the forming.

hood 010a.jpg
 
After the template is cut out, I trace it to the material Im going to panel the area in with. If your using diamond plate, make sure you get the templates back side to the outside of the material. Otherwise you'll have cut out the inverse of what you wanted. If your material can go either way (ie. both sides of the material have the same finish) it doesnt matter the orientation of the template.

Once the template is traced onto the material, use whatever means necessary to cut the shape out. Now fit the panel over the opening and see how it fits. Some trimming will be necessary. After the panel is formed and trimmed to roughly fit how I want, I weld short peices of flat bar to set the panel on while I make the mouting hardware. Often times this means tacking the flat bar in place, mocking the panel in place, then knocking the tab off and re-tacking to improve the fit/location of the panel.

hood 013a.jpg
 
Now that the temp locating pads are in place I set the roughed in panel into place and decide where I want the real mounting tabs to be located. I mark them accordingly and pre-drill the holes.

Now that the hole locations are pretty much set in stone I can get to making the real mounting tabs.

hood 016a.jpg
 
With the panel resting on the temporary tabs and the holes already drilled I take a peice of flat bar (usually 1/8" or less) and draw a line down its center. Now I place the flat bar under the panel and line the line up with a hole in the panel. I mark the center of the hole with a sharpie then center punch it so I can accurately drill for the fastener.

hood 020a.jpg

hood 021a.jpg
 
For these panels I am using Marson Nut-certs, but you could just as easily weld nuts to the back side of the tabs.

Once the tabs are marked I center punch the locations and drill to size. Unibits work really well for this kind of thing, they hold location very well, and dont grab like regular twist drills.

After the nut is welded on, or the nutcert is installed, I cut the tab off the length of stock and grind the final profile. Then I install the tab and fasten it to the panel, finishing up by tacking the tab to the tube.

(the one on top is tacked, the one on bottom is already finish welded.)

hood 018a.jpg
 
Its a bit of a process, but I go through each of those steps for each tab. This ensures the best fitment of the tab/panel relationship.

The fasteners I used are S.S. 1/4-20 internally wrenching allen socket flat head screws. Not as fast as quarter turn fastners, but probably stronger, and definately cheaper.

Once the panel mounting is complete I finish fitting the panel to the tubework. In this case I'll tweak a few bends and clearance the panels so that I can get ratchet straps hooked in underneath them then finish the edges with a belt sander.
 
I dont wanna embarrass anyone, but I thought I should probably post something about my very high tech press brake. I know that only the very elite fabercators will be able to afford one of these, but you can always dream...

Its a 4 foot long peice of 3x2x.120 rec tube welded to my bench with about 3/8" gap so I can get the sheets in and out. I just line it up, put my knee in the middle of the panel, and lay into it. :D The 3/16" panels took a bit of heat to get them to bend. :D

tools 002a.jpg

tools 003a.jpg
 
This is the nutsert tool I used, basically works just like a regular pop rivet tool but you only crimp until it feels solid. No Pop.

All you do is drill the hole to size, thread a nutsert onto the mandrel, tighten the mandrel till the nutset bottoms out on the anvil, insert into hole, then squeeze till it feels tight. Then you unthread the mandrel and your good to go.

Pretty handy for blind holes, and quite a bit cleaner than welding nuts on sheet metal.

tools 004a.jpg
 
Most of us "common folk" don't even have tables that sturdy. ;)

Only problem with things like the nut-certs, is that they can spin in the hole if they gall or become rusted/damaged/fouled/dirty. As long as you can get to the back side, no big deal really, but if not. :eek: A friend was fighting with just this issue last night...
 
Ya, but you could do this over your flatbed if you wanted. For small panels like this, it really doesnt take much.

Here is a shot that shows the part number if anyone is interested.

tools 005a.jpg
 
Your definately right about the nutserts if one gets damaged. Its always a good idea to use antiseize on the fastener to nutsert fit, and loctite on the nutsert to tab fit!
 
Things have slowed down a bit on this winters build due to long hours at the plant (turnaround prep), but I have a 4 day weekend coming up so I should make some progress. I hope to get all the axle fabrication done, and maybe machine a new remote oil filter adapter. (the adapter I bought was machined poorly so the threads do not share a common axis with the o-ring gland and block mating surface.)

Stay tuned
 
hey bg, my all-time fav custom dash is the one you have on the Freak. Like an idiot I never click/saved the pics you posted on Pirate. There was a whole thread just about the dash. I found the thread, but its all red Xs... you still have those pics somewhere? If so, could you email me a bunch of them? Definitely plan on "borrowing" some ideas when I build mine. :thumb:

[email protected]
 
jekbrown said:
hey bg, my all-time fav custom dash is the one you have on the Freak. Like an idiot I never click/saved the pics you posted on Pirate. There was a whole thread just about the dash. I found the thread, but its all red Xs... you still have those pics somewhere? If so, could you email me a bunch of them? Definitely plan on "borrowing" some ideas when I build mine. :thumb:

[email protected]
Click to expand...

Edit that, Post them here for all to admire!! :D
 
When this build season is complete, I'm going to write a start to finish thread, detailing every mod i've ever done from the trucks inception to current. I't will take a while, so here are a few dash pictures. Unfortunately, this is one of the many projects on the truck that have never been finished. I still have to wire half the gages, make a new switch panel thats CNC engraved instead of magic marker, lol, and mount the Pro-Jection. But the heater controls work, the blower vents function, and the Glove Box is HUGE compared to old. :D

wiring 017a.jpg

dash 024a.jpg

wiring 036a.jpg

lid 001b.jpg
 
thanks man... won't make the same mistake this time... (click... save!).

I saw your thread on pirate about selling the Freak... 'sup with that? Definitely one of my all time fav rigs...

j
 
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