Good morning

[CaddmannQ]

Good morning guys.
All my floor ledgers are tacked in and the floor is now plug welded to the ledgers.

Some of the ledgers got joggled to fit around things.




The ledgers joggle at the crossmember.


Before plug welds.



These are plug welded.

I used aluminum backers and clamps, pre-drilled the spots, and made nice little puddles. All the floor welds came out nice and tight.

Today I will start on the rear frame brackets.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I didn’t get in any welding the past couple days but I did spend a lot of time cleaning up my welding area of flammable debris. The neighbor’s trees were dropping lots of leaves. I also changed out my ragged welding curtain. They help keep out the leaves.

I started to make some frame brackets, then l changed my mind about the design. I had forgot completely about plans to strengthen the frame at the door sills.

By adding square tube atop the frame rails, I can make them over 5” tall, but there was an issue.

Some steel tube I had planned for the frame got used in the jig. Since I’m almost done with the jig, I cut those tubes out of it.

But I decided to work on the rear subframe brackets instead. They really need to be sorted at the same time as my main rear frame brackets.

I cut them from this bracket, which once kept the front of a big lawnmower together. Here I have already started sawing it up.

This needs more trimming, but they will fit about here.


But that was 1/2” too tall, so I reshaped them some more.

 

[CaddmannQ]

I’ve been working on bracing for the crossmembers & rear body subframe.

 

[Bobster]

What next, armor plate? Do you plan on high-ending/off-roading the car often? Just take the body off and put it on the Scout chassis!

 

[CaddmannQ]

Well, I want it to still steer properly, when I get it up on two wheels.

Hey, this isn’t just a topless roadster deathtrap, you have to imagine what a gem I started with!

Imagine you bought a car, and somebody had cut off the roof, then cut through the frame on both sides, right behind the doors, then just screwed the ragged frame ends to the 20 ga floor.

Then patched over the rusted out frame in front of the pedals, visually, with 16ga, but still left all the rot behind inside.

I could drive it around the circle of our cul-de-sac once, then straighten the wheel out and the chassis would go “pop” oil-canning the tortured floor pan.

It scared the shit out of my wife.

I took the body off that week, so I wouldn’t be tempted to drive it.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Ok, so now I have to consider the extra weight. It turns out to be only 12.2 lbs. for all those extra braces, brackets and plates.

BUT, there is still the intermediate braces and gussets (not shown yet) and the front floor, door sill frame doubler, and seat support structure, so double that at least.

Then there is a tank mount, battery mounts, mid, and and forward body superstructure to consider.

Forward body superstructure will be the last part of the frame. It will be a bolt-in appliance, and possibly aluminum.

 

[Husker88]

So it won't be quite the weight of a Humvee. At least you won't have to stop at the weigh stations on the Interstate.

 

[CaddmannQ]

It weighed 1268 with oil but no gas.
It won’t be much more, finished.

 

[meanstreak]

Good morning to yous. A few cirrus clouds scattered about this morning, no wind, and 54 degrees. The dog loves his morning walk when it’s like this. Later today or during the night clouds from the latest hurricane will move in from the east. We aren’t supposed to get any rain from the storm , of course that could change.

This the second hurricane in a row to get close enough to give us some cloud cover.
I hope the folks in the path all make it out the other side.

You all have a great day. If you are in the path please heed the warnings.

 

[meanstreak]

@Cadd, I remember when you brought that home. I don’t remember how long. Three or four years . Anyways, I commend you for the time and effort you have spent resurrecting that car. It’s a shame it hadn’t been cared for properly during its lifetime, but it has a good home now.

 

[CaddmannQ]

@meanstreak
I bought that on my 65th birthday.
I'll be 70 in April.
But I didn't work on it for a long time because my wife gave me a lot of grief over garage space. And other shit. I let it sit a long time deciding on plans and then changing them.
Building bicycles. Figuring out how to roll it over without lots of expense & effort.

I hope to roll it over again next week. I need to work out two critical connections before this thing will take it without undue flexure.

 

[CaddmannQ]

...It’s a shame it hadn’t been cared for properly during its lifetime, but it has a good home now.

Thank You Meanie. The poor thing was built on a wreck, with some bush hack repair job, and lots of sealer & paint over the rust.

Well, I expected to put it on a cleaner chassis, but I didn't factor the cost, plus dealing with the extreme bush league engineering.

This car was functionally un-drivable, which is what saved it from 40+ years of wear and scratches. It was a pretty garage queen, and never much more.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Still trimming and grinding….

I bobbed off the remaining unneeded sheetmetal pan and carefully removed the frame doublers. I ground off all the old welds until I was left with the bare hooks.

 

[meanstreak]

Good morning MOers. Clear skies this morning and still air. When the dog and I went out for his first walk the temp was 57. An hour and a half later we are at 66.

Yesterday I took a very short ride on the motorcycle. I hurt my shoulder about a week and a half ago and wanted to see how it felt. Not too bad, but 30 minutes was enough, lol. Today I am going give the bike a good cleaning.

You all have a great day.

 

[CaddmannQ]

This is the front from Dad’s old mower. It held the pulleys and springs.

I set up some saw guides, and hacked it out fast with the faux Sawzall.

These 0.117” thick gussets will weld right to the cast hooks.

The gussets are fitted and boxed with 16 ga box. (Once part of the old army desk.)




They step back about 3/8” for extra clearance at a body panel lap.


Here’s the two special 14 ga doubler brackets.

They are doubled over on one end, and they came from some unidentifiable piece of Air Force junk.

Those brackets go into the corner of the pan, doubling it, and giving me a more solid perch to weld to the hook.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Hey guys. It’s still getting above 90 in the boatyard, but the grinding continues.

Today, I sanded and brushed all that used steel, until it was ready for paint. I had put it in acid overnight, and most of the rust was gone, but all the paint remained.

The parts I started with had lots of paint and mercifully little rust.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Banging out the new sheet metal for the pan corners. I cut these strips from some old 18 ga drip pan.



These were brushed, sanded, and acid etched. Then clamped and smacked into place with wood tools.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Both sides are shaped but not welded in.

 

[Husker88]

Can't wait to see the finished project.

 

[CaddmannQ]

Maybe in 2025 . . .