Well, well, well,
A long overdue update,
I am somewhat use to the various issues we have had on the forum but honestly I thought it was really gone this time and was seriously considering joining the so called “social media” and looking for some community there. Fortunately it seems we are back up and running again here saving me once again from the evil facebook
Many thanks to whoever was responsible for fixing things, this is such an amazing resource and I hope I am adding to it with my rambling posts about my project.
As I stated before, I have gained so much useful information from here to help me I hope perhaps my story can perhaps help somebody else with their build.
So then I hope everybody had a good summer, I am going to post some shorter catch up posts but if anybody wants to know more please let me know and I will expand on things if I can…… So on with the show…..
So with the chassis basically done short of a few bits it was time to get to get to the wonderful world of sheet metal.
As always I have Chuck’s drawings to start with and I had already fit up a lot of the interior pieces in cardboard so it was a case of transferring those shapes to 3003 aluminum sheet and cutting, bending and trimming till they fit.
I started with the dash panel in 0.060” and laid it out complete with all the gauge and switch hole centers but have not cut those yet.
I took a detour in my fabrication as I did not think I could accurately form the turned edge around the curved areas due to my lack of skills and the thickness of the material. Those areas were made separately and tig welded to the main panel then the weld filed to match the formed area.
I think it looks OK and will be covered with leather in the end.
The dash went well ( first try) so I had a bunch of 0.060 left over and decided to make the floor panels from this as well for a bit of increased strength.
The original drawing has the outer side panel as part of the floor but I have made them separate with a flange to rivet them together later. It should make it easier to install in the end too, and again it is going to be covered in carpet so only we will know.
I then went ahead and created the rear panels and the transmission tunnel, using my existing card patterns. I saved the upper firewall panel for later.
Then turning to the trunk area I printed the drawing patterns and transferred them to cardboard to try the fit up.
I also needed to make a small change in the front corners of the boot area to clear my rear anti roll bar mountings if I want to install one in the future.
It is not much of a change but the sharp eyed among you will notice.
And then also made from sheet stock, this time 20 gauge steel is the fuel tank.
Using Chuck’s drawing I made a template in cardboard to check the fit and did need to drop the top outer corners for a bit more clearance to the chassis tubes but otherwise it is pretty much stock.
There is a fitting made up for the outlet, a mounting ring for the sender and a couple of internal baffles / stiffeners.
The side mounting brackets and other parts are riveted with solid metal rivets and the filler neck is welded to the rear panel. The outer seam is a classic hemmed edge done with hammer and dolly then everything is soldered to seal it.
I tested it with a couple of psi and some soapy water revealing one tiny leak at the top that was quickly fixed with a bit more solder. It’s a very old school way to build a tank but it works.
So that’s it for now, stay tuned for more soon.
Cheers,
Hudson
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