I've been putting in quite a bit of time on my little experiment.
Here are the updated photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/rbrayzz/MetalWork#
Most of the pieces have been reworked or replaced.
Even though I'm years away from learning all the skills need to build an aluminum body, I'm having a blast learning!
I bought a Hebron gas torch and I've taken my first crack at welding aluminum.
It was no surprise that all I managed to do was melt some scrap metal. The good news is that I have several instructional videos to study and I have lots of patience.
If anyone wants to try to do some metal work I recommend buying Ron Covell's video "Shaping Aluminum with hand tools". For about $50.00 bucks you can buy the tools you need and get started. Metal shaping really is a fun hobby!