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Resto,
The Kirkhams use oxyacetylene torch for welding, so it might be easier to find someone local to do the job. Maurice |
Maurice: nope, sorry, that won't work. The bodies in Poland are gas welded, but not with acetylene. Some other gas that I don't remember at the moment. Last I saw from Provo was oxy/helium, plus other tricks like blue lenses & hammer welding. No welding rod exsisted for the polish alloy, so they used thin strips of the parent material. This all works for the people with the experience, but for everday repairs in this country, just TIG it.
Shurely there are alum welders in Birmingham !!!!???? |
My fab guy is one of the finest tig welders around. However, he says the aluminum is so thin on the hood skin that if he welds the many divots around the hood scoop that it will warp the hood and it will require extensive hammering to straighten it.
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I still don't have a vin for this car. I was sent the wrong tag recently which looked like it was stamped by a 12 year old.
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Was the hood messed up when you first received it ? Can you post a pic of the area in question?
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There is at least one picture a few pages back. The hood has some large divots around the scoop where the welds were not finished properly. I've been informed that when most people order a filed body, they intent to paint them, so that is why it was left that way....
It's like this on both sides of the scoop and the underside. [IMG]http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2af0fcdb.jpg[/IMG] |
Progress on the driver's side header
[IMG]http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps8d49c01f.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...pse0b203fe.jpg[/IMG] |
Resto: Did you talk to David or someone else about the hood ? It seems so unlike Kirkham to send out 2nd rate work ! I know it's a hassle sometimes to make things right, but Kirkhams are (IMHO) supposed to be the best, and they previously had always gone the extra mile to accomadate the customer. I would call and tt David hiself, and ask if all FIA hoods had these flaws. No? then mine must be substandard and should be replaced or repaired at their expense !!! (you probably would be stuck with freight)
I have other suggestions also. Ted |
Yes, i spoke with David and he sent me a free coolant tank for the trouble with the hood. I just have to find someone who is willing to weld on the hood and a few other areas on the body and then hammer them out afterwards if necessary. There aren't a lot of shops experienced with aluminum around my area, but I have been informed of one in Atlanta, which isn't too far away.
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OK, an adjustment of approx $500 retail to make the problem go away. (for them, but not for you) Yeah, trying to find someone proficient in alum sheetmetal work is tough! I had to replace most of my front clip using 5 factory pieces and found a few, but thousands of miles away. Ended up fitting them myself, and having a local british race car guy tig it all together. It was not smooth enough to leave bare, so I painted it.
I don't know about the FIA hood, but all 427 panels are .060, not what I would call thin. One thing you might try is a local metal sculpture artist. Some work with aluminum and weld or "braze" it together. Many years ago in an aircraft maint shop I worked in, a sales guy sold us some "aluminum brazing rod and flux" it works with oxy/acy torch at lower temps, and I was "brazing cracked .032 and up sheetmetal with no warpage. I still have the flux ! I think an alum sculptor may be using someting similar to this. |
Here's my last suggestion (for now, anyway):
Fill the low spots with an aluminum epoxy filler. May not match perfectly, but I don't think it would be that noticeable with that acre of bare aluminum surrounding it ! Ted |
You must be referring to Evercoat metal to metal filler that is filled with aluminum dust. I would have never thought of that and it might work as a temporary solution.
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Yeah, that's the stuff. Couldn't remember where I saw it .
Worth a try. |
It's a little hard to tell from the picture but does the scope actually need more welding to the body, or are the divots around the scoop the main issue?
Pounding out small dents is not a major effort with a little care. It's pretty similar to fixing stainless steel trim on old cars. Mark the outline of the dent with a marker and with a blunt punch and light hammer, start on the outside perimeter of the dent and work in towards the center in a circular, spiral fashion. Use a light touch as you want to avoid a significant dimple in the other side as you will be filing that down. If the first pass doesn't get all areas up to level, make another pass around, starting a little further in from the edge. Then file the outer surface down level to remove the slight tool marks and contour to the adjacent surfaces. If a small area was knocked a little too far out, tap it back in with a body hammer and buck on the back side. File and finish up with various grades of sandpaper to get to the level of finish you are looking for. If it really needs some more welding - sorry no help there. |
Might be cheaper to fly Sandwich to Alabama for the weekend and have him fix everything
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10 hours in and my fabricator has made one beautiful custom header...this guy is so talented!
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps2d09e5c4.jpg http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps65a75be6.jpg http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...psa588c438.jpg |
More header progress
http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps55b27654.jpg Just a wee bit of a tight fit! http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...ps3660abce.jpg Weld on pyramid that makes a non-merge collector work like a merge collector. http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbd076b36.jpg http://i932.photobucket.com/albums/a...psbfc45a20.jpg |
Those are some sweet pipes. Great craftsmanship!
David :):):) |
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