Here you can see how we line up a body to mount onto the chassis. Most people don't realize how difficult this actually is. I tell people it is actually easier to take a flat sheet of aluminum and turn it into a body than it is to actually mount the body. Here is why. It is extremely time consuming to get everything lined up. It is almost impossible to hold everything square in 3 dimensional space. Here are a few of our tricks
First, you notice 3 holding devises that we are using.
Vise grips:
Vise grips are really great to hold things down. BUT they slip, crush things, won't hold things that are not flat and square very well, and are generally a pain in the butt. Here we are using them to hold the end of the body in relation to the end of the tube.
Clecos:
As the late Carroll Smith said, Clecos are like peanuts...you can never get enough of them. (I would change the word peanuts for burritos (or a few other things I can think of) but you get the point). Clecos (the copper colored thingy) are temporary fasteners that are spring loaded. The fit directly in the hole where an 1/8 inch rivet goes. They are amazingly strong and will hold way more than you initially think they will. Of course, familiarity breeds contempt and pretty soon you are using them for things like overhead cranes--with predictably unpleasant results. So, I would recommend you just stick to using them to hold bodies together. One word of warning here...clecos are made from spring steel. If you weld around them, you will suck the temper out of the spring and your part will come flying apart--particularly nasty if you happen to have a pool of molten metal close at hand
"Oh, that can't happen.", you might say...but you are talking to the voice of a rather warming experience.
Safety Wire:
This stuff is amazing. The side of the car is extraordinarily difficult to line up with the door and then hold it in place exactly where you want it. We do this by literally wiring the body to the chassis. We then twist the wire to lengthen or shorten it until we have the perfect fit.
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