Re: my radical 60 build
 

Re: my radical 60 build
 

you'll have to look back through the pics some, but the rear roof post required quite a bit of work to get it to match up
I did not need to lengthen the roof, however you would have to either lengthen the top of the door, or as I did change the back edge of the door to get it all to line up.

the front post was just straight down and everything lined up. I did remove a portion of the inner garnish moulding to line things up and access the inner roof brace inside the post for welding.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

i decided im not chopping it now, and also not shaving drip rails. thanks for the advice tho. ..maybe on i will chop the next one haha ;) got my roof all cut off, i am finished the driver side, and am putting a differant a pillar on the passenger side now. i got the inneer brace welded in and a bunch of holes fixed. i should have it welded on tonight. i am waiting on the panel above the windshield, soon as i got that the roof can all go on

Re: my radical 60 build
 

if you work the spotwelds loose and step the inner and outer part of the pilar you have a lot more reference to check if its on straight a lot more room to put clamps on and keep it in place and a lot less chance it will flex and crack the paint over the butweld at a later date it will be a lot of work to work them loose though

never mind i was just looking through the pics again that would only complicate things more

Re: my radical 60 build
 

its difficult to explain without pictures, i will post some once i have the roof on again to show how it went. i have the outside skin of the pillar off, i drilled the welds with a spotweld cutter. there is an inner brace behind that(which i replaced from the myohter cab) and then the interior panel that you see when u sit in the truck, so i lined the inner brace up to the interior panel, and will also line the outside piller piece to all that. i will put the door on and check how the windshield fits befor i weld it up,. im butt welding the outside panel on, so i should have next to no filler in this area. right now everything is cut out on the passenger side of the cab. i had a brace between the door frame, but it got in the way. and i took measurements and decided just to line it up later. the cab didnt move at all yet anyway.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

from wat i read we both have the same idea

Re: my radical 60 build
 

How in the HECK have I been missing this post???????????? This truck is awesome! My dream has always been to build a 60s style kustom, and as soon as my 65 is finished for my wife to drive, thats exactly what I am doing!! I love all the step by step photos. helps alot to see how this is done, and how you are measuring for cuts. this is the stuff none of the magazines show,,,the inside work. anyways, enough of my flapping! Good work and keep us posted PLEASE!!!!!!!!

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Mad skillz, my friend!

Re: my radical 60 build
 

that is a awesome truck/car ok TRUCK

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Man That is some Hard Core metal work. I thought that I had my work cut out for me on mine only to see this, what great work and a cool ride

Can't wait to see the finished product, keep up the great work

Re: my radical 60 build
 

thanks for the compliments !
It was cold this winter, and I was lazy!, so nothing new to report as of now..

my to do list:
grind welds on roof and paint them so they don't rust.
get windshield done
install headers
install converter lock-up for the 2004r trans
start on blending the front fenders to the doors.
+ lots of other welding and grinding:lol:

we'll see how long it takes me now that spring is here.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Hurry up!!:lol:

Re: my radical 60 build
 

hey!
a tiny bit of progress....
getting the new windshield shape has been tough... I have heard all sorts of ideas from making a fiberglass buck for a windshield to framing the shape out with aluminum and wire...
the biggest issue was that the glass sits a 1/4 inch away from the pinchweld, and a 1/4 inch up from it, when it is in the gasket. If I shaped the glass to the pinchweld, it would end up being too big.....

so what I did was use an old windshield gasket, it sat in the bottom fine , but I had to screw it into the roof at the top to keep it in place.
I cut away the glass retaining portion of the gasket on the outside, on the corners and top, I left the center of the bottom intact.
then I used a flat piece of cardboard for the center leaving the corners off.
after I got that cut to fit, I started making the corners with lots of tape and many triangle shaped pieces of poster board.

on the photos of the windshield you can see the pattern where the glass needs to be cut: a little off the top, and some off the lower corners and back.

now I have my pattern, next is how to cut the glass... a bodyshop friend of mine has a diamond tipped rotary blade that he has not tried out yet, and there is the sandblast method... I am not sure which method I will try yet, I only have 2 windshields, the blade would be fast, but the sandblast method is about 99% safe, it just takes something like 6-8 hours...

Re: my radical 60 build
 

I also spent some time grinding welds on the roof, and put some primer on it so they wont rust...

Re: my radical 60 build
 

shop has been a little tight this winter!
the elcamino has been back burnered since I started the truck project, then the storage on the convert went away, so it came in for a floor, brakes and an engine... then winter hit, so the truck had to come in , because I had not finished grinding / painting the welds, and no glass yet.... then my wifes 63 project is in the driveway blocking all three of these in....:waah:
:lol: if I could move around I might be able to clean it:lol:

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Cool man looking good!! I have heard some horror stories about guys going through many windshields trying to cut them down but then others that have just the single time. I would hit up a couple glass shops and see if they could cut it for you, just a thought though.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Nice progress Jon, I wish I had some advice about the glass, but I'm clueless. ;)

Re: my radical 60 build
 

With laminate glass, I believe it has to be cut twice. Once on the outside and then repeated for inside. Then they use a disc to smooth the edges. This is how my side glass was made, I would assume the windshield would be similar.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

i have heared of people cutting the glas with a anglegrinder on yalope but my thought on that is that the vibrations and the tention is enough to splinter it
if i was to do that i put the glas in a big container with mineral oil in it untill its a little above the glass that way you can still get to it with the anglewheel without dunking the electric part intoo the oil and the vibrations get dampened
should the grinder drop out youre hands you can still use it since the mineral oil doesnt conduct electricity they use that stuff even in transformers hanging of those electricity poles to keep them cool and somewat quet
and should it shatter the parts dont fly

Re: my radical 60 build
 

I have seen shows on TV where they score both sides, then put lighter fluid on it. They light the lighter fluid to melt the plastic and snap the glass. It looks so simple on TV. Maybe you just need to video tape it to go smooth. :lol:

Re: my radical 60 build
 

thats with flat glass windshields for ford hot rods like the type A and the sort , they do break the cut on both sides before they add the lighterfluid
i can immagine when you have done it more often you get a routine that makes it look simple

Re: my radical 60 build
 

check this link out: http://www.cadvision.com/blanchas/54...indshield.html
this is the process I plan on using for cutting the windshield.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Thats pretty cool but going to take a while huh. Let us know how it turns out.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Thanks for the info. I'm going to forget about a chop now. Too much trouble.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Amazing build, I love the crazy customs. Can't wait for the finished product.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

another thing i seen people do is either using another narower (rear)-windshield from another car and build the topchop around it or make a channel and drop the window intoo the valance/dash keeping it the regulair size , it does take some headscratching to be able to install the window that way and it works better if the bonnet /hood is ending close to the window or the valaceplate and dash can be unbolted to access the window during instalation the wipers can be mounted under the bonnet too

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Like I said still too much trouble. I want to get this thing on the road, and that would be a big delay. I still have plenty to do. But it's a nice idea. ;)

Re: my radical 60 build
 

just saving this info here, alans classic helped me out with some questions, might help others too:


Alan's Classic
1 thing at a time is progress.





Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: Ball Ground GA
Posts: 3,200 Re: grinding welds

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Quote:
Originally Posted by jonzcustomshop
I've got a fewquestions for you.
I am in for some serious weld grinding...
how far do you take them down?
some spots It seems like I have to take them down flush, and others there is a little valley where the weld is just a little lower than the surrounding metal. like a 16th of an inch when the top is buzzed off.

is it bad to smooth the whole thing out with my 36 grit, and a rolock discs?

I use a 3m 1991 stone on a die grinder then go over it with 36 or 50 roloc. Then wipe it.

my body man friend once showed me some 36 grit scratches that you could see through the paint in bright sunlight, is that just because they wern't prepared right before paint, or will you always be able to see them?

I fill 36 grit scratches with filler and prime. As long as it is prep right you won't see the scratches. Don't count on the primer to fill 36 scratches. It will shrink causing the scratch to show up.

if I am doing bondo , and my ground weld bead becomes a high spot, will I be able to gind it a little more, or will I have to completely clean the bondo off that area, grind, and start again?

I've had that happen before and if you gring the high spot lightly not creating much heat you will be fine. It you create too much heat it will cause the filler around that srea to let go.

also one other question.
I am not really ready to start doing bondo work.
can I put some paint over the welds, and then buzz it off and bondo it later? Or am I going to have to sandblast the paint off the welds in order to get it clean enough for the bondo to stick.

thanks, jon

That would be fine. It's easier to remove paint than rust.

p.s. feel free to cut and paste this question into your build thread if you think this info might help others.

__________________

Alan

Re: my radical 60 build
 

:thumbs:

Re: my radical 60 build
 

looking good. i have chopped a few windsheilds using the sandblast method and it works pretty good, best thing i found to mask with was thin flashing material like the roofing stuff and duct tape. leave a quater inch or so extra though because you'll want to get a glass shop to final grind the edge on a water fed belt grinder and aris it after. blasting leaves a pretty raw edge. It's worth calling all the glass shops first and seing if there are any guys that are still proficent in chopping them on the score and snap method. I have cut a few that way myself and it can go either way. don't bother trying to get a used windsheild cut though, all the little tiny chips and marks and pitting from normal driving will make the cut stray when trying to run the cut after scoring. another option is custom curved glass. if there is noone in your area tht does custom curved glass i can put you in contact with a couple of guyys up here, it's not cheep but the more you get made the cheeper they become.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

;lol: I wouldn't mind owning a fleet of chopped 60-63's!
never could put together a time to blast this summer, it was real wet here this year, and it seemed the few times I might have a window-(job/kids/wife/weather)-to do it, it never worked out

Re: my radical 60 build
 

the tail lights were kind of a rush job to get it on the road.
I had originally planned on using the front part of a 60-61 gmc hood for a rear grille/tail light area, I cut one up and tried it , and it did not look good!:lol:

I have a new idea for making a rolled rear surround, and maybe lower the back bumper down, will probably still use the same taillights, but they should fit in better.
will give it a try this winter some time and see how it looks.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

here is some stuff I have been working on..
changing up the rear panel with parts from a big truck front end...
this has been stalled, because I need another big truck right front fender, the blue one had an inch of bondo over a bad crease, and the orange one I have has the same problem..
I'll still use the buick taillights, and the 60 elcamino rear bumper, I am going to redo the bedside top across the back so that it will stick out as far as this new rear.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

I went to a metal shop and had them bend up some inner bed panels and a wheel arch for me .
I cut down a beat wheel tub to see if it would work.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Glad to see ya plugging along on it. It's been 8 months since the last post. ;) Looking good.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

8 months:jdp: He was in hibernation. :lol: Cracks me up how you just cut and morph things together. Makes me want to go chop somthing.:lol::chop:

Re: my radical 60 build
 

:lol: the pics were from march 28, april 5 and may 5th!:lol:
my main problem is that I am working on too many projects at once... nothing is getting done.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Sounds like most of us, well at least me. Nice progress.

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Re: my radical 60 build
 

Yup too many pojects, but no time to do my own. :waah::uhmk: