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55 Wagon Progress
This is a mod I had discussed with the owner quite a while back, and she asked about it again a couple weeks ago, so I guess we're on the hook to shave some seams..
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture038-1.jpg The bolting plates are cut out of the way, and the folded flange is trimmed, leaving a bit of extra to allow for fine tuning the weld joint. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture039-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture040-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture044-1.jpg Bottom of the fender is cut loose from the bolting plate using the cutoff wheel. Then sanding the face of the fender leaves a contrast at the bend of the flange for a good guide for trimming with snips.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture045-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture046-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture049-1.jpg Planishing out the fold to fill the gap.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture050-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture051-1.jpg Using clamps to test fit. Still needs some fine tuning for zero gaps, but we'll finish that another day.. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture052-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture053-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture054-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Got to trimming the fenders, little to no gaps....
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture055-1.jpg Used the new ER70S-7 wire. Looks to me like it lays out a bit flatter... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture057-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture058-1.jpg Used the crowned hammer to planish the welds. This stuff appears to planish out a bit easier as well. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture059-1.jpg After planishing, 1/16" wide cutoff wheel used perpendicular to the weld for grinding the welds with minimal contact patch and less heat buildup. Ground welds just proud of the metal surface, front and back, to make room for planishing the next set of weld dots. Then rather than weld the next dots in the middle, I overlapped each of the previous welds to help eliminate missed spots and pinholes. Weld, planish, grind, repeat. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture061-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture062-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture063-1.jpg Then I got on a roll and missed some in process pics, but here is the result after dressing out all the welds... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture064-1.jpg Back side.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture066-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture067-1.jpg Yeah, I like this much better.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture068-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture069-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture070-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
One more piece to finish up the shave, the inner flange for the grille opening needed connecting together after trimming the bolting flanges.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture081-1.jpg Trimmed and holes drilled for plug welds.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture083-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture084-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture085-1.jpg All welded and dressed out.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture087-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture088-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
I was going to start the shave on the driver's side this afternoon, but a few stumbling blocks along the way...
Mocked up all the front sheet metal just to see it together again.. Gotta love that hood bird.. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture089-1.jpg Here's the factory seam to compare to the shaved version... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture090-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture091-1.jpg Bumper filler panel had been tweaked at some point in the past 50 years, so let's see what we can do to straighten it out some.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture092-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture094-1.jpg Used a combination of the flat and crowned body hammers, the donut dolly, the 5" dia shot bag, and a round hunk of steel. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture097-1.jpg Much better... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture096-1.jpg Next on the list before the next shave, a bit more rust to attend to... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture098-1.jpg Used a wide sweeping radius on the cut to minimize any extra shrinking that occurs inside tight corners. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture099-1.jpg To get a good, consistent profile on the patch, I used the go kart wheel... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture100-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture101-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture102-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture103-1.jpg Laying out the pattern.. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture104-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture105-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture106-1.jpg One last test fit before tipping the flange... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture108-1.jpg Dumb mistake number one....don't cut the patch so small you can't get leverage to force the flange to tip... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture110-1.jpg Well, we do have a good crease to work from now. Some hammering on the 2" round anvil will work http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture114-1.jpg Trimmed to fit... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture115-1.jpg Welded and dressed... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture116-1.jpg Hey...the light even fits http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture117-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
impressive metal work. That stuff amazes me.
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Nice work!
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
I'd say you have that whole metal workin' thing down. Nice work!
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Very nice work. My favorite of the tri-5's.
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Goodness, you certainly know your metal work!! Great job!!
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Thanks for the comments! It comes with many years of practice and quite a few not as nice results.... :)
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Fantastic work MP&C, I've been following your What's in my shop thread on metalmeet for quite some time and always love when you post up new things. Can you give more details on the donut dolly? What does it do, how does it work, etc?
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Thanks for following the thread! The day job kept me travelling much of last year, so the posts were few and far between. I'm trying to catch up a bit now..
I've got a couple threads I did on the donut dolly, one on 18 ga cold rolled steel using my fake donut dolly, and another on a flat of sorts aluminum door, that seemed to respond much better. I think the factory 19 ga steel would respond much better than the 18. But anyhow, here we go... Donut on steel: Quote:
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Donut on Aluminum:
Quote:
It was difficult to hold a hammer, donut dolly, and camera all at once, so what you don't see is that the hammer is used on the inside of the door, or "high" side of the dent, and the dolly was used on the outside, or "low" side of the dent. So that shows the theory of the donut dolly, basically using off-dolly principle but by spanning a dent/ding, the off dolly benefit is realized on both sides of the dent for more effective bumping. |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
This picture shows the actual donut dolly instead of the PVC fake. As you can see, a bit more mass...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture095-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Nice, detailed explanations! I admire your thoroughness and attention to detail. Ms. '55 Panel Owner will be pleased!
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Nice work. Thanks for taking the time to show us novices how to do it right.
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Thanks for the comments. Well after the 390 valve cover diversion, time to get back to work on the 55's driver fender. The two pieces have been trimmed for a tight butt joint, shown here clamped together...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture141-1.jpg It was then I noticed the crease just above the seam.. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture143-1.jpg Ahhh, the dreaded fender bump. I believe this is caused by someone bumping into something with the corner of the bumper, which in turn forces the lower portion of the fender backward, thus forming the inward crease (red line) and outward crease (yellow line). Always better to fix the body damage before attempting to weld panels together. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...icture144a.jpg Another view of the outward crease.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture146-1.jpg A 3" roloc disc scuffed across the lower crease on the inside of the panel quickly shows the area that needs to be bumped outward... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture145-1.jpg The tools used will be the donut dolly, a small shot bag, and body hammer. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture097-1.jpg The area was worked using the hammer and dolly, with progress checked by scuffing with the roloc disc. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture148-1.jpg Needs just a bit more cleanup, but shows a much more repectable crown, as shown by the #32 sweep http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture149-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Back to welding... All clamped up, again...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture150-1.jpg First set of tacks... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture151-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture152-1.jpg Weld penetration, the back side.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture153-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture154-1.jpg I had someone asking about the process I used with the mig, so I took the close ups to show it a little better... Weld, planish, grind, overlap, repeat... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture156-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture160-1.jpg Planishing as you go helps to keep the panel's shape in check... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture162-1.jpg Still needs a bit of bumping but not too bad overall.. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture163-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture164-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Tonight's accomplishment, back to the driver fender. I still had the inner seam to finish up...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture165-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture166-1.jpg Bridging the gap where the flanges were cut out... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture167-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture168-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture169-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture170-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture171-1.jpg Installed.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture174-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture173-1.jpg A look from the front... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture175-1.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
very nice. I really like all the detail you provide.
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Great tutorial. Subscribed...keep the lessons coming. Thx Dug
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Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Started back in the wagon tonight, the rear hatch was a bit snug for the opening the factory provided.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture182-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture186-1.jpg Rather than risk certain chipped paint, we'll work to get the gaps more consistent... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture190-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture191-1.jpg Then the edge was ground to our mark and some c-clamp vise grips held all three pieces snug while they were tacked in place. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...cture193-1.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture194.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture196.jpg Then the top and bottom sides of the weld are ground flush with the panels. This removes the bulk of the weld and makes it easier in trimming the side.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture197.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture198.jpg Marked again.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture199.jpg ....and ground to yield a much better gap. One down...... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture200.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Continuing on to the driver's side, this one is a bit tighter at the bottom than the other, shows about 1/32 gap. Used the compass again to mark the cut line...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture202.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture204.jpg Tacked, welded, and welds dressed... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture207.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture208.jpg All finished for this evening, have a couple pin holes to fix, will get them when we do the top... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture209.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture210.jpg New gap is right at 5/32", or to be more technical, one paint stick width.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture213.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture211.jpg |
Re: 55 Wagon Progress
Ok, one side left to go...
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture214.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture215.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture216.jpg Trimming to fit.......... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture217.jpg Welding the layers together.... http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture219.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture220.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture221.jpg After dressing the welds..... I do have a couple pin holes to fix, but the gap is looking much better. http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture224.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture226.jpg http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y16...Picture227.jpg |
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