67 cheby's Dropmember build thread (CLOUD 9)

[landarts]

Nice detail on the raised bed. Im sure you will get a few followers on that technique. Great detail!

[67cheby]

thanks i appreciate it....they are in for ALOT of work if they do follow...LOL, or maybe i just overbuild and over complicate things !!

[67cheby]

well i picked up all of the new 11 guage stuff today....here we go again !! marked it all getting it ready for cutting and tacking it together tomorrow

[67chevy1series]

thats the only disappointing thing about this build thread, not enough pics!!!! good work mike!

[raull]

good luck !!!!!!!!!!!

[Donnie Mabe]

very nice is the front rear cross member stock if i had 4 wheel discs id be driving now instead of typing god bless

[67cheby]

i will post some pics tomorrow.... of tonights progress , rebuilding the rear bed brace !!

[superflysteiny]

Nice detail I like it.

[67cheby]

thanks man !!

[67cheby]

very fustrated Mike here !! so i cut all of the 11 guage stuff last night and was mocking it up by tacking it all together, my plan was to tack it all together and then take it to my friends fabrication shop , get it clamped down on a welding table and finish welding it .....well it warped just tacking it together !! what the heck this is 1x3 tubing...how is that warping like that ? is it my crappy harbor freight mig welder ? or should i have had it clamped down even just to tack it together , or would it still warp even if it was clamped down ? the longest beads i ran were probably 1 inch long and about 4 inches apart from each other...i thought that would be ok on something this thick ?? any input ? it is only warped about 1/8 of an inch right now so i think i might be able to straighten that but i have ALOT more welding to do !!

[watahyahknow]

howbout heating it all up with a propanetorch before welding on a lower setting ?

[hotrod1]

do u have all the welds on one side? If so alternate welding one weld on one side and then another. I all the welds are going to be on one side, good luck. You might just have to bend it back. Dont you just love metal some time?

[67cheby]

i didnt alternate from side to side....but then again i thought i wasnt welding enough to get it that hot...live and learn i guess

[hotrod1]

more like opposite sides. This keeps the one side from pulling too much. I would weld one seam, turn it over and weld the opposite side. Then I would go to the other side of the project and do the some thing.

Try and do the same welds on the opposite side (turn it over). That may straighten things out for you.

[big_al_71]

I wish there was something that I could say to contribute other than good luck and keep your head up you will get it right....

[67cheby]

LOL.....thanks Al ...i am feeling the same way right now !!

[67cheby]

thank you Hotrod1 i will try welding more on the other side tonight maybe it will straighten it back out....if not ..i guess off to buy another 45 worth of metal and start over AGAIN !!

[trevorrhine]

Definitely move around on the project to avoid getting one are too hot. I've used a damp rag as well to quench the area after I lay a weld to keep the area cool (sucks the heat into the rag), might be worth a shot to help prevent warping in your case...

[67cheby]

thanks , i am looking for any suggestions like that , i will try about anything if it will help !!

[trevorrhine]

Be sure to use a crappy rag though because if it dries out a little too much, it'll burn some holes in it...

[67cheby]

so.....none of my wifes kitchen towels then...LOL

[watahyahknow]

close off on side make a little bend up on the other side and filling the tubes them selves with water , you prolly need to weld on a higher setting but the heat will spread less

[trevorrhine]

that sounds like a pain lol, plus the inside surfaces of the metal would likely get all rusty before you were finished. I like to keep everything as rust free as I can, that's why I like the rag trick...you don't have water going all over the place either.

[raull]

hey mike i agree the guys , i use to weld 20 to 30 feet beams in rool forming machinery and the trick was to clamp and also change from side to side to let each side cool down and the kitchen towels also help ,

[68 TT]

Great idea to keep from chopping up a perfect tail gate.

Tack the whole thing together with it clamped down and cool it off with the wet rag after each tack to keep it in the shape you want then try only putting down a 1/4" of weld at a time and skip around on the piece cooling it off as you go. The longer the bead the more it will pull the metal out of shape when it cools.

It will take a bit longer to do but should keep it from warping out of shape.

Have you thought about more precise tail gate hinges so it can't shift side to side any and allow misalignment of the ribs between the bed extension and the tail gate? I would hate to see it shift a little to one side and chip your finished paint.

I want to put something together that uses greasable Delrin bushings so the tail gate is quiet when opened but it could also make it more precise in side to side location too.