The Fake Jaguar Thread

Ulu · Aug 30, 2024

After fighting the setup half a day, I finally realized a tiny bit of floor pan was hanging up one of the rails, pushing it out of position. This threw everything off 1/2” at the rear.

I stripped off the clamps and rails and trimmed.it.one.more.time. Yeeesh!

Finally, I was able to make everything come out straight and square. Enough.

But not before I re-rigged my trammel supports for more travel. I couldn’t quite get the long sides measured.

The frame measures square and straight now within 1/16” everywhere, by my measurements. Considering my equipment, that means it’s absolutely no worse off than 1/8” in 120” on the thrust vector. That’s about 1/960 or a thrust angle of no more 0.08° from center.

Plus the suspension is all adjustable for way more than that.

That final setup and adjustments took all of my remaining will to fight on, until tomorrow.

I’m praying for still air, because the welding starts then.

Also, be careful if you ship a Chinese car to America…

Ulu · Sep 1, 2024

I decided to use the programmable trigger weld setup rather than the pedal, since this welding will require me to move about. When I set it up I realized that one blob of hot steel or careless brush on a fresh bead would ruin the plastic insulation in the trigger wires.

I made this cover from a soft rubber hose and laced it with paracord. This took hours to make, but I like it better than the velcro and cloth sleeves sold at the welding shop. It also cost about $55 less!

I punched all the holes with a conductor’s punch.

Here you see how vulnerable the trigger wire is.

So I am ready to weld, except…
I decided the floor ledger angles should turn leg-up, which means I should fit them up first.

I don’t want to trim any more floor!

Ulu · Sep 3, 2024

I skipped the ledgers for today.

BUT Finally I got everything as square, straight, and level as possible and started tacking things up.

42 welds later I had a celebratory beverage & let things cool down.

Then, fortified by 5% ethanol, I felt comfortable enough to take off all the clamps & check it all again.

Things did change, but not much, and not in an unfortunate way. It’s just laying loose on the jig now, and it is all still level square & straight.

Overall twist is 0.2 degrees. Thrust angle is spot on. Wheelbase within 1/16” before removing the pipe, and within 1/16” across the corners.

Of course there's a lot more welding to do, so anything is still possible.

Ulu · Sep 4, 2024

Yesterday I got the frame rail notch cutouts tacked back in place. I laid down another 40 tack welds.

There are still parts to fab and weld in, before I can think about flipping this over.

The head frame appliance is only tacked on in 4 spots.

Ulu · Sep 7, 2024

I am still going through various parts and pieces that I am going to use. I have some pressed metal steps from an RV, and they are in beautiful shape and the perfect size to box off my front frame rails, plus give me a safe hemmed edge and a ledger for my floor pan.

I did have to take off some grip tape. I parked them out in the hot sun for a couple hours and then it was quick work to peel it off with a sharp putty knife.

These will box the tall rails, but will be 5” too short. There will be a heavy splice plate in that gap to make up the difference.

There will be corner gussets made from the same steps.

In these pictures I am mocking up the rear connection of the frame rails to the Volkswagen suspension housing and body perch.

I can bob it off like this and plate the bottom.

I have some really stout 1.5” sq x 3/16” wall tubing, and it is already factory bent.

I also have these heavy stamped plates 2” wide, and they have a nice joggle in them that will help me create alignment. I actually have two sets in pairs of lefts and rights.

SwissGuy · Sep 8, 2024

Most of the time I have no clue of what you are actually showing to us (I have no knowledge on working on cars at all), but I really admire your grit, thoroughness and patience you show in your work!

Can't wait to see the final product!

Ulu · Sep 8, 2024

I am not surprised if this is hard to follow. I sm not doing a good job with the documentation.

When I finished Bugs Bunny and Yogi Bear, at about 6 years old, I started reading my father’s books and magazines.
Hot Rodder, Car Craft, Motor Trend, and this:

I only have a few pages from those old magazines, this is from 1955, the year I was born. There’s the new Chevrolet V8 next to photos of the 1957 hemi engine rocker arms for a De Soto.

With 3 Stromberg carbs you could burn that gas fast.

From the same magazine: My dad had one of these carbon arc welders. It was very weak.

The 1957 Motor’s only goes back to 1949, so my Plymouth is not in there.

Tad owned one, and he remembered it fondly: the ‘46, ‘47, ‘48, & ‘49’s were the same until mid ‘49 (grill photo) you see above.

I own this one: 1947 Plymouth Special Deluxe Club Coupe.

They were good cars, and Mopar used those engines thru WW2 until 1959, in the cheap ones. The expensive ones got that Hemi from’57.

Kevin B · Sep 8, 2024

Wow, I had the 1957 Motors Manual too. Wish I knew where it was now.

Ulu · Sep 8, 2024

I had these two heavy duty 3/16” (4.7mm) thick stamped steel gussets from that same set of RV steps. I decided these would make excellent gussets for the headframe weldment.

Before I could shape these I had to trim off the frame rails and notched them down a little bit to get a good joint.

Here’s the first one trimmed to shape. notched and fitted.

So, like this, but not welded yet:

I still have to add some heavy steel plates, vertically, from the head frame to the frame rails, Before these babies can be welded in place. All that has to be done (and more) before I can ever flip it.

Ulu · Sep 9, 2024

Midnight Auto Welding on the loose….

Ok, here they are. Well one of the pair.

I cut two of these flanged plates from a 1/8” bent plate, identical to the one I used on this crossmember

From the top, these will box my frame and gusset the headframe fully to it.

They will weld to this gusset too, once I flip the frame.

Ulu · Sep 9, 2024

Etching the zinc off steel with a hot phosphoric acid preparation.

Ulu · Sep 9, 2024

I got all the zinc stripped off, then burnished the steel, and cut my ledgers to fit the floor.

Those are not welded in yet.

This heavy wall steel tube came from a Schwinn bicycle rack I recycled. I cut it in half, but first, one end had a bracket that needed to be stripped off.

One is longer now, but they match & both will get trimmed after welding.

Ulu · Sep 10, 2024

BTW, Those knees that look like 100-year-old Filipino woman? My beloved wife, and she’s only 68.

Ulu · Sep 13, 2024

I got some more tin parts etched and I made these forward frame closures.

Ulu · Sep 17, 2024

I had to add some little fillers to the bottom plate, so I could get a full weld across these gaps.

The gap on the other side was a little smaller, but here you can see the filler plate that I made. It is just tacked and I will weld it all the way around.

Here you can see that the filler was more desperately needed on one side than the other. The gap was 1/8” more.

That offset was in the original weldment. It was off 1/16” here and there, plus there is a little twist. I made up for all that on the jig.

I also had to make some other filler plates (not shown yet) and I had to crawl underneath the fixture & make overhead welds to box the frame rails.

Once I add the big gusset there will be no access for welding behind it.

Anyhow access was very tight, I kept bumping my helmet on the jig, and I had a very difficult time making those few overhead welds.

Ulu · Sep 18, 2024

This is the overhead welding.
I made 1 bad tack, 3 good tacks, one viable weld, and an ugly blob where I went over a dirty tack weld (trying to make a second viable weld) and “blew it up”.

Ulu · Sep 18, 2024

Here is a better view of what is going on. I won’t be able to get any of this after the big gusset is on.

Ulu · Sep 19, 2024

I got six gussets tacked on and two are welded off for now. They will get a bit more from the other side, once I flip the frame.

With practice and adjustments I was able to get some good overhead and vertical welds. I put down 60 welds and tacks today.

There is a gap to fill on both sides of the 6”x8” plate gusset. This is a major weld, and I just put on enough for now.

These will get full welds when I can lay them flat. Again, I was sitting on the floor, inside the jig, and I couldn’t move or see well enough to weld farther up the gap.

I welded until the wind came up and my argon pressure got low. I made one very poor weld, ground it out, and made it poor again, before I slapped myself and put the torch down.

I couldn’t feel the wind change in all the leather, bibs, hat, gauntlets, and helmet.

BUT, when you see little orange sparks flying, same color as MIG sparks, the argon has all blown away.

Ulu · Sep 20, 2024

Today I bought more argon and I spent a lot of time cleaning and prepping for more frame welds.

Also, I managed to get half of these floor ledgers on.

The front two were shaped and joggled to fit around things.

The others were notched and bent to fit the floor pan. I have half of the floor ledgers fitted and tacked into place.

Judy the welding inspector.

Oldbiscuit · Sep 20, 2024

I admire your attention to the fine details ! Once you have the frame all welded up and painted what’s next ? Are you just going to reinstall the body or are you going to do bodywork and repaint on it ?
How’s the engine?

The Fake Jaguar Thread

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