The Fake Jaguar Thread
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Today I spent most of my efforts cutting up the rest of the jig, and cleaning up all the scraps, grinder dust, paint, dirt etc.
Then I ignored the next grinding and welding tasks, to take stock, take measurements, and design some seat support frames.
I have a couple fabrication defects I want to correct, before I continue with the main welding, and I wasn’t feeling like that today either.
Then I ignored the next grinding and welding tasks, to take stock, take measurements, and design some seat support frames.
I have a couple fabrication defects I want to correct, before I continue with the main welding, and I wasn’t feeling like that today either.
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OK, this is one of those fabrication defects.
This should line up like so:
..but I forgot to trim the left floor pan.
I’m going to cut this loose and straighten it up.
This should line up like so:
..but I forgot to trim the left floor pan.
I’m going to cut this loose and straighten it up.
These are the seat rails, and they are adjustable, but there’s no lock on one side.
This relies on the seat frame itself to absorb a lot of force, and is a prime cause of seat frame breakage. I suffered this in more than one bucket seat car.
But this is only of academic interest as I am going to toss out this unnecessary weight.
This car is so small that nobody over 5’-0” will be wanting to move the seat forward! (They will want to move the pedals back if under 5’-6” or so.)
I’m just going to mount the seats all the way back and solid to the car.
But I might mount them with slots to allow for a small amount of assembly adjustment.
Originally the car came with four of these seat risers. Unfortunately (and I don’t know how soon or if ever the original builder realized this) they sent him four right seat brackets and no left brackets.
When I got the car the driver seat was mounted all crooked in the chassis because of the mistake.
How I temporarily corrected it is like this.
One of the brackets I cut and welded to make it opposite hand.
One of the brackets I heated up with a torch, and hammered it backwards over an anvil.
All four of them will go in the junk as I am not mounting the seats directly to the floor. There will be some sub framing similar to what I’ve showed in the photograph above.
This relies on the seat frame itself to absorb a lot of force, and is a prime cause of seat frame breakage. I suffered this in more than one bucket seat car.
But this is only of academic interest as I am going to toss out this unnecessary weight.
This car is so small that nobody over 5’-0” will be wanting to move the seat forward! (They will want to move the pedals back if under 5’-6” or so.)
I’m just going to mount the seats all the way back and solid to the car.
But I might mount them with slots to allow for a small amount of assembly adjustment.
Originally the car came with four of these seat risers. Unfortunately (and I don’t know how soon or if ever the original builder realized this) they sent him four right seat brackets and no left brackets.
When I got the car the driver seat was mounted all crooked in the chassis because of the mistake.
How I temporarily corrected it is like this.
One of the brackets I cut and welded to make it opposite hand.
One of the brackets I heated up with a torch, and hammered it backwards over an anvil.
All four of them will go in the junk as I am not mounting the seats directly to the floor. There will be some sub framing similar to what I’ve showed in the photograph above.
Here is the passenger seat arrangement showing the correct risers.
But these mount the seat directly to the tin floor and that is no Bueno.
But these mount the seat directly to the tin floor and that is no Bueno.
Dramatic photograph of chassis sitting at 45°. You can see that for safety I’ve got 13 legs and a chain under this thing.
The shiny new floor patch never got trimmed properly and it forced this plate out of alignment at the joint I have indicated. (In this photograph I have already trimmed the patch.)
Fortunately I had only tack welded this leg in two places, so I cut those two welds loose and knocked the plate back into position.
They were in a place where it was very difficult to use any kind of grinder so I used an electric drill and a hacksaw blade and then a hammer and chisel.
Anyhow I cut that all apart with the frame sitting flat, and then I rolled the frame up to 45° to eliminate the vertical welding.
The shiny new floor patch never got trimmed properly and it forced this plate out of alignment at the joint I have indicated. (In this photograph I have already trimmed the patch.)
Fortunately I had only tack welded this leg in two places, so I cut those two welds loose and knocked the plate back into position.
They were in a place where it was very difficult to use any kind of grinder so I used an electric drill and a hacksaw blade and then a hammer and chisel.
Anyhow I cut that all apart with the frame sitting flat, and then I rolled the frame up to 45° to eliminate the vertical welding.
I got that bracket welded back tight.
I rolled the frame back and forth today, to get all the floor ledger welds. I put on 50 welds there, plus another dozen on the pan patches and frame closures.
I rolled the frame back and forth today, to get all the floor ledger welds. I put on 50 welds there, plus another dozen on the pan patches and frame closures.
We must be getting close to the trial body mount.
I wish, but there is still much welding to do.
Today I got more of the floor welding done, and I got the frame rails tied in better at the rear corners.
But I ran out of argon again.
I did get more welding done, but nothing spectacular.
Today I got more of the floor welding done, and I got the frame rails tied in better at the rear corners.
But I ran out of argon again.
I did get more welding done, but nothing spectacular.
There’s my safety stand.
I got about 40% of the top seams done tonight, plus several small welds, front and rear.
I got about 40% of the top seams done tonight, plus several small welds, front and rear.
I got all of the frame rails fully seamed, top and bottom now.
I did this with dozens of skip welds, so there are lots of stops and starts.
I also got the rest of the floor ledgers welded to the crossmember.
Before I roll it again, I need to weld on the tunnel, and partially weld the tunnel to the crossmember.
The floor still needs work in the corners.
I did this with dozens of skip welds, so there are lots of stops and starts.
I also got the rest of the floor ledgers welded to the crossmember.
Before I roll it again, I need to weld on the tunnel, and partially weld the tunnel to the crossmember.
The floor still needs work in the corners.
I got most of the tunnel welding done, but not before I ran out of argon and had to go back to the welding shop.
I also got the welding done on the rear pan corners.
I’m flipping the frame back-and-forth so that I don’t do too much welding on either side at once. I’m trying very hard to keep this thing straight.
I need to do some more cleaning so I can get the floor pan welded down to the tunnel better. That’s gonna be a tedious pain; trying not to burn up the thin floor pan and still get it hot enough to stick to the tunnel.
There’s one more short pass on the tunnel to crossmember, but I did not get that finished because I had some interference with one of my little cover plate screws on the crossmember.
It ended up landing right on the edge of the tunnel rather than inside of it slightly, and so I had to make some room.
I cut a small slit on either side of the screw in the tunnel. I’ve bent a little section of the tunnel out to allow for the screw, and I welded it all back together again. Now there is a small hump right there.
There’s a small amount of welding to do on the rear frame closures as well.
I still have to finish welding the front frame closures and the big square frame gussets up front. Also the ends of the crossmember to the frame rails, before I proceed with anything else.
Like four crossmember gussets and the forward floor pan, which I have to fabricate soon. And the seat rail supports.
I also got the welding done on the rear pan corners.
I’m flipping the frame back-and-forth so that I don’t do too much welding on either side at once. I’m trying very hard to keep this thing straight.
I need to do some more cleaning so I can get the floor pan welded down to the tunnel better. That’s gonna be a tedious pain; trying not to burn up the thin floor pan and still get it hot enough to stick to the tunnel.
There’s one more short pass on the tunnel to crossmember, but I did not get that finished because I had some interference with one of my little cover plate screws on the crossmember.
It ended up landing right on the edge of the tunnel rather than inside of it slightly, and so I had to make some room.
I cut a small slit on either side of the screw in the tunnel. I’ve bent a little section of the tunnel out to allow for the screw, and I welded it all back together again. Now there is a small hump right there.
There’s a small amount of welding to do on the rear frame closures as well.
I still have to finish welding the front frame closures and the big square frame gussets up front. Also the ends of the crossmember to the frame rails, before I proceed with anything else.
Like four crossmember gussets and the forward floor pan, which I have to fabricate soon. And the seat rail supports.
Yesterday & today, I did more welding on front & rear frame closures, and the mid-crossmember & its little gussets.
I haven’t addressed the big crossmember gussets yet.
I also welded the (black) angle crossmembers to the frame, all around, where they penetrate the frame rails.
It needs reinforcement plates (fish plates) at those 4 penetrations, plus at the “kink” between them.
My lovely wife says we only have two and one half to three days before it starts raining, I hate electric welding outdoors in damp weather.
I’ve heard stories . . .
I am hoping to get enough welding finished that I can put the wheels on this and roll it back in the garage before the rain.
Then my lovely wife will growl at me, when I park her car out in the rain.
Right now I must take her for groceries, or we will be eating canned soup and Jiffy corn muffins.
I haven’t addressed the big crossmember gussets yet.
I also welded the (black) angle crossmembers to the frame, all around, where they penetrate the frame rails.
It needs reinforcement plates (fish plates) at those 4 penetrations, plus at the “kink” between them.
My lovely wife says we only have two and one half to three days before it starts raining, I hate electric welding outdoors in damp weather.
I’ve heard stories . . .
I am hoping to get enough welding finished that I can put the wheels on this and roll it back in the garage before the rain.
Then my lovely wife will growl at me, when I park her car out in the rain.
Right now I must take her for groceries, or we will be eating canned soup and Jiffy corn muffins.
2 bottles of argon later, I have the tunnel done, all the front closures, gussets, plug welds, and such are complete.
The mid-crossmember is welded in. It has 3 little gussets. Needs a fourth.
26 of 34 welds on the small angle iron crossmembers are done.
A few welds remain to do on the rear closures.
Then the main frame elements will all be welded
The mid-crossmember is welded in. It has 3 little gussets. Needs a fourth.
26 of 34 welds on the small angle iron crossmembers are done.
A few welds remain to do on the rear closures.
Then the main frame elements will all be welded
Of course I forgot that the bottom of the floor ledgers were all only tack-welded.
I laid down another 50 skip welds on the frame.
They came out great, but there are some corner welds that need repair.
Today it started raining. It hasn’t rained hardly at all for 6 months. This one was modest, and dropped to a misty trickle after about an hour.
I left Scary Larry out in the front garden, and he got a bath.
I put him on the porch to dry out.
Larry is all welded steel with an aluminum head. All his padding is wadded plastic bags taped inside plastic bags.
He will dry out quickly.
I laid down another 50 skip welds on the frame.
They came out great, but there are some corner welds that need repair.
Today it started raining. It hasn’t rained hardly at all for 6 months. This one was modest, and dropped to a misty trickle after about an hour.
I left Scary Larry out in the front garden, and he got a bath.
I put him on the porch to dry out.
Larry is all welded steel with an aluminum head. All his padding is wadded plastic bags taped inside plastic bags.
He will dry out quickly.
