The Fake Jaguar Thread

[Ulu]

Today I got my new gas tank support stripped, sanded, and ready to weld in place.

Then I made a couple 1/8” frame gussets that notch in under the new crossmember, right where the frame kinks in on each side.

I prepped the floor and crossmembers for more sheet metal welding.

I’ll get all that stuff welded in place tomorrow.

 

[Ulu]

By the way, congratulations to @Pondo and the @Shrunken_Head_Pedaler!

 

[Pondo]

By the way, congratulations to @Pondo and the @Shrunken_Head_Pedaler!

Thanks Ulu!

 

[Ulu]

I got these little gussets welded on today.

I think that tank of “bad gas” was actually wet gas.

The new gas worked crappy, then ok, then crappy, then ok.

I laid out all the gas hose to slope downhill, then purged the hose 15 seconds. Problem solved

I would have done more, but today was Christmas tree shopping day. I got a lovely tree but the trunk was 1” too thin to bolt into my stand.

I ended up making 5 little “shoes” for the clamping bolts from scrap tubing.

Problem solved.

 

[Ulu]

I made two more gussets and hot them welded down.

I have got most of the floor welding done now. I also got the fuel tank support welded on.

I need to roll the chassis to finish up a few more pan welds. Also I still have a few welds to repair.

 

[Kevin B]

Ulu, this looks like a machine weld. Outstanding.

 

[Shrunken_Head_Pedaler]

By the way, congratulations to @Pondo and the @Shrunken_Head_Pedaler!

Thank you much!

 

[Ulu]

Ulu, this looks like a machine weld. Outstanding.
View attachment 284848

Thank you. It’s certainly not perfect, but I’m getting better at this with practice.

 

[Ulu]

I got the last 24 crossmember to floor pan welds on the bottom, fixed a couple bad welds, and started stripping off the bad paint. It sounds solid with no rattles.

 

[Ulu]

A very early Good Morning from The Gateway to the Sierra.

I spent several cold hours out in the boatyard, cleaning up my VW chassis, rolling it back over to hit the ugly spots with a grinder. Scraping, wire brushing sanding and feathering paint is nearly done on the bottom side.

I want to put some more spot welds on the pan. About 50 more.

I am praying the weather will get dry enough to paint before it all gets rusty again. I still have a bit of minor welding on the topside first.

I’m not used to wearing gloves just for sanding, but I am much more sensitive to cold weather now, than when I lived on the muskeg, in Baudette, at the Northwest Quadrangle.

That’s farther north than 3/4 of all Canadian people live. I didn’t realize at the time why the only TV shows we ever got were some variety show from Winnipeg, with Stompin’ Tom Connor, and then Hockey Night in Canada.

I prefer the local warm weather, hitting 54F yesterday. Here’s hoping for continued warm weather. The paint I bought wants 55 min. I will heat the paint and the metal before I try to spray, but first it gets etched.

 

[Da Gas Man]

I got the last 24 crossmember to floor pan welds on the bottom, fixed a couple bad welds, and started stripping off the bad paint. It sounds solid with no rattles.

View attachment 284881

I know a Cruise Ship Director that's looking for a new act for the next cruise to the Bahamas.
Two things: Do you know any other tunes? And, can you get your steel drum down to the
docks before midnight tonight?

 

[Ulu]

Oh, we don’t need to ship it. I could play any make or model.**

But I don’t do roadshows anymore.

** No Teslas, please.
I am NOT going to die, beating on the bottom of an EV with sticks.

 

[Ulu]

It hit 56 today and it’s going to be warmer tomorrow. Possibly 67 and even 69 Saturday.

Then 100% rain Sunday, so time is on my side.

Today I got some more cleanup done on the pan and the fuel tank support and I put down about 30 more small welds.

Then I rolled the chassis back over so I can finish welding the seat rails down to the pan.

But I still have a couple little gussets I have never installed, and I need to get those in too.

 

[Ulu]

Rain has been pushed back to Tuesday, but today wasn’t as warm as expected.

I went Christmas shopping this morning instead of welding, But I need to get out there now.

It is dry, and humidity is quite low.
A high of 68 is still predicted for Monday.

 

[Ulu]

Today was the first of two Christmas dinners at our house. Her family was tonight, and in two days, it’s mine.

I still managed to cut some pan bracket reinforcement bars and get them welded in.

I also got some more rust cleaned up. It was a lovely day in the mid 60’s & it looks like prime painting weather tomorrow.

But there is still more welding needed on the fuel tank support. I need to make some more crossmember gussets too.

 

[Ulu]

I finished up the forward welding and finished up some little gussets at the mid crossmember. Then I started making these tubular gussets for the top of the frame.

Here’s the driver’s side setup, still in navy gray paint.

That one is now finished & stripped, and I have started cutting the other one.

Unfortunately, I ran out of argon before the welding was done, so I had to go shopping. Still no paint was applied, and tomorrow will bring rain. ;-(

It will also bring my kids and grandkids for early Christmas.

 

[Ulu]

Today I made the last gusset, and they are now welded in.

It stayed warm until sundown, so I flipped the frame upside down, gave it a cleaning, and shot 40 oz of satin black. I’ll do the top later, because of the weather.

It’s raining, but somehow I just barely managed to beat the rain. The finish won’t be great, but at least it won’t rust up during assembly.

 

[Kevin B]

Today I made the last gusset, and they are now welded in.

View attachment 285239

View attachment 285240

It stayed warm until sundown, so I flipped the frame upside down, gave it a cleaning, and shot 40 oz of satin black. I’ll do the top later, because of the weather.

View attachment 285241

View attachment 285242

It’s raining, but somehow I just barely managed to beat the rain. The finish won’t be great, but at least it won’t rust up during assembly.

It looks very cohesive now.