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bodywork has started on Dale's racecar
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dale



Joined: 22 Aug 1999
Posts: 3087
Location: Seattle, WA USA

PostPosted: Fri Feb 13, 2004 11:58 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

A friend, Wes got started on my race car today. He wasn't kidding when he said it would be a lot faster to replace chunks of metal instead of trying to pound them out! Wow!

  • Take a race car with a battered rear end and draw a straight line.

  • Add a "sawsall".

  • Oops! Now we have a truck.

  • Add a doner car.

  • Trim, to fit.

  • No more battered rear end...


    [ 02-13-2004: Message edited by: dale ]
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    RedBaron86325



    Joined: 13 Jun 2002
    Posts: 1248
    Location: Escondido, CA via Sulaymania, Iraq

    PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 10:11 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    What kind of welder did you use to tack that thing in place. I've done some spot welding on a friends 2002tii and had a lot of problems adjusting the temp and wire speed of the welder. My welder did work well as sort of a plasma cutter in tearing apart my wife's e34. Anything thinner than about 20guage steel is extremely difficult for me to weld without quickly burning through.
    Did you weld the entire seam?, or did you just tack weld every so many inches and bondo the joint?
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    Cephas



    Joined: 02 Mar 2003
    Posts: 767
    Location: Chicago

    PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 10:18 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    Wes knows what he's doing apparently! I need to replace all of that on my car as well. Now, to find a donor car...

    Lookin' good Dale.
    -Peter
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 2:58 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    I think he's using either a MIG or TIG welder... It's just held in place right now with clamps.

    Today Roadstergal cut out the trunk floor for the 22gal Fuel Safe fuelcell.
    Pics in a minute.

    Dale
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 10:35 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    The car got 'stretched' today:


    In 2 dimensions!


    And chopped (thanks Carrie!)



    And cleaned up:


    And celled:


    Wes and Ken are doing a fantastic job!



    [ 02-14-2004: Message edited by: dale ]
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    Billo
    Site Admin


    Joined: 29 Jan 2003
    Posts: 2047
    Location: Oklahoma City

    PostPosted: Sat Feb 14, 2004 10:47 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    Dale,

    Reference first pic... Just where were you towing that tree to?

    Bill

    --------------------

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    Roadstergal
    Site Admin


    Joined: 13 Nov 2003
    Posts: 1655
    Location: San Mateo, CA

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 12:45 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    Silly... he wasn't towing the tree. He was using it to brace the car while he towed that poor stuck Jeep out of the ditch.


    -Carrie, who, despire how that picture looks, really doesn't want to cut his arm off.
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    Roadstergal
    Site Admin


    Joined: 13 Nov 2003
    Posts: 1655
    Location: San Mateo, CA

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 12:46 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    My pics...

    The work that was done today in popping out the creases, dents and bangs was just amazing. Hooks were welded in, the tree used as a brace, and the Jeep was hooked to the comealong to help pop them out. Some hammering on the outside, and this odd hydraulic tool on the inside, and you could watch the body panels smooth out.







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    Roadstergal
    Site Admin


    Joined: 13 Nov 2003
    Posts: 1655
    Location: San Mateo, CA

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 12:46 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    After that, Ken and Dale started straightening out the interior, and also started doing something that involved hammering the car enough to shake it from side to side while I was trying to cut out the space for the fuel cell that Wes had drawn out.



    It was quite cool to watch the progress on the car! Some pretty amazing work being done very rapidly.
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 5:13 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    We pulled on the dents from the outside with the comealong, anchored to the Jeep on one end, and the tree on the other. While pushing on them from the inside with the 'port-a-power', braced off of the roll cage.
    Amazing how quickly and easily the dents came out most of the way with 4 of us working on it.












    Here Ken and I are chiseling the sound deadening material off of the floor and transmission tunnel. This stuff is like tar, fortunately it was coldish out today so the stuff was harder then normal.

    Then, after Roadstergal finished cutting the hole in the trunk for the fuel-cell, Ken got the piece out. Next Wes will weld a steel frame over this hole that the fuel-cell will bolt too. Very sturdy and very safe.




    Tomorrow we'll be prepping the interior for paint. With some luck, Ken and Wes will paint it Sunday night.
    Then we start prepping the rest of the body for paint.

    [ 02-15-2004: Message edited by: dale ]
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    Cephas



    Joined: 02 Mar 2003
    Posts: 767
    Location: Chicago

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 9:01 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    That is one mean lookin' Differential!

    I can't wait to see it completed. Looks like fun working on it though!
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 9:57 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    The diff is just a standard 4:10 LSD. The cover is a factory unit from an MCoupe.
    Cost of everything is well under $200.

    Dale
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Sun Feb 15, 2004 10:20 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    Wes and Ken worked on smoothing out the still wavy quarter panel by
    welding little porcupine sticks onto the dented area, then pulling
    out the dents with a slide hammer. When the dent is gone, you grind off
    the porcupine stick.

    The person who built my car didn't remove the tray assembly where the
    sunroof mechanism would reside. Since it weighs a few pounds, and gets
    in the way of helmets for tall folks, we decided to remove it. This should
    have been 30 minutes, but due to the roll cage and other stuff getting in
    the way, it took hours. Oh well, it's out now and everything is better.
    Lots of things going on at once here. Lance, Bob, and his daughter Eva, and I are
    working on sanding the car. Ken is working on removing the sunroof mechanism.
    Wes and Gordy(?) are working on welding the rear panel onto the car.
    The 4 of us working on sanding got the interior sanded, the trunk sanded, and part
    of the exterior sanded.



















    Still working on the sunroof tray removal...
    The rear panel was screwed into place first. Some folks were voting for just leaving the
    screws in place and calling it good. The Frankenstein look!
    Lots of welding to get that piece on. MIG was used.


















    Thanks for everyones help today!

    [note: fixed links for larger versions of pics]

    [ 02-16-2004: Message edited by: dale ]

    [ 02-16-2004: Message edited by: dale ]
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Tue Feb 17, 2004 11:37 pm    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    Ken & Wes are really crusing through this bodywork and welding phase of the project.

    They welded in the extra brace behind the drivers seat, to allow me to mount the seat belts in a higher position behind me, and allow a taller person to drive the car more safely. Added a cross brace to the 'halo' of the cage, to prevent it from compressing, by triangulating the square, if the cage gets hit on the corner.

    Also you can see how much more headroom there is now that the sunroof mounting area is totally removed.

    Front fenders have had their rub strip area filled in. First with fiberglass to make a waterproof seal, then bondo to smooth it out. Much cleaner look. Front fenders are ready for primer.

    Interior is ready for primer and paint!













    Sunroof is now welded shut. Before it was only bolted, safer now.
    Fuel cell frame is welded into the trunk making this a very safe spot for the fuel to live. Sealing goop was added after the welding to prevent any possibility of fuel leaking out onto the ground. Trunk is ready for primer and paint, then installation of the fuel cell.

















    Rear fenders are getting the vast majority of the bondo on the car. And even then, it's not all that much. The passenger side rear is the big area Wes is working on. The drivers side is only to get the welding seam covered up.

















    The car is really coming together!

    Dale
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    dale



    Joined: 22 Aug 1999
    Posts: 3087
    Location: Seattle, WA USA

    PostPosted: Thu Feb 19, 2004 9:54 am    Post subject: bodywork has started on Dale's racecar Reply with quote

    Just a quick update. They sprayed the primer last night, and are doing final sanding this morning and painting the interior.
    Tomorrow is the big day for painting the exterior, then I get the car back Saturday.

    Can't wait!
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