Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

55 Wagon Progress

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • I hate to sound like a broken record, but, WOW!
    Patrick & Tammy
    - Long Haulin' 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014...Addicting isn't it...??

    Comment


    • Thanks!


      Our 18 Gauge upper radiator mount / core support cover is cut out and bent to fit. Still needs some minor trimming around the radiator top and then we’ll make some threaded spotters to mark our rivet-nut holes.



















      18 gauge cold rolled steel cut and bent to make our upper radiator mount, with a hammer formed edge around the fill neck.





      .
      Robert



      Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


      MP&C Youtube Channel

      Comment


      • Well as normal, one change leads to one or more others. We thought we'd test fit to check out the clearance for the hood latch striker out in front of the AC condenser.










        I missed getting a picture of our attempt, but here's a view of the original from the service manual.









        No way the original latch striker will work with the AC condenser that far forward. So we filled in the rear bolt hole and bent the latch striker as close as we could to the latch hole, which gave us 1-1/2” more room.














        The support structure would no longer have the rear bolt hole in the same location, and we needed to slim it down to the same width as the modified striker...









        Next, the rear bolt for the striker will need to be horizontal now, so a stud is fabricated and welded in place, and the support bracket modified for this bolting arrangement as well.
























        Media blasted....












        test fit....




        With the radiator and condenser now in front of the core support, the latch striker and support bracket are modified for the cramped quarters..





        .......and on to the next hurdle
        Robert



        Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


        MP&C Youtube Channel

        Comment


        • Pure artistry, as usual.
          Ed, Mary, & 'Earl'
          HRPT LongHaulers, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.


          Inside every old person is a young person wondering, "what the hell happened?"

          The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there. -Vince Lombardi

          Comment


          • No one will ever know that's not OEM!

            Dan

            Comment


            • Thank you so much for taking the time and effort to post up the work you do. We are so lucky to see your work.

              Comment


              • Thanks guys, the subtlety we were looking for..





                I took delivery the other day on a set of slide tracks so we used the opportunity to get the Arbor Press metalshaping dies from Pat Brubaker mounted under the table for better use of space. We used the Diacro press brake to bend some 1/8" aluminum for making some angle brackets for mounting.










                For those with a Diacro manual press brake, be aware the factory cast parts may not be 100% compatible with cheater bars. This happened a few months back, and our billet steel replacement is holding up much better, still has yet to transfer the problem farther down the line, knock on wood.














                E got the holes drilled out in the brackets, and I assembled the pieces..









                This is much better.. a good start to cleaning off the table..





                Just took delivery on a set of track slides so we made a storage solution for the arbor press dies.





                A demo of the process of using the arbor press....




                Using the adapter and dies set from Pat Brubaker to do some arbor press metal shaping





                .....and then today, Mike and I worked on blocking and straightening out the roof to get it a bit closer for painting.









                We did find a stretched spot in the roof, and chased it around a few times in using the body hammer and shot bag. No matter what we did, it tended to still have an up and down wave, so too much metal. The roof has been covered in SPI Epoxy for a while and I had no intention of removing the epoxy, so we opted for the donut dolly (this one home made) as it would leave the paint intact over using a torch....









                Part of the difficulty in using the donut dolly is insuring the hammer aligns with the dolly for the most effective shrink.









                So we employed our magnet trick seen here:




                Using a rare earth magnet (cup-26 on AppliedMagnets, 65 lb pull) we had intended to place this in the low spot, locate beneath using body hammer to find magn...





                .......once the trouble areas needing a bump outward were located (they were stretched inward), the magnet was placed directly over the spots and then we could trace the locations on the inside for proper hammer strike while the donut dolly was held over the corresponding location on the outside. This was about the best results I've had using the donut dolly.




                Here are a few of the shrink locations used to straighten out the roof and its waves...










                Robert



                Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                MP&C Youtube Channel

                Comment


                • Originally posted by MP&C View Post
                  Thanks guys, the subtlety we were looking for..





                  I took delivery the other day on a set of slide tracks so we used the opportunity to get the Arbor Press metalshaping dies from Pat Brubaker mounted under the table for better use of space. We used the Diacro press brake to bend some 1/8" aluminum for making some angle brackets for mounting.










                  For those with a Diacro manual press brake, be aware the factory cast parts may not be 100% compatible with cheater bars. This happened a few months back, and our billet steel replacement is holding up much better, still has yet to transfer the problem farther down the line, knock on wood.














                  E got the holes drilled out in the brackets, and I assembled the pieces..









                  This is much better.. a good start to cleaning off the table..





                  Just took delivery on a set of track slides so we made a storage solution for the arbor press dies.





                  A demo of the process of using the arbor press....




                  Using the adapter and dies set from Pat Brubaker to do some arbor press metal shaping





                  .....and then today, Mike and I worked on blocking and straightening out the roof to get it a bit closer for painting.









                  We did find a stretched spot in the roof, and chased it around a few times in using the body hammer and shot bag. No matter what we did, it tended to still have an up and down wave, so too much metal. The roof has been covered in SPI Epoxy for a while and I had no intention of removing the epoxy, so we opted for the donut dolly (this one home made) as it would leave the paint intact over using a torch....









                  Part of the difficulty in using the donut dolly is insuring the hammer aligns with the dolly for the most effective shrink.









                  So we employed our magnet trick seen here:




                  Using a rare earth magnet (cup-26 on AppliedMagnets, 65 lb pull) we had intended to place this in the low spot, locate beneath using body hammer to find magn...





                  .......once the trouble areas needing a bump outward were located (they were stretched inward), the magnet was placed directly over the spots and then we could trace the locations on the inside for proper hammer strike while the donut dolly was held over the corresponding location on the outside. This was about the best results I've had using the donut dolly.




                  Here are a few of the shrink locations used to straighten out the roof and its waves...










                  Gonna go find me some donuts!

                  Comment







                  • Had a couple questions about the donut dolly. Basically this is just like off dolly but on steroids, as supporting the panel surrounding the hammer strike gives a much more effective capture and shrink of the dent. This also helps to explain why alignment of the hammer to the dolly is so critical, and why the magnet alignment trick I showed in the earlier post works so well to make your shrinking more effective. The dolly should always be placed on the concave side to be able to hammer into the dolly and bring the panel back straight. For a larger, more pronounced dent I’ll use a flat hammer, like the Snap-on BF603. If the panel is wavy but still somewhat flat, then I’ll use a crowned hammer such as the Snap-on BF618. Use caution with the crowned hammer to not hit hard enough to add a dent, ideally we want to hit so that the metal pushes slightly into the dolly but the springback would bring it back to flush. (This comes with experience) It’s at this point that the donut dolly is most effective.

                    The video shown simulates using a flat faced hammer on a large radius/dent. This could be used to remove the dent altogether, or perhaps just reduce the sharpness of the radius, like the rear roof corner on a Model A. None of the tools we have will do everything, but I’ve found the donut dolly especially useful in shrinking where you don’t want to use heat (torch).
                    Robert



                    Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                    MP&C Youtube Channel

                    Comment


                    • More progress on the wagon, we are adding a second interior light, so an original was sourced so they would match...











                      .....and media blasted, ready for primer..











                      Gary dropped off the rear seat so we could match drill holes into the side bolsters and install 5/16 rivet nuts for attachment..

















                      And we found another low spot in the roof, likely due to media blasting the light bracket too close to the roof skin. We used the rare earth magnet trick to accurately locate the inside to outside for exact alignment of the hammer to the donut dolly..











                      outside, where we used the donut dolly to hammer into...

















                      ....and the inside, where we use the crowned hammer.....

















                      Using this method we were able to locate, layout, and bump all of the low spots to a consistent crown to match the surrounding panel, all in less than 5 minutes. In this case, a much better option than mixing and sanding filler.





                      This video better shows the concept..





                      Using the rare earth magnet for locating inside/outside for exact alignment of hammer to donut dolly. This is a 1-1/2” pvc bushing from the local Ace store, ...
                      Robert



                      Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                      MP&C Youtube Channel

                      Comment


                      • Man I love this thread I feel smarter everytime I read it.
                        Greg & Mendy Dayton, Ohio 2007LH 2008LH 2010LH 2011LH 2012 1st 2 stops 2013LH 2015 1st 2 stops2016LH 2017 first and last stops . 2018 LH ("It's better to be dead and cool than alive and uncool!! Harley Davidson!")

                        Comment


                        • Thanks for checking out the progress!


                          Today we were working on more interior parts for Gary to upholster. Here is the design for the trim rings for our speakers, the cutaway shows the relief on the bottom which provides clearance for stainless mesh. This should provide a more 55 correct grill for the speakers than the plastic ones it came with. My cousin JB is making the trim rings for us..




















                          Mike trimmed out the slots we previously had for the bass speaker, it will also get the trim ring and mesh treatment.











                          We drilled holes in the rear kick panel arm rest for panel clips to hold the arm rest down. I thought these would be a better option than the wire clips..











                          We also needed an escutcheon for our seat belt to pass through the arm rest, as the retractor is located behind the kick panel. Not finding much in the local salvage yard but plastic to choose from, and little in aftermarket, we opted to make a sample out of steel to insure the seat belt buckle and harness support would pass through. We will make the final version out of stainless and polish them..

















                          Cleaned up and "polished" with Scotchbrite rolocs to simulate what the stainless should look like..

















                          In our arm rest two clearance holes are drilled, then a cut made between the two. Next, the two "tabs" are hammered downward to provide the void needed for the escutcheon such that they are tight enough to hold it in place.





























                          Robert



                          Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                          MP&C Youtube Channel

                          Comment



                          • Got a new addition to the shop, this Meco came from TM Technologies, or TinManTech. I got it hooked up last night and ran a couple passes.





                            Let me start by saying I am not a gas welder. I have a Henrob torch that I have found awkward to use, likely the operator, so I have always used either MIG or TIG. This video shows my second attempt with the Meco, the first attempt I did not have sufficient heat as I was worried about blowing holes. The two “scraps” were picked off the floor and tacked together about every 3/4”, then fusion welded the distance shown, yielding a full penetration weld with nice HAZ conisistency. Very impressed with the light weight and ease of use, even for an old dog learning new tricks. Video shows in order: front, back, planished, and bent at 90* for our destruction test.




                            Here’s my test of the Meco torch from #tinmantech Let me start by saying I am not a gas welder. I have a Henrob torch that I have found awkward to use, like...




                            Tacks, front side..







                            Rear side, full penetration...








                            Full pass with full weld penetration, bent 90* for destruction test.. Line shown is mark left by press brake die....







                            Rear side held up well






                            Very impressed with this torch, one handed valve adjustments are a breeze, light weight and easy to use..
                            Robert



                            Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                            MP&C Youtube Channel

                            Comment


                            • Looks like you have it down pat. I took a night welding class at the community college when I was in high school. They started everyone on gas welding.
                              http://www.bangshift.com/forum/forum...-consolidation
                              1.54, 7.31 @ 94.14, 11.43 @ 118.95

                              PB 60' 1.49
                              ​​​​​​

                              Comment


                              • I used to be half-good at gas welding but my eyesight is no longer up to the task though I can stick stuff together when needed. I also braze from time to time. I have an old Harris set that was sold as a "rescue" torch and was made to be carried. The torch is pretty small and light and that helps but the Meco looks a lot more maneuverable.

                                Dan

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X