The Elephant In The Room: unloading the load from a B-body.

[fullmetaljacket]

Not everyone realizes you don't need high dollar tools to fabricate. Just need to think outside the box. Though not all of us have FMJ's artistic tallent. It really helps when you have a good friend that is a fantastic tig welder. I'm very thankful in that regard.
Doug

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Thank you for the kind words.
So you see, this is what I love about this community of mad scientists, make it happen with anything and any which way. I've done so much with found objects from the street, including the rare straight and true 2X4's that can be a great help in clamping stuff down for the bends that would rival a break machine.
Yes, having a class A-welding ace within a phone calls reach is the ace card to making anything.

Doug, the next time I'm in the D, can I borrow some of those 2X4's out of your tool box. I promise to bring them back. LOL.

 

[dvw]

Thank you for the kind words.
So you see, this is what I love about this community of mad scientists, make it happen with anything and any which way. I've done so much with found objects from the street, including the rare straight and true 2X4's that can be a great help in clamping stuff down for the bends that would rival a break machine.
Yes, having a class A-welding ace within a phone calls reach is the ace card to making anything.

Doug, the next time I'm in the D, can I borrow some of those 2X4's out of your tool box. I promise to bring them back. LOL.

Only if I can borrow the jack handle. The lower 1/4s on my race car were bent around 10" PVC. This car had missing corners of the wheel well. And all the way to the door. The front lip was moved 4" forward, axle 3". The lower rear corners were hand formed from 3 pieces welded together. First time. Never made large patches before this.
Doug

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Amazing what a few hues of spray paint mists and feathering can do to hide things in plain site.
This is a stock cast steel mirror bracket.................... did I really say that? LOL.
Till later.

 

[rmchrgr]

RMCHRGR thinks differently. He says: "Who are you fooling with that thing hanging underneath when people can hear it coming from two blocks away in loud a$$ NYC. LOL.

All else being equal, a painted oil pan might be worth a tenth and maybe 1-2 mph.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

All else being equal, a painted oil pan might be worth a tenth and maybe 1-2 mph.

It will be painted indeed. Going to try an optic trick using two colors that was suggested by one of the members here to fool the naked eye into thinking that the pan is half as deep. In other words, a shallow STOCK oil pan.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Curbside parking while getting a slim coat of primer etching sealer. Aluminum needs teeth to grab top coat paint well.
Up next will be the Race Hemi Orange in slim coats. Don't want to add on any unnecessary ounces. LOL.

Here's the bummer news.
I was under the assumption that going aluminum would yield me at least half the weight of the steel pans which weighed 7-1/2 Lbs.
After all the welding to modify this aluminum pan to fit in the chassis and clear the drag link, I lost only 3/4 Lbs. I think the majority of the extra weight is the actual pan mounting rail which is 3/8ths thick. Hey, at least it lost a little bit of something.

This thing had me up in arms for the last month or so between thinking of modifying a brand new dropped drag link or performing surgery on this brand new pan. After many discussions with y'all and some of my buddies, I opted for the pan to go under the knife and I'm glad that I did. Some of my buddies are glad as well. LOL.

 

[fullmetaljacket]

Only if I can borrow the jack handle. The lower 1/4s on my race car were bent around 10" PVC. This car had missing corners of the wheel well. And all the way to the door. The front lip was moved 4" forward, axle 3". The lower rear corners were hand formed from 3 pieces welded together. First time. Never made large patches before this.
Doug

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Hey DVW
I have some ultra lightweight plastic air valve caps to match those replica fiberglass steel wheel covers. LOL.
Seriously, your sons '62 should fly the mail this coming season.