SoCalDesertRider wrote: How's your welding ability for welding thick to thin, out of position, in difficult to reach areas? What process and filler are you intending to use?
I'm competent to spot-weld, but beyond that I have to seek professional help.
By spotting it myself, I can show my pro what I was thinking, and since it is just spots, it's easy to revise if my pro has a better suggestion.
Again, I'm not trying to use this car for real towing. I have pickup trucks for that. Just a fun build, and so far I really am having fun.
Sounds good. Do yourself and your welder a favor and ask him to give you detailed instructions on how he wants each of the weld areas prepped/ground before you tack it together. Once it's all tacked up, there is very little chance of being able to do a proper weld prep to his liking.
This includes beveling any of the thicker plates to create the desired joint size/shape, grinding edge shapes for proper fit-up, grinding surface protrusions to limit unwanted joint gaps, as well as removal of paint, rust, sealer, etc that can contaminate the weld.
As a welder who often does work on customer's half-done projects, I always prefer to do my own prep work. It is rare that a customer will truly understand what is needed and do it on their own. It's harder for me to fix what someone else has already done wrong, than to just do it how I want it myself from the get-go.
Correct, and good to share, but in my case you're preaching to the choir.
On another note, tomorrow afternoon I'll be stopping on my way home, to pick up a pre-fab tail-tube. The one the ball-mount will slide into.
And I think the cross-tube will be 2.5" rather than the 3" I typed earlier.
'06 GMC C2500HD RCLB gasser 4.10:1, 4L80E, custom camshaft
'84 Trans Am 6.2 diesel, 700R-4, custom Class-3 receiver
'69 F350 dually. GM 6.2 diesel, turbo, 700R-4, NP208 all pending.
I found Moog's master list of all their automotive coil springs, http://www.moog-suspension-parts.com/Universal_Coil_Springs.asp
So that I could find / choose something to offset all the steel I'm adding.
I plan on Firestone 4103 airbags for the tongue / pin weight, the change of springs is simply for the hitches and cage.
First I looked up the factory springs for my car, then I found them on Moog's page to see how they specced mine, then I looked at all the others with similar specs.
If you want to follow along, my front springs will be the 5664, and my rear springs will likely be the CC659. Note that the 5664s are normally used for the IROC-Z convertible with the iron-head 5.7L with A/C and automatic. Pretty much a stock replacement for my '84 Trans Am.
If you want to compare rears, mine probably has the 5665, while that IROC-Z convertible I just referenced had the CC635.
More progress: I found a free, full-floating, 8-lug, SRW Dana 60 axle for the dually portion of this project! The catch is the work I have to do in trade, and the 4.10:1 gears in it, instead of the 3.54:1 I want. But since Strange Engineering offers their bolt-in S-60, I know this center-section ( differential housing ) is not too monstrously large to clear my stock-style rear suspension, stock-style exhaust, and my stock fuel tank.
These truck tubes are larger than the S-60 uses, so I'll have to contour the brackets accordingly.
As for the torque arm, I discovered I don't need to fight that. Five7kid on thirdgen.org tried some trailing-arm deal that eliminated the torque arm. He didn't like it, but he wasn't building for tow-and-show.
I'm from that era and before. Those old big block sedans ain't what some newer gen folks think they are. Fun cars for what they were but they sure wern't a towing machine.
Grated a 500 inch caddy had pulling muscle however as all big engines in large sedans of the '50s/60s/70s they were lacking with small brakes/soft suspension/small radiators/small capacity wheel bearings/overheated trannies/etc and on and on for any serious towing duties.
I had a '64 Ford Galxie 390 ci 330 hp Intercepter engine 3.36 gears that would run 90-100 mph all day long but hook any kind of single or tandam axle trailer to it and attention to overheated tranny was the norm. Braking was terrible. Same with a 396 chevy Impala and several other .... I'll stop there.
Anyhow sounds like a fun project and good luck. You will be able to add what those old cars were lacking for "towing" duties.
"good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" ............ Will Rogers
'03 2500 QC Dodge/Cummins HO 3.73 6 speed manual Jacobs Westach
'97 Park Avanue 28' 5er 11200 gvwr two slides
My grandmother's car wound up an easy 50,000 miles towing without a hiccup...1971 Chrysler Town & Country station wagon (C-body, same as a Monaco or Fury), 365HP 440 TNT engine, HD 727 transmission, and 2.76 or 2.94 gears. It didn't have disc brakes (fortunately), but I had no complaints the big HD power drums with sintered metallic linings. (Note: CHP Furies & Polaras used the same brake system!) The only thing added to it was a large transmission cooler.
John and Elizabeth (Liz), with 3 nutty cats
My beloved St. Bernard, Marm, lost him 1/2/12
Current rig:
1992 International Genesis school bus conversion
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