Can of rusty worms

[khryslerkid]

I think it's called C25 Argon mix.

Good, 75/25
Check your flow for about 30cfh.

When you get into the rusty stuff, clean is key but the pitting is what gives you trouble. Place a backer where you are welding for a heat sink. Ideal would be a piece of aluminum with a little nozzle dip brushed on it in case you blow through. The dip keeps it from sticking.

Keep up the good work!

 

[Glenwood]

Good, 75/25
Check your flow for about 30cfh.

When you get into the rusty stuff, clean is key but the pitting is what gives you trouble. Place a backer where you are welding for a heat sink. Ideal would be a piece of aluminum with a little nozzle dip brushed on it in case you blow through. The dip keeps it from sticking.

Keep up the good work!

Good tips thanks! I'll try the backer tomorrow.
I have the flow set at about 20 cfh. Do you think that's too low?

 

[khryslerkid]

Good tips thanks! I'll try the backer tomorrow.
I have the flow set at about 20 cfh. Do you think that's too low?

Yep, I noticed the "grey/red powder" on the outsides of the weld. Not enough "shield" Crank it up to 30 and you'll see that disappear.

When I see someone doing as good as you are, I'll help fine tune their skills.

 

[Glenwood]

Yep, I noticed the "grey/red powder" on the outsides of the weld. Not enough "sheild" Crank it up to 30 and you'll see that disappear.

When I see someone doing as good as you are, I'll help fine tune their skills.

I wondered what caused that. Thanks for the kind words and advice. Very much appreciated!

 

[khryslerkid]

After a long period of time the 75/25 will separate. Then you're only running the C0, which leaves the red powder. If you think what's in the bottle isn't running like it use to, you can lay it on the floor and roll it for a period of time and it will mix together again. When they mix it at the supplier, they roll the bottle, in one direction for 20 minutes. I believe it takes about three months, sitting, for it to separate. I've caught some suppliers not rolling their bottles and it will run like crap! (Another tidbit.)

 

[Glenwood]

That's that, frame is connected! Just the relief cuts to stitch up.

 

[threewood]

Nice work even without a rotisserie! I hate welding overhead.

My car has 2x3 square tubing frame connectors that were welded in by a previous owner. Doesn't look near as good as yours.

 

[Glenwood]

Welding overhead wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, but damn, splatter can be hot! Thanks to a tip I read on someone else's thread, I wore ear plugs. The first strike and my ear was the first spot the splatter went.

No on to the trunk...

 

[Glenwood]

The new trunk pan took weeks to get delivered to Niagara, where I ventured across to pick it up, along with extensions and an 62 old heater box I bought off a member. I picked up the parts and removed all of the cardboard. The box for the pan was way oversized and wouldn't fit in my Ram's 5'7" box.
I was mainly interested in the heater control valve, which is why I bought the box. I was disappointed to find it damaged however. The box looked fine without damage, so it looks like it was dropped or severely hit before shipped to cause that much damage.

 

[conv67bdere]

The rest of the fit looks pretty good but needs a little shaving here and there.

I'll start the other side tomorrow...time for single malt!

Almost looks like you could have pulled that picture from my build - with my knees holding the Frame Connector up in place too . . . yes, I did exactly what you're going through with the frame connectors and the end results are GREAT ! ! ! I can "try" and lift the right rear of my car, and the whole back end goes up . . .

 

[miller]

Shot in the dark.
On a bent brass tube like that, I have made a former, before. A solid steel rod that's o.d. size that's just under the i.d. of the tube. Shape the end with a taper, polish the length, and work it into the tube. Takes time, but you can straighten the bent area.

 

[Glenwood]

I managed to straighten out enough to dismantle the valve, but I can't be sure it won't leak until I test it. More on that at a later time.

The trunk looks to be more involved, much more than the floor was. The pan itself isn't too bad except it is wider than the trunk opening. Not as bad as later 60's mopars, but a challenge regardless. First things, gotta remove the leaf springs. They are in the way of accessing the trunk extension somewhat so out they go. The front bracket nuts were surprisingly easy to remove, but the shackles were a pita as expected. Lots of heat and the top still broke. At least the shackle studs slid out easily. I thought they seize up in there.

The trunk pan and extensions have multiple points of contact. There are rear brackets that tie the rear quarter and tail sections together with the pan and extensions. I gave much thought on how to attack this. when I cut out the rotted and poorly patched extensions, I left one side attached to the frame cross support to prevent shifting. But, I cut too much of the rear portion of the extension out, anticipating the extension would fit the entire length...wrong! It is difficult to tell this from AMD's website and no dimensions are offered. Oh well, more fabrication to do!

 

[Glenwood]

Almost looks like you could have pulled that picture from my build - with my knees holding the Frame Connector up in place too . . . yes, I did exactly what you're going through with the frame connectors and the end results are GREAT ! ! ! I can "try" and lift the right rear of my car, and the whole back end goes up . . .

Where do you think I got the ideas from! I can't tell you how many times I've gone back through your thread from the beginning to pick up tips here and there! Thanks for posting that btw.

 

[Glenwood]

Shot in the dark.
On a bent brass tube like that, I have made a former, before. A solid steel rod that's o.d. size that's just under the i.d. of the tube. Shape the end with a taper, polish the length, and work it into the tube. Takes time, but you can straighten the bent area.

Exactly what I did sort of. I sacrificed an old tire iron that was the perfect diameter. Cleaned and greased it up and tapped away. Worked well. The main problem is the larger section was crushed. I tried to straighten it so the valve will work but I'll have to test it to see if the pipe connection has been compromised. The rest of the valve body was straightened and appears to be functional.

 

[conv67bdere]

Where do you think I got the ideas from! I can't tell you how many times I've gone back through your thread from the beginning to pick up tips here and there! Thanks for posting that btw.

One other thing that I thought about . . . on the front of the connection, I made sure not to cover up the drain holes as seen in this picture . . .

 

[Glenwood]

First, the pan was trimmed at the front. I don't see a need to replace the section that covers the shock absorber cross brace, so this seemed to be a perfect spot to cut. This allowed the pan to be placed inside without too much trouble. I needed to check the gaps below and around the wheelwells, etc. The pan is a nice fit. Pays to use AMD I think.

I inserted the extensioin to figure out how to weld all of this up. Quite challenging I think.
Essentially, I think I need to weld the extension to the cross bracing first, once I figure out the correct location. The pan overlaps the extensions, so the height and contours need to be right.

 

[Glenwood]

One other thing that I thought about . . . on the front of the connection, I made sure not to cover up the drain holes as seen in this picture . . .

I
I saw that on yours. Must be particular to your model year as this wasn't an issue on the 64! yay! I don't need more work lol

 

[Glenwood]

Oh yeah, I still need to install the patch I fabbed for brace section that was rotted. I used the trunk pan and extension to get the length right. It took a while, hours actually, to tweak the patch to make it fit right. Cutting it straight the first time would have saved time lol.

 

[Glenwood]

With that tacked in, I can start to fab up a patch that goes behind the extension. Turns out that this is a separate piece that no one seems to make, so I will!
Started with making a pattern.

Fits pretty good but need tweaking.

 

[ckessel]

Improvise, overcome, adapt! Way to go on the extension issue.