SS100 “replica” Project Car

[digr]

Yes looking good!!!!!!!! All my welders only have three controls, I would have no idea what to do with all those knobs

[CaddmannQ]

Mockup of frame boxing from 3 RV steps.

There will be corner gussets from this same material, with some trimming.

[arizonian]

First pic: Safety Toes!!!

[CaddmannQ]

That was just for photos.
Normal shop wear:

[CaddmannQ]

Originally Posted by digr

Yes looking good!!!!!!!! All my welders only have three controls, I would have no idea what to do with all those knobs

Digr, this welder was a long time dream of mine. Until I was 65 I’d never had more than an OA torch set. I’d used a fancy Miller with pulse arc back in 1974, one time. Ever since, I have wanted one.

But that Miller Syncro-wave was likely $10,000 all set up. That was the shop at Pepperidge Farms cake plant in Richmond Utah,

[CaddmannQ]

I had these two heavy duty 3/16” (4.7mm) thick stamped steel gussets from that same set of RV steps. I decided these would make excellent gussets for the headframe weldment.


Before I could shape these I had to trim off the frame rails and I notched them down a little bit to get a good joint.


I still have to add some heavy steel plates, vertically, from the head frame to the frame rails, Before these babies can be welded in place. All that has to be done (and more) before I can ever flip it.

[CaddmannQ]

I got these big 8 x 7” bent plate gussets made, which will tie in the headframe to the rails and box the front frame rails solidly.

I also made some funny closures for the forward frame. I have drilled some holes in those because they are going to get plug welds as well as edges. I can’t get a weld on the heel of the angles unless I make some kind of an access window

I am etching some parts for the rear frame and I’ll start modifying those tomorrow. This “smart seal” brand swimming pool cleaner turned out to be an excellent detergent for degreasing and acid etching galvanized parts.

Particularly if you add it to very hot water.
(Do not add hot water, or cold water, to acid. Always add acid to the water when you dilute.)

[CaddmannQ]

Still shaping and prepping parts.

Shaping a gusset.

[CaddmannQ]

I had to add some little fillers to the bottom plate, so I could get a full weld across these gaps. The gap on one side was a little smaller, & here you can see the tiny filler plate that I made & tacked in.

After welding them all the way around, I have full backup for the bottom gusset welds.

But getting the overhead fillets was a problem. I got 1 poor tack, 3 good tacks, one short weld, and an exploded blob when I tried to enlarge one of the good tacks. Crap. I just need 3 short skipwelds behind this plate, and the rest can be done after flipping the chassis.

I was sitting on the floor inside the jig, helmet banging everything and with crappy sightlines. I was too far for my normal welding glasses to focus, so I will need to wear different eyeglasses. I was wearing the helmet half sideways, looking out a corner of the lens just to see.

I think I will grind that crap out, and consider making little slot welds from outside, instead.

[CaddmannQ]

I got six gussets tacked up.
Two are now 90% welded up, but 4 are only 25%.

I’m doing ok with uphill, but I want to roll this before the full welding.
I did some more overhead, and it was much better this time, but no pix.