9 Jan 08

I got a new tool:


This should help with some of the stuff I've got in mind here. First thing you do when you get a welder - you build a welding cart:

(yes, I should have built the cart for the MIG when I got it -- but I just now added the gas conversion for it.)

The cart isn't pretty, and the welds aren't that great -- but I learned a couple of fun things; the first being that it's hard to run a TIG welder while laying on the floor - one hand for the torch, one for the filler, and a third hand for the pedal... and second that while a MIG will give you sunburn if you use it a lot without protective clothing, if your inner arm is exposed to the light from a TIG arc you'll sunburn in a matter of 30 seconds. Oh, and thirdly -- inner arm sunburns are bothersome.

Not that you came to read about sunburns.

The weather here in Dallas has been beautiful -- 60s/70s in the day, which has given me a chance to get out and do stuff during the semester break. This week/month/year's plan: Finish the engine mounts, finalize the engine position, and then pull it all apart to clean up, notch, and paint the frame. This will lead into the front suspension work, and the cowl rust repair.

So here we go...

The three degree nose down angle I had in my last update was wrong. Should be three degrees tail down. This fits much nicer.
All it'll take is about a 1/4 inch spacer -- here's a chunk of metal acting as one, but I'll likely mount it between the rubber mount and the transmission instead of under.
A minor panic; the plate on the top of the tranny reflects that I'm about 8 degrees leaning towards the pass side... but taking a measure of the bottom of the oilpan shows me to be level (no pic of that, magnetic angle gauge doesn't stick to aluminum pan)
Engine mount complete and waiting to drop into place. Countersunk the holes with a big drill bit and the adjustible stop on the press.
Pass side mount also complete. Note that it's bolted to the frame -- I didn't, when it came time to free the engine. You have to pull really hard to get it free when it's still bolted in.
I took no pictures while removing the engine. The frame stands got a little bent up -- the pass side because of that bolt, the driver's because the engine got caught on it while I was pulling it out. Then it became all about stripping the suspension off. Here's the starting point for that.
Put the engine on the wheel dolly -- this really works well for moving it around the garage.
You get no pics of the suspension coming apart, because I was busy taking the suspension off. Ball joints on both sides wanted to be argumentative. Here's the driver's side, stripped. The hard line for the brakes didn't want to come apart, to the extent that even with a flare wrench it started to strip... so I cut the hard line (I'll be replacing it anyway, and the rubber lines are relatively new)
This pile of parts, minus the wheel, now belong to the Chevelle.
Pass side, with the cut lines for the frame notch. Nylon ties holding the fuel line out of the way -- not sure why I don't just cut it off.
Replaced the bolts on the frame stands. Still need to drill the rear two holes on each side.
Oddly, I had no bump stop on the pass side.
Driver's side frame rail is in pretty good shape.
Pass side -- not so much. Between battery acid, plus an impact, it's seen better days. Will need to do some measuring to make sure it's close to square.
Here's the stopping point for the day. Next: Wire brush! Implement enamel primer! Possibly welding up the unused holes in the frame! And maybe some adjustible spring thingies!

Go back to the previous day (1 Dec 07)