Build Thread '83 T-top Coupe - Cliff Notes Edition

[Davedacarpainter]

So I'm getting these tomorrow to make the car a five lug roller.

https://tulsa.craigslist.org/wto/d/17-mustang-wheels-with-tires/6690500653.html

These are actually going on my son's mustang and I'm taking his old ones. He could use a new set of tires.

His are the 2009 16" version of these.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I did it, I went out to the garage and got the stuff under the pan scuffed and sprayed with undercoating.

I also scuffed and sprayed the cs.

Tomorrow I weld!

You may notice the grey color. This is a good thing, green covers quick on this color.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, I scuffed the undercoating with a red scotchbrite, blew it all off, then I used a tack rag on it.

BTW, perfect day for me to do this out in the open today. Absolutely no wind! Ask how often we get days like that in oklahoma.

Anyhow, I sprayed a sealer over it and then sprayed the color. I'm letting that dry right now and then I'll go clear coat it.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I put two coats of Sikkens clear on.

In the sun.

First green on Booger’s body.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Back to Booger.

I drilled the thirty spot weld holes along the pinch weld. That about wore me out! It’s three layers thick by the rear wheel.

Enough whining, I also fitted the cs back in and marked the sfc for weld cleaning. I also marked the cs for the pinch welds. Then sprayed weld thru primer and cleaned the immediate weld area clean on the jr.

Then I fit it back up for the last time and threw a few welds on it to keep it there.

Then cleaned up and quit for today.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I went home at lunch and dressed the rest of the rosette welds.

I’ll probably do 3-4” stitch welds along the bottom of the pinch seam too.

More welding tonight.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Ok, I thought I would throw all of my brain at this problem.........it bounced back at me and poked me in the eye.

Here's what I was thinking, some garbage between the inner and outer rocker was outgassing when heated up by the welding.

What if that stuff had already been precooked? Bernzomatic to the rescue!

So I take that little blue flame and heated the next area to be welded. Smoke was coming out and I'm thinking, "Yeah baby". Surely we just have a dust between the two panels now, right?

Ah no........so, screw it. I'm just going to give the old overlapping spot welds a try. And it's a popcorn fest still! DAAAAAAMMMMMMIIIIIITTTTT!

Luckily this came to a grinding halt because I ran out of wire. Off to the store. Got the wire, ran it through the machine and was ready to give it a go again.

Same thing! DAAAAAMMMMMMIIIIIIITTTTT! Then i noticed the brown residue around the welds, I started crying here.......I shut the gas off when I ran the new wire and forgot to turn it back on. Weep for me Argentina.

By this time I had already welded the tubes and was just working on the pinch weld. So I finished off the overlapping spotweld thingy.

Then I ground a small area of the gasless spot weld area (wife's home, no long term dressing now!) just to be sure it bonded to both sides. I'm good luckily.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Today I came close to working my fat as* off. I'm way too tired to work on Booger.

The Snap-on guy came by though.......

I've been borrowing other guys carbide tips for cleaning welds in tight areas. I haven't wanted to pony up the cash for my own. Today I went crazy.

That little bit cost $69 with tax. It's mine though!

Tomorrow night I will fire up the compressor and test it out. I want the cs to look really nice. I will probably even go after the MM seat brace since it looks like I painted over several raisins there.

Honestly, this won't be a show car, but it's got to look good though, right?

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I was too pooped to pop yesterday.

Not today though, I tested out the new carbide burr.

It cuts AMAZINGLY well. I've apparently been borrowing worn out bits. I'm so filled with tiny bits of metal all over my body right now. Ouch is my most used word right now.

Anyhow, I got the welds dressed, including the raisins on the MM seat brace.

I have a few more welds I want to do to the pinch seam and a couple other places. Then i'll clean them and get POR15 on all of it tonight. Tomorrow i'll spray the undercoating.

I'll do the finish paint job on this side when I do the first shot on the right.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

My son and I swapped out his wheels on his mustang today. That gives me my five lug rollers.

I stuck one up under the quarter to see how it would look. (BTW, that's the boy in the background airing up his new tires).

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I’m finished welding the driver’s side.

This is my last weld for this side. I’m finally getting the hang of it. In theory, the other side should be just beautiful, lol.

I just need to clean the welds up a little in the rocker and spread some POR15.

That won’t happen till tomorrow cause football.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Okie dokie. I'm going to post the first few pictures of the progress on the passsenger cs for y'all. This will look real familiar to you.

If you want to see the entirety of the process again, I'll post pictures. Otherwise these pictures will be the last I post here for at least a week.

Anywho.....I started by measuring where the diagonal rods would go and dressed the jr there for welding. I also cleaned off the entire other side for the pinch weld.

Then I tacked it to the pinch weld after I hammered out a few of the waves and dents in the pinch weld.

Then I cut and shaped the first diagonal rung. Then partially welded it to the jr and tacked it to the sfc.

Just to show y'all how high tech I am, right at the @Hoytster level of modern technology, here's my CAD drawing of the chassis supports. BTW CAD stands for Can Almost Draw round here......

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I knew work would be slow this morning so I brought rail number 4 down here to use my air tools to shape it. Much easier this way!

I’m going to cut out the pieces I’ll need to fill those cutouts too. I just need to take it home and fit it up to Booger and do any final trimming before welding it up.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Got the little patch plates made and cleaned up the pieces.

Now I just need to go home and fit it up, do the final trimming and weld it.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I know I said I wasn't going to post the details of the right side cs, but I haven't got to work on it much because of the bathroom. So here's more details you'll probably remember from the left side.

I took those pieces from earlier, fit it all up, trimmed them, and welded them together.

Then i dressed the welds.

That's it for tonight.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I've been doing a little here and there today between foot ball games. Sooners lost to Texas.....oh well, it was a fun game to watch in the end though. My Iowa Hawkeyes are winning

I finished getting all five rungs made and tack welded on. I got a couple of the cross brace pieces, but then it started pouring down rain. Rain and electric tools don't mix too well so I'm taking a break.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I got my pedal box spacer in from MM today! Isn't it beautiful?!

It was $35 with shipping included. I consider it a deal. Especially considering that no one else makes these things.

If anyone is changing out boosters or whatever, MM is the place to get this part

 

[Davedacarpainter]

So, the bathroom.......

It's finished except I still don't have my new countertop/sink yet. Lowe's said it would be in next Saturday.........it was supposed to take two weeks six weeks ago.

Actually, I could have worked on Booger last night. All I had going on was drinking a couple Imperial Stouts and talking to Mike.

Oh well, I did something tonight though.

I finished the last diagonal bar of the cs! Well.....not "finished"......kind of. I got the bar cut and shaped to fit between the rung and the sfc. Then I cut out the section needing to fit around the rear torque box. Pictures.

Tomorrow, if I have time at work I'll trim out the little filler pieces for it and weld it all up. Dressed and welded into the cs. Then I'll cut off the spot welds and finish it up like the other side.

MAN! I like working on Booger! Working on a bathroom has given me new appreciation for being in the garage, lol.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I forgot tonight is Halloween, I may not get too much done.

But I found a little extra time at work and made the filler pieces. Maybe I can spend the ten minutes when I get home and weld it.

Lowe’s just called me a couple minutes ago. My countertop is finally in! So I’ll probably do that for Thursday and Friday nights. Then Saturday it’s nothing but football and Booger! Woohoo!

 

[Davedacarpainter]

I got the diagonal welded up and dressed.

Then welded onto the cs.

I'll cut the tack welds tonight and drop it out and get busy on finishing this part up.