Build Fly By Night

[RUSH55]

thats got some good coverage! I've been grinding and welding in shorts and gumboots .. I'm a bit jelly of your rotisserie.

Normally, I am in shorts, but right now the mosquitoes are so bad and ravenous.

Have I mentioned that I love having a rotisserie?

 

[brisveganbj42]

Have I mentioned that I love having a rotisserie?

I may have to make something similar prior to sitting the 55 body onto the 80 chassis. It would make welding up the sills underneath so much easier than on my back on the concrete in the dark.

 

[WarDamnEagle]

@RUSH55 great work. I’m guessing you are replacing 15 to 20% of the steel?

 

[RUSH55]

Thanks @WarDamnEagle , it feels like it! Probably not that much, just some of the most common areas. As far as I know, this Cruiser has been in AZ all it’s life and still managed to accumulate some rot. Most guys doing this kind of work end up having to do way more than what I’ve done.

 

[RUSH55]

I may have to make something similar prior to sitting the 55 body onto the 80 chassis. It would make welding up the sills underneath so much easier than on my back on the concrete in the dark.

I highly recommend it.
If you’re thinking of making one anything at all like what I’ve done, I’ve come up with a way to make it dead simple. Probably gonna do a thread on it in the near future since plans are in the works for another rotisserie.

 

[bobm]

Getting some time in today. Wanted you guys to see this shirt I’ve been welding and grinding and sweating in all summer - without washing. When the hot-work gets done, it’s going in the dumpster!

View attachment 2089238

We know you didn't Spill any on it

 

[TachedOutOffRoad]

Awesome work man.

I do not have the patience, much less skill.

 

[scrapdaddy]

Skill for sure, it comes with practice. Patience and the drive to stick with it day in and day out, thinking about your next move and going over & over it in your head before you touch the tools is what makes a successful build. Let's not forget about our better half, without their support you might as well pound your head against the wall. Keep at it man, almost home!

 

[RUSH55]

Awesome work man.

I do not have the patience, much less skill.

Thanks @TachedOutOffRoad , it’s a labor of love. And speaking of love, I told my honey years ago before we got married that the Cruiser will always be my first love. She’s so jelly.

 

[RUSH55]

Skill for sure, it comes with practice. Patience and the drive to stick with it day in and day out, thinking about your next move and going over & over it in your head before you touch the tools is what makes a successful build. Let's not forget about our better half, without their support you might as well pound your head against the wall. Keep at it man, almost home!

Practice and a supportive better half = anything is possible

 

[RUSH55]

Got a little time in this week and today, between work and rainstorms. Nothing spectacular, but a couple of areas that are taking some time and some trial and error.

Cut out the two curvy sections on either side of the center of the floor riser. Bent a couple short sections of 14 ga to use as patches and started working on forming it. Don’t have one of those radius tools for forming angle iron, so am trying the cut and bend method.

 

[RUSH55]

Trial fitament

 

[RUSH55]

And while I was waiting for the clothes to dry, I started working on the driver side rear quarter cap. Think I settled on a method to doing it.

First thing I wanted to do was trim a 1/4” off of the quarter. 13” down directly perpendicular from the front of the vent opening, and 19” down from the body line to the rear wheel-well termination. I can transfer those numbers to the other side and be even. This also helps compensate for the 1/4” of material that makes the cap and helps for a better tie in to the angles coming off the rear tub mounts.
The passenger side is 1/2” longer, so it will be trimmed to match.

 

[RUSH55]

Made a piece out of some 12ga that had a 90 degree bend to go over the outside of the inner quarter sheetmetal (if that makes sense). Took another piece that will weld to the outside of the outer quarter sheetmetal, span the opening and weld to the smaller piece on the inside. Missed a photo op during the tack stage, but you maybe get the idea from the last couple pics of the piece trimmed up.

 

[RUSH55]

...trimmed

 

[RUSH55]

Extremely happy about the progress today! Love it when everything comes together

Got the large section tacked on....

 

[RUSH55]

Began working on the smaller, odd shaped, odd angled, rear piece. Took a small section of 12 ga with a 90 degree bend and began working it into the shape to fill that hole.
Something of note that I’m doing on the rear quarter caps is milling () the bottom edge of the cap that fits inside opening, with my grinder, and made a nice flush fit with a recessed gap to fill with weld and eliminate the pinholes and need for all the v-work that the rockers needed. You ca kinda see what I’m talking about in one of the pics below.

 

[RUSH55]

Removed that small section, welded the relief cuts, chased it down, painted the inside with some zinc primer and started the process of welding back in.

 

[Ol Yeller]

That’s really coming together!

 

[brisveganbj42]

i wish you'd done this before i got to my rear quarters... no way i'm going to re-do them now though