Project "Sparkle Wrench"....1972 TLC 40 and all his rusty friends!!!

[TCSTARK]

Sparkle Wrench is coming along nicely. Those rear quarters look great and the videos are awesome. It is this kind of thread that motivates me with the I can do that attitude.

Keep up the progress!

 

[toomanytoyzz]

That quarter panel is awesome. Nice job. How many hours do you think just the quarter panel took?

Thanks!!

From start to finish on the 1/4 panel I'd say it took around seven hours. The hardest parts were drilling out all the spot welds and welding up the 1/4. You had to take your time with the welding to avoid warping it.

I was at the shop on Sunday but I forgot my digi camera. Didn't really get much work on it anyway. I am heading to the steel yard this Friday to get the rockers, inner floor patches and rocker supports bent up.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Got som free time to work on the FJ today. Also had to replace the starter in my Heep Cherokee (beater truck;p) which took a little longer than anticipated.

Anyway, I got the rocker all lined up as well as the inner floor pan. It was getting late so I couldn't tack the rocker in because I still have to drill the holes on the floor pan bend to weld it, but I'll get to it next weekend. I will put the supports in when I put it on the spit .

Here's the rocker all lined up. Have a couple "larger than I'd like" gaps, but I can fill them in by taking my time. I will put the triangular supports on when I get it on the rotisserie.

Gaps (or lack of ) look pretty good here.

I used a can of RM spot primer to get the line I needed. I then removed the pieces and fired up the plasma cutter.

Here's a vid.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Here's a few more. I used my blaster to clean up the channel on clean up the pan where I'd be welding up the replacement piece. I'm up in the air on whatI want to do about the trans hump. I think I'm going to keep it. I only see one section with rot, but the blaster may uncover some unwanted surprises. I had one spot blow through on the channel. You can see it in the pic. A couple hits with the MIG welder and it was back to normal again.

It's almost ready to weld on.

Another damn gap!! Thank God I have a fresh tank of shielding gas along with .025 welding wire.

Here's the other vid.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

I got all the metal tacked in today. It took a little longer than I thought and I'm still not happy with the floor pan section. It sunk a tad when I welded the replacement pan to the channel. Pair that with the original pan's pleat and the inner rocker section proved to be a bi@#h to line up with the section of floor. I finally wound up cutting tiny slivers in the bent portion to get it to line up with the pan. I'll have to go back and weld them up.

I see alot of griniding in my near future. I also started cutting the PTO section out since I'm not going to use one. I would have liked to keep it, but after further inspection I realized it was too far gone (aka: rotted).

The welds were on the ugly side on the inner rocker section since I was all twisted up trying to get into a half decent position.

My rocker/1/4 line is pretty good!!

I just tacked the inside of the rocker to the floor pan bend. My plan is to fully weld it on when I get it on the rotisserie.

I will obviously fully weld it on before grinidingit clean. My shiedling gas bottle was getting low. It's almost time for a refill.

 

[miker]

Looking good! I find that this type of work takes a lot of patience and time. More time than I always think it will take. I'm sure you probably know, but just in case, be careful when grinding down the welds, go slow, as the heat from grinding can also warp the panels. I like the flap disks as they don't seem to heat up the metal as much as a grinding disk and the flap disks leave a lot smoother/nicer finish for body sheet metal.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Looking good! I find that this type of work takes a lot of patience and time. More time than I always think it will take. I'm sure you probably know, but just in case, be careful when grinding down the welds, go slow, as the heat from grinding can also warp the panels. I like the flap disks as they don't seem to heat up the metal as much as a grinding disk and the flap disks leave a lot smoother/nicer finish for body sheet metal.

Thanks Mike!!

I hear ya about grinding down the welds. Thicker material is MUCH more forgiving when firing up the Dewalt 4 1/2". I got introduced to these discs a few months back. The are awesome for sheetmetal grinidng. It's like a flap wheel with a tad more ass and ALOT more life. I finish it off with my pneumatic air grinder with a 2" 80 grit wheel.

My rule of thumb is that once the sheetmetal changes color you are in trouble. I move around with the grinding almost as much as I do with mig welding the same piece.

 

[miker]

Haven't used those sigma discs. I'll keep an eye out for them and pick one up if I find them and try it out.

I also use a 2" or 3" sand disc on my 1/4" angle air grinder to finish up the welds. Work s great and you have a lot of control vs. the 4 1/2". I think I'm just about to wear out the second HF air angle grinder on my 45 project.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Just got back from picking up a Cruiser in Central PA. My cousin wanted it for a woods machine, but it's a little too far gone for even that. The frame is in REALLY bad shape in the ass end.

I only needed the top and doors, but the top is in pretty bad shape. I can at least use it to get my lines good. It has a complete motor and all the wiring is intact. The guy I got it from took out the seats/heater assembly/tranny/tcase. The rest is there, but in really bad shape. I am going to see if the motor turns (I was told it runs). My cousin lost interest in it almost instantly when we arrived, and yes that is gobs of body filler in the 1/4's. The price was a no-brainer so it came home. More Sparkle Wrench next week.

Here it is in all its rusty glory.

 

[Dedtruk]

Now THAT is truly a "Sparkle Wrench". Does it run?

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Now THAT is truly a "Sparkle Wrench". Does it run?

It turns and is "supposed" to run. I'll have an update in a couple of weeks.

Here's a short vid showing the start of my molassas bath on the front grill release. More to come this Sunday.

 

[Dedtruk]

Molasses bath? Is this a low-buck/low-tech electrolysis tank idea? Pretty cool! I have a spare 24V battery charger that I plan to use to clean up some rims I have, but hey, I'm flexible!

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Molasses bath? Is this a low-buck/low-tech electrolysis tank idea? Pretty cool! I have a spare 24V battery charger that I plan to use to clean up some rims I have, but hey, I'm flexible!

Yeah. The results are the same as electrolisis, but you don't have to worry about leaving the power on. The brew stays good for at least a year and I think the results are the same if not better than electrolisis. My parents had an above ground pool that my dad and I took down last summer. The wheels were spinning in regards to dunking the tub, but I declined. The bugs would have been rediculous :whoops:.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Today was a semi-productive day. I got the DS rocker fully welded up and ground. Also got the inner floor patch welded. I need to finish up the inner rocker welding from inside the truck. I was making metal bird s*** trying to poke my large dome through the door opening which is partially blocked from the support tube. Not fun. My back is thanking me now:whoops:.

Here's some pics.

After some grinding this is the finished product.

And of course a vid.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

I moved onto the PS tonight for a bit. I cut off the rocker with ease thanks to Mother Nature's help. Also got the filler neck housing removed. More to come!!

Believe it or not I swept the floor before I started this morning. The sand was what was leftinside the tub and the metal is all the rot I cut out today.

And another vid!!

 

[shipmag]

You did a good job welding the rocker right at the door lip. I got mine from real steel s
Cause the lip was pushed in and cool cruisers didnt include the lip. Replacing mine this weekend along with bed patch and bed patch. Looks good glad your grinding the door lip smooth and not me that is a tough place to weld and smooth out.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Thanks shipmag!! Grinding can sometimes take just as much time to get right as welding on a panel.

Spent a few hours on 'ole Sparkle today. I got the crusty old gas tank housing removed. I also fit up the replacement pan I got from a mud member. It took some time, but it's tacked in. Have a couple of gaps I'm gonna have to take my time with, but it should turn out good.

The rust is coming to an end. I can't believe I am actually typing this!!

This was "roughed in" with the Dealt 4 1/2" grinder with a bum disc. Got to finish it off with the roloc.

 

[huminajumina]

keep up the good work man!!!! it is looking good!!!! I am addicted to your build!!! hopefully soon I can drive the 40 out and see it!!!! hahahaha!!!!!!

 

[toomanytoyzz]

keep up the good work man!!!! it is looking good!!!! I am addicted to your build!!! hopefully soon I can drive the 40 out and see it!!!! hahahaha!!!!!!

Thanks!!

Looks like you are kickin' ass on your build. I will be in my glory when I start putting the drivetrain together.

Definitely bring the cruiser next time you are in the area. You don't see too many around these parts.

 

[toomanytoyzz]

Spent a couple hous today after the Easter Bunny festivities calmed down. My son is still running around with a sugar high, but can't say I was any better at his age.

Anyway, I am still finishing up those damn wheel wells . Think I'll opt for plan B the next time around. Which is to purchase new ones. I did finally get to use the Millermatic 130 I bought a few months back off of craigslist. It worked really well even with the .030 gauge wire. I will have to go back and reweld the seam between the rib and the other patch piece. It will help it "flow" better.

Craigslist is GREAT!!

I had to get used to the thicker gauge wire. Gonna need another pass on the lower section of the rib once I grind it down.

....and finally a small vid!!