Builds Rebuilding a 40 but no longer in a 1 car garage.

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Spending some time on upgrading the mill before I continue with the tub.
going from this,

to this,

and this.

 

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Started with fixing the mounting points on the rotisserie frame.
here are the first 4 points.
this is quite a challenge as everything has to be square. I have been calculating the angles and measure Ing them.
found out the frame is not perfectly square, need to fix that first, I always have a few mm off on the diagonals.

Here are a few close ups of the mounting points.

They are fully adaptable in position and height, there is a threaded portion in the tube and the times can be changed for different lengths. That way I can use the frame for future projects.

 

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on the mill,
Made a new switch panel front and mounted the air switch box.

 

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Made a new safety screen with its lifting mechanism, still waiting on the linear actuator to operate it.

 

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Next step is getting the tub on the rotisserie.

 

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Took the wiring loom out.
The PO didn’t like complicated diagrams.
Or different color wiring.

cleaned out the last bits of the bottom of the tub.

One side has the mounting points in, the ds side still needs them.

 

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Support structure temporary mounted.
Found out that the measurements on the drawing are not correct for the +79 frames.
Corrected the measurements, pre drilled the holes and checked the diagonals.

Almost ready to put it on the frame.

 

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Now the ugly bit.

This is what came out.

Working on a new part to go in there, this is one of the most complicated areas in the +79 cruisers.
Naturaly both sides are gone in mine.

Using the old piece, what is left of it, as a template.

Lots of test fitting.

 

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Cut some more bad parts out.

And braced the corner.

Test fitting

Mote hammering, stretching and shrinking before more test fitting.

 

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Cutting the adjacent piece.
Below it you can see the support that connects the tub to the frame, this corner needs to fit in there for structural strength.

After a lot of measuring , cutting, hammering, welding and grinding, lots of grinding.

With the overlapping part.

Inside view

Here is the opening that causes the rust in this area of the tub, crud gets in and forms a nice moisture and salt trap for rust to emerge.
I’m looking at a way to cap this opening with something removable te retain access when needed.

 

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Continued with the corner today, the inner rocker panel remake.
used a strip of steel set at 90 in the shrinker to determine the shape of the floor.

Then I used a bigger 1,5mm strip and made it to the template.

fitted it in the piece of floor I made earlier.

 

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Made it fit to the rocker panel and welded it in.

Then made a piece of 15mm to fit in the opening between the new piece and the old.

And welded it in.

 

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With the strength back in the rocker panel it was time to finish the floor.
I was planning on bending the excess steel in a flange but this proved to much on the stretching front.
Therefore I cut the excess steel off and made a new flange.

lots of fitting and measuring.

Flange almost done.

And with the support piece.

 

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Fine tuned the pieces for a perfect fit.
Then started with the piece that is still open.
Here is the first shape.

and from the inside.

 

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Finished the remaining part of the floor.
The edge of the foot well is angling inside and it would be easier to replace it than fix it.
Therefore I made a new edge over the full length and attached it to the new piece.
Next I added the open area between the new edge and the old floor.

This is a view from the inside with the patch formed and fitted.

I then welded the this piece to the new floor piece.

 

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It all fits nice in the tub. I added an extra piece on the top edge to give the rear floor a better surface to connect too.
It just needs to be cut to size and have a bead added to make the floor flush.
Then cut the offset edge out and repeat with the PS.
You can see it held inplace with just a clamp on the bottom side, no tension on the material.

 

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As I like to vary things a bit.
I started this repair many moons ago, decided that it was time to continue now.

the patch panel roughly shaped.
And the carnage it has to replace.

I have to think how I am going to keep the dimensions exactly the same as I’m going to take out a full reference side.

 

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I decided it would be better to replace the bad parts in 4 steps, that way I can keep the shape like it was.
First part to cut out.

Here it is cut out.

And the patch clamped in position.

 

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Next the middle part.
No pictures of the proces but here is the result.

You can see the lines for the next cuts.
First I did the bottom And then I cut out the big section.

made the patch as accurate as possible the use as little rod as possible.
Less rod is less heat and easier to planish.

I clamped everything to the table to keep is flat.

This is after most of the welding.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Every now and then, when I’m feeling good about something I just fabricated I come back to this thread so my mind can be blown by what real metalworking looks like. You do some truly incredible work! I think I asked this before - but how are you forming these pieces - is it all hammer/dolly or do you have bead rollers and English wheels and shrinker/stretchers at your disposal?