I got the same wink mirror (4 panel, 28") and mounted it just last weekend. I might still be in the lead (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/2thumbs.gif)

Well, I guess I shouldn't have screwed off at the shooting range today and locked myself in the garage instead... (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/drink.gif)

One half of the UE PHB relocation kit is drilled and welded. I'm not completely happy with a few spots in the weld. I cleaned everything off with a die grinder and a sanding (roloc) disk, but I still found some dirt. I'm going to cut a piece to seal up and strengthen the gap on the back side. I just didn't get that done yet. Also, don't forget to move your halogen lamp when you're welding. It seems that it makes great light when placed right under the parts to be welded. It also seems that once enough slag lands on it, KABOOM...the tempered glass explodes. I meant to move that...maybe next time.

I did the same thing. That is the best thing you can do to beef that up.

I added the reinforcement to the chassis side bracket. And I added a reinforced structure to the axle bracket so that the tubular support that's tied to the axle doesn't interfere with the PHB and my various adjustment points. I will have to thank Jon A at this point. I decided not to reinvent the wheel, so I used a similar design to the bracket he built for his PHB relocation kit. I guess imitation is the highest form of flattery. Thanks Jon!

Also, I hadn't realized that the factory bolts were too short to work with the extra appendage on the back of the bracket. But I'd already drilled the holes for the stepped design of the factory bolts. So, after scratching my head a lot, I wound up gathering up all new 14mm bolts and washers and drilling all the holes out to 9/16. It wasn't the most elegant solution, but I couldn't use the 1/2" stuff with my stepped spacers. And I had already drilled for the larger hardware on one side. The logical solution was to drill out the other PHB spacers and drill out all the bolt holes. Sadly, "nothing" is ever going to fit this car without some amount of work now...but that's how it goes I guess.

I also welded the axle bracket in place. The welds to the PHB flange look good. The welds between the bracket and the axle tube where I attached the tubular support look absolutely terrible. So, no photos until I grind them out and weld them all over again.

I started on the dash last night. I'm going to need something to hold the gauges, so I laid out a template and then measured, marked and drilled holes. Then I tig welded (and not very well) a bracket to the back side to hold the wideband O2 display and shot it with some self etching primer. Then the primer had some runs, I wiped them off and primed it again (outside in the dark). Tomorrow, I'm going to sand off the ugly parts and prime it one last time. Then paint and start assembling gauges and wiring them up.

Once that's done, I'm going to finish the PHB relocation bracket install (which is in progress but not finished), wrap up the cage (and seat mounts) and get the rest of the dum dum out of the interior so we can paint it.


Heading into crunch time, I have to complete the following:

• Finish the PHB relocation brackets (clean up welds and final weld)
• Finish weld the door bars, remaining cage bars and weld the cage to the floor
• Fab the seat mount
• "0" my timing pointer
• Prime engine and install distributor
• Assemble and wire dash (and weld in a bracket for it)
• Swap out steering (intermediate) shafts
• Install and shim starter
• Clearance and insulate exhaust (or weld in a section of stainless if I can find some)
• Wire car
• Install lexan windsheild

I think I'm going to save the front bumper and oil cooler install for after the NFME as well as some of the other projects that may not get completed in time.

Ok. I ground out the welds on the axle side of the PHB relocation kit. I can say that the parts are not going to come apart, but I had the worst time welding that reinforcing tube to the axle and my bracket on the bracket. It looks like crap. For now, I'm leaving it. I very well may cut it off and replace it with something in the near future.

My neighbor does art work and has a '68 Camaro (big block powered) and I loaned him some tools and we got talking about my project. Anyway, long story short, he took the air brush to my new dash panel (we both decided it wasn't anything we couldn't paint over if we wanted to) and I think it might be pretty cool once I get the gauges in it (though air brushing anything is generally not my thing as many of you know). He did a nice job and I'm going to stuff it full of Autometer Ultra-lite gauges and see how it looks. He also sketched a paint design (based on the free Maroon paint we are going to use as a base coat, it's a hand sketch from memory, so it's kind of a 1st/3rd gen hybrid, but it shows his ideas). We may swap the gold for a charcoal (graphite, like my wheel paint?...which we used as the base color on the dash panel too).

Here's the pics:

the gauge panel looks great!

Thanks Phil! I'm not usually much for making things "pretty", but i have to admit, I think it's going to look great once it's all assembled. Ryan does fantastic work.

As for the rest of the project, the PHB relocation is done (the axle is at full droop in the photos). We finish welded some more of the difficult to reach locations on the cage and I hope to have it completed by the end of this weekend.

The wideband O2 isn't in there, the mechanical water temp gauge isn't in there (I hate to move the capillary tubing around more than needed) and I'm waiting on the trans temp gauge which should arrive tomorrow. But that's about what it will look like.

The strut tower bars are in and welded (I found some dirt on the bottom, I ground it out and cleaned it up and will fix it tomorrow). The dash bar is in and welded. Tomorrow I am going to weld the cage to the floor and install the diagonal, the harness bars and the inverted V for the rear. I'll cut the other two bars from the main hoop (by the floor) to the rear shock tower plate and start fitting the corner gussets.

With any luck, the cage will be done tomorrow and I can start on the seat mount and brackets for the dash...(and the rest of the list).

So much for that idea. Suddenly nothing is welding right and I'm grinding more welds out than I'm putting in...only to have them look worse than before. Racerdad916 and I are going to look at it tonight and I'll figure out what to do with it from there. The way today has gone, I'm getting pretty close to scrapping the chassis and selling the rest as parts.

What's wrong? I wouldn't scrap the chassis, just take the time to grind anything questionable out and reweld. If you have issues find someone competent locally to help you out. Putting together a cage shouldn't be a race-quality comes first. That being said, most of the cages I've seen in person and on the net especially are pretty poorly welded. The biggest problem with mig is it's easy to have a cold weld that looks good but has either poor penetration or fusion. Everyone thinks you can just pull a trigger and mig weld, but you can't. Don't be that guy.

Oh, I'm not that guy. We cut scraps, welded, cut apart, etc. We're using plenty of heat (and then some...without vaporizing everything in sight). I'm getting bubbly/porous welds, grinding through them and getting them back even worse. I actually can mig pretty well and I have some talented help, but I'm about tired of dealing with this thing today. I came home early today to grind out some stuff from last night, did it 3 times or so and now I'm still fighting the same problem. Several other welds have been ground out today as well. I even put a new diffuser, tip and nozzle on the mig gun today to see if it helped. It's not so much a race, it's all fitted and just needs placed, tacked and welded. This really shouldn't take long at this point...

Gas flow issue? Regulators can crap out, hoses collapse. Do you feel gas flow at the nozzle? Swapped tanks recently? I've gotten contaminated tanks, twice.

I swapped the tank a few weekends ago. Half of a couple welds looked good today, then it all goes to hell. If it was just one, I'd think "ok", but 3 times in a row? I've welded several things just fine with the current tank, though I'm about to vent it and take it to my welding shop (it was an exchange from Thoroughbred cylinders at tractor supply (which is where I bought my original bottle). I have good gas flow at the nozzle.

Check the two o-rings where your gun hooks/connects to the machine. Also check your gas diffuser if that unit has one.

I'll check them in a few (if/when I go back to the garage). Diffuser was replaced today with one with an O ring at the base (and a new nozzle and fresh tip...just to be safe).

had this happen to me when the wire connection on the ground clamp got loose, maybe check it? Crappy welds, i guess not really porous since there was still gas, but crappy all the same

This post has been edited by Phil: Apr 28 2010, 01:26 AM

We ground on stuff some more, and we managed to get the welds in place properly...or mostly so. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) But this still irritates me.