[37ford4dr]

Front frame extension

well i got to work this am on removing the front frame extension from the shroud and worked on it a little bit to bring it back into tip top shape. one of the bumper mounts got bumped when the car got moved into the shop and it broke off when i removed the frame extension and it will get welded back on later this week





here is how i will remove the bolts



i take this stuff serious and i gear up for it and use a full face mask, hearing protection and thick leather gloves, not like these numb nuts on TV who use no protection





here it is removed



all and all its in pretty good shape and way better then my mangled one on the coupe



here are the side extensions hammered back to shape, it didnt take much



working out a little dent, we wont let momma know i am using her potting table...



here it is wire brushed





I printed off of Barneys site the front frame extension dimensions and will use that as a guide to finishing the reworking of the piece

[37ford4dr]

time to wrap up this side.....tonight I welded the inner sill and patch panels into place. I spaced the welds about 1" - 1.5" apart and started at the middle and worked my way out, metal has a way of growing on you when it gets hot. tomorrow i will go back and fill in all the voids and grind the welds down

heres the trial fit



heres the welder for the sheet metal using .025 wire, I have welded more with this welder then you can possibly imagine and it keeps on going.



heres the last of the welding, its important to have lots of clamps or vise grips holding things tight

[37ford4dr]

I finished the inner sill welding tonight I used a wire brush to make sure that there was no paint left bewteen the areas I was welding>



its important to inspect the welds....if you look closely you can see my bead in the middle is a little too high and moves off the bottom piece. look for the straight shiney line. ths is no big deal just lay another bead along side of it.



heres a good example of the original tack weld and then the follow up running bead



now just have some grinding to do and we can paint it

[37ford4dr]

well while the turkey was cooking I snuck out side for an 1.5 hrs...I post these photos to try to give some examples of how to bend metals, there are lots of different techniques to use and I am certaintly not a professional body man nor a metal expert but I do have fun working the metal and i think sometimes the best thing to do is just to do it

the need...




clamp the metal to cut it with an electric shear







you can also use the break to hammer form the metal










some times the clamps will not reach where you want them to go so just tack it and use a hammer to flatten out the seams



ok this is just because i can...i am filling up a gap







dont let inexperience stop you from learning this stuff, I have taught my self all I know and I have built up my tools over my lifetime a couple at a time

[boatbob2]

Actually that welder is a little small on amps,to weld thicker metal with it,you really need to heat the metal with a torch first.

[37ford4dr]

Originally Posted by boatbob2

Actually that welder is a little small on amps,to weld thicker metal with it,you really need to heat the metal with a torch first.

thats just for the thin sheetmetal its set up with .025 wire...the Hobart Handler 190 handles the big stuff with .030 or .035.

[boatbob2]

Sorry,didnt spot the Hobart in the photo...........

[37ford4dr]

that Hobart is a sweet welder I would recommend that to any one. I am thinking Santa may bring me a spool gun for it and place it under the tree this year HO HO HO


a few more nibbles of the elephant tonight, I used the O/A rig to put this back together and to bend it back into shape I still have a little more to do tomorrow to it.

[496CHEVY3100]

Dont know if you need anything for your A if you do i order parts from www,VictoriaBritish.com normally 60% the cost of moss usally same part # and manufacturing co they have catalog and website,dont know if they will work but i have a 1969 MGB GT with 5 wire wheels knock offs and hubs along with good engine twin carb OD trans lots if other parts my body it too rusty to repair i bought as a package do not need

[37ford4dr]

thks I have their catalog and will keep that in mind. where are you located? the OD trans sounds interesting.

today everything fought me.....so I am calling it quits after a few hours, some times you have to know when to back off....


I did get the frame extensions bent back to the right dimensions though

reworked side



original good side



[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v494/bobs77vet/MGA%20Coupe/Body%20work/IMG01031-20121123-1737.jpg[/IMG

[John long]

Originally Posted by 37ford4dr

that Hobart is a sweet welder I would recommend that to any one. I am thinking Santa may bring me a spool gun for it and place it under the tree this year HO HO HO


a few more nibbles of the elephant tonight, I used the O/A rig to put this back together and to bend it back into shape I still have a little more to do tomorrow to it.

I absolutely love my little Hobart Handler. If the Hobart Plasma cutter Northern tools sells for 749 dollars is as good as the welder it would be a steal.

John L

[37ford4dr]

I am sure that the hobart plasma cutter is top notch, i have a cheapie inverter one and it works great.

well I decided to try my luck again and it went much better, I fixed the hole in the tubing on the frame extension and then primed it.



did a little bit of grinding and test fitted the other bumper bracket



and then to the primer, i am so old i still think of it as red lead primer

[496CHEVY3100]

I am located in Fairmouny Ga approx 65 mi notth of atlanta 60 south of chattonooga

[37ford4dr]

thks let me see how my stuff works and if i have a need i will give you a shout

another hour or so this am after little Joe went back to college


cutting out the rust



the filler piece from scraps



the set up



the tack




the copper so it doesnt burn through and stick to my anvil



voila



this is the last time i am going to spend time looking for sharpies, my mig pliers or the ground strap

use graph paper to line it all up





painted

[37ford4dr]

woohoo never put a grinder with a cut off wheel in the hands of a 55 year old....


looks like the bottom of the frame horn is tweaked slightly



I took many photos of hood gap for reference pictures




removed old frame extension




comapred it to the new one and they line up where they should and are different where i would expect them to be

made some imaginary cut lines way forward of where i think i am going to splice them


and then made a different cut line even more ahead of those





spent a few more minutes fitting the frame extension i just had to hammer down one of the front frame horns a few mm's took about 3 hammer swings to get it right...time to contemplate the next move