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The "What Did You Work On Today" thread

3M views 36K replies 388 participants last post by  cerial 
#1 ·
4 hour work day for me at the shop. Used the time to do a valve body swap on a '01 Jetta 1.8t auto .... I successfully installed a transbrake on the car .... that however wasn't my intention.

Its in 2 gears at once in park, all other gears (R/N/D/2/1) are forward gears.... they all seam to be first gear.

I have it torn back down most of the way. Tuesday I'll actually get the VB back out and see whats up.... but part of me wants to take it out for a test drive the way it is just for the fun of it.
 
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#12,441 ·
I'd like to get my tube roller today but there's a 25% coupon for Sunday so I'll wait til tomorrow morning to get it. Unfortunately I will also have to get a 1.25 die for another $180 from swag before getting started. So today I will go get some metal for the stand I'm going to make for it and more for the frame. I might stop by HF to see how big the base is but according to the pic it's about 2" bigger than the stand that it's on and I have that stand so I can guessimate how big it is for the base. On the way to Rancho/metalmart is a nice spot by the river so maybe I will take the little one for some beach fun and then make a stand or start on this pedal car. I got the paper to make templates for it last night at home depot so no excuses.:D
 
#12,442 ·
Read up on thehf roller

There is quite a bit of info on what to do the the roller before you start using. The junk HF set screws strip out. (Mine are) they need replacing, I think one mod was to drill and tap and add a couple more, I don't remember if the shafts have flats for the set screws, then there is always the possibility of adding power.
 
#12,444 ·
. Those wheel doctors are prolly spoiled by the M-B wheels that cost $1500 new each to replace...
The reman wheel guys are actually not charging in relation to OEM replacement like the bumper dudes do. It's funny, I never thought about it until just now. Where as the bumper dudes will charge $500 to reman a Mercedes bumper with exactly the same damage as a $100 Honda one, the wheel guys are charging $129-149 for wheels no matter what one or how much they cost new. We do them regularly and depending on who we use it's $129 or $149. The guys that charge $129 will put a $20 fee for "bead repair" if it requires some welding or filler work before paint. And of course if it's a clear over polished or machined aluminum the fee is $159 or so (I'm not in parts anymore, I forget) but all painted wheels are either $129 or $149 depending on who we use. They have been pretty good, the one we use mostly does a super nice job and go out of their way to get us the wheels back in one day.

They also sand blasted and powder coated my Rambler's 4 wheels for $200 as I remember. :D

Brian
 
#12,445 ·
did a little welding before getting interrupted. Looks like I won't get much time out there today between church and family time but will go out there at some point. The good thing is I can do this at night on the weekday. Anyhow, I'm giving it a couple minutes than will head off to HF's Easter sale to go get my tube roller.

getting better with the TIg but need to figure out how to keep it cleaner . The contaminants are a nightmare but taking care of them differs from MIG. It doesn't take more heat like with MIG, it takes wire and less heat. It doesn't seem to burn away like with MIG. Just like with MIG, doing it is crucial than to just read about it.

 
#12,446 ·
did a little welding before getting interrupted. Looks like I won't get much time out there today between church and family time but will go out there at some point. The good thing is I can do this at night on the weekday. Anyhow, I'm giving it a couple minutes than will head off to HF's Easter sale to go get my tube roller.

getting better with the TIg but need to figure out how to keep it cleaner . The contaminants are a nightmare but taking care of them differs from MIG. It doesn't take more heat like with MIG, it takes wire and less heat. It doesn't seem to burn away like with MIG. Just like with MIG, doing it is crucial than to just read about it.


Feed a bit more rod to avoid those divots.
 
#12,447 · (Edited)
that's a great idea. I think that's it. They say the wire I use is too small but it melts when you need it and hear a lot of guys do the same. I recall the best part of the weld was when I dabbed very quickly. Thanks for that.

seems to only be on the 16 g and not on the 12g metal. I'll be sure to clean it better.
 
#12,448 ·
A big surprise

We got the body tub back from the strippers and, of course, big surprises and not what I would have expected from a professional body shop. It's a shame that my friend was taken advantage of 10 years ago when the work was done. I found the invoice and he did pay for the body work to have been done "properly".

Here are the rocker panels. Those are just sheet metal patches welded over the top of the rusted panels. They were then slathered with body filler to "look good".



Here are the front inner fenders. It appears as if they were beaten back into something approximating the original shape and then just slathered with body filler. The square tabs on the bottom fit in between the bumper brackets and additional brackets back to the frame, so their position and angle needs to be dead on. There's no way the bumpers would have ever bolted to to this at all. As well, there are supposed to be dimples to accommodate the headlights, so those never would have fit.


Here's what they should look like.


Otherwise the body is in surprisingly good shape with only minor metalworking needed to get the body ready.
 
#12,449 ·
We got the body tub back from the strippers and, of course, big surprises and not what I would have expected from a professional body shop. It's a shame that my friend was taken advantage of 10 years ago when the work was done. I found the invoice and he did pay for the body work to have been done "properly".

Here are the rocker panels. Those are just sheet metal patches welded over the top of the rusted panels. They were then slathered with body filler to "look good".



Here are the front inner fenders. It appears as if they were beaten back into something approximating the original shape and then just slathered with body filler. The square tabs on the bottom fit in between the bumper brackets and additional brackets back to the frame, so their position and angle needs to be dead on. There's no way the bumpers would have ever bolted to to this at all. As well, there are supposed to be dimples to accommodate the headlights, so those never would have fit.


Here's what they should look like.


Otherwise the body is in surprisingly good shape with only minor metalworking needed to get the body ready.
Oh God, it looks like they "fixed" the recess for the headlamp clearance! Geeeez

Brian
 
#12,450 ·
I found myself with a little time this morning and thought I would fix something that has been bugging me. I know, I know, it's largely a "feels good does nothing" sort of thing being these sheds are pretty weak. But your average jerk who would bust into my shed is a meth head moron and not the sharpest knife in the drawer. So if it decreases the likelihood of a break-in by a tiny fraction it's worth it to me.

The handles on the door where the lock went were made of plastic and lately after having the sun beating on it for a number of years I couldn't stand it any longer and made some new handles out of a remarkably similar piece of metal I had in my scrap pile.

I have to say this cheap little shed has done be pretty well. I put the floor under it and I made shelves inside that bolted to it adding some strength. I used urethane window sealer on all the joints, it really has worked pretty damn good for a lousy $500 bucks or so. They are now a bit more but they work pretty good.

Arrow Dakota 10 ft. x 14 ft. Steel Shed-DK1014 - The Home Depot

If nothing else to put your lawn mower and other things that are taking up room in your garage that is better used for car stuff. :mwink:

Brian
 

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#12,451 ·
Oh God, it looks like they "fixed" the recess for the headlamp clearance! Geeeez

Brian
Mu guess is that the body shop guy had zero experience with Triumph TR3's, but took the work anyway. You can barely see the outline of the headlight recess on the driver's side. I suppose he "fixed" that to make both sides look alike. He also had no idea that the location of the bumper pads was so critical.

The rocker panels . . . Well, there's just no excuse for that when replacement panels are $40 each and easily obtainable and easily replaced (they are not structural), even a dozen years ago.

Replacement inner fenders are expensive at $1,000 each, but they are hand made and must be hand fitted. I'm trying to source some used ones that are OK up front and damaged in the back (where they meet the A-pillar), otherwise that's a lot of hammer and dolly work, the only consolation being that those front edges are all hidden under the front apron when the car is assembled, so it does not need to be cosmetically perfect, just aligned properly.
 
#12,452 ·
Mu guess is that the body shop guy had zero experience with Triumph TR3's, but took the work anyway. You can barely see the outline of the headlight recess on the driver's side. I suppose he "fixed" that to make both sides look alike. He also had no idea that the location of the bumper pads was so critical.

The rocker panels . . . Well, there's just no excuse for that when replacement panels are $40 each and easily obtainable and easily replaced (they are not structural), even a dozen years ago.

Replacement inner fenders are expensive at $1,000 each, but they are hand made and must be hand fitted. I'm trying to source some used ones that are OK up front and damaged in the back (where they meet the A-pillar), otherwise that's a lot of hammer and dolly work, the only consolation being that those front edges are all hidden under the front apron when the car is assembled, so it does not need to be cosmetically perfect, just aligned properly.

Can they be reworked with an English wheel and made usable?
 
#12,455 ·
Mu guess is that the body shop guy had zero experience with Triumph TR3's, but took the work anyway. You can barely see the outline of the headlight recess on the driver's side. I suppose he "fixed" that to make both sides look alike. He also had no idea that the location of the bumper pads was so critical.

The rocker panels . . . Well, there's just no excuse for that when replacement panels are $40 each and easily obtainable and easily replaced (they are not structural), even a dozen years ago.

Replacement inner fenders are expensive at $1,000 each, but they are hand made and must be hand fitted. I'm trying to source some used ones that are OK up front and damaged in the back (where they meet the A-pillar), otherwise that's a lot of hammer and dolly work, the only consolation being that those front edges are all hidden under the front apron when the car is assembled, so it does not need to be cosmetically perfect, just aligned properly.

I would spend some time planishing those before I gave up on them, they look very repairable to me. As far as the bumper "pads" remove them, drill out the spot welds, grind off the plug welds and make new ones. Repair the panel then weld them back in place where they belong.

Brian
 
#12,456 ·
The LS has developed a slight idle miss, so I dug out, and made use of, an "injector cleaner kit" that I built back in my Northstar days. I had cut off a chunk of an old fuel rail and added a momentary switch, injector plug, and 9 volt battery to operate the injector. I put a pint or so of SeaFoam in the tank and plug in the compressed air, regulated to 45LB or so. by spraying seaFoam through each injector, into a can, it's pretty easy to see if any are plugged or have bad electronics. also cleans out any gum buildup.
I must have been a lot more ambitious back when I built this thing ;) .
Russ
 

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#12,457 ·
did a little welding before getting interrupted. Looks like I won't get much time out there today between church and family time but will go out there at some point. The good thing is I can do this at night on the weekday. Anyhow, I'm giving it a couple minutes than will head off to HF's Easter sale to go get my tube roller.

getting better with the TIg but need to figure out how to keep it cleaner . The contaminants are a nightmare but taking care of them differs from MIG. It doesn't take more heat like with MIG, it takes wire and less heat. It doesn't seem to burn away like with MIG. Just like with MIG, doing it is crucial than to just read about it.

You are probably pulling your wire out too far after you dip. You MUST keep the end of the wire in the argon shield at all times. If you pull the hot wire out of the argon shield you will contaminate the end of the wire and when you dip it again you will get those nasty bubbles in the weld. The only way to get rid of the bubbles is to completely grind them out and go over that area again.
 
#12,458 ·
Progress

Got another hour in today. Not much but combined with what I got done over the weekend my chassis is almost ready to install a bolt-in IFS and updated rear suspension. I'm finally making some progress on my '54 chevy truck. My 5year project is slowly progressing and could turn into a 10 year one if I don't get my butt moving.

Little bits at a time is what I can get done...a little closer to the finish line...

:D
 
#12,459 ·
Got another hour in today. Not much but combined with what I got done over the weekend my chassis is almost ready to install a bolt-in IFS and updated rear suspension. I'm finally making some progress on my '54 chevy truck. My 5year project is slowly progressing and could turn into a 10 year one if I don't get my butt moving.

Little bits at a time is what I can get done...a little closer to the finish line...

:D
Time seems to slip away quickly. I always take 2-3 times longer than I anticipate for projects too. Practice the "5 minutes a day" rule and it'll eventually get done...:D

I got some new tools to try to iron out all the wrinkles in the tail panel and smooth the warpage in the quarter panels seams...;)

 
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