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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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#17,182 ·
I asked around, gave everyone plenty of opportunity to voice opinions but there were none so I went ahead. The closest thing to advice I could find indicated nothing to the contrary. It seems like it has enough crown to hold itself up. The idea now is to do it then see if it needs support and go from there. Headliner was of course one of my first questions but again, no answers. I do have ideas though. I would only leave the flange to install a removable panel. Otherwise it could weigh down the skin. It would also prevent planishing the welded seam.
 
#17,183 ·
I asked around, gave everyone plenty of opportunity to voice opinions but there were none so I went ahead. The closest thing to advice I could find indicated nothing to the contrary. It seems like it has enough crown to hold itself up. The idea now is to do it then see if it needs support and go from there. Headliner was of course one of my first questions but again, no answers. I do have ideas though. I would only leave the flange to install a removable panel. Otherwise it could weigh down the skin. It would also prevent planishing the welded seam.
From One More Time in the other thread... "Anyway just scribe that piece you have to fit the hole and then tack it in."

I think we all "assumed" you were going to leave the existing frame and work with that ?? I have no experience with this, so I'll sit by my dish and watch...;)
 
#17,187 ·
From One More Time in the other thread... "Anyway just scribe that piece you have to fit the hole and then tack it in."

I think we all "assumed" you were going to leave the existing frame and work with that ?? I have no experience with this, so I'll sit by my dish and watch...;)
Yes, I had hoped for more specific guidance. I believe leaving the gutter in place would create enough contrast in flexibility as to cause cracking later. The guy who started the job "has done several" and thought leaving anything up there was weird to even ask about. "Fill roof" were our only instructions.

Where the leaded seam intersects it going to be a main concern for me since an extra layer comes into play for about an inch in each side. Wish me luck!:D
 
#17,189 ·
A contour template goes from right to left the full width of the roof and fits tight to the contour. As you slide it back and forth it'll tell you if the patch is flattening or too proud by either showing a gap or rocking as it goes over the patch. Making one is fairly ez and well worth the time ,all you need is a compass (for drawing circles) and a band saw or a jig saw. You basicly set a piece of wood on the roof and slide the compass over the roof drawing the roofs profile onto the wood (scribing), then cut out the line and test fit,it should be very close, then you sand the wood until the wood fits tight to the roof. Now you have an exact profile of the roof. set your patch in the hole and shim it up until its flush with the roof in a few spots,put your shims between the patch and the flange. Put one tack in the middle ,one in front and one in back to hold the patch in place. grind the tack flush so the template will slide back and forth. check the contour as you tack and grind.
If you take the flange out you'll need to make a brace or two for support but I think I'd leave the flange in to save some money on labor.
This is a sure way to not have a flat spot or a big lump when your done and it'll need hardly any filler.
 
#17,190 ·
Quick side story concerning sand and hidden "cat nuggets"

Years ago while I was keeping us all safe from communism for Uncle Sam, my college going, married buddy was rebuilding a WWll Airplane (should have been studying and doing marriage stuff if you ask me!).
One day he and his buddy, a guy named Jim Lasley, (some of you old guys have seen Lasley before. Remember the guy who flew the plane through the barn for the old TV show "You Asked For It"? That was Lasley.)
Anyhow back to our story. Jim and my friend Barry were heating a bucket of sand in the stove to use to bend some plexiglass for the plane. After a while they came back into Jim's house to retrieve the sand only to discover a horribly foul smell and a large bilious Green Cloud. Apparently one should not overcook cat turds.

Now to the funny part.

A while later after Jim had opened every window and door to rid the house of the stomach turning stench, Jim's wife returns home.
Upon entering the house she sniffs the air and exclaims with glee in her voice, "Something smells good! What are we having for dinner?"

It would seem that cooking was not one of Jim's wife's specialities.

BB :thumbup::thumbup:
 
#17,191 ·
Good story there BB, funny stuff.

When I chopped the top on my truck as a kid I cut plexiglass for the quarter windows. To shape them I put them in the oven then, laying in the original glass.:mwink:

But I was brilliant remember, so I knew that it would be too tight a bend if it was bent to fit the inside, so I put a pack of matches (no matches in it) laying in the bottom of the glass so the plexiglass would stop bending before going to the bottom.

The pack of matches height was perfect after much calculations with the radius of the curve, thickness of the glass, thickness of the plexiglass, amount shortened, the spelling of supercalafragalisticexpialadoshus and other mathematical equations. :rolleyes:

It worked perfectly except that the glass was a little too soft and the pack of matches put dents in the plexiglass! They stayed as I had been given the plexiglass and had no idea where you could even buy any. :D

Wish I had photos of that.

Brian
 
#17,192 ·
I'll just drop a couple pics here then put some more on the body forum thread about this shortly. Pretty much ignored all the advice I had been given. :D

Flipped that patch over and the backside looked like this:



So I scraped, sanded, and wiped converter on-



...and sanded again. Look closely-



Wanna see it from the top? Pics over yonder, shortly:

http://www.hotrodders.com/forum/camaro-roof-33-ford-coupe-447609.html
 
#17,195 ·
I went with Nick to a local show tonight. Ran into a few old friends and met up with Steve and his grandson, is that little guy cute or what!

Check out the 26 Chevy, spoke with that guy a bunch, very cool car! The narrowed VW is interesting to say the least. I have a photo of this car, the last time I saw it at the Fremont Drag Strip at a Volkswagen Nationals event 30 years ago.


Brian
 

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#17,197 ·
Bought a 16 ton hydraulic tube bender today,will bend 1in up to 4in in 1/2 inch increments. also bought a 20 t0n Air over hydraulic jack so I can operate it up to 6 ft away..

Now I will have to learn where to mark the tube to get the bend in the right place to make the correct width:confused,:rolleyes:
 

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#17,200 ·
Spose you'll get back to us in 3 months,lol, lotta work there man.

Later gator
Russ
i dread every day i have to look at that pile o parts

Somebody say Grand Prix?!? :) Oh... dangit theres always asterisks in GP sentences. :rolleyes: Its a lot of work just to have FWD junk when done, ain't it?
yup , im also doing heads on a gran am gt , motor was overeved and pulled all the rocker studs out , 12 helicoils later and the heads are ready to go back on , when i finally find the time to work on it anyways
 
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