Build Thread '83 T-top Coupe - Welding Holes in My Rear

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#4,301
Davedacarpainter said:
I know exactly what you're saying except I really love doing this. I have my younger boys with me (the 18 and 20 year olds) today too. I'm enjoying it.

You can do the extra with the tubing. I'm not overly worried about mine. I measured three times to some exact locations and I just need to put the new frame rail back there.

I'm not dismissing your fear or maybe paranoia is a better word. The more paranoid you are, the more likely you are to have a successful outcome. Unless of course you're one of those people who's paranoia freezes the in place, then I've got nothing for you.

Luckily for me I have a frame machine if things go too haywire!:D
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The main part I'm not looking forward to is dealing with the rust. I'll actually enjoy putting it back together...and the end result of a job well done. I may also have to remove/reinstall the rear quarter due to somebody not putting it on straight (at least that's what it looks like). I'm a sheet metal fabricator by trade, so I'm always up to a challange. If you're going off factory dimensions, it'll turn out just fine.

Looking forward to see more of your car as it progresses.
 
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#4,302
jrichker said:
Do the grinder test and compare the results...
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Not yet, probably tonight. I’m not sure if that’ll change what I’ll do though.

But out of interest sake I’ll try and have my son take a picture or two so I can look closer at the results.

If it’s bad enough, I’ll get some scrap steel at work and check it too. Might get it free that way.:nice:

Hey, if nothing else, I have a buck to form a new piece. Making it at work would be ten times faster as well.
 
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#4,303
Davedacarpainter said:
Not yet, probably tonight. I’m not sure if that’ll change what I’ll do though.

But out of interest sake I’ll try and have my son take a picture or two so I can look closer at the results.

If it’s bad enough, I’ll get some scrap steel at work and check it too. Might get it free that way.:nice:

Hey, if nothing else, I have a buck to form a new piece. Making it at work would be ten times faster as well.
Click to expand...

While I appreciate the professional concern that Joe has expressed, there'd be no way in hell I'd change out what I'd done after all of that work. I'd wager that the 30 year old strut towers in 90 percent of the collective in this forum have rust to some degree that has long ago compromised the potential structural integrity when comparing it to the way it was when it was new.

And I'd bet your low carbon mild steel fix is significantly stronger than any of the stuff that is currently running around unaltered. By the time everything is tied together with all of the new steel repair patches/panels, even more so.

If on the other hand you are building your car to survive crashing it into a wall so that you will meet 1983 govt safety crash standards, you might want to use only half of the weld points that you drilled out of the old rusty assed parts...that way you'll compensate for how it'll fail, should you slam it into a wall at 30 MPH, and both results, 1. Old 30+ year old rusted crap, 2. New low carbon mild steel not adequately welded back in. Should be about equal.
 
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#4,304
CarMichael Angelo said:
While I appreciate the professional concern that Joe has expressed, there'd be no way in hell I'd change out what I'd done after all of that work. I'd wager that the 30 year old strut towers in 90 percent of the collective in this forum have rust to some degree that has long ago compromised the potential structural integrity when comparing it to the way it was when it was new.

And I'd bet your low carbon mild steel fix is significantly stronger than any of the stuff that is currently running around unaltered. By the time everything is tied together with all of the new steel repair patches/panels, even more so.

If on the other hand you are building your car to survive crashing it into a wall so that you will meet 1983 govt safety crash standards, you might want to use only half of the weld points that you drilled out of the old rusty assed parts...that way you'll compensate for how it'll fail, should you slam it into a wall at 30 MPH, and both results, 1. Old 30+ year old rusted crap, 2. New low carbon mild steel not adequately welded back in. Should be about equal.
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If I remember correctly Ford used a mild steel back then in production. They just used heavier guage steel for structural parts.

I can’t say if I remember correctly or not though.

I’m going to do that grinder test just to see, plus some reading up on the metals used then.
 
#4,305
Oh Lord......I just got through a mandatory on line painter certification course.......It was mind numbing.

Yes, yes I passed.

I won't be working on Booger tonight, I just want to go beat my head against a wall for some reason.........
 
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#4,307
90sickfox said:
I had to recertify for three of my Master ASE certifications. After a while my eyes start going crazy staring at those tests.
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Jeez Scott, if this were only the ASE recirt tests. Those were a little silly, but ok. This is a new EPA ceritification that is so basic and dumbass I was about to weep.
 
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#4,309
@jrichker , help,me out here. I was thinking that the fox platform was mainly mild steel. The engineers just used gauges of steel to provide increased strength. Not that the steel was the same as used in the previous decades, just nothing
ike the High Strength Steels we use now.


After resesearch I could only find HSS starting around the early nineties. Where did you find the info for the grades of steel going back to at least '83?

I'm really not trying to question what you're saying, google is as stupid as I am. I am a painter, so my metal experience back then was limited. The older bodymen I talked to believe that it's mild stell I'm dealing with.

My son was working and I was taking a silly online qualification test tonight, so I didn't get to try the spark method. Tomorrow night i will document it..
 
#4,310
Davedacarpainter said:
@jrichker , help,me out here. I was thinking that the fox platform was mainly mild steel. The engineers just used gauges of steel to provide increased strength. Not that the steel was the same as used in the previous decades, just nothing
ike the High Strength Steels we use now.


After resesearch I could only find HSS starting around the early nineties. Where did you find the info for the grades of steel going back to at least '83?

I'm really not trying to question what you're saying, google is as stupid as I am. I am a painter, so my metal experience back then was limited. The older bodymen I talked to believe that it's mild stell I'm dealing with.

My son was working and I was taking a silly online qualification test tonight, so I didn't get to try the spark method. Tomorrow night i will document it..
Click to expand...
You may be right; the switch to high carbon steel started when the push for better fuel economy got to be important. It was one way to lighten the cars and thus improve fuel economy.
 
#4,311
jrichker said:
You may be right; the switch to high carbon steel started when the push for better fuel economy got to be important. It was one way to lighten the cars and thus improve fuel economy.
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I'm still trying to find out information about that though. I can't find anything in my factory service manuals and the internet is less than informative. I keep trying to reword my search.

Oh well, you got me curious. I didn't do the spark test last night because of having to take that silly online certification.

Tonight though I'll try to get some pictures posted.
 
#4,312
The guy from the salvage yard contacted me today, he says he’ll sell me a manual pedal assembly for $30!

I’m off to the yard after work! Woohoo!

I’m thinking I’ll hit him up for that tilt steering column since I’m yanking this one out of the way to do the floorpan too.
 
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#4,313
I made it up to the yard, it's been a while since I've been there. He keeps filling in spaces with fun new (read old) cars.

The vehicle I got the pedal assembly from was an '88 GT convertible shell he got for $100! Admittedly, this is just a shell, but the structure is beautiful. I wish I had a salvage yard now, oh well, bucket list, lol.:spot:

There was no instrument panel in the car so it took maybe fifteen minutes to take the pedal assembly out.
IMG_4318.JPG

Here's my manual pedal assembly sitting on Booger's floor. I'll take it to work and disassemble it. I think it's going to go the trim grey. Booger green would look silly I think.:puke:
IMG_4319.JPG

He will still give me a tilt steering column. I'll pick that up from him sometime soon. I'm going to remove the original SWC assembly anyhow to get the floorpan in, what the heck, might as well get a tilt column.:shrug:

Again, 30 bucks!
IMG_0511.jpg
 
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