Scratch Building a Coupe

yup I will weld in some scraps here and there.

I welded in a midway baffle for side ways slosh. Plus I fabricated a cover for the top of the gas tank that will house the bubble top etc.Plus I added some cross braces to stiffen the sides of the tank and the top. Lots of seams we will see what I get

rsfyj said:

I welded in a midway baffle for side ways slosh. Plus I fabricated a cover for the top of the gas tank that will house the bubble top etc.Plus I added some cross braces to stiffen the sides of the tank and the top. Lots of seams we will see what I get

Click to expand...

Hopefully not a new planter for the yard...[cl

Well if thats what it will be

I will seal all the seams inside with epoxy and also the outside seams also, You just brush it over the welds then paint. I will use a commercial gas tank slosh after all this is done. It would make a great planter just take a saws-sall to the top......

I have in the past made oil pans welded chev 3 peed manual trannys that cracked while Dirt Track racing. Only had one oil pan leak and I promptly brazed over the weld and that was that. Okay I done ,more on the gas tank today. I lined up the filler neck and cut a hole through the fender for a gas cap. Plus I cut the holes in the tank 2 each one through the bubble and another continuing through the other tank top.. My plan is to drill some 3/8ts holes in that top so gas can come up and displace there for storage. This will give me strength and another baffle.. I made it so I could join the 2 filler neck pieces together win a piece of Gas Tank filler Hose and some stainless steel clamps. I have the gas Tank placed where it will be. I set it low enough for a spare tire and some tire tools etc. Have to admit it looks nice snuggled in there ready made hole for it. The Tank is all 18 gauge steel. Got some snaps of the maybe leaky tank......

Well I had to make some changes today. The bubble idea is out, it was a good one . But I found I could not take the tank out or put it in that rectangular box I made. The interference with the fender and trunk hoops etc. I could have made it smaller but the work is not worth the gains in gas. I will just fill up a little faster than normal. But I did weld the filler pipe in the original top piece inside and outside welds.. I also added some stops on all 4 sides of the tank so they will rest on the frame I made for the tank. I used i inch tubing scraps I found on the floor under my bench. I will still use straps underneath the tank but this will give added support. I read somewhere that a Hot Rod tank fell out while driving it had some tabs welded to the side i think. Any way I took note of that and will use both means for my Tank. I also added another baffle this one is a forward and rear anti slosh midway on half the tank. That's all , ohh and I started to weld seams continuously on the inside of the tank where I just tack welded. If it leaks after this I can say I done all I could to not have it leak. I still have to weld in a drain plug and fashion a pipe fuel pick up inside the tank. I think ill do it from the top like I saw in some tanks. less chance for a bottom or side leak. I have a photo showing the weld pattern showing up on the bottom and sides of the tank. A little more tweaking and Ill be ready to weld on the top piece.

There is metal distortion because I am using Mig Wire with flux no Gas being used I ran out and they want to much for stuff they use to throw away.

Fooled around this AM making a drain plug for the gas tank. A little machining and some welding. I affixed the drain plug to a stiff piece of steel. I remember trying to loosen a drain in a tank once and it twisted the whole thing right off the tank. making a large hole. So I will try to make this a little tougher like you used to see on the old Flat head Ford engine oil pans etc. I had a piece of steel already with a 3/4 inch hole. Not perfectly centered but all ready made. Ill use this.

Not much done today it was hot and muggy,. But I managed to weld in the drain plug and do some general clean up.

I moved away from the gas tank for a while and used pieces on my fenders. I finished the passengers side fender around the edges adding angled pieces for a flare. I also joined both fenders to the running boards also with left over pieces of 18 gauge sheet steel. That's about what I did today.

Still watching......

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Nothing to see really. progress is slow..............

My brother in law gave me a piece of new 5/16 tranny cooler lines he didn’t need. It is steel so I will use part of it for my Gas pick up tube on my gas tank. I needed one I could weld. I spent the morning making a large clamp. I never had the right size clamp when fabricating. Like when I did the fenders to the running boards I had a hell of a time holding the pieces that needed a large throat clamp and deep. So I had the scraps around and I used what I had. I used 1 inch tubing pieces, 3/4 angle iron Now I have a clamp that will do larger, a 3/4 inch threaded rod from my spring jacking bolts. Now I have a clamp that will hold larger and taller pieces than before. I was always going to do this and never did. Now its done. I will make a 3/4 inch pipe with a end covered to go over the threaded end of the clamp so it will not dent the metal as much. Just a slip on affair.

Gas Tank information.I found a tank that holds 18 gallons and I had the Cubic inches it had. Then I compared my tanks Cubic inches to that one, and I have about 45 more Cubic inches than the Tank I compared it to. So I have an 18 gallon tank. I don’t think I will cut any more holes for a gas sender for a Gauge. I can calculate my mileage easily with an 18 gallon tank. And a 4 cylinder engine.. My Ford Escort got 350 mpg with a full tank 11 gallon Tank. I will never go that far with this Coupe it's going to be a local car My gas gauge will be my wife and her calculator.

Did a bunch of odd ball stuff today. It's nice to break the monotony of doing the same thing day in and day out. I welded the Fuel pick up tube to the top of the tank, I welded both sides and sealed both with a coat of Epoxie. I need to apple a few more coats of Epoxie on the weld seams then ill cap it off with the top. Then I framed in by rear window with 1inch wide flat steel on the top and two sides.. I done this so I can use Body filler to French in the window wood frame and also have a sloping drip cap on the top and 2 sides. Underneath the window I will make a sheet metal frame for a 3rd brake light. Which I will make my self. Then I turned to the drivers compartment I started to cut and fit an X brace behind the seating area. This will stop twisting of the rear frame rails. Plus I plan on bolting goodies to these metal tubes for my seats etc. I will weld them in solid when i get the other pieces fitted.. kind of tight in there.

Hot day and a short one also. I finished the X brace behind the seating area. And I started to fit some thinner appliance metal to the X brace and rear window. I need this to be thinner so i can force bend it to the contour i have there. . I will use this sheet metal backing for a attaching point for some 1/8th inch veneer type wood for upholstery screws and staples. down the road.This will take self tapping screws easily to hold upholstery and fabrics.. This is all i've done today it got too Hot early on.

I went to get some 3/4 inch tubing and they were sold out. I must wait now for 4 to 5 days while restocking takes place. I wanted to start the seating floor area and console work around the tranny and up towards the dash area. Hmm maybe it will cool down some by then??

Machined the 2.3 turbo intake today trying to get the carb pad to set level. I also found out i cant have the brake booster for power brakes. It hangs in the way of the 2 barrel carb. So that will be gone tomorrow. I don't need power brakes on a 40 mile per hour car. As I remember the 1st car I had that had power brakes was a 1961 Mercury convertible and the booster went the 1st year I had the dam thing. I will have less things to break as I see it. Actually the booster hung out past the proposed hood line. Now i don’t have to worry making a bubble there. I dont know how well the intake will work with a carb it was designed for turbo. We will see, when I was a kid the guy down the road put a 3 carb setup on a Chrysler inline 6 cylinder made up from straight 2 inch exhaust pipe all gas welded toether and it went ok. we see.

It'll go for sure, just might not be go well. I've thought about making my own clamps a few times too - just never seem to have quite the right size, someday....

The brake booster is now history . I spent most of the day removing and modifying the pad for the master cylinder. I had to drill and tap some bolts to hold the master. I now have just enough clearance for the carb and brakes,