Bandit's 53 Bel-air build

[Bandit Ls-1]

you guys sure know how to make a guy blush... haha!
anyways got some work in 2day and i got her sitting back on the ground after about 6 months of her being up in the air. i snagged a 87 gta trans-am disk brake posi rear for it and slung it in underneath to see what i got to work with fits pretty good and i finally got to see the car loooww.... wow what a kick in the pants it looks soo badass but it needs to go lower so im gonna suck it up and cut that sweet lil origional floor and notch this sucka!

well heres a pic of it looks good but i can still fit my shoe underneath it....

 

[Gastrick]

hey gastrick u got a badass bead roller? im gonna make a 3piece trunk floor pan and was wondering if u could maybe roll some beads in em?. and when u roll beads does the panel get any shorter?

Sorry I missed your question Bandito. I just have a cheezy hand crank bead roller that I clamp into a vice, but I've managed to get by with it. I'm really a low class operation. If that doesn't bother you, you're welcome to it.

 

[Bandit Ls-1]

thanks gastrick i will let u know when im heading over .

so since i needed space in the shop big time i bought some pallet racks($200) and ive been re arranging the shop for about 4days... i didnt know how much junk i have till i had to pull it in n out like 5 times lol, but now its soo roomy!! sooo worth it. and today i finally got some work in on the HellAir!

b4 and after shots

 

[Bandit Ls-1]

finished the trunk lid today just need a little more grinding on the welds. i included a picture of pretty much all the tools needed to make this happen. on the long flat panels its hard to get them straight when welding it solid so i decided to make the new patch about a 1/2in longer so i can flange it with my pnuematic flanger/punch tool and then drilled holes thru the deck lid and the new patch and attached it with kleeco pins and ALL of my vise grips. when welding you gotta space out the tacs by about 3in so the heat wont build up on the panel and warp it. and also give it time to kool down after you make a pass around the entire patch, then sit down for a min or 2... thats where the beer becomes a tool. it helps to have a buddy push up on the metal from behind while you tac it also. then after about and hour of little tacs your ready to grind for a while lol. i use the 4 1/2in electric grinder to break the welds down a bit then switch to the smaller air grinders to flaten out the welds completly and so because they grind it smoother than the electric grinder. well hope this helps some guys that want to try it but are a little intimidated. onto the pics.

 

[Bonehead]

Looking good. And you have all the right tools.

(Now that you have practice, can you come clean my shop?)

 

[Bandit Ls-1]

Looking good. And you have all the right tools.

(Now that you have practice, can you come clean my shop?)

ha! i dont ever want to do that again..15hrs straight of heavy lifting sux.

 

[Old Gold]

Looking awesome!!

 

[ufslouis]

Where do you plan on moving the cap to? Behind the liscence plate?

heres how i filled the gas cap door. drilled out holes in the corners so when cutting it out you wont have to cut pass the the lines on the ends, got some poster board stuck it behind traced the hole out and sut it out in sheetmetal then i rolled the curve on my knee and did some tacs to lock the corners down. cant let it get too hott or it will warp since its such a flat and flimsy area on the panel. blowing the patch with an airgun helps speed things up.

 

[Bandit Ls-1]

Where do you plan on moving the cap to? Behind the liscence plate?

just saw your question... well since im gonna drag it im gonna have the tank in the trunk (to be safe) and im planning on using a spun aluminum tank right at the edge of the trunk where the deck lid closes, should look nice too

 

[Bandit Ls-1]

well been working on other peoples beaters and that has taken me away from whats important to me... the bel air!. heres a few before n after shots of one i just finished this weekend! glad too see it gone, about 25hrs of wetsanding and a chiropractor visit for my right elbow (lol kidding) to get that shine

 

[Gastrick]

Nice. Hey where are those Turkey Run pics that you were gonna post?

 

[DavidJ]

I will be doing about the same panel work on my 54 in the spring where did you get your patch panels? There are many places that sell them yours look like they fit really well. Hope you keep posting