International L122 B Binder Rat Build

[DJ3100]

I was confident that I used the correct neoprene at the time, however...
welding takes away the potential for that problem.

It's probably very obvious, but the tank won't fill any higher than the vent, so the opening for the line should be at the top of the tank.

The extra bung might be nice in case you ever want to run a fuel return line.
I'm thinking about adding a regulator in the F2stang (which would use a return line) to quiet down the Holley pump at idle.

Still lookin good, I like the lowbuck shifter and the tank.

 

[jmlcolorado]

Well, as it turns out, it's a good thing I ran out of gas last weekend, cause it took another 7 hours to finish up the tank and pressure test it!!!!

I don't think anyone really realizes what it takes to build a fuel tank!!!!! Except those who have themselves

I think I did pretty dang good at my first try at TIG. Only had 7 leaks on the initial test! Having over 20' of weld, I'm satisfied.

I added the vent bung in the top near the filler neck which will tie in at the cap.

My welds sure as heck aren't pretty, but they'll get the job done I think.

Once I got the tank done, I needed it mounted.
I was just going to weld angle iron on the sides and hang it from the frame, but all my research showed me that that's asking for the tank to fail.
So instead I built a little cradle bracket that holds the tank from the under side. All thread tightenes the tank down. Then I'll add straps at the top.
I left room for rubber which I will install anywhere the tank contacts brackets.

And for your photo enjoyment.......

Sorry, this one is upside down.
The pickup tube installed:

Closer view of the pickup tube at the bottom of the sump:

Bracket to hold the tank at the bottom:

How it sits on the tank:

Bracket in the frame:

Tank in its final location:

View from the bottom:

 

[jmlcolorado]

So i posted this in my other poll thread asking what size bars I should use for my grill. I think I'm set on a 1" bar in the middle, then 1/2" for the rest.

As you might recall, I want to do brass accents all over the truck, cause one day I hope to paint the truck in satin black.

From the other thread:
"I priced thin wall brass tubing, then I cried myself to sleep.
SO, then I started looking for brass beds on Craigslist. Nut all the beds I've found have all fancy arty decorations, and the bars are too short, not to mention not enough.
Frustrating.
So I started looking into brass plating...... Once again, tears streaming out my eye holes till I fall asleep.

I found a guy and he mentioned a way to plate brass using heat and a brass brush. I thought he was crazy.
Went out today and bought a cheap brass brush, went home and heated a tube of bare metal and brushed away.
What I found is quite promising. Looks like brass, not shiny, which is good cause I don't want shiny.

Any of you that have read my build thread know ther was some conversation about brass and steel not liking each other and causing the steel to corrode faster then normal. I'm going to throw caution to the wind and try it. After all, if the grill shell rusts beyond repair, I'll build another one. "

Here are the results.
The top bar is after and the bottom is what I started with.

I tried it on my door handles and it worked like a charm!

Next was the headlight rings.

I took the finished bar to the wire wheel on the grinder to see how durable it was. I was surprised! It took some good effort to get it off!

From what I understand, the blacksmith that passed this trick on had done this on a fence. He said 15 years later, the fence still stands with the brass intact!

 

[DJ3100]

As blacksmiths we do that brass brush thing quite a lot. Usually just for highlights.

The brass brush coating is very thin. A clear coat of lacquer or better yet urethane, will impove durability quite a lot especially on door handles that will see a lot of wear.

Nice look!

 

[jmlcolorado]

As blacksmiths we do that brass brush thing quite a lot. Usually just for highlights.

The brass brush coating is very thin. A clear coat of lacquer or better yet urethane, will impove durability quite a lot especially on door handles that will see a lot of wear.

Nice look!

Great info!
I wish I knew a blacksmith locally. I would LOVE to just hang out for a day while he does his magic! I'm fairly new to metal (used to be a carpenter) but I find metal an absolute blast to work with!
Then knowledge I could gain from one would be priceless to me!

 

[CORPO]

thats pretty cool.. never heard of that.. might have to borrow that technique for a few accents..

 

[jmlcolorado]

thats pretty cool.. never heard of that.. might have to borrow that technique for a few accents..

When you try it, make sure the brush is in fact brass!
Also, a wood handled brush works best. I did my first try with a brass brush with a plastic handle. It worked well for a while, till the plastic got hot and let go of all the bristles.

Guy also said that he tried it with a wire wheel on a drill and it didn't work. My thinking is that he was using a wire wheel with steel coated with brass. He thought the speed of the wheel was just cooling the metal too fast.

Ive been trying to find a wire wheel locally and im not having any luck. I can find brass coated steel wire all day long, which looks like brass but its not.
Steel is MUCH stiffer..... and obviously magnetic. Brass is very flexable and NOT magnetic.

All the tool guys ive been asking think im crazy when i ask for a brass wire wheel, they hand me a couple, then i ask for a magnet to find that it sticks. Then i hand it back telling them i want REAL brass, not a body double


Think the next stop is the local welding supply and Tool King.
I have a lot of tube to do and to do it by hand with a brush will be tough.

Id like to find a brass wheel for a drill first, then a brass wheel for the bench grinder. That would be AWESOME if the grinder wheel works since i could cover a ton of surface in short order!




BTW, i tried it on bare aluminum with no luck. Might not be doing something right, but if someone finds a way to get it on aluminum, please share!

 

[offroadrolls]

Try McMaster Carr Supply here's a link and you can dig around more to find a brass wheel that fits a grinder or what ever

http://www.mcmaster.com/#wire-wheels/=hd6f93

 

[DJ3100]

Caswell Plating has brass plating kits. They have good stuff, but pricey. I have their electroless nickel plating set-up. It works great.

http://http://www.caswellplating.com/electroplating-anodizing/brass-plating-kits.html

I'll be interested to know if you find a brass wire wheel and where it came from and if it works. Haven't heard of anyone doing that except by hand. Real brass brushes are getting very hard to find.

 

[jmlcolorado]

The front crossmember and frame is bothering me.
The more I look at it the more it looks like a shovel and I'll be scooping stuff up as I drive down the street.

I'm thinking about redoing it, but not sure how.
I THINK I need it since the steering box is mounted so far up front. The frame has some serious reinforcement at the front IFS crossmember about 10" back from the steering box, so it MIGHT be enough

I'm thinking if I DO redo it, I think I'll pull the frame horns back as far as I can then angel the crossmember out to match the grill.

Yes? No? Other ideas?

 

[jfg455]

I think what is throwing the look off is the straight spreader bar with the bottom of the grille being V'ed. It kinda blocks off the look of the grille. I think the grille will look great all by itself. Maybe try a V'ed spreader bar first. My other suggestion still stands to go with a rack instead of the steering box. Then you can bob the horns back level with the radiator shell. May be some one can photo shop your side profile to have no horns to see how it will look. Just my $.02

 

[jmlcolorado]

I think what is throwing the look off is the straight spreader bar with the bottom of the grille being V'ed. It kinda blocks off the look of the grille. I think the grille will look great all by itself. Maybe try a V'ed spreader bar first. My other suggestion still stands to go with a rack instead of the steering box. Then you can bob the horns back level with the radiator shell. May be some one can photo shop your side profile to have no horns to see how it will look. Just my $.02

I agrees with it blocking off the grill. I think once I get the bars in it will hale that a bit as there would be more "visible"

I think I'll wait till I get those in and decide then, but now I'm leaning harder towards going to a rack setup.

 

[jmlcolorado]

Well as much as it sucks to make the frame a grill shell and keep it all straight and looking right, it sucks just as bad cutting and fitting each verticle bar one by one!!
But the hard part is yet to come! Still gotta remove all the bars and brass them [S

Here's some progress though.
I used 1 1/4" for the center (you can see where I tried to see how much effort it was going to take to grind off all the mill oil to clean metal, then brass plate)
Then I used 3/4" for the rest, cause that's what I could find at the steel salvage yard.

 

[jmlcolorado]

And here is the grill with brass on one bar.
1 brass bar=35 minutes.

 

[Snake Farm]

The grille is looking good![cl[cl[cl

[S Wait a minute.......where's the crank hole [ddd

 

[DJ3100]

You probably already have this worked out but here's a suggestion anyway:

Blacksmiths have forged the piece before they brass brush, which means any oil is completely cooked off. You might try using a torch to heat to a dark red which would burn off the oil. Hotter than that will create scale which you don't want. It might speed things up.

You're getting a great result with the brass - the grill looks great.

 

[Mike S.]

That grill is mean lookin', I like it! It reminds me of a cow catcher on an old steam locomotive. [cl

 

[markjeep9]

that is so cool looking with the brass! cant wait to see it all done

 

[jmlcolorado]

The grille is looking good![cl[cl[cl

[S Wait a minute.......where's the crank hole [ddd

You probably already have this worked out but here's a suggestion anyway:

Blacksmiths have forged the piece before they brass brush, which means any oil is completely cooked off. You might try using a torch to heat to a dark red which would burn off the oil. Hotter than that will create scale which you don't want. It might speed things up.

You're getting a great result with the brass - the grill looks great.

That grill is mean lookin', I like it! It reminds me of a cow catcher on an old steam locomotive. [cl

that is so cool looking with the brass! cant wait to see it all done

Thanks everyone! It's starting to come together. I haven't made any progress since the last update. Work is kicking my .....brass

Plus I'm trying to save some $$$ for a vacation coming up soon. Maybe I'll get out there tonight to brass some more bars.
I need to make a YouTube video update too since everyone on there is hounding me daily for a new update

 

[ratrodney]

Dang dude! You always impress me with your work. Cant wait to see the grill all done up. Now get of yer brass and finish it up. Lol great work. RR