Ok, the cat is out of the bag!!!

[donsrods]

Thanks Bill. Frame came home yesterday afternoon, and it turned out really nice...........not perfect, but nicer than we could have ever painted or had painted. After all, it is a steel frame and has it's little flaws, but it is going to get driven, so it will be fine.

Dan and I worked until 4 am this morning and got the rear end assembled and bolted to the frame with the four bar setup. It took a lot of time because the powder coating flowed into every hole and we had to dremel them out so the bolts would go back in. We still have to put in the rear springs, shocks, and all of the rear brake parts, but it is starting to look like a car. Sunday we are going to work on it some more and are trying to get the front end under it too.

I didn't take any pictures out of consideration for my Son. It is his car and I want him to have the fun of posting the pictures on his forum, the HAMB, before I do. But as soon as he does I will be snapping away.

Don

 

[Gastrick]

To me, the chassis is the hardest part of the car to paint. So many places that are hard to get paint into without causing a run somewhere else.

I might have to go on a recon mission and get a sneek peek of the updated photos

 

[donsrods]

Don't just hide in the bushes, stop in and we'll have a beer.


Don

 

[Unkl Ian]

... the powder coating flowed into every hole and we had to dremel them out so the bolts would go back in.

Next time, plug the holes.

Some place use Silicone plugs, or you can use high temperature tape.
Either will take the heat.

I used to roll and twist the tape up into a ball, and jam it in the holes.
Leave a little sticking out, so it's easy to remove afterwards.

Saves a lot of time and aggravation.

The Powdercoat guys should have the magic tape.
Regular masking tape is ok for holes, but it won't stay
on outside surfaces, because of the heat.

 

[donsrods]

Yeah, when I got there they were putting pieces of tape into the holes, and I told them to not bother, we were going to retap all the threads anyways. I never thought about the holes where bolts had to just pass through. A drill bit was chipping too much away, so we resorted to a dremel and small stones. Took a bit of time, but didn't mess anything up. Luckily the tap ran into the holes pretty easily.

I will sure do the plug or tape routine the next time though.

Don

 

[Unkl Ian]

Yes, chipping would be a problem on fresh powdercoat,
it is surprisingly fragile for the first few days.

 

[donsrods]

Oh, is it only that way in the beginning? We were wondering about that. It seemed to crack out pretty easily out of the holes we were working on and it surprised us. So it toughens up as time goes on?

Don

 

[donsrods]

We got some of the rear axle assembled to the car this weekend. Didn't have a lot of time but got some little issues resolved. Had to tap out each hole which took some time. Here are some pictures of where we ended up.

Don

 

[wrecker55]

That came out great, will be a awesome ride the way it is built

 

[maddog]

Wow!

When I see those cars that are detailed out to the max and without blemish, I wonder where they come from.

Now I know.

 

[Thunder1]

It's really coming along nice Don. Congratulations on an amazing frame.

Thunder1

 

[Ratcrazy]

Nice!!!! Very nice!!!!

 

[donsrods]

Thanks guys. Like any frame it has it's share of little spots that aren't perfect, but overall it really came out better than we expected. This is the fun part, bolting stuff on for the last time. It is going a little slower than we expected, the holes all need cleaned out and tapped from the powder coating, but maybe by next weekend we can roll it around on four wheels for the very first time in it's 4 year old life.

Don

 

[Gastrick]

Looks outstanding Don. Nobody will notice the little spots that aren't perfect to you or Dan because you guys built it and know every inch of it. Besides that, most all of that piece of art will be covered with body and engine. Almost a shame.

 

[22dodge]

Very Nice !!!

Very well done, beautiful work. It's too bad it will be covered....
Looking forward to the next photos.... '22

 

[donsrods]

Thanks guys. Tonight we got a few more hours in and installed some of the front end stuff. It is somewhat temporary as we have to set caster and wheelbase yet, but we can do that when the weight of the motor is in it.

Here are some pictures we took tonight. I am typing with 9 fingers because a jackstand collapsed and crushed the end of one of my fingers. It is about twice as big as the other 9. Ah, we hot rodders expect a few bumps and bruises along the way.
Don

 

[Boltbreaker]

very sharp Don!!

 

[cycledog]

Wow thats comming along great. Gonna be one nice ride.

No pictures of your finger??

 

[Gastrick]

Absolutely beautiful. Don't park that next to me at the shows

 

[sgo70]

That's sure looking good Don, should finally be driving this year. I wish my dad knew how to work on cars like you, we're gonna build my new house this spring instead, he's more of a construction guy.

Sean