wagon progress

[MP&C]

This weekend's progress... Jake finishing up on the seat bolsters.



We don't always have the right tools to use, so on occasion we make them. This corner of the panel needed a sharper shape on the anvil







With both bolsters done and fitted to the rear seat, Jake media blasted both and hung them up in the booth where he applied some SPI Epoxy primer.

Meanwhile Mike and I worked on getting the driver's side of the console folded up..



We started by using the tipping die in the Lennox for thinning the bend lines. This both gives a sharper bend and also gives a "feel" for when the press brake's upper die is located in the proper bend location.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I87VWj-Qetc

Here's the highly technical back stop used to set the fold distance. We have a growing collection of these starting as the dimensional requirements change..



With two sides now, a spacer was made to clamp in the middle to hold our proper width..



Seats above are all the way forward, compare front location to next picture where they have been moved back to normal location, as well as mocking up the Chevelle shifter..



Next we'll get the radius pieces added and start on the internal structures of the console.

[chevynut]

Laszlo, IIRC they are set at 13-1/2", and prior to installing any interior parts, was balanced perfectly. Now that we've started putting some interior parts inside, we're finding it more top heavy. So depending on your intent, you may want to adjust accordingly.

Thanks Robert. That gives me a good starting point. I'll be loading the body onto the rotisserie by myself so I want it as close to balanced as I can get. The body will be bare.

[MP&C]

Progress last night on the console, as I was welding the remaining bits in the drivers console side (sorry, no pics) Jake was using the GoKart slick in the Wheeling machine to add the correct contour to the rear panel for the console...



Matches up well.....



Then he made some practice side pieces so we could test the fitment to the rear panel after using the tank roll die in the Lennox. There's quite a bit of work in the console sides at this point, and we didn't want them to be the guinea pigs..







View of them clamped:








We can use this rear panel on the console, and this weekend we'll use the tank roll die on the console sides and get them welded together..

[BeachGirl55]

Looking good, great work Robert, can't wait to see this beauty finished

[MP&C]

Thanks, kinda anxious myself!

[markm]

I like it, not a woodshop piece that weighs a ton,

[chevynut]

Thanks, kinda anxious myself!

I wanna see GREEN!!!

[MP&C]

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone!

More progress today on the console, time to weld in the back section.. We had it clamped like so:



But on second thought, it should be clamped on the upper portion...



....and to keep the bottoms from sliding out from under, some spacers were made out of scrap wood....



Tacked and welded with the TIG....





Jake cut out some corners, tipped some flanges, and used the Vise Grip tucking tool to gather up some of the excess metal. A torch heats up the tucks for an easy flattening.







Trimmed and test fit...








Inner corner finished in the same fashion...

[BamaNomad]

Robert... you fellas do some damn good metalwork!

[MP&C]

Thanks!


Happy New Year to everybody!


Had a visit by the shop this week from cousin JB, who works at Interiors by Shannon in Alabama. He was up for the holidays. They have recently picked up a bead roller so we did some practice runs on pre-stretched and non-stretched beads, and then some beads using the Lennox Nibbler. Finished up with some shrinking on the MH-19. We ran out of time to punch louvers. Great to see him again, nice to spend time "playing" in the shop.






Progress on the console this weekend... Mike is still in California visiting family, so Jake and I have been texting pics to him of what he's missing haha..

Corner number two, we've already shown some shrinking, so no we'll show stretching the inside corner..





Placing the part on a suitable flat anvil, a barrel roll hammer is used to provide stretch the inner corner...



You get to a point where flat is no longer useful, so then we use another anvil, this one in the form of a square tube. Works well for what we're doing here...



Fitted and welded....







Next, a pattern made of the rear hump for trimming the console.. we'll keep it snug for now for placing anchors and then trim later for carpet and sound deadening space.