You cannot say we have not been having fun welding bits of this truck up. Some pieces Peter and myself have been working on have come off...others, well, like a fat butt in lycra, you could say they need work. The good news is here is where I leave Pete for a while as I concentrate on getting the truck into a nicer shape by tidying up the rough spots and getting the cab prepared for 2k epoxy primer, which should be on the cards in the next couple of weeks.
Good news is the Beetle is back in the garage and that makes my wife happy, so things are definitely on the improve there.
Check out some of our artisitc creations:
It doesn't get any more hardcore than this! We're looking at the front corner of the underside of the firewall. What is going on here is a work of genius. No, I am serious...It's just sometimes hard to recognise genius when you first see it. I have drawn a couple of lines to show you how dramatic this welding effort is. Two distinct pieces of carefully constructed scrap steel lovingly moulding into meaningful shapes to accent the gently sweeping lines of the vehicle, matching delicately with the contours of the panel.
It takes inspired creativity to design an edgy piece like this, and there really isn't anything on the truck that rivals it
Except, if you look at this:
They were originally just tack welded in place in a few spots. Well, the one above sure ain't gonna go anywhere fast. However, therein lies the problem. you see, I think these plates are designed to flex, else what would be the purpose of their design? Looks like I will have to get the old grinder out again.
I don't blame Peter. He is not a mind reader and he has done some great welding for me. Really, it is quite unfair for me to highlight these doozies, but it's all meant to be fun and not an insult as I really would have been up shit creek without his help. Pete has taught me so much about the theory and practice of welding in such a short time that I now feel confident to tackle some jobs myself. Not before I have eaten some humble pie. And that came during a practice session where I welded a T joint and a butt joint only to discover almost zero penetration. In fact, I produced a beautiful weld. Only thing was it was about three mm from the joint.
They're not all scary stories, though. Here's a nice new piece of plate replacing the rusted out rocker panel section. We opted not to replace the whole piece as it was easier and the metal was still good.
Next step for me is to start cleaning up the cabin. Prettying up the welds and hitting it with primer eventually. Then we can lower it again and mount it for good.
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