Pantera job

[chimp koose]

The gas monkey crew put a ecotech 6 with big turbos in one a few years ago . I don't watch the show much but that got my interest . I always thought a GT40 kit car with a thunderbird turbo coupe driveline would be cool . Saw a GT40 kit survivor on the net 2 hours from home last year and would have jumped at it but it was sold before I got in contact with the owner . I made a set up to rotate the throttle body 90degrees and mount one from a 5L onto the 2.3 a few years ago for a dropped turbo pinto project a friend of mine wanted . Intercooled boost and a vw transaxle to 2.3 L swap kit would make for a neat gt40 kit . Light and fast .

[idrivejunk]

Yeah if I were into all that buckboard get killed thing and had to have a mid engine "sports car" make mine turbo 3800 Fiero.  

Pics ahoy, stand by  

[idrivejunk]

Put on your sick sacks

[chimp koose]

looks like you may have done this type of repair before .

[idrivejunk]

Does have a certain deja vu factor, don't it?  

[idrivejunk]

This is the best way I am imagining giving this outer panel a shot in one piece-

[enjenjo]

I see you learned to do CAD.

[idrivejunk]

I'll have you know that is genuine card stock from my personal stash.  

Sometimes I make cards for loved ones.  

Tonight's presentation will be two part. Stay tuned. Second post will be a carbon copy in the interest of saving time, for me. I believe that as a whole it contains potentially educational or enlightening thought processes.  

Go get you a refill and some Junior Mints... :-}  :T)  I'll blink the lobby lights.

[idrivejunk]

Yawn. Yeah we knew what that was gonna look like. By the way, the bead on top of the rail, engine side, will be done once the outside is complete. And yes I'll need to trim the top piece first. This side should only need one neat bead. The other side was two beads then fill as needed.

Real qwik before lunch, with no pattern just some tape I laid across the other side and marked for width, I made four brake bends and helped it along with the vise after that. Then I et on my anvil table-

[idrivejunk]

Starting you off with this pic of what was where, there where I'm working-




Alright, so I made a big camel hump wind chime, now what?

Um um, these humps don't match worth a crap. Whats the chances of nailing the outside hump radiuses and taper AND putting a bend in the middle across all of it plus have the center section sit flat along with the side flanges. All at once.

Fat, I figure.

Naw, who am I kidding? Boy its tempting to chop across just the humps, crack it open like a Zippo and fill in the "kneecaps". How you gonna make those look good?

If I leave a shred of kneecap and slice the flange side to bend the whole piece, I get overlap instead of patch but its gonna suck to do AND look bad. Hmm.

Neither solution addresses the side flanges' depths or assures any actual or visual uniformity in the humps because hell, the bottom gets mashed flat but stays the same width.

One piece theory got pitched over the fence.

Well... whatcha gonna do? Tick, tock.


If I cut down the center of the face of each hump, I can gain control-



First, I tried jaws. Stretcher, stomping the hump flat and trying to bend the short flange by working the long side. Nope, too far from the brake bend.

Then I tried being mean to the knee with the E wheel. Did some but really I was just making mud. Halt! Must cut.

In the above pic, the left and right have been cut, bent, tacked and with the side flanges butted and tacked for symmetry referencing a template made from the right side. The right end and center were then set aside. Now working the left end only.

A centered "T" shaped cut along the side flange bend allowed the top and bottom ends to be fitted to the rail and apron panel (I'll call it that) with the side flange hanging loose, partially sliced off lengthwise and cut in the middle.

So I just held the part up there, bent the dangly side flanges to meet rail, and tacked them barely, near the outer ends. Carefully set part down and fill the half inch gap between flange ends at the T cut.

Inserted a flat scrap between flange and hump, as a straight side for the knee area. Mark at flange and hump, trim, tack in. Bend / tweak / clamp and thats what I have here... Left side done, right side not.



And I am well on my way. With the three sections fitted and attached, the overlaps or gaps on the humps can be corrected, uniformed... made pleasant... with the part clamped and screwed. Then it can be tacked and welding completed off the car and corrosion protection will have a sporting chance. Boy am I glad I only gotta make one of these!






I can't think of a scenario which better exemplifies the thing I like to say about going where it leads me. Fabrication is like going to Oz every day. Just gotta go where el camino dorado does. I can see the castle from here. When all the flying monkeys were attacking, I made a slip with a cutoff wheel and caught a 1/4" long nip in a glove. Those are always like a connonball across the bow. Not this time. I bled juuust a little and it stopped by the time I dressed it. Tippy tip o my left third finger. The relief was greater than any pain, that thats all it was. You guys know.

All thats left is to execute. Plan locked. I didn't really see this method coming. Did you?

[idrivejunk]

[kb426]

Very nice dash.

[idrivejunk]

[idrivejunk]

Very nice dash.

Cream puff  

I heard the AMX. It is not the grocery getter type like it looks.    Sounds like a bubble mower or popcorn machine.

[idrivejunk]

Behind the driver's side front wheel-