BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”

Texas82GP · Nov 29, 2024

Rktpwrd said:
I’m somewhat sorry to hear that you purposely avoid reading the updates,

I don't like hearing that but understand. If I get behind, I don't want to skim through. I want to get full enjoyment and give the posts their due.

I used to have a lot more time. I used to take an hour lunchbreak and would normally spend it posting something. It's how the build thread on my brother's car happened. Now I take a 15 minute lunch at my desk, often still working. With juggling my part of building our new home (surveying/site plan/permitting/coordination with the electric provder/the shop, etc.), working on our current home to prepare it for sale, and trying to keep up with the needs of the family fleet, I'm just spread thin. I know it won't always be like this though. I also know I will come back to this thread for years to come for knowledge, ideas and inspiration.

Keep doing what you are doing. Your posts on here are definitely one of the biggest highlights.

Sweet_Johnny · Nov 29, 2024

I've also noticed what seems to be a lack of community/ actual conversation but chalked it up to me being new and not proving myself or earning respect yet. People doubt your mechanical and intellectual prowess when a 305 intake manifold kicks your *ss...

I can't speak for everyone but I'm often simply blown away by the depths you go to and don't know what to say aside from "looks great as always", and that almost seems worse than saying nothing. I'm sure you get tired of hearing that and are looking for more. I sometimes have questions or thoughts that I don't share because in my personal life I only say the wrong things and I don't wish to do that here. You've located and attacked problems that most of us didn't even know existed and will likely never, ever address and in the process you always give detailed explanations of what you're doing and why. I love that! There's no doubt that your builds are a main reason people frequent the site and we all learn a lot from members like you.

The treatment you've given the front and rear ends is easily noticed and appreciated, though much of your overall work will not be visible or comprehended and that speaks volumes about your dedication to fabricating an excellent piece of automotive artwork. You do these things because you feel compelled to modify them to be the best they can be, which is sometimes beyond the realm of imagination for the reader. But your explanation brings it home and it all makes sense. The tips and tricks embedded in your "long" posts are something I look forward to greatly and I regularly take screenshots so I can refer to them later. I absolutely hate people who kiss asses- and the forum has a few- but I hold you and your work in high regard and thank you for your contributions.

Rktpwrd · Nov 30, 2024

A sincere thank you for all the overwhelming support and comments Johnny, thank you so much. TBH I’m at a bit of a loss with how to respond to such a flattering post. I’m truly humbled by your kindness.

Sweet_Johnny said:
and don't know what to say aside from "looks great as always", and that almost seems worse than saying nothing.

Please don’t overthink or sweat this, even seemingly benign comments like that at least let me know that the posts are being seen and appreciated, it’s when there’s crickets in response that leaves me wondering if I should even bother.

Sweet_Johnny said:
much of your overall work will not be visible or comprehended

I’m perfectly fine with this, to me it’s the sign of a truly successful job. That someone knows that something is different, yet can’t quite put their finger on what. Modifications, IMHO should be complimentary to the rest of the overall package, and not stand out simply because they’re modified.

Sweet_Johnny said:
You do these things because you feel compelled to modify them to be the best they can be

There’s actually only a modicum of truth to this statement, I do most of what I do to address the shortcomings in what is an otherwise mass produced vehicle, again, IMHO. I feel that there are so many areas on these cars that were furnished with “that’s good enough for a production car” that could’ve been executed much better, and in my eyes, that’s all I’m trying to do. Make it better than stock.

Sweet_Johnny said:
I hold you and your work in high regard and thank you for your contributions.

Again, thank you very much for all the kind words, support, encouragement and compliments. I am truly humbled and flattered by the overwhelming support from not just you, but by several of the members that have commented and PM’d me in kind.

I will continue to contribute to and keep this thread updated because of that. Thank you all!

olds307 and 403 · Dec 1, 2024

Looks fantastic, I see a lot of shiny paint on this beast.

Rktpwrd · Dec 4, 2024

Well, since I ran out of welding wire tonight and have a little more time available than usual, I guess now is as good a time as any to unveil my latest, most ambitious fabrication project to date.

I am going to attempt to replicate this plastic rear filler panel…

…almost entirely out of steel.

Crazy right? Maybe not.

For those of you that might recognize the color, this is the filler panel that came off The Brown Bomber, a 1980 Cutlass Supreme that I parted out several years ago. It’s a spare and in decent enough shape that it’ll serve well as a three dimensional template to pattern and build off of.

But why??
Because IMO it’s one of those areas that really needs attention and better execution. The stock plastic one is flimsy and floppy, poorly supported underneath the “wings” so it always looks droopy. The fit and finish to the body is laughable at best, among many other reasons. Plus, if I can recreate this out of metal, I will be able to weld it directly to the tail pan making it look like it belongs and came that way.

So.

I began by making masking tape patterns of the main shapes that comprise the body of the piece:

Cut the tape in half directly in the middle, and transfer it to some fresh clean sheetmetal:

Cut out the pieces, leaving a little extra material on the inner edges for trimming and fitting to the body.

Also did the faces and cut those out as well:

Should look something like this when welded together:

Jumping ahead a little bit, I had found the correct angle of the inside and outside bends, and made them in my metal brake. The inside bend in particular is quite tight and is smaller than the radius of my slip roll, so I had to think outside the box.

Using the metal brake, I put a series of very small bends at 1/8” intervals working from the center of the bend outwards. These small bends have the effect of creating a smooth but tighter radius with more control.

This was by far the trickiest part, the bends had to match the facing pieces almost exactly or else it’ll throw everything else out. The small raised area in the middle was easy to replicate, just a couple careful and small bends in the brake with lots of double checking the angles:

Kinda almost starting to look like something now. After a fair amount of welding, grinding, metal finishing and trimming, I had the main pieces finished:

I had to do some straightening of the long flat straight sections as the welding process created a gentle arc in them, but that was nothing the shrinker and stretcher couldn’t handle. I do love having the right tools for the job, the old school fix would’ve been to make relief cuts, adjust, weld back together and hope for the best.

A few more pictures:

Last night I welded the two halves together, again checking for straightness and proper alignment.

Note the two small curved pieces sitting on the trunk underneath, those were created with the brake as well and then cut down to size. They are going to make up the curved sections underneath the middle main section next. They’re also the pieces I started tacking in tonight when I ran out of welding wire.

A look at the raised center middle area that houses the license plate light, and where the two halves were welded together:

Still a long ways to go, but I think it’s off to a very good start.

All for now,
D.

Ribbedroof · Dec 4, 2024

Simply amazing!

Sweet_Johnny · Dec 5, 2024

As soon as I saw what you wanted to build I said "OOOH, WOW" and tuned out the rest of the world as I zoned in. I wasn't expecting you to have so much completed either, which was another treat in addition to having a solution for the flimsy, floppy filler panel. Having the right tools and knowing how to use them sure looks rewarding!

old80cs · Dec 5, 2024

Having worked on that part recently, you got my attention. I wondered how the heck you were going to recreate it in metal? You make it look easy, incredible job! 🏆

Texas82GP · Dec 5, 2024

Rktpwrd said:
Well, since I ran out of welding wire tonight and have a little more time available than usual, I guess now is as good a time as any to unveil my latest, most ambitious fabrication project to date.

I am going to attempt to replicate this plastic rear filler panel…

View attachment 249179

View attachment 249180

…almost entirely out of steel.

Crazy right? Maybe not.

For those of you that might recognize the color, this is the filler panel that came off The Brown Bomber, a 1980 Cutlass Supreme that I parted out several years ago. It’s a spare and in decent enough shape that it’ll serve well as a three dimensional template to pattern and build off of.

But why??
Because IMO it’s one of those areas that really needs attention and better execution. The stock plastic one is flimsy and floppy, poorly supported underneath the “wings” so it always looks droopy. The fit and finish to the body is laughable at best, among many other reasons. Plus, if I can recreate this out of metal, I will be able to weld it directly to the tail pan making it look like it belongs and came that way.

So.

I began by making masking tape patterns of the main shapes that comprise the body of the piece:

View attachment 249181

View attachment 249182

Cut the tape in half directly in the middle, and transfer it to some fresh clean sheetmetal:

View attachment 249183

Cut out the pieces, leaving a little extra material on the inner edges for trimming and fitting to the body.

View attachment 249184

View attachment 249185

Also did the faces and cut those out as well:

View attachment 249186

View attachment 249187

Should look something like this when welded together:

View attachment 249188

Jumping ahead a little bit, I had found the correct angle of the inside and outside bends, and made them in my metal brake. The inside bend in particular is quite tight and is smaller than the radius of my slip roll, so I had to think outside the box.

Using the metal brake, I put a series of very small bends at 1/8” intervals working from the center of the bend outwards. These small bends have the effect of creating a smooth but tighter radius with more control.

View attachment 249189

View attachment 249190

View attachment 249191

This was by far the trickiest part, the bends had to match the facing pieces almost exactly or else it’ll throw everything else out. The small raised area in the middle was easy to replicate, just a couple careful and small bends in the brake with lots of double checking the angles:

View attachment 249193

View attachment 249194

View attachment 249195

Kinda almost starting to look like something now. After a fair amount of welding, grinding, metal finishing and trimming, I had the main pieces finished:

View attachment 249196

View attachment 249197

View attachment 249198

View attachment 249199

I had to do some straightening of the long flat straight sections as the welding process created a gentle arc in them, but that was nothing the shrinker and stretcher couldn’t handle. I do love having the right tools for the job, the old school fix would’ve been to make relief cuts, adjust, weld back together and hope for the best.

A few more pictures:

View attachment 249200

View attachment 249201

Last night I welded the two halves together, again checking for straightness and proper alignment.

View attachment 249202

Note the two small curved pieces sitting on the trunk underneath, those were created with the brake as well and then cut down to size. They are going to make up the curved sections underneath the middle main section next. They’re also the pieces I started tacking in tonight when I ran out of welding wire.

View attachment 249203

A look at the raised center middle area that houses the license plate light, and where the two halves were welded together:

View attachment 249205

Still a long ways to go, but I think it’s off to a very good start.

All for now,
D.

AMAZING!

pagrunt · Dec 5, 2024

This is what I wish I could of done for Jr,'s Monte's plate pocket instead of the extra plastic one which I hope won't decay like his original. Chevy had a steel one for '78 which is nice (one was included with the '79's extra parts) but was done away with & won't interchange with the '79/'80 one.

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BUILD THREAD “The Juggernaut”

Texas82GP

Just-a-worm

Sweet_Johnny

Has A Face For Radio

Rktpwrd

Builder of Cool Shjt

olds307 and 403

Geezer

Rktpwrd

Builder of Cool Shjt

Ribbedroof

Geezer

Sweet_Johnny

Has A Face For Radio

old80cs

G-Body Guru

Texas82GP

Just-a-worm

pagrunt

Geezer

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