Part 2 by 50wllystrk

7 minute(s) of a 668 minute read

Ahhh, you're killing me.

Seriously, that's a very doable option. I didn't experiment with that idea but you have my imagination going.

Really when it gets down to it, I'm posting these pics not so much to show a great body enhancement, of which is mearly in the eyes of the beholder.

The main goal is to introduce something to you all the readers/watchers something that is a step out of the ordinary. Sometimes we don't know what is possible til we see it done, then we can apply the same procedure to a project of our own later.

I can think of many projects I've done, whether it be engine rebuilding, transmission rebuilding, carbs, paint, ect, that I may not have jumped into had I not got some idea of how, or that something could be done, but I had to get a visual look that started my toughts.

By posting the pics other than just words I can only imagine that I've sparked some imaginations along the way.

LA-Sahara, just as you've taken the time to sit back in your chair and think.... hmmm, recessed, that would be cool. These are the buttons I'm trying to push, just to get people thinking of building stuff.

12-9-2012

Ok, let's get caught up on things.....

LA-Sahara, on the 360, now you have to remember, this is a budget build so far, but it is moving forward. The block has cleaned up pretty well, the cylinders are looking good. We've got the new bearings, pistons and rings. We've plastigauged all the crankshaft clearances and ran a thread cleaning tap through all the bolt holes in the block. Pressed in new ARP rod bolts. 

Assembly of the bottom end is close and I do have pictures of much of the process. The owner is working overtime, which is good, this stuff costs money but it leaves no time to work on the engine. The cold season starts soon here and he does alot of concrete work so that will give him time soon. Then Christmas, that'll keep him busy, hmmmmmm, sooner or later we'll get to it. No problem, when it's time, it'll all be good. Plus I won't touch it when he's not here, he won't learn anything if I do the work.

I want to get the gills done on the 57 then I'll post the engine pics as to not go back and forth too much.

As we can see from the last pictures I decided to fit the gills from the backside, this will allow most of the welding to be done from the backside. This will be way easier to grind the weld clean than if I had to grind the weld clean from the front side.

I finished cutting open all 6 gill openings. I measured, then remeasured, then measured again to get both sides to match.

When I mention the cleanup needed after welding, this is the mess. Welding sheet metal rarely leaves a pretty weld like welding 1/8" thick metal and larger. My main concern here was to stay away from burning through also, that would lead to more cleanup on the front side.

Let's hear it for the 4 1/2" grinder again, looking good. I was able to grind the welds flush with the original fender sheet metal. The weld beads that are showing yet are from welding the gills together. I plan on grinding those beads smooth also when done. The gills will be seen from the back side when looking into the front wheel well. I'd like to have the gills look factory even when looking at them from the backside.

Just because I welded the backside, doesn't mean I won't have grinding. Here you can see the penetration. I have some cleanup to do, but not nearly what I would have if I welded from this side.

Metal work done..... This is after the fine grinding sanblasting, nice and clean. From this point I will apply a couple coats of Epoxy primer, then scuff sand. Then apply a thin layer of hardening spot putty along the edges, then sand smooth, then a high build primer and done. These are now an integral part of the fenders.

In todays world it is not easy to be unique in car building. Either you have to have a ton of money or a good imagination. I've tried to step out of the box on this one and so far I haven't seen the same idea anywhere. 

Here are the assembled pieces.

I am working on the grill. I know I need teeth but I don't want to get out of hand. I know I want sharklike teeth and I know I want the top teeth slightly forward than the bottom, a slight over bite. I don't want scary, but I want agressive.

Ok, this concludes the gill work. I'll go back to some of the basics on the 360 next. 

Oh, the Willys, doing fine. Still driving it to work and doing field work occasionally. Here's how fast time goes by. After the axle and frame work I posted a year ago, the first day I drove on the street was Jan. 1, nearly a year has passed since then. The old truck will be 63 years old soon.