67/68/69 cuda dilemma
So I decided to tackle the fab of the fwd LH framerail top cap. Same gage steel as the other piece. I decided I would weld them in at the same time when ready. Anyhoo this one has a step or joggle in the metal. How I did this was with a heavy duty shop press, 2 heavy steel plates, and thinner sheetmetal placed on top on one side and on bottom on the other taped in place with a small space between the 2 to allow the shop press to press the metal into a step or joggle. Pic #5 you can see the step in the original original piece, and the new stamped piece held under it. I was careful to not joggle the metal past the slot I cut where the side had to get bent 90° up, and bent the side up 90° afterwards. I then welded up the slot i cut for the step to be pressed, and ground a radius in it. I also picked up this duplicolor etch primer that I am liking a lot for repairs such as this. Follow along with the pix to get a better idea how this was done. I still have to clean out the inside of the framerail under where this section goes, then apply some Por15 and epoxy primer, but that wont take very long to do.
So I decided to tackle the fab of the fwd LH framerail top cap. Same gage steel as the other piece. I decided I would weld them in at the same time when ready. Anyhoo this one has a step or joggle in the metal. How I did this was with a heavy duty shop press, 2 heavy steel plates, and thinner sheetmetal placed on top on one side and on bottom on the other taped in place with a small space between the 2 to allow the shop press to press the metal into a step or joggle. Pic #5 you can see the step in the original original piece, and the new stamped piece held under it. I was careful to not joggle the metal past the slot I cut where the side had to get bent 90° up, and bent the side up 90° afterwards. I then welded up the slot i cut for the step to be pressed, and ground a radius in it. I also picked up this duplicolor etch primer that I am liking a lot for repairs such as this. Follow along with the pix to get a better idea how this was done. I still have to clean out the inside of the framerail under where this section goes, then apply some Por15 and epoxy primer, but that wont take very long to do.