dbrochard

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dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Before anyone complains about my welds- I just got a welder a month ago and don't know too much on using it. The back side of every piece was sprayed with weld thru primer before being patched in, and it was all coated in POR 15 and seam sealer when I finished






Edit 8/5/16- Re Welded this area to be stronger and look better. Turns out the welds did not come out right due to an empty welding bottle...

dbrochard

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Havent Updated in a while, lots of progress has been made. I ordered new ROH snypers for the rear in 4th gen offset to fit better with my rear axle, along with welding in the front and rear floor, and upgrading to LS1 brakes

dbrochard

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dbrochard

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Also got a great deal on a used aftermarket spoiler, not sure if it is the hawks one but it has been a lot of work to get it to fit

dbrochard

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And here are pics of the new floor, rear has been welded and seam sealed since this picture, and the front floor has more spot welds and bead left to do

dbrochard

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Here are some pics of the new brake setup, got the hubs and brackets from BBU.com and modified the spindles myself. Also took this opportunity to install new control arm bushings, ball joints, lowering springs, Founders strut mounts, and KYB struts.

dbrochard

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muswp1

Those wheels look good on there.

reddawg

Incredible job repairing all that rust. keep it up.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Thanks! I went through a lot of trouble getting them without losing my shirt, between selling my 3rd gen offset wheels and buying 4 brand new tires, I am only into wheels and tires for about $750!

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Thank you, I take a lot of pride in my ability to cut and shape the metal using only a hammer, grinding wheel, and block of wood. My welds on the other hand could use some work, but it has definitely been a big project and I have plenty of welding left

Billgluckman

What type of welder are you using? Just curious, I just bought one myself.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Eastwood MIG 135. I get really good welds when I have the heat turned up a bit more than recommended, along with the right amount of gas. The manual says it should be at 25 (Not sure of the units) whenever I pull the trigger, so I leave it around there. Just take it slow and practice a lot before touching your car. First time I handed my dad the welder he burned a nice big hole into my rear quarter

Billgluckman

I've practiced 3 days and the welds have improved greatly. I'm just running flux core though. I don't plan on doing much welding on my car other than exhaust hangers so I probably won't buy gas any time soon.

Billgluckman

Also, I'm def no pro or even remotely experienced but have you tried adjusting the wire speed at lower voltage?

I wasn't really understanding what was happening at first and my welder was spitting and sputtering. I had the wire feed speed wrong. Too fast and you're poking the surface, too slow and you're running out of wire/filler.

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

I'd run your gas as low as you can with out having it blow away in the wind. I believe we run around 12-14 on out hobarts. But when outside and windy, have to turn it up. I recommend practice welding on a piece of metal the same thickness and having it as hot as you can w/o burning through. You can watch the steel melt and flow and start to cool and loose its glow, then bump it again, repeat. I generally bump weld thin steel if I'm not tig welding it. Make sure your ground is GOOD. You dont need it right next to you. Anywhere really. But out of your way. When welding thicker steel you want to hear a constant zap zap zap, about 5-8 zaps a second, but at a constant rate. Also a good investment is a good welding helmet. Speed glass is nice but they are kinda heavy when welding upside down. What I like the best is you can adjust the darkness and speed of fade. Different welding styles, stick, tig,mig all have different levels of brightness. I believe stick is the brightest. Make sure to protect your eyes. You will know it when you burn them. Just like burning your skin but your eyes instead. Some other welding tips is check out youtube. LOTS of great videos but honestly the best is practice. All the great welders I know learned on their own.

Keep up the good work, You are an inspiration and remind me of myself and how I learned all my skills.

-D

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

Just looked at your welder. I was referring to the gas regulator adjustments. Not amps/power. You can use what they recommend but it usually is never right, close but not right. Another thing that is crucial is clean, mig welders need clean surfaces. If there is paint on either side it will burn crappy, rust, crappy, needs to be clean clean steel. I highly recommend youtube and practice welding on dads mustang! LOL JK, but seriously, weld on a junk fender or a body panel. Also, learning to weld upside down is way harder than welding upside right.

Keep up the good work

-=Z28=-

iTrader: (3)

Wire speed and amperage is the key. You want a constant zap. Having control of the gun is very crucial. Leading into or away has been a controversial topic among welders. Do what works for you.

dbrochard

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Thanks! I've gotten better with the welder since these pictures were taken, hopefully I'll get some more work done on it tomorrow night. And believe it or not I will get some practice on dads mustang because he wants to put sub frame connectors in it, and last time he welded he burned a hole in my car and I banish him from using it near my car... Stay tuned, thanks for all the advice!

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Last night I welded in a piece to patch the rust below the firewall created by the previous owner drilling holes for alarm wiring, and not using rubber grommets, causing water to slowly drip onto the metal for the past 15 years

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Much better welds now, the upper half will not be welded because of its close proximity to a lot of dash wiring and insulation. Too risky. At this point, the piece doesn't move around anymore, so it will be painted then seam sealed where it is not welded. And the gap at the top is much smaller than it looks in this picture, about 2.5mm wide at most.

dbrochard

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A few more shots I took today of the new suspension

dbrochard

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And how she looks today...

dbrochard

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Update- Finished the floor, just need to seam seal and rust proof the whole thing

DynoDave43

iTrader: (11)

Nice!

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Big update for this weekend. The interior was stripped of paint and ground down and snaded with 36 grit sandpaper, then painted with POR 15. Then over the top of it a layer of rustoleum blue, then started to get part of the interior installed.

grngryoutmyway

iTrader: (1)

Looks like some good progress, keep it up man.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Lots of updates for today. To start off, I got a real job a month ago to start saving up for paint. Up until then, I just sold parts to make money, which was slow and I'm an impatient guy. The biggest update is that the car is officially registered for the first time in 5 years. My stepbrother bought a car, and adding his insurance to the family policy would've been 500ish per year, but if we added both his car and mine, it dropped down to 440 a year for both cars. So after working on it for nearly two years, I finally got to drive the damn thing. Overall it handled great, went over bumps great, sounded great, and ran great. The issues I'm having with it now though are lack of funds for paint money... along with really vague steering. The tie rods, centerlink, idler arm, and ball joints were all replaced, so I am leaning towards the steering box being bad. The rag joint steering shaft seems really good, but I'm replacing it with a jeep Cherokee shaft just in case. If anyone has any ideas on what the vague steering could be, or where I could get a new, correct steering box, please let me know.

dbrochard

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dbrochard

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I also need help figuring out paint. I want a color close to the original blue, but a bit more flashy. I'm thinking going with Electric Blue metallic from TCP global, which is made by PPG, then adding vinyl silver heritage stripes once I can afford them. If anyone has any suggestions for colors, or brands to get/ stay away from/ tips for paint and prep, please post here. The car is also going to be painted by me, at my friends body shop, Lanes Auto Body in Guilford CT. Check them out they do great work. Anyway, they are goin to help me through the process, and are giving me a great deal for renting the paint booth for a weekend, along with all of the tools needed to paint (Sprayer, compressor, mask, etc.) Right now I'm aiming to get the car into paint by late November, so it's all ready for my 17th birthday on December 21st.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

This is the color I want to go with, any thoughts?

ktthecarguy

Hi there,
I like that shade, I have something similar, 1988 bright Blue (factory color). It really pops in the sunlight. This should look good in sun or dark.


I'd like to make a suggestion; after you paint the car, how about the IROC-Z tape stripes above the ground effects? Just the stripes. I always thought they were a nice finishing touch. My biggest gripe about the RS was that it had too much of a "dipped in color" look to it, not enough contrast. The stripes help break that up a bit.

Awesome-X

Looks like you've made some awesome progress, where'd you get the replacement floor pans from?

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

CarID. They had the cheapest shipping ($70) and they price matches rockauto's price for the floor pan where it was cheapest

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

I've considered it, I'm just not sure how it will look with the 91/91 ground effects, I feel it may look like it has too much going on. It's definitely on the list of things to consider though

dbrochard

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Updates for this past weekend include a number of things. Before I got the car, the previous owner was driving it in the rain, couldn't stop quick enough, and hit the car in front of him. If you look at the first pictures I posted in this thread, you can see the damage on the drivers side. It also caused damage to the radiator support. I took the car to my friendly local shop and together we disassembled the car and pulled out the dent in the radiator support.

dbrochard

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dbrochard

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I also re bled the rear brakes and installed a new spring for the prop valve. The car with its 4 wheel disc LS1 brakes now stops nearly as quick as dad's 2011 mustang. And will stop quicker once I learn more about using non ABS brakes. The car is now also getting ready to get it's dents removed, the right way. I am picking up a hammer and dolly set tuesday, and I have 3 different types of 3M body filler coming in from amazon over the next week, along with brand new weatherstripping. Also, I will be rebuilding the steering box next weekend and installing a jeep Cherokee steering shaft, so big things coming up.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Here are some pics- Having a license and registration are great things.

mattbhm

Me and my father are just starting a 1985 Trans am build. Can't wait to get it moving, but it's going to be a while with me going into college soon. When I got the car I honestly didn't think it was going to be so much, but that's how it always goes. In it almost 2k and it isn't even started. And wanting air ride and around 400HP, ugh.. Every little things costs, not to mention the big stuff..

This looks like it's going to be awesome. It's come a LONG way from the start. Can't wait to see more.

dbrochard

iTrader: (3)

Thanks a lot man. Just know that it will take you time and money to get your project done right, including purchase price I think im into mine about $4000, but once i'm done with body and paint ill be into it at least $5000 since I am doing it myself. Just never give up and take it one step at a time

mattbhm

Yep. One thing that'll help, the person who gave me the car owns a body shop and is going to do a "show quality" paint job almost free of charge. And also all of the body work.

Good luck man, I'll be keeping on eye on this thread.

evilemokid94

iTrader: (6)

Good job man the car is looking great! I bought my 86 at the age of 14 aswell. It's nice too see someone else working for something they want that early in life.

dmccain

iTrader: (2)

Car is looking good! Really like those wheels. Wish I had a manual gearbox.