What did you do to your Maverick or Comet today

Organized all my basket case parts. pulled the heads off the 5.0 that were just basically sitting on the block. Everything is brand new as described by my friend. Considering putting in the F303 cam instead of the B303 cam because I decided to go the carb route instead of fuel injected. Goal is to get the motor all buttoned up and painted before it's too cold out. Can't wait for a V8 in the Mav!

 

Started it.

 

I took mine apart, again...

 

Here is what I accomplished today...........at least it's a start.
Cut down the tunnel.........fitted..........cut down some more...........fitted and did a little bending. Will cut out my hole just to make it even, then cut the tunnel I have been working on a little larger..........then start fitting and welding. I think I can make it work...............since the floor is going to be bare...............It will have to be good...........or I may take it to someone who can weld thin sheet metal better than myself.

 

Not bad. I was picturing from the firewall back. Looks like you can handle this one. I figured you could..
Hope no one blasts you about the strength you have taken out of the structure.

 

When they put the Boss302/4spd in the car in 1979 they changed a lot of the structure of the car. One thing they did do was modify the cross member that the trans sits on.............they really made beefy, that is the reason I can't cut out anything that it is welded/supported to. The hole that is in the car now has been there for probably 1000 or 2000 trips down the 1/4 mile............also remember that the car has been back half'd and reinforced almost everywhere...............so I'm not worried about the hole or strength that closing it up will add.............I just want to get rid of the hole and make it look better/a little more like stock.
If you blow up the picture that shows the open hole, you can see on the left side that there is a lot of welding and metal that has been added to the tunnel and cross member area..............this is as close to the firewall as I can go.

 

4th gen Camaro. Super comfy and have pretty decent support as well.

 

Today was the first chance I got to start getting familiar with my Comet since it arrived from Texas last week. Did a compression test, changed plugs, tuned carb, freshened up some vacuum lines and started chasing down a brake light issue (gonna replaced switch). Also removed the cover from the back of the driver's seat to take care of a protruding support spring that stuck me in the ass...

 

I feel your pain, literally. LOL. Just had a similar issue yesterday.

 

Started washing bolts to assemble the fresh 306(short block is already assembled)... Most of the parts are in, hope to have it together and running on a friend's engine test stand by sometime next week... Yeah I'll take pict & video...

 

I have a 110v Lincoln Handy Mig with 2 buttons on the heat - a "high - low" and a "1 - 2"----I keep it on Low 1 and use .023 wire with gas and get pretty good results on tack welding on stock sheet metal. I do find that you need to do one tack, then move on to the other side of the material, then do another and then go back again to the first once it cools - I find the thin stuff is so easy to have the heat begin bending it

I'm opposite of you, John as the heavier stull is what I have my problems with

 

Primed, painted, undercoated rear valance, primed and undercoated front valance. Cleaned, primed, painted front parking lights.

 

Thanks for the information.
I may have .035 wire in the Miller 160 now, I guess I need to check. Mine has a rotary dial for V from 0 to 10 and wire feed from 0 to 10 I think. I also use 70/30 Argon for a shielding gas. I think I've got it set at 2 for wire feed and 5 for V..............I've just never been able to get a good weld on thin stuff..................but have used this setup to weld hot rod frames and had great results.............the first one I built took it to a friend who has been making hot rod frames all his life and whatever tests he did it passed with flying colors.
Even on .125 and thicker I always tack and move on from one end to the other and then the middle.....................haven't had anything warp yet.
Maybe I should go to a little smaller wire?????

 

I would say your wire is too heavy for the thin stuff - I use .023 for the thin and .035 for .125 and thicker - one of the biggest problems I find on stock sheet metal is that it may clean up nice and shiny and look solid but what you are trying to weld to is actually thinner than you may realize due to corrosion at the back of the piece where you might not be able to see it - my cowl cover is this way - I drill out the spot welds and what is left behind cleans up nice but is too thin to weld back to so I am using panel adhesive to do the job

 

I'll second the smaller wire. Any time I try and get away with .030 on sheet metal because I don't feel like swapping spools I end up just blasting holes. I use .023