Sir, not wishing to criticise your work but I was searching for video to assist in fitting torque box reinforcements on my 66 convertible. I found ur video and watched it from the beginning. I was surprised that an item mass produced would be so far out. So I went to my car and I found if I put it the other side of the frame rail that it fits great with only a little bending. Please don't take offence. I will send an image of the completed work if u give an address. Thx.Paul
Nope not offended at all. Everything I am attaching to is all aftermarket steel. The frame rails and the torque boxes etc are all new steel and the torque boxes fit horribly. So on a car with factory steel the braces would most likely fit just like they should. Sadly not the case with reproduction sheet metal everywhere on mine you just have to make it fit.
Thanks. Progress is slow due to funds for it. Harbor Freight has been hinting at the surface conditioning tool for around 6 months now. They had it as an outline in one of their mailers in the upcoming tools then the email a couple weeks ago had real pics and was in the coming soon stage. Another youtuber that has connections at HF emailed his informant and they said it was 2 weeks from being in stores. So it should be available within the next week or so. It looks identical to the Eastwood one so it'll be the same tool but in red. No info on pricing though. IMO their regular price would have to be about $150 and then whatever off for sale prices. Might start blasting the hard to get to spots tomorrow as it's going to be in the 80s here before the ice storm comes back on teudsay.
Pure luck as it sure isn't skill. :) I usually start my plug welds in the middle of the hole then run to the edge and then spiral back inwards. I think I did those with .024 wire which is a little small but I don't like changing wire. A second welder would be nice to avoid switching sizes. I also clean the surface before welding. I often use a stiff straight dremel type brush in a drill. It really makes a difference on thin steel as if it's clean you need less power and can finish the weld faster and put less heat into it. My welder also has an induction adjustment and that really helps with thin steel. Just have to experiment and see what works on scrap steel. Also the best thing you can do for all of your welding is to get a helmet with the true color lens and cheaters (magnifying glass). Even if you have good eyesight being able to zoom in on the weld makes life far easier on any welding. Mine are amazon special ones and they work well for the price. Most of my welding mistakes are because I can't easily see what I'm doing.
@@theinfernalcraftsman My welder is a Miller 185 Autoset that I purchased about 8 years ago so I am not sure if it has induction adjustment. I use .023 wire but I do need to get a better helmet and magnifying glass cheater lens would be awesome . I will try out your technique when I get welding on my next project. Thanks and your project is coming along really good!
I would suggest "massaging" the brace for a better fit before welding. Pulling it into place results in built-in stresses that will always be there. Watching the video, it appears that the "tab" first welded was the one that needed massaging; it appears that if the other two "tabs" had been positioned first, the needed bending of the tab that attaches to the bottom (of the car) would be apparent and the needed bending could be done in a vise. The result would be a better fit without built-in stresses.
Trying to get that thing bent in a vice etc off the car was s futile effort. Easier to just get it on the car hammer it into shape and then work your way around. Everything there is 14ga steel and thicker and no issue with any stresses in it.
Thanks for the video. Torque box braces are new to me. Is there a particular problem they are intended to solve? Any differences between convertible and sedan installations?
They are another stiffener to help stop movement between the frame rail and rocker rails to help the joint between the frame rail and body from wiggling side to side.. I don't think you can do over do stiffening of these cars. They are all the same part on all cars. Torque boxes are the same between vert and hard top other than a hole for the inner rocker. Mine has vert inner rockers and torque boxes as well.
Wow, that rotisserie makes things a lot easier. I found you via your VMF post. I wish I had a rotisserie like that when I was doing my vehicle. Great tip on the HD magnets too!
Thanks. I couldn't justify buying a rotisserie as for not much more I can get a 2 post lift... Thanks for checking out the channel. I still read allot on VMF but I don't post much now. I need to get my build thread over there caught up but I have been lax at getting it done. They are some of the strongest for their size magnets you can get too.
It was pretty rough when I got it. I have replaced allot of steel. To the point where I might have just started from a new floor pan... Maybe next time.
