It actually works out well b/c the rack in the car is from a BMW Z4, which is a manual rack that came from the factory with an electric assist. I always had the idea in the back of my mind, but a lot of the off the shelf products are pricey, but this setup is rather affordable.
Between 705 & 1200 SQ/FT My Mini Garagemahal
- Thread starter fouckhest
- Start date
Workspaces between 705 and 1200 squarefeet.
It actually works out well b/c the rack in the car is from a BMW Z4, which is a manual rack that came from the factory with an electric assist. I always had the idea in the back of my mind, but a lot of the off the shelf products are pricey, but this setup is rather affordable.
Found a couple hours last night to keep plugging away at the steering system. I knew I needed to shorten the input shaft on the EPS along with building the coupler for the OEM column to attach to the EPS.
Taped up and ready to butcher
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Tacked up
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Next was to join the two ends from the columns, this was a bit tricky, but thankfully with extra column shaft from the OEM VW unit, i was able to make a coupler that would allow me to sneak the MIG nozzle in that hole, tack it, then use the flap wheel to grind it down and slide it off
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
All welded up and smoothed out
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Quick test fit and it seems to be a success
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Taped up and ready to butcher
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrTacked up
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrNext was to join the two ends from the columns, this was a bit tricky, but thankfully with extra column shaft from the OEM VW unit, i was able to make a coupler that would allow me to sneak the MIG nozzle in that hole, tack it, then use the flap wheel to grind it down and slide it off
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrAll welded up and smoothed out
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrQuick test fit and it seems to be a success
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrCdubu52
Well-known member
A lot of classics are going the way of electronic steering retrofitting. I know there are kits for my Mustang and Corvette.
Ode to corporate America and work from home jobs, holiday weeks are great to not travel and stay on the clock, especially when your shop is 20ft from your computer....that being said, as so eloquently put in The Big Lebowski, "Sometimes you eat the bar, sometimes the bar eats you"
Yesterday in the afternoon, I got out to the garage to keep chipping away at finalizing the steering setup and mounts, I made some good progress on getting the mount made for the EPS unit, just a rough shape for now, will get it looking a little better once the mounts end up in their final spot
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Made an extension for the sleeve/collar that goes onto the EPS out of leftovers from the OEM VW column, this will help keep things center for installation...I think
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
However, as I was attempting to assembly the full unit and things weren't really lining up, I came to the realization that I got too far ahead of myself with welding the input shaft on the EPS and what looked to be straight is not....womp womp....what I should have done is leave this tacked only, but it looked good, but apparently not good enough
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
This is how far out of center it ends up with the coupler section installed, this is just the EPS input shaft
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
This is with the coupler that joins the EPS and the steering wheel section of the column
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
***** to have cut that input shaft again, but I have the tools and capability to fix it, so its a good reminder of why not final welding something until the time is right is important *note to future self
Yesterday in the afternoon, I got out to the garage to keep chipping away at finalizing the steering setup and mounts, I made some good progress on getting the mount made for the EPS unit, just a rough shape for now, will get it looking a little better once the mounts end up in their final spot
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrMade an extension for the sleeve/collar that goes onto the EPS out of leftovers from the OEM VW column, this will help keep things center for installation...I think
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrHowever, as I was attempting to assembly the full unit and things weren't really lining up, I came to the realization that I got too far ahead of myself with welding the input shaft on the EPS and what looked to be straight is not....womp womp....what I should have done is leave this tacked only, but it looked good, but apparently not good enough
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrThis is how far out of center it ends up with the coupler section installed, this is just the EPS input shaft
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrThis is with the coupler that joins the EPS and the steering wheel section of the column
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr***** to have cut that input shaft again, but I have the tools and capability to fix it, so its a good reminder of why not final welding something until the time is right is important *note to future self
Hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving, we certainly always enjoy this time of year and managed to have good weather, better food and a the best time with friends and family!
I managed to squeeze in some work on the car on/off depending on the day, but was not as diligent about taking photos.
Knowing I needed to redo the input shaft for the EPS unit, I wanted to focus on how to square things up in the chop saw to try and get a nice square cut...likely not OSHA approved, but it held remarkably well and I was happy with the cut
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
by fouckhest, on Flickr
Once that was complete it was time to square up the other half of the input shaft, support that stub portion and stopped to check the cut
by fouckhest, on Flickr
Final cut, nice and clean, gotta love this saw
by fouckhest, on Flickr
With the argon bottle fille, it was time to approach this with a new and more methodical process. First was to tack one side only, press the outer sleave back on and check for concentricity
by fouckhest, on Flickr
Looked decent enough
by fouckhest, on Flickr
Remove that sleeve, found a little gap on one side, so supported that with some MIG wire to try and keep the spacing
by fouckhest, on Flickr
It must have been at this point that I got in the zone and forgot to take photos, but I kept plugging along, ground out in between my tack welds to create a nice "V" to be able to finish weld everything out, taking my time to move around adding additional tacks. It certainly isnt perfect, but its pretty close, so proceeded to fully weld it out.
Quite a few rounds of installing and removing the dash bar to work on how to mount the EPS, but I think I finally found a spot that will work and with a little more planning, I may be able to keep some amount of telescoping (which is the lesser concern), but will be able to keep the tilt, which will be nice just to fine tune seating position.
Here we are, the nice part about this, the OEM steering column is mounted in the original position, with the same adapter and quick release that was originally on this car and my R32, so this means its just a matter of getting the seating dialed in and it should be as comfortable as the R32 (similar seats), which was a great driving car. I do think the shifter need to move forward a little, but that isn't difficult, just need to cut one shift linkage/tube.
by fouckhest, on Flickr
by fouckhest, on Flickr
I was also able to get the rest of the steering linkage hooked up, the top angle is a bit extreme, but I think I can (and want to) pull the EPS unit back/closer to the drivers seat, which will reduce that angle slightly. In order to do that I need to finalize that rear mount structure you see above the u-joint. I hoped to dig into that over the long weekend, but I didnt end up with as much time as I had hoped for, but the exciting part about that step, I will be adding a solid bar across that will act as one of the first structures to make the firewall and tunnel!
by fouckhest, on Flickr
This week will be filled with getting the garage cleaned and ready for our annual food drive party for the local food pantry. I started putting things away and cleaning up in the garage yesterday afternoon, so more of that to continue tonight and into the week, but the garage is due for a good cleaning anyway, so works well!
Have a good week everyone!
I managed to squeeze in some work on the car on/off depending on the day, but was not as diligent about taking photos.
Knowing I needed to redo the input shaft for the EPS unit, I wanted to focus on how to square things up in the chop saw to try and get a nice square cut...likely not OSHA approved, but it held remarkably well and I was happy with the cut
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr by fouckhest, on FlickrOnce that was complete it was time to square up the other half of the input shaft, support that stub portion and stopped to check the cut
by fouckhest, on FlickrFinal cut, nice and clean, gotta love this saw
by fouckhest, on FlickrWith the argon bottle fille, it was time to approach this with a new and more methodical process. First was to tack one side only, press the outer sleave back on and check for concentricity
by fouckhest, on FlickrLooked decent enough
by fouckhest, on FlickrRemove that sleeve, found a little gap on one side, so supported that with some MIG wire to try and keep the spacing
by fouckhest, on FlickrIt must have been at this point that I got in the zone and forgot to take photos, but I kept plugging along, ground out in between my tack welds to create a nice "V" to be able to finish weld everything out, taking my time to move around adding additional tacks. It certainly isnt perfect, but its pretty close, so proceeded to fully weld it out.
Quite a few rounds of installing and removing the dash bar to work on how to mount the EPS, but I think I finally found a spot that will work and with a little more planning, I may be able to keep some amount of telescoping (which is the lesser concern), but will be able to keep the tilt, which will be nice just to fine tune seating position.
Here we are, the nice part about this, the OEM steering column is mounted in the original position, with the same adapter and quick release that was originally on this car and my R32, so this means its just a matter of getting the seating dialed in and it should be as comfortable as the R32 (similar seats), which was a great driving car. I do think the shifter need to move forward a little, but that isn't difficult, just need to cut one shift linkage/tube.
by fouckhest, on Flickr by fouckhest, on FlickrI was also able to get the rest of the steering linkage hooked up, the top angle is a bit extreme, but I think I can (and want to) pull the EPS unit back/closer to the drivers seat, which will reduce that angle slightly. In order to do that I need to finalize that rear mount structure you see above the u-joint. I hoped to dig into that over the long weekend, but I didnt end up with as much time as I had hoped for, but the exciting part about that step, I will be adding a solid bar across that will act as one of the first structures to make the firewall and tunnel!
by fouckhest, on FlickrThis week will be filled with getting the garage cleaned and ready for our annual food drive party for the local food pantry. I started putting things away and cleaning up in the garage yesterday afternoon, so more of that to continue tonight and into the week, but the garage is due for a good cleaning anyway, so works well!
Have a good week everyone!
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Impressive work
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Nice work Mike.
Jagmandave
Well-known member
Did you get that pin out, or were able to work past it?
Sometimes they use tapered pins and you need to drive it the right way
Sometimes they use tapered pins and you need to drive it the right way
Thanks guys!
@Jagmandave I didn't get the pin out, I abandon that and just cut the shaft and modified, which is the reason for all the welding, first attempt was by hand with a cutoff wheel and a MIG, shame on me. Version 2 was the fixturing you see above to get a square(r) cut, followed by more controlled (both temp and size) using the TIG, which allowed for some "wiggling" while setting the final position.
I abandon trying to drive the pin out b/c even after heating the area neither driving it out by hand with a punch or trying to hold it in the press yielded any good results, so the caveman method was enlisted.
MrPink
Well-known member
Awesome Mike!
Metallitubby
Well-known member
When I saw it in person, and we talked about the steering, I have to admit that I was skeptical because of the angles involved.
Nice work, indeed!
As advertised last night was filled with prepping for our annual food drive shindig. First order of business was to put together some Northern Tool stools that the wife bought a few weeks ago, she loves them and anytime we have people over the one I use as an office chain and the two in my shop always get repurposed for folks sitting around the high top tables.
After some kindergarten assembly, it was onto starting to pick up, put away, sweep and general clean up of the basement area. The evening went by quickly and before I knew it, I needed to grab some dinner before my 8pm call with the team in the Philippines.
As I got to work this morning, it was nice to come to a clean, not cluttered basement/office and made me remember how nice it is to NOT have a car sitting down here, makes the garage at the new house seem very valuable!
Here are the stools that got assembled and are now setup at the table from my favorite wing spot/watering hole that sadly closed almost exactly a year ago, RIP
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Looking out towards the shop from my desk, maybe this year will be the year I finally do something with the floor down here, just need to decide what that is....hmmm, always open to suggestions on that, but it is a high dog traffic area with doggie door access.
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
After some kindergarten assembly, it was onto starting to pick up, put away, sweep and general clean up of the basement area. The evening went by quickly and before I knew it, I needed to grab some dinner before my 8pm call with the team in the Philippines.
As I got to work this morning, it was nice to come to a clean, not cluttered basement/office and made me remember how nice it is to NOT have a car sitting down here, makes the garage at the new house seem very valuable!
Here are the stools that got assembled and are now setup at the table from my favorite wing spot/watering hole that sadly closed almost exactly a year ago, RIP
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrLooking out towards the shop from my desk, maybe this year will be the year I finally do something with the floor down here, just need to decide what that is....hmmm, always open to suggestions on that, but it is a high dog traffic area with doggie door access.
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrI like that basement space, dont think I had ever really noticed it before. I had tiled my previous basement and it was kinda the same deal. Dogs and access to outside. Tile was easy to mop and clean up, but I regretted my choice of bright white grout which was a pain to clean.
Thanks, it really does change the feel of our house in general, if the floors weren't old dingy concrete I think it would certainly make it feel much more welcoming down here.
I think tile would be a good option, but at ~500sqft I am not sure I am up for taking on that job myself, nor do I want to pay someone to do that....but it would certainly be nice for cleaning. I had thought about doing a VCT at one point, then cost detoured me and got looking into just old school linoleum flooring, but that just seems too far on the cheap side.
Cdubu52
Well-known member
What about a waterproof LVP? Its not too expensive, and tends to hold up fairly well.
That is one option I have been considering, I did our house, helped/supervised some friends basement back in the summer, probably the best option at this point. Might need to consult the O & D department and see what she thinks
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
After getting a quote of almost $4000 to do vinyl flooring in just the bathroom, office, and gun room from the flooring company my wife and I did 2 part epoxy paint instead. 
Turned out so good I bought a couple more kits and we’re going to do the whole shop with epoxy. Prep is pretty simple and I have also filled all the control joints with SikaFlex caulk. No more concrete dust and cracks filling with dirt! Total cost less than $1000! Epoxy kits run $180 for 2 gallons and the SikaFlex was $220 for a 12 pack from Amazon.
Turned out so good I bought a couple more kits and we’re going to do the whole shop with epoxy. Prep is pretty simple and I have also filled all the control joints with SikaFlex caulk. No more concrete dust and cracks filling with dirt! Total cost less than $1000! Epoxy kits run $180 for 2 gallons and the SikaFlex was $220 for a 12 pack from Amazon.
We had tiled our basement floor with some closeout tile for around 500 dollars plus doing the labor myself its was almost 650 sq ft, me and a buddy knocked it out in about a week doing 3-4 hours a night. Big open spaces go a lot faster than small intricate areas, and tile holds up to the dogs much better than any lvp I have seen. I have done my wife's salon and the room above it with lvp, one with a very high end product and the latter with a more budget friendly box store product and was not impressed with either one. Maybe its just me, but I felt like it did not go together all that well. Easy to cut and work with for sure, but I would rather do just about any other floor covering.
cccoltsicehockey
Well-known member
Tile would definitely be great. I don't think it would take as long if you found a like you like that was like 16x24 or 20x30. Making sure the ground was level first I think would be most of the work in the exisitng slab has shifted at all.
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
Also you can have the epoxy tinted to different colors than gray, my buddy did his shop in a blue that looks really good too!
Probably 20 years old and still looking great!
Probably 20 years old and still looking great!
SilverJimmy
Well-known member
I really like this space you have, looks like a wonderful place to hangout and have a beer!
Thanks you guys for the comments, certainly great feedback! I think once or twice a year I get this bug up my you know what when we do these parties, combined that with it being chilly, something to insulate the floor is certainly part of the thought.
If you ever make your way to the dirty south don't hesitate to reach out, the beer fridge always has something to offer and the kegerator can be stocked rather easily these days too!
If you ever make your way to the dirty south don't hesitate to reach out, the beer fridge always has something to offer and the kegerator can be stocked rather easily these days too!
Talk about a wild day....got up early this morning to go pick up a FBMP treasure that I found back in October, been trying too coordinate for just over two months now, and finally happened....then got back home and to the office around 830 and walked into a damn **** show....womp...BUT, last night did get the project car racked (not fun getting an inoperable low car on the lift), moved the buggy under and we now its time to clean the floors!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Was hoping to do the floors tonight, but well, its now been a 10hr day and I have to get on a call in an hour, so I'm taking a short break. Oh and my treasure! Some who followed my car audio build might recognize these, slightly smaller 8" vs the 10" subs in my car, but for $100, they were too cool to pass up!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrWas hoping to do the floors tonight, but well, its now been a 10hr day and I have to get on a call in an hour, so I'm taking a short break. Oh and my treasure! Some who followed my car audio build might recognize these, slightly smaller 8" vs the 10" subs in my car, but for $100, they were too cool to pass up!
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrCool speakers!! I'm currently in pursuit of a nice pair of bookshelf speakers for my basement shop area. My problem is that I want them to be nice quality and look great with the grills off, but also be cheap. idk why I torture myself like this. haha
Thanks, I wasn't looking at all, these popped up on MP back in October, guess one of those bitter sweet things about the algorithm. I am fortunate enough to already have a set in the basement that I've had since I started high school, fortunately they are old Bose Interaudio speakers that have stood the test of time! They were thoroughly abused in college for 5ish years, and have followed me around since, unfortunately the grills are worse for wear, but they do look good with the grills off
Hope everyone had a good weekend, was rather busy around here with the donation party taking place on Saturday afternoon/evening. The wife and I did our whirlwind cleanup of the house while getting food cooked, finishing cleaning the basement and mopping the shop floors.
Always satisfying to get the mop bucket out and see how well the floors clean back up, this wasn't the best photo b/c back here doesn't see as much traffic, but was a nice improvement!
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on Flickr
Garage all cleaned up and ready for our guests to arrive, unfortunately didn't get my normal photo of all the guests, but I think we ended up around 17 people, which is a little lighter than normal, but this time of year is always tricky with other x-mas parties, gatherings, etc.
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on Flickr
Basement all ready as well
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on Flickr
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on Flickr
One good thing about the smaller crowd, cleanup is easier! Bonus, LOL With the shop and basement all cleaned up, I moved the buggy back to its spot and got to work on the project car.
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
I left the car on the lift for right now so I could continue work on the steering and be able to articulate the steering to see if there was any binding. The EPS was still not attached to the upper column, which made it hard to tell how things were moving through the range of motion, so decided the next step was to permanently attach it to the upper
Couple years ago I found a bunch of this little brackets/tabs at the metal scrap yard, they seemed like they could be a good candidate for this project
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Seems promising
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Fast forward a couple cuts, couple holes and a couple tacks later
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Mounted back up, column shaft installed and it works, no binding, certainly close to the header, but i think its manageable
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Also started looking at and thinking about pedal placement, I think I am going to need to do a floor mount pedal box, so I guess its time to dust off my brake calculation spreadsheet and start shopping
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
With the column 80% secure, there is one more mount needed on the back of the EPS, but that is going to need to be tied into something more substantial, so I wanted to start looking at the early stages of the firewall and getting a nice strong upper bar installed that will then allow for strut tower tubes to land on also. I started this by making some crude templates for the landing plates
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Couple cuts later, mirrored plates
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Next I rough cut a 1.5" DOM tube and finagled it into place, got some tape out to mock up what I think my strut bars will look like. Next will be starting to think about how to build the firewall and tunnel...its actually kind of exciting to see a couple things come together and take shape
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
That was my stopping point for the afternoon/evening, it was just about dog feeding time and I had to feed the wife as well, so called it a day, started the grill, fed the hounds and settled in for a relaxing evening after an action packed weekend. Excited to get back on the car this week in between my nightly meetings, however, with the holidays coming up, I should have some solid time in my future and be able to make some progress.
Hope everyone has a good week!
Always satisfying to get the mop bucket out and see how well the floors clean back up, this wasn't the best photo b/c back here doesn't see as much traffic, but was a nice improvement!
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on FlickrGarage all cleaned up and ready for our guests to arrive, unfortunately didn't get my normal photo of all the guests, but I think we ended up around 17 people, which is a little lighter than normal, but this time of year is always tricky with other x-mas parties, gatherings, etc.
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on FlickrBasement all ready as well
Greer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on FlickrGreer Relief Food Drive by fouckhest, on FlickrOne good thing about the smaller crowd, cleanup is easier! Bonus, LOL With the shop and basement all cleaned up, I moved the buggy back to its spot and got to work on the project car.
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrI left the car on the lift for right now so I could continue work on the steering and be able to articulate the steering to see if there was any binding. The EPS was still not attached to the upper column, which made it hard to tell how things were moving through the range of motion, so decided the next step was to permanently attach it to the upper
Couple years ago I found a bunch of this little brackets/tabs at the metal scrap yard, they seemed like they could be a good candidate for this project
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrSeems promising
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrFast forward a couple cuts, couple holes and a couple tacks later
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrMounted back up, column shaft installed and it works, no binding, certainly close to the header, but i think its manageable
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrAlso started looking at and thinking about pedal placement, I think I am going to need to do a floor mount pedal box, so I guess its time to dust off my brake calculation spreadsheet and start shopping
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrWith the column 80% secure, there is one more mount needed on the back of the EPS, but that is going to need to be tied into something more substantial, so I wanted to start looking at the early stages of the firewall and getting a nice strong upper bar installed that will then allow for strut tower tubes to land on also. I started this by making some crude templates for the landing plates
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrCouple cuts later, mirrored plates
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrNext I rough cut a 1.5" DOM tube and finagled it into place, got some tape out to mock up what I think my strut bars will look like. Next will be starting to think about how to build the firewall and tunnel...its actually kind of exciting to see a couple things come together and take shape
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrUntitled by fouckhest, on FlickrThat was my stopping point for the afternoon/evening, it was just about dog feeding time and I had to feed the wife as well, so called it a day, started the grill, fed the hounds and settled in for a relaxing evening after an action packed weekend. Excited to get back on the car this week in between my nightly meetings, however, with the holidays coming up, I should have some solid time in my future and be able to make some progress.
Hope everyone has a good week!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Glad the party was a success and you were able to get some work done on the project car.
XJSuperman
Well-known member
Swung by for the saw posts, stayed for the shop/projects....
No idea on what your budget is for the mancave flooring, but my first thought was a black/white checkerboard tiles, followed by NatureStone after you mentioned dog traffic. Naturestone, or something similar may be nice down there. I'm sure it would be spendy however. Plenty of epoxy options to choose from though for a more affordable route.
No idea on what your budget is for the mancave flooring, but my first thought was a black/white checkerboard tiles, followed by NatureStone after you mentioned dog traffic. Naturestone, or something similar may be nice down there. I'm sure it would be spendy however. Plenty of epoxy options to choose from though for a more affordable route.
Thanks for stopping by!
Budget is always flexible since the wife and I split house stuff like that, so not much of a concern, its more of the balance of wear & tear and ease of cleaning, the black/white VCT tiles were certainly high on my list, but I think that may make it too "shop like" for the wife. We actually talked about it yesterday when I was down here working and she was in/out watching foozeball, while its been on the project list for a while, I'd like to get it moved up on the list next spring when its easy to do a deep clean and maybe even acid etch the floor. The next project to be completed is the spare bedroom, then hopefully onto the floor and a possible shop expansion, but that is TBD at the moment.
Not much garage time last night, whipped up a batch of chili last night since its supposed to be rather cold here this week, so seemed like a good dinner option.
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Once the kitchen was back in order, I made my way to the shop to work on the car, before it dinner and my 8pm call. Since time was somewhat limited, I decided to install the other Recaro seat support that I had purchased many moons ago. I actually bought it b/c it was in better shape, but after seeing the mounting holes on it versus the one that was installed, I felt confident that it would improve the seating position and reduce the amount of recline, which it did and this is certainly the ticket for the drivers seats!
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Not the same angle, but you can definitely tell it sits more straight up
Seats & Steering by fouckhest, on Flickr
Now to mess with the mounting points a little more, the first version were very crude just to check position, but I'd like to get it a little more dialed in for when I start working on the new floor and tunnel
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrOnce the kitchen was back in order, I made my way to the shop to work on the car, before it dinner and my 8pm call. Since time was somewhat limited, I decided to install the other Recaro seat support that I had purchased many moons ago. I actually bought it b/c it was in better shape, but after seeing the mounting holes on it versus the one that was installed, I felt confident that it would improve the seating position and reduce the amount of recline, which it did and this is certainly the ticket for the drivers seats!
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrNot the same angle, but you can definitely tell it sits more straight up
Seats & Steering by fouckhest, on FlickrNow to mess with the mounting points a little more, the first version were very crude just to check position, but I'd like to get it a little more dialed in for when I start working on the new floor and tunnel
Its been a busy couple days at work and I've been doing a lot of thinking about next steps on the project car. That being said, I've come to the realization that I need to start committing, otherwise, I am going to end up with a never ending list of tacked up components. That being said, one variable that has quite an impact on a lot of other systems and next steps are the headers. After feeling guilty looking through old photos and realizing I finished tacking up the headers in July, 2024, WTF! How did a year and a half go by......
SO, as we roll into the Christmas/New Year week, my companies manufacturing plant shuts down from Dec., 20th - Jan., 4th, and we have an optional ability to take those days as and use our floating holidays, its a perfect opportunity to really focus on a specific project. That being said, the last two nights, I dug out my header scrap bin and started melting some metal together.
Tuesday night was night #1, got a little frustrated, but knew I was just rusty, so before a call last night, I headed back out, fresh and ready to have an open mind and start working on technique, patients, etc., below are a couple examples of the last welds and where I feel like I was starting to find my groove.
Cliffs notes on setup: Lincoln Squarewave 175, ~30-35amps (has a dial), 3/32" Purple Tungsten #10 FUPA cup/gas lens, ~25cfh, 0.035" 308L SS Filler (no backpurge)
This is the best weld from the bunch, on the right, this was pure fuse, to the left after feeling good about that, I dropped a larger dab to start then started moving the puddle and dropping smaller dabs, really focusing on the puddle side and not staying in one spot too long. Nice gold color tells me that there is a recipe in there somewhere that I have, just need to get consistent with it.
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
This was playing around with an inside corner, only fused this, but certainly helps build confidence since the inside of a mandrel bend will be thicker, so takes the heat better.
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Ended up chatting with a friend that is a full-time fabricator this morning after sharing some photos (we are each others project support/accountability buddies), we talked about what is right and wrong about many photos, and the result its, I am going to dig out the #18 cup, turn up the argon and start to really work on my consistency with both heat and finding my rhythm/spacing with how I will space my dabs as everyone's technique is their own.
Anyway, wanted to share, always open to feedback/suggestions, or maybe provide some information to get out to the shop and melt some metal!
SO, as we roll into the Christmas/New Year week, my companies manufacturing plant shuts down from Dec., 20th - Jan., 4th, and we have an optional ability to take those days as and use our floating holidays, its a perfect opportunity to really focus on a specific project. That being said, the last two nights, I dug out my header scrap bin and started melting some metal together.
Tuesday night was night #1, got a little frustrated, but knew I was just rusty, so before a call last night, I headed back out, fresh and ready to have an open mind and start working on technique, patients, etc., below are a couple examples of the last welds and where I feel like I was starting to find my groove.
Cliffs notes on setup: Lincoln Squarewave 175, ~30-35amps (has a dial), 3/32" Purple Tungsten #10 FUPA cup/gas lens, ~25cfh, 0.035" 308L SS Filler (no backpurge)
This is the best weld from the bunch, on the right, this was pure fuse, to the left after feeling good about that, I dropped a larger dab to start then started moving the puddle and dropping smaller dabs, really focusing on the puddle side and not staying in one spot too long. Nice gold color tells me that there is a recipe in there somewhere that I have, just need to get consistent with it.
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrThis was playing around with an inside corner, only fused this, but certainly helps build confidence since the inside of a mandrel bend will be thicker, so takes the heat better.
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrEnded up chatting with a friend that is a full-time fabricator this morning after sharing some photos (we are each others project support/accountability buddies), we talked about what is right and wrong about many photos, and the result its, I am going to dig out the #18 cup, turn up the argon and start to really work on my consistency with both heat and finding my rhythm/spacing with how I will space my dabs as everyone's technique is their own.
Anyway, wanted to share, always open to feedback/suggestions, or maybe provide some information to get out to the shop and melt some metal!
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
Mike, those don't look bad at all. I think your main focus should be on consistency as it looks like heat is close. The welds aren't grey and grainy so that means they are being shielded and not overly heated. Don't get me wrong, I too struggle with consistency because I don't weld daily, so each time I pick up the welder, I have to get back into a rhythm.
I know many people say to get in and get moving quickly, but what I've found to work quite well is to slowly increase the amperage at the start to grow the puddle to the size I want before ever moving or adding filler. Once the puddle is the size I want and it begins to sink, add a dab of filler to lift the puddle and to maintain the puddle size that you want, THEN start stepping out about a third or so of the puddle diameter and dab the filler to the leading edge of the puddle until the puddle grows to the size of the previous puddle that you want to maintain and then lather, rinse, repeat. All the while using the filler to grow the puddle to match the size before moving forward. I know it sounds easy, but putting all that together while focusing on arc length and torch angle is not as easy as it seems.
I have also found, especially when welding around a tube, that it is beneficial to count dips. If I just try to move as far as I can, I feel myself begin to move outside my range of motion and either my torch angle, arc length or something changes and I can't bring it back. What I've found is when I begin, I will count dips and stop when I get to a specific number that is well within my range and before anything gets out of whack. Then reposition and count that many dips again, and so forth. I stick to that count, and my welds become much more uniform and consistent compared to just going until I feel I need to stop.
Not sure if that helps or not.
I know many people say to get in and get moving quickly, but what I've found to work quite well is to slowly increase the amperage at the start to grow the puddle to the size I want before ever moving or adding filler. Once the puddle is the size I want and it begins to sink, add a dab of filler to lift the puddle and to maintain the puddle size that you want, THEN start stepping out about a third or so of the puddle diameter and dab the filler to the leading edge of the puddle until the puddle grows to the size of the previous puddle that you want to maintain and then lather, rinse, repeat. All the while using the filler to grow the puddle to match the size before moving forward. I know it sounds easy, but putting all that together while focusing on arc length and torch angle is not as easy as it seems.
I have also found, especially when welding around a tube, that it is beneficial to count dips. If I just try to move as far as I can, I feel myself begin to move outside my range of motion and either my torch angle, arc length or something changes and I can't bring it back. What I've found is when I begin, I will count dips and stop when I get to a specific number that is well within my range and before anything gets out of whack. Then reposition and count that many dips again, and so forth. I stick to that count, and my welds become much more uniform and consistent compared to just going until I feel I need to stop.
Not sure if that helps or not.
Mike - I wasn't expecting, mostly hoping you'd drop some knowledge, and as usually, you didn't let me down
You said a couple things that help and reinforce my thinking:
- CONSISTENCY, its great to hear (in my mind) you say that, b/c I certainly struggle with the "catch a moment of brilliance" and think I've got it, but then its gone the next day.
- The moving quickly has never worked for me, I agree (and it takes a lot of focus for me), is to get the puddle started slowly, build that base and THEN start adding more filler.
- One thing you mention, that I didn't think of, but it perked my analytical brain, counting the dabs, that is a fantastic peace of advice, if I didn't have some work to finish before dinner plans with my wife tonight and laying out of work tomorrow, I would absolutely go to the shop right now and fire up the TIG.
I am excited to tackle this and continue to build this skill (much like the gate with the MIG), and worst case, if its not perfect, I'll just send them out for cerakote LOL
zmotorsports
ALLIANCE MEMBER
dr_clyde
Well-known member
The bat signal has been lit! Flattered that I am called upon to help...
I am at work right now but I can do a write up on thin stainless tubing soon, it'll take me a few mins to get something together worth reading.
Just quickly while I am on break.
Purge those welds! Stainless really, really likes to be welded in an inert atmosphere. A back purge will do two primary things. First, it will prevent heavy oxides from forming on the root of the weld, sometimes called "sugaring". This oxide prevents the root from fusing and tying in, causing a weak spot and a place for cracks to propagate and debris to collect. The second thing it does is improves puddle fluidity and allows you to slow down just a bit. Without a purge, it is much harder to keep your heat input regulated enough to prevent absolutely cooking the inside. A purge gives you a little safety net so you don't go buck wild on the ID with oxides, and those oxides make the outside of the puddle behave weird.
Second, heat input is a function of both amperage AND travel speed. You are probably going too slowly, and because your amps are really low, your heat input is actually higher than if you were running a bit higher amps but moving quicker. I'd set your machine at maybe 50-60 and modulate your heat a bit on the pedal vs trying to govern your heat with setting the machine at a lower amps. When I do sanitary welds, I run 35 amps fixed on the machine, but I have a back purge going and am not using filler. I am also traveling much slower as I am walking the cup and trying to get as consistent of a pool as possible. With filler, you will need to bump up your heat a tad.
I would also bump your gas flow up a bit, that's a big cup and you want probably 30-35 CFH to really blanket your weld.
I am at work right now but I can do a write up on thin stainless tubing soon, it'll take me a few mins to get something together worth reading.
Just quickly while I am on break.
Purge those welds! Stainless really, really likes to be welded in an inert atmosphere. A back purge will do two primary things. First, it will prevent heavy oxides from forming on the root of the weld, sometimes called "sugaring". This oxide prevents the root from fusing and tying in, causing a weak spot and a place for cracks to propagate and debris to collect. The second thing it does is improves puddle fluidity and allows you to slow down just a bit. Without a purge, it is much harder to keep your heat input regulated enough to prevent absolutely cooking the inside. A purge gives you a little safety net so you don't go buck wild on the ID with oxides, and those oxides make the outside of the puddle behave weird.
Second, heat input is a function of both amperage AND travel speed. You are probably going too slowly, and because your amps are really low, your heat input is actually higher than if you were running a bit higher amps but moving quicker. I'd set your machine at maybe 50-60 and modulate your heat a bit on the pedal vs trying to govern your heat with setting the machine at a lower amps. When I do sanitary welds, I run 35 amps fixed on the machine, but I have a back purge going and am not using filler. I am also traveling much slower as I am walking the cup and trying to get as consistent of a pool as possible. With filler, you will need to bump up your heat a tad.
I would also bump your gas flow up a bit, that's a big cup and you want probably 30-35 CFH to really blanket your weld.
Too excited not to post this, but just got back after a marathon road trip to NC and back to pickup my GTi after getting the interior recovered.
I need to give the car a full cleaning and then find someone local to do some proper photos. Regardless, I am super happy on how this turned out!
Here are the front, these are Recaro Sporster CS, recovered to mimic the OEM VW 337 Edition GTi
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Here are the rears, the rear upper mimic the OEM seats, the lowers are a recovered OEM Jetta rare option seat that allows the lowers to be a booster seat for kids. Fun OEM+ modification. He ran out of material for my headrests but they will be finished once the additional material arrives and hopefully get the took kit finished up
Both boosters down
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
One up
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Both up
Untitled by fouckhest, on Flickr
Xmas came early for me! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
I need to give the car a full cleaning and then find someone local to do some proper photos. Regardless, I am super happy on how this turned out!
Here are the front, these are Recaro Sporster CS, recovered to mimic the OEM VW 337 Edition GTi
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrHere are the rears, the rear upper mimic the OEM seats, the lowers are a recovered OEM Jetta rare option seat that allows the lowers to be a booster seat for kids. Fun OEM+ modification. He ran out of material for my headrests but they will be finished once the additional material arrives and hopefully get the took kit finished up
Both boosters down
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrOne up
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrBoth up
Untitled by fouckhest, on FlickrXmas came early for me! Hope everyone has a great weekend!
OK, I looked a little more at your practice welds.
Good that you realized that you should do some practice welds.
Not bad. Could be better.
How? Pretty much what Dr. Clyde mentioned.
More amps on the machine setting and modulate with the pedal. More available amps, and move a little faster and you usually actually put in LESS heat overall than less amps and moving slower.
Better shielding gas coverage, those 'pretty' colors on the metal are oxides. And oxides are never good for welds, sometimes some minimal oxide colors are 'acceptable' per welding codes but they are never 'good'.
And your oxide colors aren't all that consistent along the bead and the HAZ, so your shielding gas coverage is not consistent. Drafts, gas flow rate for the cup size, cup size maybe too small for the workpiece size and geometry (tube/pipe exterior welds don't let the gas pool or puddle around the puddle but just flow right away the the welding zone, darn it geometry), torch/cup position and angles could all be contributing factors there.
Stainless tube really really should be backpurged. No shielding gas on the back/interior zone of the weld oxidizes the weld metal and the HAZ even more than just color oxides. 'Sugaring', as mentioned. Not good at all. Makes doing the weld more difficult too, pretty much destroys the stainless aspect of the stainless, is prone to porosity, and wrecks the stainless metallurgy. Did I mention that 'Sugaring' of stainless welds is NotGood?
Watch the puddle, not the arc. Start the initial puddle, dip a dab of filler rod into the puddle, move the arc slightly, dip-move-dip-move in a rhythm. Without a positioner, do a few puddles and then STOP before you get out of position. Reposition you and/or the workpiece and then do a little more. Repeat. That also helps you keep a more consistent torch angle to the puddle and workpiece.
Before jumping right into the tube/pipe welds, practice a little bit on a simpler geometry like a lap fillet weld to help you get back into a rhythm of the puddle control and dip-move-dip-move dance. If you refresh the muscle memory quickly, great. If things just aren't clicking right away, take a breath and a short break and then come back. Got your rhythm of hands and foot and looking at the puddle all going good, THEN move to your pipe/tube practice runs.
Keep practicing and post up your pictures.
Good that you realized that you should do some practice welds.
Not bad. Could be better.
How? Pretty much what Dr. Clyde mentioned.
More amps on the machine setting and modulate with the pedal. More available amps, and move a little faster and you usually actually put in LESS heat overall than less amps and moving slower.
Better shielding gas coverage, those 'pretty' colors on the metal are oxides. And oxides are never good for welds, sometimes some minimal oxide colors are 'acceptable' per welding codes but they are never 'good'.
And your oxide colors aren't all that consistent along the bead and the HAZ, so your shielding gas coverage is not consistent. Drafts, gas flow rate for the cup size, cup size maybe too small for the workpiece size and geometry (tube/pipe exterior welds don't let the gas pool or puddle around the puddle but just flow right away the the welding zone, darn it geometry), torch/cup position and angles could all be contributing factors there.
Stainless tube really really should be backpurged. No shielding gas on the back/interior zone of the weld oxidizes the weld metal and the HAZ even more than just color oxides. 'Sugaring', as mentioned. Not good at all. Makes doing the weld more difficult too, pretty much destroys the stainless aspect of the stainless, is prone to porosity, and wrecks the stainless metallurgy. Did I mention that 'Sugaring' of stainless welds is NotGood?
Watch the puddle, not the arc. Start the initial puddle, dip a dab of filler rod into the puddle, move the arc slightly, dip-move-dip-move in a rhythm. Without a positioner, do a few puddles and then STOP before you get out of position. Reposition you and/or the workpiece and then do a little more. Repeat. That also helps you keep a more consistent torch angle to the puddle and workpiece.
Before jumping right into the tube/pipe welds, practice a little bit on a simpler geometry like a lap fillet weld to help you get back into a rhythm of the puddle control and dip-move-dip-move dance. If you refresh the muscle memory quickly, great. If things just aren't clicking right away, take a breath and a short break and then come back. Got your rhythm of hands and foot and looking at the puddle all going good, THEN move to your pipe/tube practice runs.
Keep practicing and post up your pictures.