'50 chevy 3100

[Matt_50]

Got over to the hardware store yesterday to finally get more 3/8th nuts. I also decided to try some of this peel and seal. I've read mixed results on putting on the roof but I didn't see anything wrong with behind and under the seat.

It was pretty windy this morning so I did the inside cab stuff. First I attacked the cab with Fuze It. I sealed up every little spot I could find. All old holes... etc.. I'll need to go over those spots with a razor blade later.

Then the insulation went on and it looks pretty cool. Maybe now I can leave the seat in place. Someday I'd like a folding seat but I think I'll be ok for awhile lol.

Anyone got an opinion on peel and seal on roof and firewall?

[joedoh]

super great man! I use fuse it on the firewall holes too. if its a big hole I will cut a backing piece from some spare sheetmetal and fuze it.

I use peel and seal too. just a single layer gets 90% of the benefit (dampening resonance) so I just put a thick jute over it and its quiet!

[Matt_50]

This Fuze it stuff is awesome I'm glad you mentioned it.

You use it on the roof and firewall?

[Matt_50]

So I realized I should've put seat belt anchors in before insulation. Thankfully it will be easy with seat out. Grabbed the seat belts I still had from donor. Picked up some hardware today and looked at Deves stovebolt site for a walk through. Donor belts are blue so I'll need to replace eventually but it'll be a while before I redo the seat.

[Matt_50]

I got nuts welded to huge washers... got them welded into place in the floor.... Then nut came loose but washer wouldn't budge... had to crawl underneath and weld up! I made sure I penetrated both pieces this time but got a good burn on my arm from falling crap.

Lesson learned, make sure welds are good and don't weld up.


Anyways, part of seatbelts in! Two middle pieces done and hardware is ready for bottom parts of retractor parts. I'm going to get lap part done and sit in to make sure I like 3rd anchor spot. Get the shoulder strap perfect.

[8man]

Good that you got it fixed now. Welding is not as easy as some make it look. At least that's been my experience.

[joedoh]

overhead welding is perilous! I had a piece of slag go in my ear once

[Matt_50]

Made anchors for shoulder points this morning. Had to make three.. because I dropped one inside the wall! Pretty bummed, broke a telescoping magnet. It was grabbing it but I think it twisted and Its stuck unless I do some cutting.

Someday when I can weld like you guys I might cut a hole, until then it's a new addition.


Seatbelts don't match but I'll buy new ones when I eventually redo seat. It's solid, done right, copied the kits I see online so I'm happy.

[8man]

As long as they are secure you are good.

[MiraclePieCo]

Did you ever find the reason why your window wouldn't fully raise, or did I just miss that post?

[Matt_50]

Nope not yet, not sure how I wantbto go about it.

[Matt_50]

Got my fuel line clamps in sooner than expected so started securing fuel line. All mounting holes for fuel tank got drilled too. Tank is finally bolted down but I need a couple more bolts for it and last couple fuel line clamps.

Also replaced all the front mismatched bolts with grade 8 3/8ths bolts. And both front shock mounts are on now.

So... I need a fuel pump and like a 7 inches of rubber line to finish fuel. And I need the axle to frame brake line to finish brakes.

[Matt_50]

I may have mentioned before that a PO cut up the rear upper shock mounts. I was looking up new ones and 30 bucks each isn't bad but I thought this might be a nice little cut and weld project. I'm still learning and need some experience right? Lol

So I went to the old donor frame and using a front mount as a template... started cutting. Used a cut off wheel. Measuring, marking, cutting took an hour or so.

[Matt_50]

Pics

[8man]

Good welding project.

[Matt_50]

Spent an hour after work on my new shock mounts. I tried to get inside too on one but then realized it'll be hard to grind and make it look pretty. Good thing they won't be seen.

One I got cleaned up some and the other still needs a little work. My buddy will look them over before I paint them.

[joedoh]

nice mount rebuild! if you dont got it, make it!

[Matt_50]

Nice practice. Takes me a sec but I play with the speed until I get that bacon sizzle sound.

I need more little projects...

[Matt_50]

And speaking of another project. I need one middle running board bracket. So unless someone has one laying around that will probably be the next one.

[dsraven]

also play with the amount of space between the nozzle and the project, stick out, because that also factors in. wire size, amperage, stick out, metal thickness, gap between the parts. gap works pretty good if it is the same roughly as the wire size. on thin stuff just do very short burst, leave the wire in the puddle as it cools, when the glow stops in your puddle, through the welding lense, hit it again for a short burst, over and over till done. on thin stuff, again, short welds to keep the heat and possible warpage down, when done that short weld plannish with a hammer on dolly and allow to cool before going back. always start with clean metal, both sides, because the contaminants get drawn in from both sides and can cause a poor weld, porosity or lots of spatter. when starting a new weld ensure the wire is cut so it has a chisel tip instead of a small ball of old weld on the end of the wire, the weld will start quicker and won't have the old weld contaminants from the little ball. if not confident doing off-position welding then place the piece level if possible (yeah, like that happens right?)

[dsraven]

oh yeah, and tack the project around the edges (on both the front and the back sides if possible) before welding starts so warpage doesn't make the thing go "outta square".

[Matt_50]

Found another middle running bracket! 15 bucks plus a little shipping from a guy I bought a couple things from before. I'll have it in a few days. Sure beats having to buy a whole set.

When should I use grade 8 and or grade 5 bolts?

I have been replacing all my mismatched bolts with grade 8 but I have a few grade 5's still.

[dsraven]

8 bolts are stronger bolts and you could use them virtually anywhere, depending on the application, but they are also more spendy. if bolting on a fender there is no reason to use a grade 8 bolt. there is a lot of bolts holding the fender on already so the shear number of bolts is mostly to keep the fender aligned properly and stop it from vibrating and/or flexing which would cause the fender to flex. for suspension items, sure, use a grade 8 over a grace 5. manufacturers use lesser grade bolts when they can to keep costs down. no reason why you wouldn't also. a stainless steel bolt is nice looking but is also soft so it will strip out before a gr 5 or 8 bolt. use these for decorative areas or stuff like a front fender under hood area where they are seen but there is also lots of them so the fender is not gonna fall off or shear a bolt off from stress. also, a big thing for bolts in general is to torque them properly. when a bolt is tightened it stretches, that is why they say to replace engine bolts for main bearings and cyl heads especially, the old bolts have already stretched and may break if re-used and stressed again.
here is a couple of links to bolt grades and a quick explanation on the stresses etc. some cap screws (bolts) have a shoulder similar to a built in flat washer under the head of the bolt and act sort of like a flat washer. on these the underside of the hex head doesn't dig into the surface it is butting up against as badly as some of the cheaper bolts without the raised part under the head. measure bolts from under the head to the end of the threaded part, so the shaft length, not including the head of the bolt where the wrench fits. there are bolt gauges available that have holes to tell the size and rulers on the side to measure the length etc. grade 8 bolts usually run tandem with hardened washers and nuts.

http://rtstools.com/are-grade-8-bolt...s-10-9-metric/

this link also has links for torques etc if you scroll down

https://www.fastenermart.com/underst...d-classes.html

[dsraven]

another one on nut matching.

https://www.greensladeandcompany.com...t%20grades.pdf

[Matt_50]

Thanks, the torque info will be helpful. As far as sheet metal goes, I bought a nice little kit to bolt it all together.

It's nice not to have to search for a new socket for every other bolt lol