Project Minne - a 72 build thread

[37yrold911]

glad this thread is in the tech area

try some pb Blaster on that pedal cluster

[jpnovak]

Last night I started building my tub dolly. The front section started with a damaged front steel cross-member. The rear slots that hold the adjusting bolts in place had been broken out. So, rather than weld them up, I welded some legs to it. The legs are 24" tall and sit on a 48" wide base. This gives me plenty of room to bolt on my casters.



For the rear I used some old spring plate covers. I had a set that had some rust and were not worth of cleaning up to put back on the car. Again, the 24" leg was welded. The leg seats on the round section and should be plenty strong for the empty tub while I strip and paint.



Here is some detail on how the leg seats on the spring plate cover. I measured a 15 deg offset on the spring plate cover so I built this into the leg.



Installation should be easy. By using the factory parts I secure the tub using some of the strongest sections. The extra height gives me plenty of room under the tub to work on floors.

I still have to triangulate the corners tonight. I did not have any strap steel to do that. I hit the store this morning to pick up some stock. Here is the final outcome.



Oh, the mobile wet-blaster called me this morning with an opening for tomorrow. Looks like I will be in bare metal by the end of the day. A bit accelerated but that's OK. I guess this means a late night stripping the final parts off the car.

[jpnovak]

The media blasting was called off this morning due to forecast of rain. The issue is that rain will wash off the rust inhibitor. Will reschedule later this week. This was actually a good thing as I was able to finish stripping the tub and get it up on the dolly I built.

It is working really well. easy to move around with one person. I just had to have my wife help move a few wood blocks to adjust the lift height while I bolted everything in place. The dolly is higher than my lift and this presented a problem as there was overlap between the mounting points and sections of the lift. I slid the tub forward, bolted on the front, then lifted the rear and bolted it on. Was pretty easy but I had to go slow working mostly solo. Safety First.





The thing I like is the clearance underneath. This is where I will spend a majority of time over the next few months as I cut, weld and repeat in a different area. The tub is 34" off the floor after sitting on the castors.



While the car was out in the driveway I took some time to clean up the mess I made. Tons of rust shrapnel all over the place. I filled another trashcan. This will be less of an issue especially after the blasting process.

[StephenAcworth]

Awesome work and fully deserves to be in the technical section. Inspirational too! Subscribed!!!

[Eminence Gris]

Congratulations for seeing through issues that would stop a more timid person. This is going to be hugely rewarding. And kudos for finding a wife who is willing to say 'yes.

[jpnovak]

I keep finding a few hours to get some work done. Not sure how long it will last but you have to take advantage of it when it presents itself.


This morning I had my helper pull out the tools and work towards floor removal. He learned some of the finer art of drilling spot welds but the BFS (Big F***** saw) was his favorite. He did a good job guiding the saw along my marked cut lines. Yes, he is 9YO at this time. I hope the car does not take so long he has his learner's permit by the time this is all done. Right now its just motivation for him to build a car for when he is capable of legally driving. Blood, sweat and tears are a huge motivator in keeping a car on the road and not putting it into a post or ditch.



First came out the DS front floor pan section.



Then we kept cutting and took out the other side. Now there is nothing left but a big giant hole and this is exactly what I wanted.



The good news is that the inside of the rockers/longs are almost perfect. Nothing more to be done here and it confirms how nice they are on the outside. This shot is looking at the underside of the seat mount rails. You can see the threaded adjuster blocks and the heater duct.



The center tunnel was not so lucky. The underside of the vapor lines are a bit corroded. At least these are not necessarily functional. The fuel lines are clean. The wiring harness looks good. It is going to be tough cleaning this up.

I think I might have to strongly consider replacing the center tunnel. That is, if I can find one. A few calls did not yield anything.



So, earlier in the post I posted the pedal cluster. Well, here is what remains of the clutch cable.



Regarding the undercoating, Yes, It is also my experience that the undercoating holds up very well against media blasting. We will see how this works. I will still consider to strip the undercoating by hand as needed. That is a very slow, process. Been there, done that a few times. It really sucks.

[StephenAcworth]

Heat gun, scrapers, flap wheels, and wire brushing were my patient friends during the arduous process...

Regarding the undercoating, Yes, It is also my experience that the undercoating holds up very well against media blasting. We will see how this works. I will still consider to strip the undercoating by hand as needed. That is a very slow, process. Been there, done that a few times. It really sucks.

[Bill Simmeth]

Jamie, glad to see you have your son involved. Great memories for both of you, plus valuable skills learnt for him.

[jpnovak]

Bill. Most of this project is exposure to him. He loves to tinker with stuff but attention span when I ask for help is not quite there. He would rather be building Legos and such. I was the same way when I was that age and helped my dad. But, I retained a lot of the skills I was exposed to when younger. Hindsight I wish I would have paid more attention to what my Dad and Grandfather were doing.

As long as he recognizes that these things can be done and he at least attempts to do things I am satisfied.

Oh, and I expect he will get to pull the trigger on the welder a few times.

[Hawkeye]

2 words: Oh Wow!

Cheers
JB