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 Posted 10/2/2017 6:32:45 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
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I place a copy of this post here for the potential benefit to anyone
planning to and/or actually building a Bat Vehicle.
So, how do you get the best accuracy from your Positional Welding Jigs
to Improve Your Bat Vehicle Fabrications?
ELIMINATE AS MANY AS POSSIBLE SOURCES OF MOVEMENT AND PLAY
Build your positional welding jigs, rigid and strong, enough to
prevent them from being easily deflected by lines of applied force and
torque. (bending and twisting motion)
Secure your work pieces in your jig(s) with plenty of tight clamps,
bolts, hold downs, etc. Every piece that can be easily moved with the
fingers will be no match for the metal drawing forces of welding and
will surely move out of alignment if not heavily secured. Shaking,
tugging, and pulling on your mounted up jigged parts will usually
reveal any wobbly weaknesses. Use tack welds and tactical welding
techniques to balance welding induced lines of force.
When using tube and solid bar jigs to align part assemblies that have
some distance between them (like my Tumbler’s two separate front arm
and axle assemblies) all concentric wobble must be eliminated if you
need an accurate linear alignment.
I used oiled thin sheet metal wrapped around the solid bar enough so
that it took a light tapping with a hammer to ease it into the
alignment tube.
It takes a rigid strong jig, well secured parts free of movement
and play, and tactical welding to equalize the lines of drawing
(contracting) forces to produce high accuracy assemblies. vertigo
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| Posted 10/5/2017 6:36:52 AM |
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Forum Member
Last Login: 3/30/2024 1:19:14 PM
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Hey Virtigo.
Your build is looking very good and great write ups and details, thanks.
Defiantly a good reference check and referral in the near future for when I get mine started. And like how you added in a few posts about how to keep going and stay motivated. Always a tough one when things go a bit south. but great job...
Cant wait for the rest of the build...
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  ***Passion and Creativity is what sets us Apart...***
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| Posted 10/5/2017 6:48:33 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
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Thanks for the kind words.
I will be looking forward to seeing you start your Tumbler build and hope you will post a detailed build log with lots of picture vertigo
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| Posted 10/5/2017 11:16:52 PM |
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Forum Member
Last Login: 3/30/2024 1:19:14 PM
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Visits: 2,297
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Hey Vertigo.
Well thats the plan. Im just trying to see what all I still need to get to start the first stages of the build so I can plan around it and to date I have had no luck in finding some parts for the front section so still looking otherwise its gonna have to be imported... But Im hoping I can find it.
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***Passion and Creativity is what sets us Apart...***
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| Posted 10/7/2017 7:28:05 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
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A month, or so, back I bought 5 used dually steel wheels at a car parts junk yard after spending a day sorting through the used steel wheels at several. One of the workers told me they came off a 1981 2-1/2 ton delivery van but he did not know the make or model. These are very heavy duty steel wheels stamped out of 1/4" plate steel. To be 36-years old and to probably have traveled many thousands of miles all of them were in excellent shape other than a little rust and a few scratches. Used an acetylene torch to cut the centers from these wheels and then trimmed and ground them to fit some new 12 inch wide single wheel 16.5 heavy duty truck rims. Once I get all 4 wheels to this stage I will begin more detailed fitting and accuracy alignments. There are a number of concentricity and angular alignments that must be correct before welding can begin. vertigo
Finished detailed fitting and accuracy alignments. Worked out concentricity and angular alignments. Then clamped everything in place for each wheel. Satisfied, I used 180 degree opposed tact welds to divide the wheel radius by quarters. Then by eights and then by sixteenths. After completing all the tact welds and letting them all cool down to the touch I re-measured each wheel for measurement integrity. Finally, managed to find enough time to run one welding pass on each of the four wheels. vertigo
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| Posted 10/8/2017 6:31:17 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
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Started on my axle drum to disk brake conversion.
The GM 14 bolt axle drum to disk brake conversion is quite easy to perform.
Removed the eight axle retaining bolts.
Then pulled the axle out.
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| Posted 10/8/2017 6:47:16 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
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Used a small screwdriver to lift out groove retention ring.
Used a needle nose pliers to pull out the key from the key way.
Used a 6 point spanner to remove lock ring.
Then used my hands to slide the drum and axle hub off as a unit.
Note: The wheel hub lug bolts are pressed in through the drum and then the hub.
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| Posted 10/8/2017 6:57:56 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
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Pulled the drum brake mechanics from the drum brake axle plates..
Kind of seemed like a waste. When the axle had been reconditioned they had put in all new and reconditioned brake parts. The brake shoes had never pressed against the inside of the drum.
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| Posted 10/8/2017 7:10:52 PM |
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Has NO LIFE!!
Last Login: 12/4/2023 11:08:55 PM
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I could have used a press to push out the pressed in lug nut bolts but I tapped them out with a piece of 2 X 4.
And that separated the brake drums from the axle hubs.
And that is how simple it is to remove the drum brakes from a GM 14 bolt axle.
Leaving it ready to begin the disk brake installation. vertigo
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| Posted 10/8/2017 7:21:03 PM |
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Supreme Being
Last Login: 4/6/2024 5:28:59 PM
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| Man, that's some REAL progress. Nice to be working at that level.
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