David_Wallis

Wanted a new roof for my wagon, prior to seam welding and fitting a cage.

In the end I bought a cheap shell, with the intention of lightening it and doing it all to this one.. means mine can stay complete until the last minute..

A little bit of rot to deal with before I get on with the rest of the welding and body work.

Some pics so far.













Big thanks to Howard at HDC Subaru http://www.hdcsubaru.com for supplying the shell at a bargain price, and also for lending me his rollover jig which is making it easy to work on the car.

Goal is to have the car ready for febuary**. So on the look out for plenty of spare bits for the car prior to then

Advertising space is also available

Removed most of the passenger sill tonight when I finished work someone has done a messy repair on it and when they cut the sill off with what I can only assume was an air hacksaw, they cut through the metal reinforcing sections behind.. so these all need welding up first. (pics on camera, but cant find my photoshop cd.. so cant resize them)

Tomorrows task is probably to drive to steven's (P20SPD) and collect one of my welders, then go buy some sheets of steel, buy some 'plasma' disks for the grinder and find some 'weld through' primer.

Oh and find a chair for the garage!

David

** Deadline may slip after resigning with no job to go to! - Been waiting patiently for a pay review, when it arrived and they claimed they had reviewed market rates.. I resigned, and said if thats what you think im worth then Im no longer prepared to work for you. - Senior Support Analyst anyone?
http://www.wallis2000.co.uk/davidwallis.co.uk

RON

Deadline should only get sooner if you have no job David.... money dependant of course...

David_Wallis

Too many bills.. (live with parents, but even so) Getting a new job (career) is my no 1 priority. Id be unhappy not working.. I love what I do! Helps when your good at it {Big Head Smiley }

Mark A

iTrader: (1)

Why a wagon and not a saloon?

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

**** me, when do you get the time to do all this work!!! how long did your one take

RON

I've done the building a car from a shell thing once.... it actually is easier to start with nothing and work up... rather than remove bits to do lobs... i bet it won't take as many hours/days/weeks/months as David thinks.....

911

Yes, why a Wagon? It will be heavier in the end?
Can't believe that rot in the sill!

Do you have any max weight target ie 1000Kg or just as light as poss?

Plastic wings, bonnet,tailgate,perspex 'glass',plastic doors and even the roof,
With a good multipoint cage also giving a spaceframe assistance you could get to sub 1000Kg yet have great rigidity.

Is this a drag car or are you going to try the real thing, Hill climbs

Please keep it coming David over the next weeks to Feb 2006 (that is what you meant by **wasn't it?

Big project, done the shell-to-a-car bit in the 70's/80's bloody hard going but Ron is right, especially in a single width garage.
Good luck with the Job.

Graham.

kilo_4que

how the hell do u guys learn how to build cars when you have other careers. Where do you learn, surely u cant just read up on it and start building scoob.

I can understand if you were a mechanic or soemthing but there are so many guys on here that do their own stuff and it amazes me.

Wish i could do the same,

Tim W

iTrader: (1)

We started young...I was making powered go-carts at 8 years old, got my first car at 12, then it was all down hill

John Stevenson

Same with me, first car bought, stripped and back together when I was 14.

---john---

kilo_4que

damn at that age i was more concentrating on trying to become a footballer, pitty it didnt go as well as i thought it would.

Being 23 now, do you think i could still get into this type of stuff, and how would you guys recommend it.

p.s. im looking for a full time job within the IT industry so i would be limited with the time i have.

Danny Boy

iTrader: (2)

Kilo, if you like learning and have a mechanical mind then you can do it too.
After all a car is only a pile of nuts and bolts and nicley shaped bits of metal, it can't beat you!

Thats what i tell myself anyway when it's going all wrong

However having the right tools and more importantly the space to do it in is a big factor in success or not.

Dan.

Tim W

iTrader: (1)

Start simple and work your way up.

I'm 32 and learning new tricks all the time, my dad is 64 and still learning...granted he's not really taking moderns on board that easily, but very little has changed when it comes to engine innards and the basic mechanics (brakes, suspension, transmission) since he started tinkering.

TBH if you're afraid of breaking your daily ride why not invest in a petrol/nitro powered RC car in complete kit form and build that up? It's by no means a road car, but it's a good place to learn, and small enough to work on in the house! If you want to start on cars you need to look at something a little less complex than a Subaru, unless you're feel confident with the spanners

kilo_4que

Hi Danny, the problem is that although i have this facination with engines and how mechanically built they are, i still know very little. Even the basics i dont know. though once ive been told something i dont forget.

Tim, I used to have a nitro truck as well as a nitro celica when i was younger. I mean the celica went a little loopy after a while when id lose control over it and it would start doing its own stuff eventually hitting the cerb or wall at decent speeds. So after selling it, i bought the truck which also after a while experienced some minor problems. This was the only time i went ahead with trying to solve a problem my self by replaceing the single spark plug which solved the problem.

With these cars its a different ball game. I have thought of getting hold of an old RS turbo. Around a grand will get me a decent one.

mikeesingh

iTrader: (3)

how long did it take to remove sound proofing, need to do mine

drb5

iTrader: (4)

Kilo, i'm the same as yourself and at 24 not much older than yourself. OK i'm a panel beater, but i've had tp learn through doing things myself. I never stripped an engine down before and ended up replacing pistons on my new engine just there!

j-k

I removed the sound proofing on my 93 RA rally car...

Just use a big cold chisel and a hammer, start at the edges and it should come off in fair size lumps. Takes about half a day to do all the interior and the boot area. I then used white spirit and a cloth to get all the tiny bits off and clean up any residue.

I put it all in a bin liner and then weighed it...it came in at 10kg if i remember correctly


good luck

jon

911

To the ability to work on cars; I think you do need to have it 'in your blood', so some have it for playing guitar (wish I did after 30 years trying) but cars/mechanical things come very easy to me.
Model aeroplanes/Lambretta's (tuned of course) by 16 years, two hot rods, the 911 and now the Sti V3 @ 52 years old.(I must be the oldest tuner on Snet?). 32 cars in my motoring career.
Been poor since the Hot Rods...

10 Kg saving is a good start, but is that the inside only?
Has anyone on here actually gutted an Impreza as a very pure focused competition car?
There are exteme Jap circuit Impreza's, but you never see them on here, any links?
Are you going to reveal the game plan David?

Graham.

Tim W

iTrader: (1)

Graham, 10kg on an RA is good going as they have less sound deadening to start off with. IIRC Mark (Mr. Lateral) saved 40kg whel they removed the carpets, all the sound deadening and underseal from his Sti 4, which will be a pure focused competition car with a full weld in Cage

Andy F has completely stripped his Type R, 1083kg wet, for drag work...although it's about to gain a cage which will see the weight increase...so I guess he'll find some other areas to rip weight out

I've been talking to someone about a cage for mine (as you know ) and I'm trying to decide whether I want a bolt in cage (which will be a bit more road friendly) or a full weld in, the difference in the fitted cost being roughly 1k between them, but for the full weld in I would have to completely strip the car down to a bare shell, which would be a pain, at least with the bolt in I would only have to remove the interior and expose the inner sills

Plus I'm not entirely sure if a car with a complete FIA spec multi point weld in cage would be eligable in road car hillclimb and sprint classes...but the chap I've spoken to about supplying and fitting the cage is checking up on my behalf

Then again there is the rolling Type R shell option that has been mooted to me

911

Tim, in the Midland hill climb and Leaders Champ's the roll cage (6 point bolt-in or multi point welded) is MANDATORY in my class, Road going Modified Production Saloon over 2000cc.(Class C1)

The only class you might struggle is if you race in Standard Saloon which is meant for showroom spec.

Graham.

Tim W

iTrader: (1)

Hmm... I somewhat doubt a 2.5 litre engine with reveresed inlet manifold and a hybrid Garrett GT30/40 turbo along with FMIC and 6 speed box would allow me to run in Standard Saloon...C1 it is then...oh dear

David_Wallis

kilo_4que..

I work full time in IT, or did

Computers was a hobby, cars are now.

All I can say is Im priveledged and proud to have the Dad I do, he isnt scared to try doing anything, and is also **** hot at metal work, wood work and electronics.. trained as an engineer - I learn something new from him EVERY day, and thats not a lie. Trying to explain his inteligence is impossible as anyone that has met him will vouch for.

You learn by trial and error... It also helps when your a tight northern ******* and wont pay. ALL work is being done by me.. including welding and painting, and I can assure you, it wont look like a home paint job, Lost count of the number of cars Ive painted.

Graham, 1000kgs or under, but retaining a minimum cost approach... is going to be drag and track biased, just to prove that 600bhp can be used for more than a straight line.. I was put off hill climbing due to the licence required, but if I could have a go at harewood Im sure I'd be addicted

Changing to a saloon is cheating, Im known for having a wagon. I prefer them.. it wouldnt feel right.. besides I kinda liked it when mine said 'wallace' and stevens said 'grommit'

And my garage isnt standard width.. look at the room and theres a work bench all the way down the side..

David

kilo_4que

ha, im wanting everything arent i lol. I also love the idea of car bodyworks but then i wonder why i wasted 4 years doing a degree with industrial practice even after which i havent foudn a job lol.

Graham, I have always been good at hands on work and maybe the reason for not being able to play around with cars and car engines is partly due to a few reasons. One is that i dont have a garage which shall soon change as we are getting a nice new house soon. Secondly i dont have the right tools.

I mean since i graduated, I practically built a house which needed a lot of work doing since as mentioned before i couldnt find a job. Though i had all the tools etc to do what needed doing.

David_Wallis

Buy tools as you need them, and spend as much as you can on them, first buy a decent big tool box..

Halfords professional or anything from machine mart is a good bet.. also some stuff from car boot sales... I remember when P20SPD had no decent tools.. and thought his crap spanners were good.. came from a petrol station iirc...

I used one to undo a nut and snapped the spanner and smashed the garage window!!

Some people however just shouldnt be allowed to own tools.

Just dont spend around £3000 on welders and I've got around £1500 worth of air tools.. and a £500 compressor.. not a cheap hobby, and once you start buying tools it all adds up..

Some usefull stuff that we have is:

Fairly big Lathe
Pillar Drill
2 Bench Grinders
Bandsaw
Power Hacksaw - Yes really.
200A Tig Welder (AC/DC)
230A Mig Welder
Spot Welder
14cfm Compressor
Good Alarms
CCTV
Insurance
Dog
Weapons

And thats just metal working, circular saws.. planers, thicknesser's, etc etc

And the most important?

A Big vice, thats bolted down, to something that doesnt move.. oh
and A big Hammer, make friends with it and it will serve you well..

David

drb5

iTrader: (4)

I could be doing with that Tig welder!

Where can you buy the buggers David?

kilo_4que

LOL do you bloomen own a JCT bodyshop or something. Friggin hell them tools are very impressive.

Id be willing to pay good money for tools so long as they are durable n obviously as you say buy them as i go along. But i think ure right, a nice big tool box would be a good start.

Damn once someone was selling a Subaru Snap on tool box (full size, massive thing). Basically a snap on tool box with subaru livery. Was wanting 100 pounds and it was more or less brand new. Was given it as a gift but never used it.

Never mind, maybe next time huh

911

David, lol at that post above, I've got less than half of that, but I was given as a 21st pressie a big Record vice which I still have firmly bolted down.
Being a Brummie, I made an early close association with hammers of all sizes.

TIG welders are available in Machine Mart, but not cheap.
One of the best investments I made long ago was a new engine hoist after a hired one collapsed on me with the 911's engine and box attached and perhaps the second is the Draper gearbox jack just for Impreza gearboxes.

A hill climb license is £67
Basic crash hat is £100 ish
Overalls are £200
Misc to race £20

Cost of getting addicted to hill climbs? To Infinity and Beyond or about 5K a year.
Maybe you made the right choice.

Hill climb dragracing:
http://jusspress.com/day.php?userid=...entTime=131625

Hope you are in the garage today.
Graham.

ZEN Performance

Just looking at that vid graham, and I have to say that is a very gentle launch!

David_Wallis

Machine mart dont sell any AC/DC single phase tig welders.

DC Tig's will not weld aluminium. You need one with an AC output.. Finding a single phase one for sensible money is hard.. Mine is made by Cebora.

You can get the 'older' style ones which are big and heavy or the newer lightweight inverter types..

Also avoid the SIP AC/DC tig as it needs a 60A single phase supply which is out of the question for most home garages.


Update, been in the garage today, repaired some stuff.. made a new box section.. then decided to cut out some of the stuff I did earlier in the morning and just replace the whole panel.. drilled out more spot welds today than I know what to do with.. Need to find somewhere locally that sells new spot weld drill bits, other than machinemart. Also need to find a source for weld through primer. Also removed a fair bit of underseal from the front passenger wheel arch.

Pics are on the camera.. will sort tomorrow. - Need to find my photoshop cd..

ahh found it.. was using it as a beer mat

will upload them after the pub.

So far I would guess I have managed to loose about 40kgs from the car

David

David_Wallis

No particular order.. back to comment later.. gotta go get a shower.