Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

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Friday and Saturday we spent working on fender wells. The Right front is just about ready to weld in as are both rear tubs. I want to do some major cleaning and painting in the rear before we get those in for good and the right front has just a bit of tweaking to get it ready for welding...
Here you can see the front clearance pocket tacked in place. I am developing a reinforcement for the outside edge.
http://images16.fotki.com/v383/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
The dogleg piece above the tire is the new closeout for the firwall to inner well joint. This is on the inside. The holes you see are for spot welding the piece in place.
http://images51.fotki.com/v628/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Here it is from the front. This new ledge will carry the front edge of the inner well along with the rear of the forward closeout as soon as we get it developed. We are working around the HVAC box on the front of the firewall. We had to do a little trimming on that to get it to fit. I need to get pics of that. Didn't think to take any while we were trimming...
http://images38.fotki.com/v1223/phot...MVC010F-vi.jpg
This is without the new dogleg piece. You can see the two pieces we have coming together below it. Thes will be spot welded to the new piece from underneath.
http://images43.fotki.com/v1505/phot...MVC004F-vi.jpg
This is the outer corner of the "chopped off" front fender. See the little triangle area I need to fill?
http://images18.fotki.com/v376/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
I made a greenboard template and bent up this little cover that will get welded in and seam sealed with the rest of this mess.
http://images53.fotki.com/v1610/phot...MVC012F-vi.jpg
Snapped in place...
http://images42.fotki.com/v1466/phot...MVC013F-vi.jpg
Here is all of the pieces clecoed in place.
We actually used most of the old inner pieces we cut out. Just moved them inboard and up a bit to make room...
http://images109.fotki.com/v786/phot...MVC016F-vi.jpg
Looking from the drivers side. I have to admit we cut out more than we needed too. We will be adding some of the pieces back in as we weld it up.
http://images36.fotki.com/v1158/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
I am very surprised the HVAC unit fits as well as it does. Just a little trimming on the bottom flange and heater core box and we have plenty of room for tire.

Thats going to look good ...You just keep PLUGing away at it

Nice stuff Mark, should make for lots of extra clearance on the front.

Thanks guys. The tin work just seems to be taking forever! We are getting there though.
Kind of took the day off yesterday. My back was very tight and we had a family brunch at the wifes folks. In the afternoon I worked on getting a new air filter/regulator installed and set up for spraying. Running big 3/8th inch fittings and half inch hose for the HVLP guns. Should do the job. I had a little paint project coming into the shop today so I was getting things set-up for that.
This is what I'll be spraying.
http://images32.fotki.com/v1092/phot...MVC002F-vi.jpg
He wants it tri-colored. White/flame red/black and he ordered all of the paint from Summit so I'll get a first hand experience with their line in a few days. Two part Urethane so it will be pretty tough for this little race car.
http://images16.fotki.com/v377/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
I'll start a project thread for this in a day or two.

We got a lot of little things done today. Mel worked on the rear tubs and inner fenders. Getting the inner sheet metal cleaned up and ready for self-etching primer. I want to get all of the inner sheet metal primed and painted before we weld the tubs in for good.
The right side is just about ready.
http://images60.fotki.com/v370/photo...reartub-vi.jpg
I still need to finish up the welding on the drivers side. It'll get there...
http://images53.fotki.com/v444/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
I was doing the same thing up front. I did make a change to the clearance pocket though. I cut out the inside edge of the pocket and smoothed it out with a flat piece of steel to get rid of the hard edge. Now, if the tire hits it, it will only see a flat surface. Much easier on the tire and wheel well.
This is the piece I made to smooth out the clearance bump.
http://images33.fotki.com/v1120/phot...MVC001F-vi.jpg
Here it is all tacked in and cleaned up, ready for some primer and seam sealer...
http://images53.fotki.com/v666/photo...jpg?1334015152
Thanks for looking...

Yup, the sheetmetal work can eat up many, many hours of build time!!!! Then, when you're all done, and do this kind of quality work nobody notices it anyway!!!!

Then you'll put carpet over it

Haven't updated the thread in a while. Been busy painting an MG and putting in some O.T. at the real job.
Here are a few shots of the MG after I finished it up last weekend.
http://images55.fotki.com/v585/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
http://images55.fotki.com/v659/photo...MVC016F-vi.jpg
I worked yesterday morning and puttered in the shop in the afternoon. I got my new Alston Varishocks last week and also the rebuilt Corvette rack so I got the new rack and shocks mocked up. It looks like I will have to do a little clearancing on the upper arm to clear the spring at full rebound, not much, just a bit.
Mel came out this morning, said he was going stir-crazy waiting to get back on the van. I said me too...
We worked on the right front wheel well today. It is all welded in tonight and ready for primer and seam sealer... It's not perfect but it will do the job and it is super solid after being welded in.
Welding in the inner half. This is all spot welded in from the top.
http://images15.fotki.com/v588/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
Working on the outer half. The lower flange is spot welded to the floor and the underside is welded to the inner half.
http://images61.fotki.com/v390/photo...MVC020F-vi.jpg
Mel worked on "fixing" some of the booboo's we made while cutting out the inner. We did not need to go as high as we did so some of this stuff is getting put back in.
http://images15.fotki.com/v588/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
This will get spot welded in AFTER I have all of the seam sealing done on the outer panel.
http://images59.fotki.com/v255/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg

I'm jealous!!!! Sure do want to get everybody else's stuff out of my garage and get back on my own!!!!!! Looks good Mark, sometimes a casual weekend on the project is just what a guy needs!

Thanks Dave, Yea, this is kind of like therapy for me. I get a lot of my frustrations out cutting, banging and welding on this van. I am pretty mello by the end of the day.
I worked at the paying job all day Saturday but I got out in the shop at 4:30 or so. Did some cleanup work on the rear tubs and finished up most of the welding on the driver side. I think I got a blister from all of that dang trigger pulling...
Have any of you used Eastwoods Metal Prep? I highly recommend it for taking off surface rust and general cleanup on "weathered" steel. I sprayed a bit of it on the finger print rust on the tubs and wiped it down with a ScotchBrite pad and it looks better then new.
Before the cleanup
http://images42.fotki.com/v663/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
You can see my "hand prints" on the steel from working with it.
http://images60.fotki.com/v370/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
After about 2 minutes of work... Shiny clean. And the Metal Prep leaves a phosphate coating so this will not rust from finger print acid again.
http://images61.fotki.com/v777/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
http://images116.fotki.com/v694/phot...MVC004F-vi.jpg
Mel came out today and we hit it kinda hard... We had a few small panels to make to get the body ready tto weld in the tubs so we started doing that. Mel made a pattern to replace the rear mud "skirt" at the rear of the wheel well. This is a flat panel that we put a nice bead rolled edge on to stiffen it up and add some strength back into the lower rear fender.
http://images16.fotki.com/v369/photo...MVC021F-vi.jpg
http://images15.fotki.com/v792/photo...MVC020F-vi.jpg
This is where it goes at the bottom of the rear tub.
http://images51.fotki.com/v278/photo...MVC022F-vi.jpg
Welded in place. Now the lower fender doesn't flop around....
http://images42.fotki.com/v664/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
http://images16.fotki.com/v378/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
We also made some little cover plates to weld over the open ends of the original rails where we cut them out for tire clearance.
http://images53.fotki.com/v666/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
After taking care of all this little stuff we finally got the Pass side tub WELDED IN PLACE!!!! Still have to make some small brackets and closeouts but this is already pretty strong. Even for simple spot welds...
This is the front underneath.
http://images61.fotki.com/v390/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
And this is the rear. You can see where it welded over the top of the "skirt". This made an excellant weld point and adds a lot of strength into the tub mounts
http://images59.fotki.com/v222/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
I'll do a little more welding but once the top gets welded into the side panel and we finish the rear floor flange this will be very strong.
Hopefully next weekend will be a two dayer. I would like to finish up the rears and get going on the left front.
Thanks for looking.
Mark

great progress and again nice work

Good work as always, the tubs being put together so well will add a lot of strength to the whole floor!

Thanks guys! Dave, you hit it right on the nailhead. Read on.
This is the first full weekend I've had off in a while. Been busy at work, but I won't complain. The work is pretty easy and the money is good, upper management just wants thing done yesterday...
Mel came out this morning and we got started on the drivers side rear tub. He made the little mud skirt at the back.
http://images51.fotki.com/v628/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
http://images53.fotki.com/v666/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
I have to admit these pieces look pretty cool down there. Kind of finishes off the back of the tubs.
We also made some angle plates to spot weld in over the floor and tub joint.
http://images112.fotki.com/v682/phot...MVC013F-vi.jpg
These will add a LOT of strength to the tub joints, I could have left the joints as a single weld but it just made sense to do this to reinforce these joints.
http://images42.fotki.com/v664/photo...MVC015F-vi.jpg
After we got all of the little things taken care of we got the driver side tub re-installed FOR THE LAST TIME!!!!. We got that welded in along with one of the reinforcements.
http://images60.fotki.com/v662/photo...MVC004F-vi.jpg
http://images112.fotki.com/v685/phot...MVC010F-vi.jpg
Do you see anything missing?
http://images55.fotki.com/v648/photo...MVC015F-vi.jpg
The "bridgework" is gone... The tubs are welded solid and the supporting structure is no longer needed...
Tomorrow we will finish up some of the welding and install the rest of the reinforcements.
Finally! Some real progress!
Thanks for looking.
Mark

Got a few parts back from the fab shop at work. They have been super busy out there also so it took a few weeks for them to get to this "govment" work.
My friend Daryyl in the shop bent this up for the fuel tank. He also runs the laser cutter.
http://images53.fotki.com/v666/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
This is just sitting on the frame but you can see what it will look like.
http://images59.fotki.com/v255/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
He also cut out the alternator brackets.
http://images109.fotki.com/v786/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
The little one is 3/8ths steel and the adjuster bracket is 1/4".
Very nice clean cuts.
http://images51.fotki.com/v102/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
A little work with the sander/grinder and these will be ready for paint.
http://images51.fotki.com/v102/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
I hope to get started assembling the tank in a week or so.

The shot from behind really shows the benefit of the countless hours spent fabbing up the tubs, Mark! When they're cleaned up and finished it will look like the factory put them there! That fuel tank is superb, some really nice fab work on it!

What's next on the build schedule???