Thread: Bad Ast Astro Van Build

Tweet

Originally Posted by pepi

Mark found a Tube Coping Calculator program you might find handy down the road.

Tube Coping Calculator

Thanks.I bookmarked it.

Neat work as always Mark, fabbing up tools and fixtures sometimes eats up as much time as the build itself, doesn't it??? Keep at it, really great attention to detail, going to be a 1st rate ride, for sure!!!!!!

Thanks Pepi! I've had that site bookmarked for a long time and had forgotten about it! Thanks for the reminder!
Thanks again Dave. Yea making stuff to make stuff is part of the world of fabrication I guess. It took some time to make the bender but future bends will be so quick and easy it was stupid to NOT build it...
Here are some better pics of the radius bender. Here it is, assembled, clamped on the welding table.
http://images59.fotki.com/v1579/phot...MVC016F-vi.jpg
This is one end of the top "die" if you would. The notch in the end plates clears the 1 x 2 in the lower die and lets the centerline of the tube snuggle up to the edge of the 1 x 2.
http://images49.fotki.com/v571/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
A few of the notch with the bender assembled. The round tube is centered directly over the edge of the rectangular tube.
http://images49.fotki.com/v109/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
This is a cutoff from the tunnels we made. I clamped it in the bender with a C-Clamp. I'll do a little bending with this so you can see what can be done.
http://images14.fotki.com/v218/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
Bending the back edge up, around the top die. This was done by hand.
http://images61.fotki.com/v439/photo...MVC013F-vi.jpg
Bending the front edge down, around the rectangular tube for a sharp corner.
http://images60.fotki.com/v224/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
This is pretty cool. I'll get a lot of use out of this dude.
http://images55.fotki.com/v268/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
It will be easy to make additional top dies also. Black pipe of any diameter will make excellant dies to bend around.
Get out and build one of these things...
Thanks for looking.
Mark

Spent most of yesterday morning out in the shop. Thursday was my last day at AM General. Monday I start working back at the GM Tech Center in Warren. Anyway I had the day so I didn't want to waste it.
I needed a fitting for the '86 Chevy Power Steering return hose from the reservoir. The pump has a 3/4" tube nipple and I couldn't find a fitting to go from that to -10 37 degree flare. So I made one.
Here is the pump with a long piece of 3/4id hose stuck on it.
http://images43.fotki.com/v680/photo...MVC001F-vi.jpg
Inside this chunk of 1" diameter aluminum is a 3/4" OD "hose barb". You can't see it, but it's in there...
http://images14.fotki.com/v219/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
I bought a couple of -10 weld bungs from Speedway. The bung will get welded to the barb after it's turned on the lathe.
http://images16.fotki.com/v368/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
Making the hose barb. Can you see it? This was in there all along...
http://images16.fotki.com/v363/photo...MVC004F-vi.jpg
The weld bung has an ID of about .47 so I drilled the barb out to .50 to make an unrestricted path for the PS fluid.
http://images14.fotki.com/v218/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
Before parting off the "barb" I added a nice chamfer to the weld joint.
http://images46.fotki.com/v523/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
I ran a 3/8th inch bolt thru the fitting to hold everything together for welding.
http://images49.fotki.com/v570/photo...MVC013F-vi.jpg
After welding. I know it's not real pretty but it will do the job without leaking..
http://images15.fotki.com/v1626/phot...itting2-vi.jpg
Here is the hose and fitting held in place at the pump. Just imagine there is a piece of black hose connecting them together.
http://images46.fotki.com/v274/photo...itting4-vi.jpg
Mark

Thanks for posting the details of your bending jig, Mark. It's a versatile design, and like you said you'll probably get lots of use out of it, and you didn't even visit Harbor Freight!!

Nice work on the adapter, too. Gotta admit you had me going on the "...hose barb inside" comment....

Thanks Roger! I've used it probably a half dozen times since it was built. I am planning to make a couple smaller diameter top dies for it already. It's amazing what you can find in chunks of aluminum, steel and sheet metal plate...

I set myself on fire tonight.... Just my work jacket. I was spot welding the floor together on the bench and got some "molten hot magma" on the coat... Got pretty busy once I figured out where the smoke and fumes were coming from. I lit the lower left half of the coat and the fumes were coming right up into my face under the helmet. I needed a new work coat anyway. I think the next one will be a little more fire resistant though.
This is what I was sticking together. The floor after I yanked it out of the van.
http://images55.fotki.com/v1604/phot...MVC001F-vi.jpg
These are the tabs on the tunnels. The left side of the pic is folded into place. The right side is just getting started.
http://images14.fotki.com/v218/photo...MVC004F-vi.jpg
Getting the tunnels welded in.
http://images16.fotki.com/v377/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
All welded and ready for cleanup.
http://images58.fotki.com/v449/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
A few of the spot welds. I had a few of these go nuclear on me. Blew holes through both panels as soon as I hit the trigger... Thankfully most of them looked like this.
http://images57.fotki.com/v1613/phot...MVC011F-vi.jpg
Here is a closeup of one of the folded tabs. I took this before I hammer and dollied the tabs flat. They welded together very nice and will be very strong.
http://images15.fotki.com/v792/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg

Yesterday I got home at 3:45!!! I mentioned my job change a post or two prior. I have left AM General and gone back into GM! GM has flex time! I am starting at 6:00 and getting out at 2:30! At that time of day traffic on I-75 is fairly lite and moving at 80mph. Doesn't take long to get home like that...
Anyway, I got home and headed straight for the shop. I wanted to get the floor welds touched up with the flap wheel and get some primer on it while it was nice enough to work outside.
I set up a couple of saw horses and got busy!
http://images49.fotki.com/v569/photo...MVC001F-vi.jpg
I still had a few holes to fill but this got the brunt of the work done without filling the shop with grinding dust and paint fumes...
http://images108.fotki.com/v360/phot...MVC004F-vi.jpg
I'll fill the hole in front of the drivers side tube tomorrow and seam seal the whole thing before it gets welded in permanently.
http://images59.fotki.com/v420/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
Today we got out in the shop and, while I was making the patch panel for the floor, Mel was getting the support tube for the top of the filler piece ready to weld in. That's the 3/4" sq. tube to the right in this pic. I am drilling holes for rivnuts here also.
http://images58.fotki.com/v279/photo...MVC007F-vi.jpg
Installing rivnuts...
http://images54.fotki.com/v77/photos...MVC009F-vi.jpg
Here is the floor all sealed up. I will run the D/A over this to smooth it out a little better and reprime it tomorrow.
http://images46.fotki.com/v1622/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
We also made the cover plate for the last big hole in the floor!!! This is .090 aluminum and will get bolted into those rivnuts I was installing.
http://images57.fotki.com/v256/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
A pic with the tank set in place.
http://images12.fotki.com/v213/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
http://images54.fotki.com/v77/photos...MVC015F-vi.jpg
Tomorrow I will start building the enclosure/closeout for the rear section. This will keep the tank and battery separate from the interior. I will be venting this section outside the van. It will also serve purpose for tool and supply storage. A hinged lid will give easy access.
http://images12.fotki.com/v216/photo...closure-vi.jpg
Well, there you have it. Thanks for looking!
Mark

Got a good start on the enclosure today. Made the side brackets out of 18ga and got them pop riveted to the side walls. I bent them up with the Swag bender, figured out the hole pattern for the rivets and drilled those. Here's the driver side clecoed in place
http://images57.fotki.com/v512/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
Once they were clecoed I used the brackets to drill out the rest of the rivet holes.
http://images46.fotki.com/v274/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
http://images46.fotki.com/v274/photo...MVC006F-vi.jpg
Setting the rivets.
http://images14.fotki.com/v373/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
The passenger side all riveted in.
http://images46.fotki.com/v374/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
Building a support for the cross tube.
http://images56.fotki.com/v1602/phot...MVC014F-vi.jpg
I cut the tube to length and got it clamped in place. This will be the front of the enclosure and the point where the lid will hinge from.
http://images43.fotki.com/v680/photo...MVC017F-vi.jpg
http://images108.fotki.com/v360/phot...MVC016F-vi.jpg
I'll pick away at this during the week. I have to make templates for the front of the enclosure to fit around the wheel tubs and decide if I want to make the panels out of aluminum or steel.

Good progress and nice work as always, Mark! Fit, finish, and detail is what it's all about!

Worked on "closing in" the rear enclosure. Made patterns for all of the pockets and cut them out of a roll of roofing flashing I had laying around.
http://images52.fotki.com/v1553/phot...MVC002F-vi.jpg
This stuff is very easy to work with and it cuts with scissors so making the real filler panels was easy.
http://images14.fotki.com/v373/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
This one had a few bends but we just bent it over the edge of the welding table.
http://images14.fotki.com/v777/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
We ran a small bead of RTV around the edge of the holes after drilling for rivets and riveted them in place.
http://images61.fotki.com/v666/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
http://images50.fotki.com/v393/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
We hit everything with scotchbrite to rough it up. I'll spray this with black epoxy primer once the rest of the enclosure is done.
http://images49.fotki.com/v570/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
Getting the final hole filled. The passenger side was a bit more of a challenge as we had to bend around the slider door track.
http://images49.fotki.com/v1510/phot...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Putting in the bends on the table edge.
http://images59.fotki.com/v683/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg

I also made up a couple of short angle brackets to carry the rear enclosure bar. These are riveted into the inside corners of the rear door pillars.
The passenger side.
[img]http://images50.fotki.com/v399/photos/5/904975/11849765/MVC011F-vi.jpg[/imgThe driver side
http://images61.fotki.com/v138/photo...MVC013F-vi.jpg
I cut another piece of 1 x 1 to length marked and drilled rivnut holes and bolted the bar in place.
http://images57.fotki.com/v80/photos...MVC010F-vi.jpg
http://images20.fotki.com/v386/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
http://images14.fotki.com/v380/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
The rest of the rear enclosure will be build off this bar. I plan to have it removable for tank access.
Adding some bracing will be requisite. This will also be done at the forward bar.
http://images52.fotki.com/v640/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
Didn't get out there today. To many family things (and a nap) got in the way...
Mark

Naps are an important part of every build

Originally Posted by cffisher

Naps are an important part of every build

Yes they are. Especially when yer tail is draggin and you just had a big brunch at the inlaws...

It's a quiet weekend around our neighborhood. This is the 6th anniversary of my brother-in-law's death in a car accident while visiting his brother in Tennesee. The accident was 6 years ago today and he died early on the 7th. Just keep in mind that life is short, don't take anything for granted and give your loved ones a hug... You never know what can happen.
We got a bit more done on the enclosure today. Actually we got quite a bit done. All of the frame work for the enclosure is in and we got the two outboard ends of the top made.
Last week saw both top bars done and we had mocked up the rear pencil braces.
Today we made the front and rear pencil braces out of some 1/2" square tubing I had laying around.
We made some "feet" out of 16ga sheet, cut some 45's on the tubes and welded the feet on.
http://images60.fotki.com/v661/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
After we got the floor feet on we cut the tubes to length and welded on another foot to bolt the brace to the bottom of the cross bar.
http://images59.fotki.com/v255/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Two braces bolted in.
http://images61.fotki.com/v1609/phot...MVC013F-vi.jpg
The drivers side.
http://images20.fotki.com/v113/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
The passenger side. These little guys add a lot of support under that cross bar. You would be surprised...
http://images58.fotki.com/v448/photo...MVC015F-vi.jpg
You can also see in the pics that I got the front panel templates done. These fit fairly well and will seal up nicely with a little black RTV when the time comes.
http://images52.fotki.com/v8/photos/...MVC010F-vi.jpg
On that note, I have decided to make the enclosure panels out of the Roswell patterned Carbon Fiber. I ordered a 4 x 8 sheet of aluminum to use as a lay-up table (nice and smooth you know...).
I want the forward top corner to have a nice radius so we will bend up a length of that thin flashing on the big bender to lay the carbon fiber into to get a nice smooth finish.
We also got the forward pencil braces built and welded in the front bar and both braces. We built some feet for those also to weld to the side of the tub. We simply welded the brace to the top tube at the upper joint.
http://images51.fotki.com/v278/photo...MVC022F-vi.jpg
http://images56.fotki.com/v1599/phot...MVC017F-vi.jpg
During the week I made templates for the rear corners where we had to fit the plates in and Mel cut the parts out on the stomp shear and bandsaw today.
http://images56.fotki.com/v1298/phot...MVC005F-vi.jpg
The passenger side.
http://images15.fotki.com/v792/photo...MVC002F-vi.jpg
The drivers side.
http://images51.fotki.com/v278/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
These will get riveted in once everything is painted.
I got the removable rear bars painted and put back in after Mel left. Looks pretty good and the bars are strong.
http://images14.fotki.com/v219/photo...MVC014F-vi.jpg
http://images54.fotki.com/v461/photo...MVC016F-vi.jpg
The two end panels will get covered by carbon fiber eventually...
That's it for today. Tomorrow I am replacing the water softener at my daughters house. Don't know if I'll get out on the van.
Thanks for looking
Mark

Lots of good progress, the interior is going to be very nice!

Got some work done on the van the past two weekends. I even got out on it one night during the week. Working on the big floor insert and rear enclosure. Tuesday it was real nice when I got home from work so I cleaned up all of the seam sealer on the floor insert and got another coat of primer on it.
I used a fiber stripping disc on the seam sealer. It cleans it up, knocks down any high spots and smooths it out when it starts to get hot.
http://images61.fotki.com/v1609/phot...MVC001F-vi.jpg
After some fresh primer this is ready to go in. The top side.
http://images57.fotki.com/v1354/phot...MVC003F-vi.jpg
The bottom side.
http://images57.fotki.com/v80/photos...MVC006F-vi.jpg

The weekend prior Mel and I worked on the rear enclosure. I spent some time spreading seam sealer on the tubs and getting all of the joints packed. This is messy stuff.
{img]http://images52.fotki.com/v726/photos/5/904975/11902235/MVC006F-vi.jpg[/img]
http://images12.fotki.com/v216/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
We also made up some flanges to rivet to the tubs to carry the bottom of the front enclosure panel.
http://images61.fotki.com/v545/photo...MVC011F-vi.jpg
We made these out of .090 aluminum sheet. Bent them up on the 3 n 1 and ran them thru the stretcher dies to make the curve.
http://images49.fotki.com/v1508/phot...MVC020F-vi.jpg
Me workin' hard...
http://images16.fotki.com/v301/photo...MVC022F-vi.jpg
The template...
http://images57.fotki.com/v1613/phot...MVC021F-vi.jpg
The fit...
http://images20.fotki.com/v1590/phot...MVC023F-vi.jpg
The final product...
http://images46.fotki.com/v297/photo...MVC012F-vi.jpg
We got both sides in, seam sealed and riveted...
Trial fitting with a few clecoes
http://images49.fotki.com/v606/photo...MVC003F-vi.jpg
Setting them in place with a smear of seam sealer underneath. This is a clecoe going in prior to riveting.
http://images12.fotki.com/v616/photo...MVC005F-vi.jpg
The passenger side from the front.
http://images60.fotki.com/v778/photo...MVC010F-vi.jpg
The drivers side.
http://images12.fotki.com/v213/photo...MVC009F-vi.jpg
Had a good day in the shop. Got a lot done and, at this point, I was hoping to be painting this stuff next weekend...
http://images54.fotki.com/v514/photo...MVC008F-vi.jpg
Thanks for looking
Mark