Projects Giant speedster project

Ummm... so that would be a "jig jig" then???

You're being too hard on yourself. You most certainly are an "uncommon" fool if I've ever seen one!

And I have!

 

I think the technical term is "getting jiggy with it".

 

That long sloping fender looks like it would attract younger (or older) children to use as a slide. So make sure it's up to the challenge - make it strong.

 

Like this ?
http://youtu.be/BKQ9kxqZaxk


Sorry, can't embed. I must be stupid.

 

Almost exactly like that, but with more metal working and less dancing. Or, keep the dancing, that would work too, but add more metal working.

 

Heh.

With a more on-topic orientation (before I get spanked by Ryan for postin a link to commercial rap videos ..) :

More giant speedster goodness. History included in link. Sorry, there WAS a video but it was apparently deleted. Looking for an update.
http://www.topgear.com/uk/car-news/BMW-brutus-2011-07-11


EDIT : here we are. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGlGdChYwZo
Sorry I can't embed the video, i'm too stupid.


Turn the sound up, the noise that thing makes when firing up is amazing.

 

Always good to see progress on this one.

 

OUCH!!

I'm bending the 1/4" rod around my jig (there's that word again) to fit into my fender and using the torch to heat the rod so it will keep it's shape. Everything is a little hap hazard around my shop so the jig falls off the bench, I jump back and after a few seconds I feel a sensation in my thumb. Somehow the torch flame is right on my thumb! Interestingly, I was wearing latex gloves and the glove over my thumb was not burned. Anyway, I had my thumb in ice water the rest of the day. Some may wonder why this flurry of posting activity. I still have a lot of work to do--three outside awnings and a bathroom and another dropped ceiling--but my worker has run off to Kentucky for a working vacation and until he returns I can't do much except work on the speedster. Cool huh!

Jerry

 

Hate to see you get slowed down like that. How much crown are you planning to put in the fenders?

 

Oh, about a number eight. How does one measure crown anyway? I suppose over the eleven inches of the fender width I'll be lucky to get an inch of rise. That'll be sufficient. Maybe we'll see tomorrow. I bought some new wheels for my Chinese Georgia modified English wheel (or is it Georgia modified Chinese English wheel?). Like to see how they work in conjunction with the planishing hammer.

Jerry

Jerry

 

Rolling, rolling, rolling...

I'm a rolling dat metal. I bought some cheap little vice grips at Walmart and welded on some bits of angle. I had to get the 1/4" round all the way into the corner so I could peen over the lip. They worked pretty well. The job was kind of tedious. I also clamped down the fender so everything stayed flat. I got about half the fender down before I had to go home. Maybe I can finish tomorrow and move on to planishing. What kind of word is planishing? Sounds French. Probably dates back to the days of armor. Do you think the old armorers held armor conventions to unveil their latest models. Bevor 3.7? Vambrace 4.0?

Jerry

 

Pretty close:
"1350&#8211;1400; Middle English planyssyng (gerund) < Old French planiss-, long stem of planir to smooth, derivative of plan level < Latin pl&#257;nus plain"

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/planish?s=t

 

Its been a long time since I visited your project and I am glad your still working on it. Keep the thumb out of the torch because doing the fenders requires all you got to make it work. Good luck.

 

Uh-oh, now you've entered Andy Rooney Mode!

 

Panel beating

I started hammering with the planishing hammer but when you're dealing with a six foot fender things get tricky. If I varied the angle just a few degrees from vertical I wound up with a big dent. A helper would have been good or maybe a skilled metal worker. I abandoned the planishing hammer and borrowed a leather panel beater's bag from my buddy Don. After a few minutes of hand beating I realized this was going to take a week and my arms weren't going to hold up so I got out my air hammer. I don't know what model or make the air hammer is but it's very controllable. I was able to run it back and forth inside the fender in even strokes using a wooden contour gauge for a guide. When the fender was roughed in I ran it through the Chinese Georgia modified English Wheel with the 12" radius lower wheel to smooth things out. The Chinese did some modifications themselves--on the lower wheel set axles between the time I bought the tool and the time I bought the wheels so I had to spend some time to make it all work. Still some fine smoothing work to do on the fender but I was impatient to start the other side.

 

Looking good Jerry. Power tools are much better than tendinitis.

 

ther should be plenty of room to tie dead squirrels to these delicate fenders they will look great when covered with the leather you have planned ..


go go go go

 

If he just goes Nauga hunting instead of squirrel hunting, he can do both at once!

 

Save the naugas.

 

I'll have another.

Started beating and hammering the other fender. I got the sides hammered down then dollied them straight only to find out I'd put an interesting curve into the fender. I would have left it but it didn't match the other side. The fender was too unwieldy to put into the shrinker so I mounted the shrinker on a piece of angle and used it to straighten out the fender.

We're leaving for vacation so there won't be another post for about a week and a half. I won't be gone that long but it'll be a while before I get back to the shop.

Jerry

 

Georgia Modified Chinglish wheel

 

Looking great!!!

 

Yes, I'm back, sunburned and broke. Didn't do much when I got back to the shop, but progress is made in tiny steps. I bent up the .25 rod on the fender jig with no little trepidation. As you remember this is where I nearly burned off my thumb. Luckily, I survived. The next step hammer over the lip of the fender. You've seen it before, but hang in there, many more exciting things to come.

Jerry

 

Welcome back! Hope the thumb is all better now. Going from the Cycle Cars thread to this one sure is fun, maybe you can hide one of those tiny cars in the trunk instead of a spare tire.

 

Bang Bang Jerry's Silver Hammer Came Down Upon....

I counted every blow--two thousand three hundred and twenty three to roll the metal over the 1/4"--and I still have to roll the metal over the front of the fender. That's tomorrows work.

Jerry

 

Beat me with a stick... er air hammer

Fender number two de ja vu all over again. I got the fender edges all rolled over and made the end piece. Then I started beating it up with the air hammer and used my wooden guide to try and make it match the other fender. I made some marks ever three inches or so on both fenders so I could keep the thing uniform. Of course I ran out of time because I also had to go vote to to defeat a massive new tax here in Georgia.

Jerry

 

"Look at those arms!"

"Yes, and he did it all without steroids."

 

Yup, Tsplost went down in flames!

Looking GREAT Jerry- think you'll have it ready for the Cleveland meet this month???

 

There's a Cleveland meet? You mean the one in Clarkesville? It's always so hot there. Ha, I'd like to show the speedster the way it is but it'll be so much nicer when it's all together. Let's get together there.

Jerry

 

Cool- I'll check with Stevie G and Brad54 to see what day we're planning to come up!