Follow the link above for a great run down on welding.
Welding is an essential skill for hardcore and even moderate enthusiasts. Nuts and bolts can only take you so far. Eventually, if you’re serious about customizing and fabrication, you’re going to have to learn to weld. This useful skill will open up new fabrication options for your projects that may have seemed impossible before.
While taking a class or going to a seminar is a good idea, the truth is – with practice, patience, and the proper equipment, you can learn to MIG weld in your garage, on your own. We got together with our friends at Lincoln Electric to find out what you should know to get started in the world of MIG welding.
As you know (I assuming here), a “sleeper” car is one that on the exterior looks “average” (that it’s normally understood as referring to “slow”) under the wrapper, it’s a fire breather.
I was reading a special edition of ……the best auto periodical publisher in the WORLD (normally understood as referring to “ever existed”) Hemmings’ Muscle Machines – All Modified….and came upon an article entitled “Sleepers” by Richard Brigidi.
He defined a “sleeper” car as one with no engine badges, no chrome or striping, but with a monster engine. The idea was back in the 1960’s as to hide the fact that you had mega HP under the hood. Of course back in the day, street racing was common (although non-legal – just like today) and often it was done for cash or “pink slips”, so hiding (or at least under stating) that fact that you’ve got a super power plant would be a benefit.
I’ve always liked the thought of having a poverty wheeled – rubber burner and always had in mind a plain-Jane Chevy Biscayne.
Or maybe a plain old Mustang coupe?
What’s your idea of a sleeper car? Drop your idea in a comment below.
Meanwhile, I put together a list of Top 5 Sleeper Cars available today. It includes a few American-built vehicles, and a couple more coming from cold, snowy Sweden and rugby-loving Australia. Check them out past the jump and tell me your thoughts in …
There’s really no telling what banished this half-finished project to a curb full of weeds. It may have been funds running out, a builder in over his head or just a plain lack of interest but either way, we’ll never know. We spied the primered 1939 Packard sedan in northern Illinois, not far from the Wisconsin border. The vehicle’s interior was completely gutted and a single strap appeared to be the only thing holding the hood of an empty engine bay together. Bodywork has been done on several of the fenders and there’s air in the tires, so we’ll hope that whoever owns this dejected cruiser is just taking a break from a restoration or overhaul. Perhaps the next time we roll through the area we’ll see this curvacious Packard back in road-going glory. Or at least a ‘For Sale’ sign in the window.
Some time ago I wrote about repairing my 1984 Corvettes door panel. The panel its self was not well made … read “cheap” and didn’t stand up well to time/use. Unfortunately, I can’t say there was any improvement in “quality” of the door panels in my 2007 Vette. But this project isn’t a Corvette door panel, but my son’s Chrysler LeBaron.
The LeBaron is 1990’s car and the door panels are 1990’s cheap, no nice way to say that. This quick project was didn’t start out about the door panel, other than we had to take it off to check the multiple window control switch. The window controls were part of a plastic insert that also has the remote control for the drivers’ side mirror poked through it. It stays put, normally by 3 prongs that push into “V” clips that are on stand-a-lone braces that are mounted on the door panel directly – but not well done.
Since the insert has slid down over the past few months, it seemed that either driving vibrations and/or normal door operations, so while we are in there we’d push the prong back in. Seemed simple enough.
The back of the panel a fiber board/plastic composite – not really fiberglass but similar and it’s pretty sturdy.
Back side of the door panel.
Here you can see the brackets I mentioned above. However, the way in which the bracket are attached to the board is meant to last forever. They are held together with bits of glue in holes along the edges of the bracket. In the heat of Arizona and the great condition our roads are in (tongue in cheek) this type of connection is not ideal.
Here you can see the glue the back of the bracket and that is oozed out into the holes.
This image below is the results of the glue pulling off – separating from the fiber board.
Part clue – Part fiber board. This was laying at the bottom of the door panel
I re-posted a discussion on “Would You Take A Viper Over A ZR1?” (http://wp.me/pKHNM-1nH). To me there is really no discussion to be had. There is absolutely no way I’d select a Dodge Viper for a ZR1. Heck, there’s no way I’d select a Viper over any Corvette (even the ugly, big butted C5’s). Yup, even over the horse power difference.
It is mainly the design. The Viper looks like the it’s either broken in the middle or was two cars shoved together. Check this out?
So here ya go – the curve of the hood and rake of the windshield make he look “bent” at the vertical line drawn on the fender. The bump where the side exhaust starts the bent look. The door is hinged inside what would normally be a fender brake cooling vent. Then notice the back-end – it looks familiar, yes like a Mazda. It really looks like a sports car got been by shoving a Mazda Miata in its trunk.
Now take a look at a 1992 Corvette ZR1.
Let rake in the windshield and the brake vents are as they should be!!! Great lines!!!
Collector for a 1992 Viper vs. the 1992 ZR1 is a little one sided with the Viper about $15k more than the Vette, so for investment purposes the Vipers the one to own.
