HonestDave

Looks like I've done it to myself. I spent so long working on the house and getting rid of three of my four toys, that I'm now ready to get back to work on the 65 442 and it smacks of "barn find".
The main garage is empty now, except for 65 Cutlass chunks and a few tools. Lost a fair bit of loot on the toys that went, but isn't it the way? Now I can try to stay focused on my project. It has a ton of filth and even racoon tracks on it. Had to put plywood over the rear package shelf to keep the coons from going inside for a nap. That's one of the problems with no trunk floor. Even got footprints inside on the new upholstry.
Going to finally hook up the Miller mig welder and see if I can't learn me a new function. Thought I'd try flux-core first, and see how that goes.
Haven't been this excited since Christmas as a kid.

MDchanic

How long has the car been in there? A year or two?

Let these photos be a lesson to any who would see a coat of dirt and decide that a car had been untouched for thirty years.

- Eric

HonestDave

Actually, I think it's only been around six months. Who would've thought?

oldstata

Wow look at that diamond !

HonestDave

Would be a whole lot prettier if it had those nice wheels of yours on it !!

OLD SKL 69

Amazing that it looks like that after only 6 months. Great that you cleared out all the projects and that you're focused on the 65. Look forward to seeing your progress.

Olds442redberet

That's exactly how a barn find is created. Someone puts their beloved classic away for a short while and before long, it's been ten to twenty years since it was last driven. I have a one owner Jeep CJ-7 with less than 90,000 original miles on it, that I put away some 15 plus years ago. Yes! I have become that guy! The one who plans on restoring his veheicle someday, evan though he has allowed it to languish, unattened for far too long in a dry, dusting garage in rural America. I guess someone will get a good deal on it when my kids sell it after my death. LOL!

HonestDave

What's really amazing is that I've got parts in the barn on the island that have been there for ages, and they aren't this filthy. I'm wondering if it has something to do with the airport. I have this car at my main location about half a block from the chain link fence of the Vancouver International Airport. We're so close to the runway that we have rubber pads on our pictures so they stay put. Maybe the big jets or helicopters are stirring up the dust !!

HonestDave

Olds guys never die, they just keep getting Oldser.

Sorry.

oldstata

I have not got my trunk pan in just yet but I have to say I didn't expect it to come apart so smoothly a few more cuts and a few spot welds to go.

Did you save the trunk pan from one of your parts car or are you thinking a kit ?

HonestDave

I saved two trunk floors, one from the coupe and one from the four door sedan. They both have a fair bit of rust but it seems to be in different places. My plan was to see if I could make one decent trunk floor out of two. Since I've never welded, and the welder is still in it's plastic, I've got some learning curve to navigate !!

allyolds68

Dump the flux core and get .023 with gas.

HonestDave

I pondered that, but I've had a half dozen guys by the house lately that weld. Three of them said they only weld with gas and it's way better, the other three said they only weld with flux-core, and they love it. I figured I better try the easiest one first, since I don't have a gas bottle anyway, just a welder with a dolly and hoses, etc.
My welding will be in an open garage with no block from the wind. Only four foot walls on this shelter.

jozw30

+1 on dumping a the flux core. Especially if you plan to butt weld.

But it'll only take you about 3 minutes to figure that out yourself......

Have fun with your "new" project!

HonestDave

I don't even know what "butt welding" is. By the time this adventure is over, I may be selling the welder and paying "the man" to do my trunk floor.

oldstata

I believe it when two parts are lined up next to each other and not over lapping , am I correct ?

Dave, I am just spot welding and using fusion bond I don't weld either and its how most newer cars are put togeather

The fusion bond is said to be stronger than a weld and it is a rust preventative .

HonestDave

Hi Justin,
My biggest problem is that the previous owner was running the car on propane. I can't get the "fuel type" label on the registration altered without doing a damn good job on the trunk floor and then having it inspected by BC Safety, or some such group. They say it has to be a continuous weld with no black tar and so on. I don't know how fussy they'll be, but I'm expecting big pain. This whole thing has been foolishness right from the get-go. Had I been three days earlier they would have changed the fuel type for me, but they just changed the rules. If it didn't appear to be a 442, I'd just probably wreck it. I don't WANT to do a GOOD job...there, I'm whining again. My wife is right...

MDchanic

Naaah. It's when that tube of Krazy Glue in your back pocket bursts.

- Eric

tomsw31

Dave,
I just removed a propane system from my 1972 Convertible and changed it back to gas so I could qualify for collector plates. I took my pictures into an auto plan agent and upon being approved for the collector plates, the agent changed the fuel type to gas right there. No inspection was required.

HonestDave

Was that within the last six months? I believe it was February of this year they said they changed the rules. I've spoken to both ICBC people and Motor Vehicle people. I'll check again. Maybe they got too confusing with the rules and they changed it back. Man, if so I'd be out front doing the hooki-lou in the raw.....not a pretty sight, I assure you !!

tomsw31

Dave,
I did it in April.

HonestDave

Tom,
Very interesting. I'll certainly look into this further. I'm quite certain I can do a trunk floor strong enough to hold a stock fuel tank. Really want to avoid inspection if possible.
As for the other comments on welding. I'll hook up the machine and try my hand at flux-core. If it won't work, a brother-in-law says he'll lend me his gas tank so I can try gas welding. I'm afraid to bite off too much at one time. Still have to rig up a 230V plug and run a massive cable someone gave me, to the garage.

MDchanic

I don't know what the specs of your welder are, but some units are switchable between 110 and 220, and for sheet metal, running on 110 is usually fine, especially when compared with running 220 through a long run of what looks to me like 10 or 12ga wire.

- Eric

HonestDave

It's called a Millermatic 175. The numbers say 30-175 and 230 volt mig welder. Good for up th 1/4 inch something or other. The garage is only 15 feet from the house, so I would only need about 25 or 30 feet of cable to get there. Thought I'd use the dryer plug whilst I was learning, that way if I don't like welding, I haven't wasted time setting everything up more permanently. Haven't pulled it out of it's box yet, so I don't really know what's in there. Two boxes, one for dolly, one for welder and looks like hoses on top with brass end or something.

MDchanic

There is a 110 and a 220V version, so it looks like you've got the 220, and you need to run the wire.

The manual says it draws 20A, so that wire should be fine for that distance.

A dryer plug should be fine for that. If I recall, most dryer plugs are rated at 30A.

- Eric