Hey Kevin, good to see you are still going at it full speed. We really like how you are keeping the updates going. Even if some of us do not reply, I know there are a lot of us watching your every move. :C I've noticed that a lot of the sheet metal parts that you make, you use a "butt weld" to install them. Why don't you make some of them with a "lap weld' instead? It sure would be a lot easier to weld and you would not get so many small holes to fill and grind. It's OK to make the pieces just a little lower than the height needed because you are going to fill them with body filler anyway. And if you have a piece that is too high you are going to be pounding the spot down. It's a lot easier to fill it up just a little than to push it down a little because it was made a little too high. Just a thought for you to think about.
Do you have any of those tools like a vise grip that makes the sheet metal lip? You just squeeze the edge of the metal and it will have a nice lip on it for an easy weld. It's only sheet metal and I don't think it needs to be a butt weld like some thick plate.
I also noticed that you don't have the handle and guard on your grinder. I'm a welder also and I understand why you took them off. I just want to ask... have you ground your finger yet from holding the grinder? :B I'm laughing because I've done that many times before I learned. I'm not trying to be the safety police. At least put the side handle on so it won't kick back and grind your face just when you don't expect it to. I've seen it happen many times at work. Try riding a bicycle with no handle bars, it's kind of hard to steer. Same for the grinder. If you get it in a bind and it kicks back at you it's very hard to hold onto without a handle. I'm sure you know what I mean.
I also noticed that some of your welds look kind of lumpy. Are you trying to weld uphill on that thin sheet metal? Try and do a small weave back and forth and go downhill. It might work for you sometimes. Yes, I know a "TIG" would be nice but the setup is not cheap. Actually it's not that bad, you would need a bottle of argon that you could rent and a gauge. And of course the right type of welding machine. And a foot pedal would be nice to control the heat. And,and,and, a big bag of money would be nice also. And we know you are not a millionaire.
You are doing fine, keep it up and don't get burned out. If you get tired of always working on it, take a break and do something like clean your shop up or just go do something else for a day or so. It looks like you have most of the hard parts almost finished. The rest will go fast. If you didn't live on the other side of the world from me, I would come over and help you. I know a GOOD helper is hard to find.
I have some friends that want to help me sometimes but all they want to do is sit and drink beer. I get more done when they are not around.
