I decided to try and replicate my fiberglass lid I made with steel, since my fiberglass one started warping on me..... Anyways I still gotta smooth the welds, primer, block sand, and paint, but it is coming along pretty good. I have about 3.5 hours into it, about an hour of that was planning and drawing.... The base is 1/8 steel chanel and the rest is 18 gauge steel, not to bad for a first attempt.... If you can't tell I like making stuff, actually the steel is easier to work with than fiberglass....

 

lookin' good!

very nice

 

Looks pretty good...what does that thing weigh...just curious?

I've been thinking of making one up out of sheet aluminum to save weight.

 

~ 5 pounds I would say, I really don't know I don't have a scale. It is not heavy at all... Aluminum would be cool, but you gotta have a tig (a mig could do it with the proper settings) and welding sheet aluminum IMO is pretty difficult.

Thanks

 

That's pretty cool. I'm a little pissed that my stock lid is cracking for no dam good reason.
I guess I have to either buy another stock one or find another route to go.

 

BlackGMC, all I have to say is....you never cese to amaze me..lol!!!! You're a fu*king master fabricater dude....lol....I'd give you a job if you were anywhere close to my shop...ha,ha,ha,....

Do you do this **** for a living? IF not....maybe you should.

Keep the pics of your work coming.....I get all kinds of enjoyment out of it.

 

Thanks for the compliments, I really enjoy doing stuff like this. But no I don't do it for a living, actually I am a software programmer.

 

hey blackgmc I remember seeing your old thread on making the glass lid. the welds don't look too bad on the steel one, from the heat shown on the metal it looks like you tig welded it. I hate mig on thin steel like that. Anyways, looking good man!

 

Yeah the glass one started to warp . So I said screw it to glass and made a new one out of steel. Thanks for compliments on the welds , actually that is with a Mig. The key IMO to welding thin metal is slow wire speed, second to lowest heat setting (220 lincoln), .03 wire and stich welds.... Welding 18 gauge to 1/8 steel was kinda a PIA, thou, but straight 18g. is easy... I got a lot of experience welding thin stuff after welding the entire floor of my mustang...

 

BTW, good eye on the heat shown on the metal, most people don't pay attention to that, IMO it is key when working with the thin stuff... Any spikes in the heat patterns will surely have warpage.... Something to notice if anyone ever get something welded on the body of a car, such as quarter panels....