[ausev] Open Garage(?), next steps

[Chris Robison]

On Thu, September 28, 2006 11:52 pm, Erik Bigelow said:
> There may be an open garage this weekend, but I can't say for sure. Chris?
> Mark? Keep us posted on what you're thinking about doing and feel free to
> fire away with the questions.


Well, the answer is technically yes -- I'll be working in my garage this
weekend, but I'm not exactly sure what will be on the agenda.

Here's what *should* be happening -- I need to make a jig for the frame. 
For those who aren't familiar, I've disassembled my truck (a 1999 Isuzu
Hombre) about as far as a truck can be disassembled without actually
cutting anything.  The rolling frame is now located on my garage floor,
and I need to do 2 things to it:

A) Cut out and rebuild a section of the frame in front of the rear wheels,
in order to replace the leaf springs with a 4-link suspension. The frame
in this section is the wrong shape (it slopes too gradually) to hold the
suspension front mounts (which themselves will need to be modified
somewhat).

B) Box the frame.  This will involve creating a flat strip of metal of the
proper shape and stitch welding it to change the C-channel frame rails
into box-channel rails, for greater strength.

So, the immediate next step, to support especially task A above, is to
make the jig.  Fortunately I'm not building a frame from scratch, so all I
have to do is verify that the frame is straight and square as-is (i.e. it
hasn't been in an accident) and then build a jig to grab onto the various
points where the frame previously attached to the body and trim. My goal
is that the rear section of the frame does not move during the time that
the section I'm working on is missing.

I considered building the jig with wood, very briefly, but then realized
that this is not something anyone else seems to do -- wood being a bit too
flexible for sufficient precision.  So, I need some square tubing and
angle channel.  And it's looking like I probably won't have that by this
weekend, as I'm sure there aren't any metals places open on Saturday, and
today is already looking pretty shot...


Mark Witt -- are you working on your battery pack this weekend?  Could you
use help from some folks on that?

  --chris