TCI Engineering’s 1935-1940 Ford Chassis

The folks over at Rod Authority are starting up a 1936 Ford 5-window project car. This is footage that they took at Total Cost Involved Engineering as the artisans there assembled the performance chassis that will be the foundation of their new project. Who says quality craftsmanship in America is dead? Head over to the Project Flat Out page to keep up with the build.


Source: TCI Engineering on YouTube

G&G GP Exhaust Production

G&G posted this video detailing the fabrication of one of their GP series exhausts for the Yamaha R6. All of their exhausts are handmade in Italy. I thought it was interesting that most of the non-structural welds on the outside of the can were fusion welds done with the TIG torch and no filler rod. It looks like the base of the exhaust was welded with filler for strength and the baffle on the inside was done with a MIG for convenience since it’s not visible. Like all masters of their craft, this guy makes it look so simple.


Source: YouTube user Pielk

CNC Billet Aluminum 427 – Kirkham Motorsports

I always find it important to have inspiration when learning new skills. I’m currently trying to train on CNC mill work for the EV conversion project and I remembered this video from Kirkham Motorsports a few years ago. Kirkham Motorsports produces state of the art aluminum monocoque Shelby Cobra replicas as well as their own CNC billet aluminum 427 engines for them. They posted this 3-part series of videos to YouTube detailing the entire process starting for a giant forged aluminum block.

Part 1: Machining the Engine Block:

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MIG Welding Basics – Miller Welders

Here’s another welding tutorial video from Miller Welders. This time it’s some good basic advice on MIG welding. Again, there is no substitute for actually practicing this yourself but this should prepare you for what to expect. It’s really just a matter of getting your settings right so you’re getting good penetration without burning holes (match the wire size and metal thickness to the chart on the inside of the machine). After that all it takes is good rhythm and coordination as you move the tip of the gun down the weld. That’s it. You have no excuse to not go build something gangster out of metal.


Source: Miller Welders on YouTube

TIG Welding Aluminum – Miller Welders

I used a TIG welder on aluminum for the first time today to repair some deep curb rash gouges on the wheels of the RX-8. I have TIG welded steel before, but I was a little hesitant to do aluminum since it has a reputation for being significantly more difficult. I found this series of how-to videos on YouTube by Miller Electric. They did a good job prepping me for what to expect and a lot of it is good habits for TIG welding in general. The only advice I have to offer from my whole hour of experience is that the besides using AC instead of DC, different tungsten and different filler, the concept works the same as TIG welding steel. The only difference is that aluminum has significantly different heat transfer characteristics. Aluminum is able to suck heat away from your torch location a lot faster than steel does, especially on something big like a wheel. It may take a lot longer to start the initial puddle and it will be a lot trickier to maintain it. That’s why these videos emphasize puddle control so much. Just think of it as driving a car with no traction control besides your throttle pedal inputs. You have to be very ginger and precise with the throttle adapt it the situation you see with your eyes, just like the TIG pedal. It takes almost the same kind of hand-eye-foot coordination, so most car guys should have a leg up on a random beginner off the street.

Part 1: Setting up your welding position.

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