Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Did you ever get an i-phone Stu :mrgreen:

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Nuts to yer iPhone :flipoff:

Time to put some lipstick on this pig:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps1euoufgp.jpg

Put a sheet of 16-ga over the old bolt holes. Just bolted, not welded.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psdsdvrgau.jpg

Put a nice deadly edge on the left-upper striker

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps7ctxalu3.jpg

Installed the trim plate. Tacked at the corners, folded over on the left edge and tacked out of sight. This will get a coat of filler when it's warm enough for that.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...pskwb7umds.jpg

Mark it done! Although there's still some little things, like that dent still to take care of.

Next challenge:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psvk3kiwff.jpg

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Moving on to the fuel cap. Ever since we bought the Challenger I've wanted to replace my boring fuel door with one from a Challenger. Fortunately they're all over ebay, so finding one cheap wasn't hard.

The install could have gone a couple different ways. Way one would involve traipsing around a junkyard with a cordless saw. Way two involves beating on steel with a hammer. Way two seems faster and somehow more satisfying, so that's what I did.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psa34oyd2v.jpg

Started with some 22-ga sheet steel with a hole cut in it. The hole is much smaller than the minor diameter of the tapered backside of the cap.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps2smoh59v.jpg

This is the back side of the cap, so you can see the taper. I cut off the part that I won't use.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psvzl8yutx.jpg

Then I cut a hole in a board, tapered to match the cap (this is called a buck), screwed the steel to it, and beat on it for a while.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...pstnvn5otj.jpg

Bang bang bang bang. Start from the inside, slowly stretching the steel until...

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psbzcmtyow.jpg

... it's flush with the surface of the buck.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psiau4nkwz.jpg

The cap is retained by plastic clips, which need tabs to hold onto, so I made some of those, and primed both sides.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps4l2sni8o.jpg

In a rare instance of self-preservation, I used rivets instead of welding right next to the fuel filler, which just seemed like A Bad Idea. Alternatively, I could have lifted the bed off, which seems like Work. Not shown is the drain hole I drilled so the area behind the cap doesn't fill up with water or gas. It'll just dribble down the inside of the bedside.

Photoshop:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps9djes5dv.jpg

This is what I'm going for, and close to. You can also see the rust over the wheel arch, which I've repaired twice and keeps coming back. So a big patch panel will go in there, and since I'll need to do filler and paint after that, might as well extend the work zone for a sporty fuel cap. For now it's in primer, which matches the primer all over the tailgate.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...ps7j1xbbeq.jpg

And yes, I can still put gas in it. I verified that yesterday.

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Hey Stu!

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Hey PeePee! Long time no see.

Update!

Another warm day today, almost warm enough to do filler and paint. So with a little assist from the propane heater in the shop, that's what I did:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...pskwvgcsot.jpg

Needs a good cure, wet sanding and compounding still (lots of overspray to get rid of), but we're getting there.

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Not too shabby there Stu, I bet it's alot easier on the back to get your stuff in and out now, nice work.

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Great job buddy , I like like how the hing's turned out. Also did you french the backup lights in the bumper?

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Much easier, especially those 40-pound bags of cat litter. I hardly ever drop the gate now, door mode just makes things too easy.

Yeah, I did that a couple years ago, but I had help with the welding then. They're homemads lights stuffed into exhaust-pipe reducers.

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

I'm just glad you are alive

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Glad to see you still alive and,still being creative."thumbsup"

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Oh and what the hell...

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

I ain't that old, you little tit :flipoff:

Got another sort-of break in the weather (40F) and decided that was good enough. Good enough to cut and buff, anyway:

http://www.scale4x4rc.org/forums/att...1&d=1453756323

Put on new pinstripes, painted the post again (had to install a drip guard to keep ice and snow out of the top hinge) and made a lower cap to neaten up the drip guard some:

http://www.scale4x4rc.org/forums/att...1&d=1453756323

It ain't perfect, but it'll serve. Good enough to stick my name on it:

http://www.scale4x4rc.org/forums/att...1&d=1453756323

Those are Stratus letters again. I just couldn't bring myself to use the chrome letters from GhettoZone.

The primer on the right-hand fender will get done in the spring, since the bumper needs to come off and there's a little sanding to do back there. I'm kicking around the idea of putting a roll pan back on it, a steel one this time. Since I've got to break out the welder for the fender patch, why not.

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Sweet, when do we leave for scale nats?

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Don't forget to pick up Baller on the way. The stories from your last carpool were pretty entertaining, not to mention the rap video."thumbsup"

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Lol, only way is if he quit smoking those eye burning Winston's. :lmao:

Cows be like...Moooo bitches! :lmao:

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Yeah Stu, where have you been hiding? :)

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Cows be trippin

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Is there a Scale Nats anymore? I know for damn sure I ain't doing the drive in one shot again.

Hiding in the garage, learning to weld and setting my pants on fire.

Cows be tippin!

I got another couple of good weather days (notice that all the stuff I'm putting off til spring gets done when there's even a hint of warm weather?) so I put the new roll pan on:

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...psx0ryvoom.jpg

It was a little tricky because the passenger side is 1/4 inch shorter than the driver's side (because I can't back up without hitting something) but I managed to get it in there, and the gate folds down without rubbing (much). I do have some adjustment on the right-side pin, so if I bump it up an RCH it should be out of the rub zone.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...pswru825do.jpg

Installed some big LED's for reverse lights. They're better for indicating than illuminating, but they do cast a (faint) blue glow on what's behind me. This may or may not be the final install. I'd like to get them flush, but there's not much room behind them.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m...pss3zoedfj.jpg

The left side of the roll pan got a massage to clear the box-thing that covers up the slot I cut for the hinge. Paint isn't quite Johnny Bench perfect, but with a little wet sanding and a buff it will be.

Also replaced the exhaust tips with some stainless quad Flowmaster tips. The big resonators stuck out even past the bumper, and almost 8 inches past the roll pan so they had to go. I like the quad tips better and they won't rust.

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Arizona this year.

I like those tips a lot!

Re: Project: Magic Doorgate
 

Sweet, so I can add heatstroke to the total humiliation that's waiting for me there.