Yeah I am with Stephen on that one, I would also make sure you grab the gas before starting, you will be much happier with the outcome and less frustrated during the process.

I Feel like I will then need an arc welder to do a proper cage? Mig seems weak for anything other than sheet metal, unless maybe someone else is professionally welding it after I m done stitch welding, cage design, and bending/notching.

Be nice to only buy one welder, but I ll have to start researching this topic like I did nutrition lol! I ll keep my eyes open for one of them things to go on sale too!

Shame I only everdicked around in welding class ! I only ever liked the arc welders, but at my skill level that sounds like lots of burn through.

You're going to want TIG to do a cage. They CAN be MIG'ed, but TIG is definitely the preferred method. Don't think you'll ever get a stick-welded cage certified these days. Besides...stick welding in tight places is a bitch and a half. I've done all position stick welding (overhead, vertical, horizontal, etc.) and while fun, I'd take TIG for cagebuilding any day.

I guess that sounds about right then.I ve researched the sh!t out of cages,but not welding so I may miss a few points there. Sounds pricey. Gotta pay to play !

Depends on the material your using on the weld process. MIG welded DOM cage is perfectly fine and isn't in any way inferior to a TIG.

Since you'll be fitting the cage I suggest DOM tubing and MIG welding so if your joints aren't 100% the weld can still fill in the minor gaps.

TIG and chromoly go together though.

Is the TIG/Chomoly combo lighted than DOM?

Chromoly isn't light than DOM but its stronger so you can you smaller diameter tubing for the same strength. Thats where the weigh reduction comes from.

Chromoly vs DOM definitely makes a difference. I am actually having a hard time deciding. Chromoly seems the better method at first but that becomes very debatable quickly! Chromoly will not be a do it yourself material whatsoever. I would hire a welder to do cage joints anyways, not messing with those.

The next problem comes from needing a racing seat to build the cage around! I ll keep at the other stuff for now. One thing at a time

Fck it give my buddies in automotive engineering another few years and maybe carbon will be ready haha!

Cool, good to know!

Lets turn this into my build thread. I came home to more tools that I just bought and didn't have time to use much of before I left Now I have time to use them, but need a job again to purchase a few more. Currently possess most necessary hand, power, and air tools, a few jacks, one engine stand and engine hoist, 6 saftey stands, small air compressor, ect. Also,Just bought a factory service manual for hard-copy and easy reference detailed wiring diagrams. I didn't like PDF versions.

Current needs list:

1) Shop Vac with Hepa filter
(gotta keep sh!t clean down to the fine dust particles)
2)osculating multi-tool
(remove last of sound deadening and undercoating)
3)Probably a MIG welder, welder of some sort
4)Proper gauge and type of sheet metal.
6)Front Rad support replacement/Redesign

Phase 1: Tear down. Started, Incomplete.
1)Still need to remove rear sub-frame and associated suspension/diff. Still need to remove fuel tank.
2)A few wires remain up the A pillars to the roof.
3)Rear Quarter windows need to be extracted in one or many pieces

Reason not done:
1) I need another way to hold the frame up due to uncertain previous rocker repair rigidity. Safety stands are still on the sub-frame. Not sure where to move these, may need a large amount more height with patio stones/large timber to reach rear-most frame rails.

2)Wires are not currently in my way.

3)These windows are a bitch to get at. I do not have replacement window trim yet either and fear further damaging my only pair.

Phase 2: Remove all paint,seam seal,sound deadening,undercoating. Stitch weld entire chassis. Start with engine bay, move into interior/exterior, fenderwells, finish with the underside.

Phase 2 is well underway, and progress can be made without any other aforementioned tools or tasks. Progress continues. More pics to take,lots of mess to clean, make more mess, repeat.

Phase 3: Pre-Paint Mock-up. Some steps may be skipped and revisited if money does not allow, in order to enjoy the car sooner and make future winter projects. Openly considering sponsorships, not sure though because I hate stickers! I ll try and make a deadline on this step as days go by and I have a better income and timeframe Idea. I am working out of a year-year september-september term rental house after all! I plan to be here at least until september 2015. I d like the car on the road before then. Some steps can be skipped and revisited in order to speed up the paint process, so long as they don't ruin a new paint job. Dont want to be redoing alot of brackets and shaving extra holes with paint done.

1)Use spare 6 bolt to do a mock-up swap, rewire and shaving/tucks.
2)Relocate battery to trunk, add additional switches/safety features
3)Make car run and fully function at idle with all necessary electronics and comforts for street use. Remove all wimp wiring present for non necessities. Purely all for mock-up purposes. No Driveline or suspension required.
4)Mount at least one racing seat in a desired relocated position
5)Rebuild light weight Steering column and mount a racing wheel. Look into depowering/redesigning the steering rack to acommodate full powersteering delete.
6)Build a Roll cage around my desired driving position
7)Make HVAC function properly with a full A/C Delete, full wiper fluid and defrost delete.
8)Depower locks,windows, possibly mirrors.
9)Possibly make a lightweight quick release sunroof plug.
10)Decide how to run/mount lines/ducting for a big brake kit

Parts still needed for mock-up:
1) New Fuel system,possibly a fuelcell (Ziggy/Frontline)
2) New massive and custom gauge setup (Speedhut)
3) New ignition firing System (Dynatek)
4) Evo 8 MAF
5) Metal for new brackets
6) Racing seat/Harness (Status custom seat/DOT approved)
7) Racing steering wheel (Sparco)
8) DOM/Chromoly Piping
9) Possibly a Race Rad,meth injection,and an oil cooler
10)CF sunroof, doors would be nice.

Phase 4 Disassemble again (should be quick with half the car still unassembled). Rigorously, systematically and meticulously Clean, Prime, Undercoat,Seam Seal,Paint.

Phase 5 Reassemble with care and utilize the best of what I have available at this time. Replace old bushings/mounts. If driveline will remain stock, check it over. New Windshield. New Trim. Clean/polish/paint OEM brakets/parts. Setup DG coilovers and suspension.

Phase 6 Fire the beast. Drive with spare 6 bolt and act 2600, enjoy, tune with link V3 (already in possession and running with a 96 ECU). Be careful with power the drive-train can handle. Otherwise beat the sh!t out of the spare motor. Tires,rims,Big brakes if not yet complete.

Phase 7 Built 6 Bolt. In progress. Finish and Swap whenever. If not yet completed, build transmission, working outward and backward to shafts, transfercase, and rear diff. Twin Disc clutch. If first paint job didn't cut it try again.

-Head complete: Stock valves and cams, Manley valvesprings+titanium retainers, Ferrea High temp valve seals and guides, 3g style lifters. Felpro permatorque hhead gasket.
-Block in progress. Needs bore and hone. Currently a stock crank, ACL Race bearings. ARP head and main studs. Eagle H Beams, Weisco 9:1 pistons. Balance shaft delete.






Phase 1 and 2 pics to follow in a few days along with a prologue to bring us up to present mods list. That should bring everything up to speed in order to proceed with a more semi regular bunch of updates on the progress. Until then its just all talk! Need a plan though, and I dream big, or whats the point

[s][/s]Im kicking myself in the ass every time I take more pictures and dont upload them. I ve now got 350 plus if I dont narrow them down. Im working on my Flckr account now.
Good news is I am getting about 9 hours a week in the garage. And that is only because I have no money to spend. More money= More garage :)Currently struggling to make a mess without proper cleaning gear and protection. I have to replace my respirator filters, and the vaccuum I aquired is not cutting it anymore. Wirewheeling and grinding in a one car garage closed up is messy business!!
I think I m going to revise and repost this separately to declutter things a bit.

Just to clear things up POR15 sticks well to textured surfaces not necessarily rusted surfaces, this is the purpose of the 'METAL READY'step you would do before applying POR15 to smooth unrusted metal, media blasting also helps due to the texture, if people don't remove ALL rust before applying POR15 then all your doing is protecting the RUST..POINTLESS IMO. If you have questions on POR just go to their forum or Google it.


It just so happens that Eastwood has a similar product already in a pressurized can for $19US.

Eastwood Frame Rail Spray



*EDIT...I indiscreetly moved the shell stripping conversation from the 'Post you car Pic Thread' back to where it belongs

Great thanks Terry! I didnt want to open that thread up to this.

GREAT link by the way!! After seeing that acid dipping seems less worthhwile. And lots of other good stuff. Rotisseries arent a bad price, shipping would concern me though!

We did POR15 on the sub frames... Two starter packs were good... And used the Eastwood frame rail spray on he frame rails. Compressed air and a shop vac to get as much crud out first...

D.

Mint... Derek, you will never have to worry about those parts again

So I still refuse defeat. I have not given up I assure everyone. I had 500 aside for the rotisserie, and my mounts designed, but then I put myself back in school, and lost my job in the first week lol. So the 500 went to life and I am living off student loans once again until I finish the end of my journey in school next november. Hopefully that makes me a cardiac sonographer next year. That might mean another big move within or outside of ontario, but the money will sort out the lack of supplies situation I have run into. I have a welder (with no cart or gas) that I have never used, no sheet metal or associated cutting supplies, and no means of paying to sandblast the chassis or have it sprayed when that is done. I m going to try and find something productive to do with planning out the wiring harness or something after exams. I suppose some forms of mock up at this point are better than nothing for another year. Christmas break begins friday afternoon
God I am going so DSM withdrawl crazy. Im starting to stare at them again during study breaks :s
I mean what else can I do? I cant just slap the damn thing together again with all the windows removed and rust holes in the chassis right? lol. Sometimes I realize I may have started this project over ambitious and a bit too early, but in the end I hope not to regret it one bit.

Mike if i could give some advice. If you have any parts that can easily just be re-bought in the future. This would be all the bolt on type stuff. Turbo, BOV, wastegates, FMIC. I would sell all that stuff off and buy it closer to when you need even if its a bit more than you currently paid for it. It still makes sense. Better than paying interest on loans that could be paid off from parts sales. No point in having thousands tied up in those parts you do not need or use in the short term.

The hard to get parts I would hoard but by the time you get the thing together some of those bolt on might be obsolete and not worth much or you don't even want to use them yourself anymore.

Yeah I am with Mr DA on this, I would also add that you need to shift more work to yourself, generally the tools are far cheaper than what you will pay in labour and you can borrow stuff too. Plenty of guys here willing to help, just need to ask.

You can always sand blast the chassis yourself if you have a big enough compressor, just keep the garage door closed till you are done and make sure you wear a respirator and some good eye protection. You also don't need sheet metal, you can do what I did and use fenders that you are going to scrap and cut out the size you need from that. Tin snips and a dremel would be all you need here.

Man, I honestly can't believe what your doing. You really need to focus on school and work. This car is not worth the amount of time and energy your putting into it. Its not a 67 mustang that a mint body cant be found and you HAVE to do this much work.

The dsms that were rustproofed don't need this type of attention. Those are the ones you need to find and buy in the future. Get out while you can and move on from this car.

That's just my advice and I'm sure most people would agree.

+1. Thats a monster of a project that would take huge amounts of time and money to finish.

+2 It seems there is a growing number of members on this board who just can't pull the plug when its obvious that they should.

Just like Deep and Mike said, ditch the shell and all but the rare (or soon to be rare) items and start up again when you have a steady job without school to worry about.

Don't want to come off as a dick (although I often do) just want to give my honest opinion

There's some good advice on here for you dude. It's been about 7 year's since I've owned a DSM... Let me tell you its not easy... And its not like my wife and I don't have the financial means.. With kids and life I know I can't just sit in the garage working on my car. One day I will get my DSM... When I don't know and there isn't one day that goes by that I don't miss it. Hopefully things will work out for you.
Cheers

Isaque do you need a hug?

I promised my self I wouldn't cry! LOL...
I'm good, Do miss my DSM though.

Its sentimental to me. My first car I ve been back at work again doing the free stuff. The bare metal started worrying me so I rattle canned it over last night. Got my gas tank drained and cleared all old bottled fluids out, took the gas tank and lines out of the garage.
My buddy gave me his welding gas, so the welder is now set up (hence the clearing of explosives lol). Next plan is to reattach the subframes and wheels, sit it on the ground again, lay the harness back in it. Going to go back to work with mocking up the rewire and 6 bolt swap for now. Lots of welding can now be done. That should keep me busy till school ends. I can make some new brackets and shave some old holes.
I honestly don't have alot worth selling. Supposed to be finishing the 6 bolt build over the holiday at Gord Bush performance with my buddy who worked there a while. The head has been finished for a few years, just need to see if we can assemble the block or not. Im not paying for labor, and it has to come home regardless, this friend is my tie to Gord Bush and he's moving to Vermont to work for Subaru world rally team USA.
All in all this is a huge learning experience, and something I have interest in. I look foreward to learning how to use my MIG and aquire skills in chassis fabrication and restoration. This frame isnt perfect, but its a long ways off from crumbling scrap metal. I ve been inspired by too many restos far worse, why waste another rare DSM. Also, school hasn't suffered one bit, still achieving high averages. Im trying to make the best of 3 weeks off, and then when I go back I should have more to tinker with for a while rather than large scale work.

Wonderful to hear. I was going to mention that some of us are here to learn stuff and not to have a perfect car as soon as possible but was just curious to see what your motivations were before I posted.

Glad to hear it!!

Been setting some smaller scale goals for life and the car in general and writing to do lists. Been a major help so far. I got the harness laid out for the most part on my holidays, and mounted the first stock 6 bolt on a stand. Got my welder running. Still need to pick up the Gord Bush Built 6 Bolt on tuesday, missed him over the holidays. Got my engine hoist back from a friend and nabbed his engine stand too so I can throw one of the other 2 engines on there.
Plan to start piecing a working electrical system and 6 bolt together and play with the welder until I am confident to use it on the car. Here's a few pics with the bay and other bare areas painted to keep it better protected for the time being. Big work ahead with reorganizing wires to ready the harness for tucking, relocations, deletions, and to see if it all works how its supposed to First week of school started fast, and I may need part time work, hoping to keep some momentum at least. Trip to vermont over the holidays was epic, love the state and roads, got me pumped to plug away to road trip there in the eclipse one day.

PICS
Tore into some engines over the summer and made some templates
Stock 7:

Mostly stock 6:

Both Footwells in 1


Front subframe mounts:


And the wiring harness that I didnt want to look at too much lol:

Over winter break:
Before and after of the bay with its temporary brutal rattle can surface treatment. More prep effort there than meets the eye.









Wiring working its way back where its got to go






Engine hoists are usefull for loading engine stands lol

Looks good so far!

Have you decided if you are going to lap weld or but weld your panels in?

I suppose you could say both. Most of it will probably end up as butt welds. I m going to try and eliminate the worst seams for moisture by forming certain things differently. Also may try and recreate other areas with more strength. If anything overlaps I ll probably do a few plug welds, then stitch weld it with the rest of the seams at the end.

Last night I cleaned up, organized, and moved my 7 bolt out of the garage into the basement beside the 6 bolt. Started picking away at transferring components. I want to run the higher flow 1g intake manifold but I also want to run emissions legal 2g solenoids and maybe the EGR.

So unfortunately my dog was not able to help me move this:


To here:

So I had to clear the way for good old big boy toys:

To yank it through here:


But the leg wouldnt fit and I didnt want to take the door off:


Some see saw surgical extraction:

Just a bit more room Couldnt have done this without an unfinished basement lol! And there is no back way in. The 6 bolt engine came through the front doorstep much the same way.

So your plan is to run the 6 bolt with a few of the 2g stuff for emmissions?

You need to get some help!! Lifting the short block with 2 people isn't too bad, one people is alright but it's definitely killer!

I find the lap weld don't look as bad as I expected they would. As long as you keep things nice and cool your but welds will definitely look much better though.

1G head and block, 2g exhaust mani and fuel rail, hopefully 1g intake mani, Following a 6 bolt swap list now, but some links are dead. I have to swap the drivers side motor mount where it bolts to the block with tensioner pulley and idler.
Anyone know the deal with that?
The 2g mount I have to put on the 6 bolt block has 4 bolt holes instead of 3. Looks like I have to cut the one off on the top left to clear the water pump, and I assume also switch the idler and tensioner pulley and tensioner arm back to a 1g set?
Once I make that fit I ll turn attention to setting up an intake mani/ignition system.

Go watch some Jafro videos, he runs through all the stuff you need for a 6 bolt in a 2g. Just as a heads up, you don't have a choice on the intake manifold the ports are totally different from 1g to 2g.

1g Mount Left, 2g Mount right Do I swap the pulleys and arm from the 1g to 2g mount? Circled extra bolt hole.



Going to have to cut that:

OK thanks!

Yes you will have to trim the mount to clear the water pump. I strongly suggest using the 6 bolt timing components (I have heard you can use 2G components but you have to tension the belt a slightly different way, and I don't like it).

Bryan is correct: match your intake manifold to your head.

Edit: If you'd like me to take a picture of my driver's side mount, PM me an email address to send it to.

Im not too concerned with cutting the mount anymore, just realizing it needs to be done. Should be able to pull off a nice clean job on that. Sounds like Im swapping for 1g components then and I ll see what is to be done with the manifold when I get there. But thanks for usefull information!

I ve got some awesome news I ll post an update tonight