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After a few "real life" interruptions, I got the outside welds on the undertray finished this evening.

Since much of the underside of the small, Trapezoidal-shaped panels under the motor mounts will no longer see the light of day, I did at least primer the undersides before welding them in. Hopefully that and sealing the edges of the undertray will keep moisture and rust at bay.

The plug welds worked well. The panel is taut all together, but there is a very small amount of oil-canning in the big area you're looking at in this photo. After I clamp it flat to the inside RHS members and weld the floor to them, I fully expect that will disappear.

Visitors are coming tomorrow, so it's a day off from the build. I'll be anxious to start on the inside welds on Monday.


Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Weld an X on the middle of the underside of the oil canning portion and that should tighten it up

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

@carguy123
Thanks for the suggestion. Call me an optimist, but I think it will disappear with my inside welds. If not, welding an 'X' is Plan B.

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Da hell with dat! You just say, "Hey George, Myra, let me invite you out to my garage to see what I've been doing. Here, George, hold this piece righttt HERE! Hold tight now, close your eyes..." See, much quicker than using clamps and your guests get to take part in the build!

Lotsa nice looking work going on there, Lonnie! Keep after it, you're making good progress.


JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

@GonzoRacer
Good ideas, JD. Why didn't I think of those?

What's even funnier about the situation is that my wife always proudly tells folks, "He's building a sports car from scratch" and always wants me to show visitors what I'm doing. People are nice, and say nice things when they see it, but I know even most "car guys" can't make sense of what's there now. So, I try to make it quick, so they don't get too bored, and we get back to the chips and dip in short order, which they often do care about.

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

There was finally some time for me to work on the build again. I have all the inside welds on the floor done, and all the interior surfaces cleaned up. Here are some photos of the interior. Subsequent to these photos, I primed them all with Rustoleum bare metal primer. I took time to flood all the joints. Most likely, I'll give all of them a second coat, and flood the joints again too.





As expected, the oil canning disappeared from most of the floor after the inside welds were done. The most forward of the 3 interior sections on both sides will move and make a little noise if you push it hard. However, only your feet go in that section, so I'm not sure it's an issue I need to deal with. You won't be standing on it, just resting your feet.

On the other hand, if it is going to me an issue, it's much simpler to deal with now. I need to think about that a little.

I have a couple of minor welds to do where the floor is interior to the transmission tunnel, and I need to paint inside the tunnel on the floor panels too. That's maybe an hour's worth of work. Then it will be on to grinding the welds back on the bottom of the undertray.

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Ahhhh that brings back memories. On my first build I had exactly the same thought. It only 'oil canned slightly' when you put pressure on the DS "foot well".
Now I have to explain how I get into a 7. Right foot first into the "foot well", reach across with my right hand and grab the top left of the passenger seat back and my left hand on the steering wheel. Transfer all you weight onto your right foot, a hop up and bring the left foot into the "foot well". A little twist, rest my back against the drivers seat back, slide down it into the seat, done deal.
When I would hop, the foot well would oil can a bit
Second build I welded an "X" across both DS and PS footwells (it cost me nothing but my time). This second 7 is my go to driver and I have yet to hear the floor "oil can".
On my third build I did the same "X" welding without even thinking about it.
Now these "foot wells are the ones right in front of the seats, but I also "X" welded the "foot wells" where the pedals are also and on the PS too.

Just do it Lonnie and forget about it

BTW, great job welding the floor

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

Looking all very sanitary , Lonnie.

My floors are quite similar (with no ribs) and oil canning has never been detected let alone a problem.

Cheers!

_________________
Larry in Seattle

@horchoha
@benny_toe
Thank you for the compliments, gentlemen.

@horchoha
Weld in that "X", yeah I know (he says while kicking a nearby stick and looking at the ground).

Cheers,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

I was back at it yesterday and made good progress grinding down the welds. I can't believe how many there are (over 140), but the 40 grit flap disc on the 4-1/2" angle grinder knocks them down pretty quick. I'm using a conventional grinding disk and a 120 grit flap disk to finish grind & polish each weld after that. I'll take photos when I'm done.

Once those are finished, I'll have to wire brush the bottom of the floor and get it primed lickity-split. That will be it on the Locost for a while. The chassis goes back up on the build table for a few weeks while real life happens including a one week visit by my brother-in-law and sister-in-law. They're nice folks and it will be fun.

After that, it is a massive re-org of the garage and storage space, which is sorely needed. When those things are done, it will be back to the design/build cycle with respect to the Locost. We have had some nice changes recently too. The Jag XK8 is gone (long, sad story), but we got mama a nice ride to replace it.




This definitely isn't my father's Cadillac (he had several). It's a totally fun car and quickly on its way to becoming one of our all time favorites vehicles.

Talk to you later.

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

That Caddy looks just like mine. I wasn't in the market for one, but one of those "owned by a little old lady and only driven on the weekends" type of deal showed up on FB with an absolute great price and very few miles. I've loved the car and I too didn't think I would.

Now, if you've got the V6, look under the hood and look at the exhaust manifold and tell me what you think.

_________________
mobilito ergo sum
I drive therefore I am

I can explain it to you,
but I can't understand it for you.

You know Lonnie, I'm 1/2 Polish myself. The other 1/2 is Ukrainian.
I have to ask, "Yakshemash?" (Yak-she-my-ish)
https://mymemory.translated.net/en/Polish/English/yakshemash

And the Ukrainian side of me says "nice cattle rack".
Better quit while I'm still ahead

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle

Yo Lonnie-
Nice ride! I've been a fan of the "new look" Cadillacs for years. I like the angular shapes, flat planes in the design, kind of "stealth" looking. So does it have the V6 or the 8? Either one is quite capable, just that the V8 sounds like a V8... Sweet ride, either way! Hope Mrs. Lonnie enjoys it.

JDK

_________________
JD, father of Quinn, Son of a... Build Log
Quinn the Slotus:Ford 302 Powered, Mallock-Inspired, Tube Frame, Hillclimb Special
"Gonzo and friends: Last night must have been quite a night. Camelot moments, mechanical marvels, Rustoleum launches, flying squirrels, fru-fru tea cuppers, V8 envy, Ensure catch cans -- and it wasn't even a full moon." -- SeattleTom

@carguy123
Our story is somewhat similar. This one was at our local Cadillac dealer in our case. It's a one owner vehicle with every one of it's routine services done at the dealer and zero problems have ever occurred. We got the whole maintenance history with the car. It also has a warranty as a Cadillac Certified Used Car, which made me feel better. They had discounted the car as part of a sales/loan promotion with our local credit union.

My wife fell in love with it right away. I was reluctant at first, but converted to a fan by driving it around for an afternoon. It continues to surprise and delight us, and I now look for excuses to drive it.

We do have the V6. I'll take a look at the exhaust manifolds.

@horchoha
I was a little afraid to look up that word, Perry, but I got brave and did it. And, the answer is, "I'm doing just fine, Perry, how about you?"

I've been told that the Poles make the best vodka in the world. How come I never hear you mention vodka? My brother in law is kind of a connoisseur with respect to vodka. I'll be getting my periodic re-education with respect to it very shortly.

@GonzoRacer
I'm with you on the styling, JD. And, I've really loved some of the concept cars they've shown in recent years too. They had the -V version of the CTS in the showroom when we were at the dealers. It's very impressive, but not the car we need at this point in our lives. They did have another surprise car on the lot - a small hybrid called the ELR. It's really a trip. Google it if you haven't seen it before.

Cheers all,

_________________
Damn! That front slip angle is way too large and the Ackerman is just a muddle.

Build Log: viewtopic.php?f=35&t=5886

Now you're making me recall stories of my youth, of which are good and bad.
Like all things too much can be a bad thing. Way back when my Vodka of choice was called Silent Sam. What a perfect name, you didn't hear it til it hit you.
Anyhow, for me it went the way of the dinosaur, just like Lemon Gin, and Canadian Club Whiskey.

_________________
Perry

'If man built it, man can fix it'
"No one ever told me I couldn't do it."
"If you can't build it safe, don't build it."

Perry's Locost Super Che7enette Build
Perry's TBird Based 5.0L Super 7 L.S.O
Perry's S10 Super 7 The 3rd
Perry's 4th Build The Topolino 500 (Little Mouse) Altered
Perry's 5th Build the Super Slant 6 Super 7
Perry's Final Build the 1929 Mercedes Gazelle