Lippy's Aluminum Adventures

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Rapid Randy Baker
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Lippy's Aluminum Adventures

Postby Rapid Randy Baker » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:18 am

Steve, {Lippy} how about telling us about what tools/machines you used to bend up the body. What gauge alum, how you made it fit etc.

I would be interested in hearing about it. The dragster looks great.
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jim sanders
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Postby jim sanders » Sat Feb 25, 2006 10:23 am

8) yea me too

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Postby Gator » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:14 am

me 3
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Lippy
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Postby Lippy » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:38 am

I'll try to post something this evening. :)
If you think it's exciting now, wait till we start it.

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Lippy
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Aluminum

Postby Lippy » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:09 pm

Ok, I'll try to rcount how I did this deal. First I must give credit to Larry, my partner in crime, and Joseph Proffit, the best welder I've run across. As you may or may not know, the car started out 160in wheelbase. WE wheelstood it and bent the frame! Sooooo, we stretched the frame to 225in. I fitted and tacked it all together, then joe tigged it up. We could'nt afford to have Hanna, or someone of notoriety do the aluminum work, cause we poor boys! I started with .032 aluminum, from the steel fab place in Hays Ks. We have a place in town with a large computerized shear, so I measured and then had them shear the aluminum as it left a nice edge. We had no one around here that had a brake with rollers, so we used a friends pan brake. It was only six foot, but was enough. I used 1 1/8 tubing, same as the frame, 1 1/8 .058 chrome moly, and put it under the jaw in the brake to bend the top panels. It would not bend 90degrees as the brake jaw would'nt go that far, so I had to message the aluminum by hand the rest of the way. The side panels dzus on the car, as I made a panel, Joe would come over and weld the dzus tabs on for me then I would hold the panel in place and mark the holes, drill them and countersink the holes. I did it one panel at a time, front panels overlapping the next one back by about a inch and a half. The hardest part was making the overlapping panels fit snug, and lining it all up. I don't have an english wheel, or planishing hammer, or even a sand bag and mallot. So I used what I had, pipe, railroad rail piece, anything I could find, and shped most of it by hand. I made the two rear toppanels easy to get off cause our new 8gal fuel tank is under the rear one in front of the engine. It's hard to give technical answers to something like this, cause it's not technical! You just measure twice and cut once and make sure you cut ON THE LINES! It's time consuming tedious work, but it's all worth it when it's done! One thing I've learned, don't let anyone tell you you can't build something, or you have to have so and so do that, cause If you stop procrastinating and grab a handful of common tools, you would be absolutely amazed at what you can accomplish! It may not win any car shows, but I guarantee ya at 180mph it aint gonna come off! :lol: :lol: I'll finish the nose and enine cowl area and get some pics up. Can't wait to drive it!! Thanks all!
If you think it's exciting now, wait till we start it.

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Rapid Randy Baker
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Postby Rapid Randy Baker » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:21 pm

Great story Lippy. Thanks for all the info. You sure did a nice job on it. :D
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Lippy
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Postby Lippy » Sat Feb 25, 2006 11:33 pm

Thanks again Randy, Can't wait to lay the house of color candy red on it!! :D
If you think it's exciting now, wait till we start it.

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jim sanders
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Postby jim sanders » Sun Feb 26, 2006 7:58 am

8) cool story Lippy well done !!

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pro70z28
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Postby pro70z28 » Sun Feb 26, 2006 8:26 am

NIce work Lippy. Lookin' forward to seein' it in July. :D
15th Annual DRAGLIST Nationals Sometime in 2020. Somewhere in the USA.

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Rapid Randy Baker
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Postby Rapid Randy Baker » Sun Feb 26, 2006 10:45 am

Man, nothing is a cool as Candy in the sunlight!!! :)
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