Production Techniques Made Easy....

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Hey guys,I wanted to post this for the youngsters & newbies to the fabrication arena with techniques to learn how to produce multiple like items with an operation I categorize as "Repetitive Consistency".These are a set of Chevy engine cradles that a friend of my bro' gave him many years ago. There are none made like this available commercially. My bro' does nothing but Chevy engines, so he asked me to straighten the originals that were bent & make (2) more sets for all the engines he is building & a couple more sets that would sell at the local swap meet. He's gonna bring up a buddy's Ford block so I can make them for Fords also. These were made with 1" X 1" X 1/8" sq. tube & the mounting plates are 1/4".  I made a drawing first of all pertinent dimensions & locations & then made drill templates with 1/8" plate for the (2) size mount brackets. After some contemplation, I designed a jig that would be able to do both assemblies with (1) jig since the height & width are the same & the spacing of the verticals are different. Quite easy. I cut the jig frame out of residual 1.5" sq. tube pieces I had & welded together using the outside dimensions of all the component pieces. I had the 1" X 1" sq cradle tube already cut to size & placed them on the jig & clamped them to weld the location tabs. Did a complete dimensional check of assembled parts & everything was perfect. I had all the 1/4" plates cut to size & drilled them with the template for proper hole location & diameter. The wide span cradle is the rear cradle & the narrow one is the front. The large center hole is for the bellhousing index pin & the (2) smaller holes are for bolting to bellhousing. The front cradle bolts to the front of the block just above the oil pan lip. I'll post some pics next week of one set up at my bro's garage as he needs (2) more.I decided to do all the welding on the tube first. I tacked in place on the jig, removed it, placed the next one & repeated till all were done. Then I did the finish welding all the way around the joints. After all the frames were done, I made (2) plate locating templates per location dimension with a 3" piece of 1" X 1" angle & a piece of 1.5" X 1/8" flat stock. Then I welded all the plates in location. The original cradles each had (2) small tabs on the tops to show the top of the cradle. I had to be different, so I simply welded a letter "T" on the top of each.Ok.... here's the pics. Gonna need (3) posts to get all(15) the photos on, so PLEASE give me a few minutes to get them all on. The pics are self-explanatory and I will answer any questions you may have.  THANKS.....Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Group 2: You can see the progression of assembly. One more set of pics....Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Last group..... ask away if anything is unclear. Thanks...Denny Attached ImagesComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:Very good article, well explained and the pictures say it all. I'm sure there are going to be a lot more around now. I will probably make one. My one question, do you think it is strong enough for wheels or do you think the frame would bend if the wheels got caught in a crack or hit something?
Reply:Originally Posted by trapperjohnVery good article, well explained and the pictures say it all. I'm sure there are going to be a lot more around now. I will probably make one. My one question, do you think it is strong enough for wheels or do you think the frame would bend if the wheels got caught in a crack or hit something?
Reply:Originally Posted by yorkiepap He's gonna bring up a buddy's Ford block so I can make them for Fords also. Denny