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I needed to replace the cheap plastic coolant reservoir in the trunk of my iceracer. I cut a 16x24" rectangle of 10 gauge, bent it into a C, and then plasma cut it in half. This seemed like a good idea at the time, to make sure the bends were exactly the same, but in hindsight, it probably took longer. I found that the current limit of my metal brake is right around a 16" bend in 10ga aluminum. More specifically, the limit is that the table the brake is built into isn't heavy enough ( ~400 lbs ) to stay on the ground, I had to put one foot on the table to try and hold it down ( didn't have any convenient ballast ). Then I fit the two Cs together, welded it up, added the filler on top, and barb fitting for the hose. I cleaned up the plasma cut edges with a flap wheel, and cleaned with acetone before welding. No brushing. It is not professionally-pretty, but it is water-tight and will probably outlast the rest of the car. 3/32 lanthanated sharp to start, eventually balled, #7 cup. Settled on 3/32 4043 filler, after trying every size I have. AC balance at 65%. 180 amps, wide-open to start and then feathering off. I'm supposed to be racing today, but there's 10 feet of water all over the track __David Hillman
Reply:I like, but isn't 10gauge a little excessive?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:Yup, but I have a ton of it.__David Hillman
Reply:What kind of racecar?Torchmate 2x2 CNC with Flashcut CNC controlsHypertherm Powermax45 Esab ET220i Razorweld 195 MigRazorweld 200ac/dc TigTormach 770, Tormach xstechRazorweld, Vipercut/Vipermig, SSC Foot Pedal Dealer
Reply:The chassis is an '86 Toyota MR2. The drivetrain is a 20 valve 4age and 5 speed out of some Japanese-market front-digger, that I modified for rear-wheel drive installation. It's a dedicated iceracer, so 9 months of the year, it resembles a one ton paperweight. Has about 220 races on it, or so.__David Hillman |
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