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Find out how you can get involved with the next 'Wheel of Dreams' project. Email Michael Clark today!
michaelclark@mts.net.
michaelclark@mts.net.
This is the story of the '40 Chev raffled off in '08. Reprinted with the kind permission of Michael Clark.
Previous portions of this story can be found here.
Part Sixteen: Cuts Like A Knife
A high-end tool for the Wheels of Dreams
I haven't seen Jim Van Aert this happy since his rat rod grew license plates.
"This is going to make the job so much easier," said Van Aert, who was admiring a brand new tool for the fabrication of the Wheels of Dreams Chevy. It's a Miller Spectrum 375 X-Treme plasma cutter, provided through the efforts of Brent Dhillon. He's the Plant Manager at the Praxair production facility in Selkirk, where Van Aert works as a Industrial Mechanic. The plasma cutter is the latest in a string of donations for the Wheels of Dream project car, a 1940 Chevrolet Master 85 two-door sedan. The Chevy is receiving a street rod makeover from the crew at the Hillbilly Garage, near Garson, Manitoba, and the El Diablo's Car Club. When completed next year, the Chevy will be raffled off, with every last dusty nickel going to The Rainbow Society. The Manitoba-based charity grants wishes to children in our province who are living with a life-threatening illness. You can view the entire series online, at www.therainbowsociety.com.
The body shell of the Chevy will be arriving shortly from Winnipeg Sandblasting, where the cold, harsh, Swiss cheese-style reality of the original floorboards will be revealed. Since the Wheels of Dreams project car will only become a reality through donations, we decided to employ Van Aert's expert welding skills to create a custom floorpan for the Chevy. He'll be using sheet metal donated by the good people at Varsteel. "All the rusted parts will be cut out, with new metal butt-welded in place," said Van Aert.
Doing the cutting with the Miller plasma cutter will add some significant speed to the job. "It's a neater cut, with a lot less heat," said Van Aert. "When you're cutting thinner steel stock with a torch, you're actually doing more welding than cutting." To demonstrate, Van Aert, grabbed a few pieces of scrap steel, ranging from 20 gauge to 3/8-inch thick steel plate. The Spectrum 375 X-Treme has the ability to run on either 110 or 220 volt electrical power. "It automatically recognizes what you're plugging into," said Van Aert, as he hooked up the air line from his compressor. The system, which only weighs 18 pounds, maintains the proper air pressure for the plasma slice. Different heat settings are used, depending on the thickness of the metal being cut. The initial run looks promising, with the cut line easy to control, with minimal slag residue.
"This is going to make the job so much easier," said Van Aert, who was admiring a brand new tool for the fabrication of the Wheels of Dreams Chevy. It's a Miller Spectrum 375 X-Treme plasma cutter, provided through the efforts of Brent Dhillon. He's the Plant Manager at the Praxair production facility in Selkirk, where Van Aert works as a Industrial Mechanic. The plasma cutter is the latest in a string of donations for the Wheels of Dream project car, a 1940 Chevrolet Master 85 two-door sedan. The Chevy is receiving a street rod makeover from the crew at the Hillbilly Garage, near Garson, Manitoba, and the El Diablo's Car Club. When completed next year, the Chevy will be raffled off, with every last dusty nickel going to The Rainbow Society. The Manitoba-based charity grants wishes to children in our province who are living with a life-threatening illness. You can view the entire series online, at www.therainbowsociety.com.
The body shell of the Chevy will be arriving shortly from Winnipeg Sandblasting, where the cold, harsh, Swiss cheese-style reality of the original floorboards will be revealed. Since the Wheels of Dreams project car will only become a reality through donations, we decided to employ Van Aert's expert welding skills to create a custom floorpan for the Chevy. He'll be using sheet metal donated by the good people at Varsteel. "All the rusted parts will be cut out, with new metal butt-welded in place," said Van Aert.
Doing the cutting with the Miller plasma cutter will add some significant speed to the job. "It's a neater cut, with a lot less heat," said Van Aert. "When you're cutting thinner steel stock with a torch, you're actually doing more welding than cutting." To demonstrate, Van Aert, grabbed a few pieces of scrap steel, ranging from 20 gauge to 3/8-inch thick steel plate. The Spectrum 375 X-Treme has the ability to run on either 110 or 220 volt electrical power. "It automatically recognizes what you're plugging into," said Van Aert, as he hooked up the air line from his compressor. The system, which only weighs 18 pounds, maintains the proper air pressure for the plasma slice. Different heat settings are used, depending on the thickness of the metal being cut. The initial run looks promising, with the cut line easy to control, with minimal slag residue.
This session wasn't just about new toys. It was D-Day for the front clip of the Chevy. ('D' for 'Dismantle'.) Even Van Aert's daughter Nicole lent a hand, as the various components of the clip were removed and catalogued. The stainless trim will be heading to the House of Silver for renewal. It's important to retain any of the attachment clips, which may need to be re-used. Most of the pieces were salvageable, with the exception of the headlamp trim rings. We've got one Bad, and one Ugly. We'll get Bob Duncan's opinion on repair possibilities, before we start sourcing reproductions.
The headlamp buckets, as well as the turn signal housings, escaped the rigours of corrosion. Van Aert did a slight metal patch on one of the inner fender panels, which will be heading to Winnipeg Sandblasting for clean-up. The original radiator is a crucial template for Ted's Glass and Rad Service from Beausejour. To properly cool the GM Performance 350 crate engine donated by Vickar Community Chevrolet, the radiator will need to be enlarged, with additional cooling channels. If you're looking to get into the parts donation game, we would like to acquire an electric dual-fan system for the radiator, a common street rod improvement. There isn't a lot of real estate for an in-tank transmission cooler, so a new external unit would be just the ticket.
The enthusiasm of the Wheels of Dreams build crew knows no bounds. Our Stitchman Lloyd Gering has found a local artisan for the construction of a custom grille. Jim Bouwman of Bouwman Enterprises is well-known in the metal fabrication community. "I build a lot of one-off prototypes," said Bouwman, who will be doing the same for our Chevy's grille. The only rule? It simply has to fit, which leaves Bouwman free to exercise his creativity. Billet? Chrome? We'll see. The other custom request was to extend the grille into the space that was previously occupied by the front valance. The valance is in poor shape, so the body contour will be matched into the new grille. The inlets for the front bumper brackets will be retained in the new arrangement. If you don't know your Fat Chevy's, you'll swear the new look was factory. Gering recently paid a visit to Team Auto Parts, on another interior search with Hillbilly Garage Head Wrench Don Park. The lucky donor is a late-model Chevy Monte Carlo. (Gotta keep it in the family.) Team Auto Parts has not only agreed to donate the seats, but will also take care of the removal process. We had to settle on cloth, but the good news is that the driver's seat will have full power adjustment.
Since some parts will have to be purchased, the Wheels of Dreams project car will need a little bit of cash in the kitty. Rocky Chaika, a fellow El Diablo, and the provider of our transportation services for the Chevy's body and frame, has graciously donated $500 to the cause from his company, Debroc Masonry.
The headlamp buckets, as well as the turn signal housings, escaped the rigours of corrosion. Van Aert did a slight metal patch on one of the inner fender panels, which will be heading to Winnipeg Sandblasting for clean-up. The original radiator is a crucial template for Ted's Glass and Rad Service from Beausejour. To properly cool the GM Performance 350 crate engine donated by Vickar Community Chevrolet, the radiator will need to be enlarged, with additional cooling channels. If you're looking to get into the parts donation game, we would like to acquire an electric dual-fan system for the radiator, a common street rod improvement. There isn't a lot of real estate for an in-tank transmission cooler, so a new external unit would be just the ticket.
The enthusiasm of the Wheels of Dreams build crew knows no bounds. Our Stitchman Lloyd Gering has found a local artisan for the construction of a custom grille. Jim Bouwman of Bouwman Enterprises is well-known in the metal fabrication community. "I build a lot of one-off prototypes," said Bouwman, who will be doing the same for our Chevy's grille. The only rule? It simply has to fit, which leaves Bouwman free to exercise his creativity. Billet? Chrome? We'll see. The other custom request was to extend the grille into the space that was previously occupied by the front valance. The valance is in poor shape, so the body contour will be matched into the new grille. The inlets for the front bumper brackets will be retained in the new arrangement. If you don't know your Fat Chevy's, you'll swear the new look was factory. Gering recently paid a visit to Team Auto Parts, on another interior search with Hillbilly Garage Head Wrench Don Park. The lucky donor is a late-model Chevy Monte Carlo. (Gotta keep it in the family.) Team Auto Parts has not only agreed to donate the seats, but will also take care of the removal process. We had to settle on cloth, but the good news is that the driver's seat will have full power adjustment.
Since some parts will have to be purchased, the Wheels of Dreams project car will need a little bit of cash in the kitty. Rocky Chaika, a fellow El Diablo, and the provider of our transportation services for the Chevy's body and frame, has graciously donated $500 to the cause from his company, Debroc Masonry.
