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I am making a push to finish up welding on the frame. Want to get some primer on it before surface rust becomes an issue. Also once I start adding parts, I won't want to take them off again. Probably put the floor on as well

I had mine in the garage for a year and 5 months, and only now I see a very slight rust forming on some areas of the chassis.
I'm just mocking up everything for now. I don't have a fully welded frame yet, since the drivetrain was installed, and I could not weld everything at the bottom. From the top, mostly it's done, except the rear end.
When I'm happy with everything, I will take the whole thing apart.

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

I've had good luck, as others have, with weldable primer.

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Peace, Ron

Primer does not stop rust. The metal needs to be sealed to prevent rust.
None of this matters if you powder-coat the chassis as it will get sand blasted in that process.

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Honey anyone?

can not powder coat it as there will bee the need to add brackets and other mounts throughout the process. I will clean the surface rust off before priming it. I may consider weldable primer but I don't mind sanding and re-priming small spots as I go. it is pretty light and just starting so I would rather get something on the steel before the rainy season brings more moisture


Posted an update to my Instagram https://www.instagram.com/reel/C1s8m0pr ... BiNWFlZA==

Of course it doesn’t, that’s why it’s not called paint Weldable primer is just to slow rust down a bit while the car is being mocked up and its less messy than oils.

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Peace, Ron

It is really just the lightest of surface speckling. basically nothing and the Frame lives indoors. I just finished up the welding of what is on the frame now. There is still more to put on but pretty close to complete, less all the brackets that will go on later and some of the front. My buddy is picking up my 48k mile motor on the way back into town tomorrow and I will be getting the plates welded onto the diff case next week as well. I ordered 2 sets of plates so if anyone is using a 90-05 Miata Diff I can set you up. While I have the frame upside down, I may put the floorboard for the cockpit on.

Finish last brace pieces
floorboard
flip
start on suspension and steering

What you will be using for the floor? Aluminum is very expensive.
I have made the angle iron frame for the fuel cell yesterday, and today I'm working on the steering rack finishes(chopped off unnecessary stuff from it(cut 9.156" off from the length - it is so short now).
Finish welding the front control arms.

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Tibor


'20 Alfa Romeo Stelvio daily
Locost/442E in progress

Raw 20ga stainless. I got 1ea 4x10' sheets of 20ga steel, and .06 aluminum

Going to have a pro welder come over and help tomorrow. Look over my frame and hit any bad weld, and finish up whatever pieces I can cut today. Having my NB miata diff plates welded on it going to cost me as much as buying a welded up one off ebay I think. welding cast onto plate is apparently hard and only the 40 year veteran with the special tig can do it. for 300 bucks probably. The mobile welder is going to cost 110 an hour and the shop welder 150 and hour. These labor rates are just insane out here but I want to get this frame finished up and 2 hours of a pro welder is like 2 weeks for my crippled butt.

ended up spending 250 to have just the one plate welded on the diff. Since that is the real weakpoint I am fine with just having that one corner addressed considering it was going to be 500 to have all 4 done. At least I know it is done right.

I had a mobile welder come over and check over my work yesterday and also welded up the roll bar. I was pleased to hear I had done a good job thus far. being my first large welding job I wanted to make sure it wasn't gonna fall apart and kill me do to mistakes, so it was great to hear I had done pretty well. I also have someone to do my headers and maybe even a trailer at a super bargain.

Time to come off the build table to mock up locations for engine, trans, and forward diff mounts. The NB diff bushings I got have a metal sleave that is 5mm too long. Maybe due to the miata having another piece there or something but I will need to cut it down or the diff will be loose

Things are really coming along. Roommate snapped this pic of me last night. No sound effects were made -- yet

Motor mounts looking better woth energy suspension jeep mounts. Stud is a bit short though

Seat tracks installed. Lots of updates on the instagram as well. Drive shaft is being fabricated and I am starting to think about how I am going to fab the scuttle hoop since I have a 2 poece fiberglass scuttle I need to fit but need to bend tue hoop just right to fit under tue scuttle. I am going to have a solid dash with the scuttle lifting off.