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Project Orange Krate's Firewall Gets a Facelift - Wall Of VoodooFrom the December, 2011 issue of Camaro Performers By Chuck Vranas Photography by The Author
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Looking back, you can see... Looking back, you can see Orange Krate’s partially disassembled firewall prior to heading out for media blasting. Many of the operating components are still in place, including the power brake booster, steering column, and wiper motor. Reworking and cleaning up your firewall to cleanse it of all the ugly barbs is kind of like taking a visit to the plastic surgeon. By the time they’re done drawing lines all over you, you look like a roadmap with all the potential revisions mapped out for change. It’s pretty similar once you step back and gaze at the updates needed to clean up your firewall by the time you’re done with the old “nip-tuck.” With project Orange Krate moving full-steam ahead at Competition Specialties in Walpole, Massachusetts, it was time to address the ugly truth regarding the firewall. Since it was already picked clean from when it was media blasted, shop owner Peter Newell broke out the black marker to outline what needed to be addressed. His goal was to remove any unnecessary openings and mounts on the firewall in order to clean up the area and smooth it out for a nice crisp show appearance. Just because the car was designed for brutal aggressiveness on the race track doesn’t mean it can’t look good, too. Wanting to retain as much of the original car as possible, Newell opted away from simply cutting a large section of the firewall out and replacing it with plate steel. We still are working out the details about what hookups will come through the firewall, so we held off from any final bodywork until everything is all dialed in. To seal the freshly minted steel, a healthy coating of SEM self-etching primer from a rattle can completed the deal. Stepping back and checking out the firewall, it was obvious that Orange Krate would be more than just another pretty face. Let’s follow along to see just what it takes to revamp the area.  Picked clean, it’s easy to...  Picked clean, it’s easy to identify many of the areas needing to be addressed. It’s a good idea to take a number of pictures as you begin the disassembly to assist in evaluating what will need to be filled and patched.  It’s easy to see the passenger...  It’s easy to see the passenger side of the firewall required the majority of attention. With a number of holes and dimples to be filled, the larger opening required sheetmetal patches to be fabricated.  Stepping back and looking...  Stepping back and looking at the firewall once all the markings were made helped put everything into perspective.  To prepare the firewall for...  To prepare the firewall for welding and fabrication, the areas to be worked on were first ground clean using a 36-grit disc, removing any of the surface primer.  By grinding the surface areas...  By grinding the surface areas clean, it also helped to identify any low spots needing additional attention with a hammer and dolly as the job moved forward.  The heater box opening had...  The heater box opening had an outward protruding lip, which needed to be ground off. Here you can see the partially removed results after working the area with a 36-grit grinder.  The prepared left side of...  The prepared left side of the firewall wasww ground smooth and ready for welding and patching. The low spots, which will need to be smoothed out with a hammer and dolly are easily seen now.  An assortment of body hammers...  An assortment of body hammers and dollies were used to begin flattening and smoothing out areas on the firewall to prepare them for welding.  Once the lip was ground away...  Once the lip was ground away from the heater box opening, a hammer and dolly were used to flatten out the opening. This step can take a bit of time to smooth out any of the imperfections in the metal.  Newell worked methodically...  Newell worked methodically with a body hammer from left to right in the transmission hump area to flatten out a number of factory wrinkles in the sheetmetal to give it a nice flat surface.  A Lincoln Electric 216 Power...  A Lincoln Electric 216 Power MIG was used to plug-weld all of the small holes seen here. Also note that all of the dimples have been flattened out using a hammer and dolly.  To grind all the welds smooth,...  To grind all the welds smooth, Newell used a 3-inch air driven grinder topped with a 36-grit disc.  To fill the large gaping hole...  To fill the large gaping hole where the heater box used to reside, a section of 18-gauge sheetmetal was held in place and marked for trimming.  Using a pair of metal shears,...  Using a pair of metal shears, the heater box patch was trimmed to fit. It was then deburred using a small grinder topped with a 36-grit disc.  To prepare for the next step,...  To prepare for the next step, a number of filler pieces were fashioned from 18-gauge sheetmetal.  Since the heater box filler...  Since the heater box filler panel would be mounted from inside the firewall, Newell used an air-driven step flange tool to provide a slight step to the panel. This would allow it to fit flush to the firewall for welding purposes.  With the heater box–filler...  With the heater box–filler panel held in place using a body magnet from inside the car, Newell began by first tack-welding the panel in place using a MIG welder. This image lets you see the gradual stitch welding completed. It’s imperative to allow the firewall panel to cool as you progress so as not to warp the sheetmetal.  In order to plug weld holes...  In order to plug weld holes not large enough to warrant a metal patch, Newell used a brass hammer from behind the opening while MIG-welding the opening closed, since the MIG welding does not stick to brass.  In order to plug weld holes...  In order to plug weld holes not large enough to warrant a metal patch, Newell used a brass hammer from behind the opening while MIG-welding the opening closed, since the MIG welding does not stick to brass.  To secure one of the larger...  To secure one of the larger circular metal patches in place for welding, a body magnet was used from inside the car to hold it in the correct position.  Here, one of the circular...  Here, one of the circular metal patches is tack-welded in place awaiting its final attention.  With all the welding and patches...  With all the welding and patches installed, it was time to smooth out all the welds using a 36-grit disc attached to a grinder.  Newell found a number of low...  Newell found a number of low spots on the firewall where using a hammer and dolly would be inaccessible. A Uni-Spotter Model 4500 electric starter welder stud gun combined with Uni-Spotter #1001 welding studs and a Posi Cam slide hammer was used to address the situation.  Working the area with a combination...  Working the area with a combination of the Posi Cam slide hammer and a body hammer, the low spots were corrected and metal finished to perfection.  This close-up lets you see...  This close-up lets you see Newell working his magic on the firewall to get the panel as flat as possible.  With the smoothing of the...  With the smoothing of the firewall completed, the overall appearance of the area with the hood open will surely make a great impression. Once any new access holes are completed, the area can receive its final bodywork and blocking. Stay tuned!  To properly seal the bare...  To properly seal the bare metal, our good friend Ray Williams at Sherwin-Williams Automotive Finishes in Medford, Massachusetts, recommended an even coating of SEM self-etching primer to seal the deal.  Wow, what a difference! With...  Wow, what a difference! With the metal work now completed, it’s easy to see a vast difference in the overall appearance of the firewall.
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