[MetroMPG]

i did some actual torch welding tonight - and i only set the car on fire about 5 times!

nothing too serious: the factory undercoating/rubberized stuff on the bottom (outside) of the car was burning merrily away a couple of times. i was working inside the car, so i'm glad my brother spotted the first, um, flare-up (flare down?).

i could blow out the flames pretty easily, and got into a rhythm: tack a piece of metal inside the car... lean underneath and blow out the fire... tack another section inside the car... lean underneath and blow out the fire...

i already had the garden hose on standby beside the car before any of this happened, but it never came close to needing it. oh, and the fuel lines are on the OTHER side of the car, so that wasn't an issue (yet).

nevertheless, i'm going to continue doing this in the *driveway*, not in the garage.

as expected, brazing is much harder to do "in real life" than on the flat, clean, test pieces of metal we were practicing on yesterday. still fun though.

even more fun: i used a cutting wheel to hack a large chunk of the rear quarter panel off the red car which i'm using to make my repair pieces for the blue car. i guess i like wrecking stuff AND fixing stuff!