Doing My Best

There is a reason I do what I do for a living.
If I could weld better, then I would weld. If I could design bridges then I would be a mechanical engineer, but I am willing to try anything, even brain surgery if anyone wants a go at it.
That's kind of the situation I am in with the frame on the 1955 ford. Seventy-five percent of it is in excellent shape, but the front end is far from it. My Dad has worked as a carman for Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific, before the merger in the early 1980s, for 37 or 38 years, I really can't remember quite how long.

Anyway, his welding skills are far superior to mine, so he came and helped me weld a patch piece into the frame to replace the old crossmember that was cut out with a cold chisel nearly 40 years ago. It has been a long process, one that really isn't finished but we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel for this Phase I of the car rebuild.

It really hasn't been the welding that has been difficult, but the aligning of the frame. The way the car will travel down the road once it is finished will rest largely on how we do our jobs now. Endless measurements have been taken and seeming endless adjustments made to make everything fit and line up as it should.

Hopefully the end result will be a car that will be able to be aligned properly and get a few thousand miles on a set of tires. If we mess up now, though, that dream will not be realized and the old car will travel like a dog down the highway.
To make a short story a little longer, I did a little tack welding on the second of three main section repairs on the front of the frame. It's not perfect, but it's not too bad. Before anybody panics, Dad will be by later to check my work and finish up the welds.
Also, to make sure everything holds and not come apart somewhere down the road, plates  will be placed over each seam with Grade 8 bolts holding everything together and taking any undue stress off the welded parts. They will be the last part of the repair and we will share photos of the work.
And please, if anybody has any advice to offer I will be more than happy to take it.