shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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May 10, 2018 13:35:01 GMT
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Aup guys,
I've been wanting to get into bodywork for a while now but haven't had the right car to get into it with.
The first car I owned which needed welding/bodywork was a Mercedes w123 280ce. However I've given this to professionals considering it's value, not the best of cars to start learning on!
I've also got a poverty spec 86 Honda Civic hatchback where rust is starting to emerge on rear arches, sill ends and some other areas. It's not excessive but I figured it may be the perfect opportunity to start learning on??
You may be wondering why I wanna rescue this little banger but I am simply in love with it, the way it drives, and feels around bends is like no other car I've driven. In fact, I have some big plans for it; I'd like to eventually build a Motul Racecar replica but that will be a few years from now.
Anyways, my question is are there any forums out there that are focused on sharing advise/tips solely on bodywork/welding/treating/prepping/painting etc...? I do see some fantastic body work being carried out on this forum but I don't think there is any specific section to seek advice.
Any bodywork people/specialists, can you share some insight into how you started learning? Considering that I do have some big plans for the Civic; is it impossible to carry out a high level of quality work on first attempt?? Then I'd probably not wanna risk it... Advise on this would be great too.
Thoughts on Welders?....I've been informed that TIG is the best to use for tidy strong welds..
Thoughts on chassis reinforcement?....Already a rigid car but if I'm going to be putting down more power, I'd be interested in knowing what it would take to enforce that..
Thanks in advance!
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May 10, 2018 14:11:10 GMT
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Hi, "Tidy strong welds" is down to the man not the machine. For your purposes MIG is sufficient.
Colin
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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May 10, 2018 14:46:18 GMT
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Hi, "Tidy strong welds" is down to the man not the machine. For your purposes MIG is sufficient. Colin Thanks Colin... yes I understand that. Can you elaborate on MIG over TIG, is MIG easier to learn? Or is it dependant on the thickness of the metal your welding? Shyam
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May 10, 2018 15:50:13 GMT
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www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/Mig is what you are after for mild steel bodywork, machine needs to go down to 30A or lower for thin stuff and use gas.
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May 10, 2018 19:39:37 GMT
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Aup guys, I've been wanting to get into bodywork for a while now but haven't had the right car to get into it with. The first car I owned which needed welding/bodywork was a Mercedes w123 280ce. However I've given this to professionals considering it's value, not the best of cars to start learning on! I've also got a poverty spec 86 Honda Civic hatchback where rust is starting to emerge on rear arches, sill ends and some other areas. It's not excessive but I figured it may be the perfect opportunity to start learning on?? You may be wondering why I wanna rescue this little banger but I am simply in love with it, the way it drives, and feels around bends is like no other car I've driven. In fact, I have some big plans for it; I'd like to eventually build a Motul Racecar replica but that will be a few years from now. Anyways, my question is are there any forums out there that are focused on sharing advise/tips solely on bodywork/welding/treating/prepping/painting etc...? I do see some fantastic body work being carried out on this forum but I don't think there is any specific section to seek advice. Any bodywork people/specialists, can you share some insight into how you started learning? Considering that I do have some big plans for the Civic; is it impossible to carry out a high level of quality work on first attempt?? Then I'd probably not wanna risk it... Advise on this would be great too. Thoughts on Welders?....I've been informed that TIG is the best to use for tidy strong welds.. Thoughts on chassis reinforcement?....Already a rigid car but if I'm going to be putting down more power, I'd be interested in knowing what it would take to enforce that.. Thanks in advance! Best way to focus on parachute design is to step out of the plane without one. I was once in your shoes. No tools, no experience and had clues been shoes, I would have been bare-foot. So I bought this cute little car Turned out to have a few minor rust issues that needed to be dealt with? But after taking a deep breath and telling myself that I would not give up, we eventually got here having done all the work including paint. Since then, I have gone on to do several more restoration projects. Advice that I wish I had? First and foremost decide if you are a project person or a driving person? If you really just want to drive an old car, it is much cheaper to buy a finished one. I sold the Bugeye for the cost of parts without even driving it because I wanted to get on with the next project. Get a MIG welder that works with gas shield and get set-up with a lare bottle not one of those fire extinguisher sized ones. Buy a name brand one, not an off-brand cheap Cheap machine. I have MIG and I have TIG and once I bought a Lincoln Mig, the TIG became a place to put my beer down. TIG is great if you want to metal finish stuff Accept that this is going to be expensive. You need tools and parts and if you don't buy them the project wont get done. My most oft used tool a cordless drill to remove spo-twelds. I use normal drill bits for doing so. Next is the the angle grinder(s) as I have 4 of them for different purposes. Cutting metal with a 1/16" cutt-off wheel is the most common. You need space to do this stuff. Dis-assembled cars take up a lot of room and neighbors don't like the sound of a grinder. For "How to" advice and reading, Metalmeet is the place to go for all things sheet-metal www.metalmeet.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1664806 YouTube has a wealth of sheet-metal fabrication videos also. Pretty much every marque specific forum has examples of the bodywork required to do what you are contemplating so ask or search there. So, as an enabler, my advice is "The Lord hates a coward, so get started" Pick any metal based task on your beloved Honda and declare that you are going to fix it. Then solve the issues as they come up. Lots of people on this forum who are talented in this area who will help bail you out of any mess you get into.
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slater
Club Retro Rides Member
Posts: 6,390
Club RR Member Number: 78
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It's a tough one because you need a big project to learn but at the same time you probably won't get it 100% right first time. Obviously you need the money and the space but also the time too. That's the toughest part! You basically just have to live it. Do nothing but welding for months on end. Rush it and it all goes pear shaped quick.. You will need a lot more than a welder. Some people start with just a pair of tin snips, a grinder and a hammer but really you need all the kit to do a job like the pros. YouTube is probably the best place to learn nowerdays but there's no substitute for getting your hands dirty.
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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Aup guys, I've been wanting to get into bodywork for a while now but haven't had the right car to get into it with. The first car I owned which needed welding/bodywork was a Mercedes w123 280ce. However I've given this to professionals considering it's value, not the best of cars to start learning on! I've also got a poverty spec 86 Honda Civic hatchback where rust is starting to emerge on rear arches, sill ends and some other areas. It's not excessive but I figured it may be the perfect opportunity to start learning on?? You may be wondering why I wanna rescue this little banger but I am simply in love with it, the way it drives, and feels around bends is like no other car I've driven. In fact, I have some big plans for it; I'd like to eventually build a Motul Racecar replica but that will be a few years from now. Anyways, my question is are there any forums out there that are focused on sharing advise/tips solely on bodywork/welding/treating/prepping/painting etc...? I do see some fantastic body work being carried out on this forum but I don't think there is any specific section to seek advice. Any bodywork people/specialists, can you share some insight into how you started learning? Considering that I do have some big plans for the Civic; is it impossible to carry out a high level of quality work on first attempt?? Then I'd probably not wanna risk it... Advise on this would be great too. Thoughts on Welders?....I've been informed that TIG is the best to use for tidy strong welds.. Thoughts on chassis reinforcement?....Already a rigid car but if I'm going to be putting down more power, I'd be interested in knowing what it would take to enforce that.. Thanks in advance! Best way to focus on parachute design is to step out of the plane without one. I was once in your shoes. No tools, no experience and had clues been shoes, I would have been bare-foot. So I bought this cute little car Turned out to have a few minor rust issues that needed to be dealt with? But after taking a deep breath and telling myself that I would not give up, we eventually got here having done all the work including paint. Since then, I have gone on to do several more restoration projects. Advice that I wish I had? First and foremost decide if you are a project person or a driving person? If you really just want to drive an old car, it is much cheaper to buy a finished one. I sold the Bugeye for the cost of parts without even driving it because I wanted to get on with the next project. Get a MIG welder that works with gas shield and get set-up with a lare bottle not one of those fire extinguisher sized ones. Buy a name brand one, not an off-brand cheap Cheap machine. I have MIG and I have TIG and once I bought a Lincoln Mig, the TIG became a place to put my beer down. TIG is great if you want to metal finish stuff Accept that this is going to be expensive. You need tools and parts and if you don't buy them the project wont get done. My most oft used tool a cordless drill to remove spo-twelds. I use normal drill bits for doing so. Next is the the angle grinder(s) as I have 4 of them for different purposes. Cutting metal with a 1/16" cutt-off wheel is the most common. You need space to do this stuff. Dis-assembled cars take up a lot of room and neighbors don't like the sound of a grinder. For "How to" advice and reading, Metalmeet is the place to go for all things sheet-metal www.metalmeet.com/forum/search.php?searchid=1664806 YouTube has a wealth of sheet-metal fabrication videos also. Pretty much every marque specific forum has examples of the bodywork required to do what you are contemplating so ask or search there. So, as an enabler, my advice is "The Lord hates a coward, so get started" Pick any metal based task on your beloved Honda and declare that you are going to fix it. Then solve the issues as they come up. Lots of people on this forum who are talented in this area who will help bail you out of any mess you get into. This is just the sort of inspiration I wanted to hear, Thank you very much!! Yes, I understand it's not going to be cheap and I'm prepared to invest in the equipment so that I can get into more projects further down the line. To me it's just another set of skills I'm going to need to learn as I'm always going to buy classic cars, whether for the daily run or storing them away for weekends/summers. I am both a driver guy and a project guy so I'm okay with that. I'm looking to build it into something pretty unique so it's not like I can just go out and buy one I'm afraid. Also, UK car count suggests there is only 4 examples left on road :s, most are then probably sorn project cars hah. I'm amazed at how well restored your little Austin Healey, just looks like it came out the factory! I take my hat off to you sir. That's the sort of level of finish I'd like to achieve on first attempt. Did you practise your welding on scrap metal before cutting your car up? Awesome for the heads up on the forum, will be joining at some point over the weekend! Space won't be an issue, I've just purchased a property with a double garage so that's fine and I'm looking to get some nearby storage. The noise might be something to consider but who cares? At least I'm doing something more constructive than watching TV and getting brainwashed. So far I've gathered... - MIG over TIG...buy a good quality branded one.
- Next item to purchase is an angle grinder...1/16" cut-off wheel most common for cutting metals
- Accept it's going to cost money and time and peserverence
- Space and Noise considerations
- "The Lord hates a coward, so get started" - say my prayers and ask God almighty for all the strength to get through it!
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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It's a tough one because you need a big project to learn but at the same time you probably won't get it 100% right first time. Obviously you need the money and the space but also the time too. That's the toughest part! You basically just have to live it. Do nothing but welding for months on end. Rush it and it all goes pear shaped quick.. You will need a lot more than a welder. Some people start with just a pair of tin snips, a grinder and a hammer but really you need all the kit to do a job like the pros. YouTube is probably the best place to learn nowerdays but there's no substitute for getting your hands dirty. Thanks for your advice bud.. So MONEY, TIME, PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE is key. How long on average would you say it would take from rot box to fully restored car? I was anticipating around 6-8 months for something like a little honda civic? Yeah, i will have gander on youtube and then give it a go when I get some equipment and scrap metal in I reckon!
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May 11, 2018 12:01:11 GMT
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May 11, 2018 14:26:16 GMT
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It's a tough one because you need a big project to learn but at the same time you probably won't get it 100% right first time. Obviously you need the money and the space but also the time too. That's the toughest part! You basically just have to live it. Do nothing but welding for months on end. Rush it and it all goes pear shaped quick.. You will need a lot more than a welder. Some people start with just a pair of tin snips, a grinder and a hammer but really you need all the kit to do a job like the pros. YouTube is probably the best place to learn nowerdays but there's no substitute for getting your hands dirty. Thanks for your advice bud.. So MONEY, TIME, PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE is key. How long on average would you say it would take from rot box to fully restored car? I was anticipating around 6-8 months for something like a little honda civic? Yeah, i will have gander on youtube and then give it a go when I get some equipment and scrap metal in I reckon! A bare shell restoration is going to eat between 1000 to 1500 hours of your free time. what I have found is that this is pretty universal regardless of the car or the size: They all have 4 wheels, one drivetrain, 4 fenders and a roof. Tin is tin and a spot-weld is a spot-weld... it does not matter what the logo on the fender says. For perspective 1000 hours is six months of full time 8 hour days. You parse that out as your schedule allows, and that will give you calendar time. When I did the Bugeye, I had 4 hours/week that I could spare. Gives you an idea of how long it took. The current Molvo project I might be up to 8 hours/week average and I am heading into year 5 of the project. Figure I will be well over 2000 hours by the time I finish. For repairs on a rustbucket, I would say that the shell is going to eat 400 of those hours by the time you are done with tin rehab and are ready for paint. I did the repairs to this MGB in about 120 hours of time ( had to keep track) I can tell you that on an MGB ( done a few) the floors, sills and lower fender repairs that are common to a rustoration take 100 hours not counting the strip-down, paint or re-assembly of the car.. I am not a fast worker and I do this because I enjoy time in the shop with a puzzle and a cold beer. Even though I might have accumulated the tools and skills to do so at this point, I would not have liked to have made a career of this.
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at200
Part of things
Posts: 85
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May 11, 2018 19:50:32 GMT
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Our project is a Saab 900 T16S. It started off with an mot and we decided to just do a few jobs. Next thing it was in bits on the drive - and turned into a 4 year project. This is known as 'project creep'lol. Do you have a garage? Doing ours on the drive means work stops in the autumn and winter. I am not sure I would do another big project without a decent garage.
With welding, the mig forum is a fantastic resource. And practise as much as you can, then start on a bit of the car where your welds won't be seen. By the time you get to the visible bits you will have got the hang of it.
The best resto tool we bought was a Black and Decker power file. It quickly removed rust and paint, and is great for dressing down welds.
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Have a look around local colleges and see if any do a welding course, its a great way of getting some hands on experience with an expert who can look at what you are doing and point you in the right direction. Saves a lot of time/frustration over learning all by yourself and asking on forums 'does this weld look ok' etc. As said you want a Mig with a gas bottle, you can get bottles from everywhere nowadays. You want a Co2/Argon mix its much better than just plain Co2 gas. Couple of grinders (buy brand name not cheap if you want them to last) the more grinders you have the better as it saves a lot of time not swapping discs. It also gets you using the right disc for the right job, and not trying to clean metal wit a 1mm cutting disc instead of a flap disc or similar. I run 5 grinders and still have to swap discs occasionally for a 6'th type of disc. Oh and as you are doing metal work you will want a good hammer/dolly selection and cutting tools. I would strongly suggest you set aside an hour or more and go and read this thread fully forum.retro-rides.org/thread/70135/panels It is full of so much you will need to know along the way and lots of pictures to show exactly how to do what you want to do. Do not expect your first dozen attempts at following what TonyBMW shows you to look like his, but practice a lot before you make what you need for the car and it will pay off in the end.
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at200
Part of things
Posts: 85
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Another vote for the panel thread and bmwtony's work. Using his techniques, we made a replacement battery tray for our project as the original was beyond repair.
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Last Edit: May 14, 2018 8:42:47 GMT by at200
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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May 14, 2018 10:00:09 GMT
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Some great and helpful things being posted, thanks guys! Thanks for your make shift starter pack bud, will take a wander into those shortly.. Thanks for your advice bud.. So MONEY, TIME, PATIENCE and PERSEVERANCE is key. How long on average would you say it would take from rot box to fully restored car? I was anticipating around 6-8 months for something like a little honda civic? Yeah, i will have gander on youtube and then give it a go when I get some equipment and scrap metal in I reckon! A bare shell restoration is going to eat between 1000 to 1500 hours of your free time. what I have found is that this is pretty universal regardless of the car or the size: They all have 4 wheels, one drivetrain, 4 fenders and a roof. Tin is tin and a spot-weld is a spot-weld... it does not matter what the logo on the fender says. For perspective 1000 hours is six months of full time 8 hour days. You parse that out as your schedule allows, and that will give you calendar time. When I did the Bugeye, I had 4 hours/week that I could spare. Gives you an idea of how long it took. The current Molvo project I might be up to 8 hours/week average and I am heading into year 5 of the project. Figure I will be well over 2000 hours by the time I finish. For repairs on a rustbucket, I would say that the shell is going to eat 400 of those hours by the time you are done with tin rehab and are ready for paint. I did the repairs to this MGB in about 120 hours of time ( had to keep track) I can tell you that on an MGB ( done a few) the floors, sills and lower fender repairs that are common to a rustoration take 100 hours not counting the strip-down, paint or re-assembly of the car.. I am not a fast worker and I do this because I enjoy time in the shop with a puzzle and a cold beer. Even though I might have accumulated the tools and skills to do so at this point, I would not have liked to have made a career of this. So my Civic is by no means is it a rot box, it's actually a very solid car, considering it's Japanese and from the 80's. It's certainly no where near the level your Austin Healey started off as. It passed it's MOT just last week with only one advisory; ''Offside Front Body has slight corrosion (6.1.B.2)'' Checking it's MOT history, this was it's first ever advisory/mention of corrosion. It's never been welded before. From my observations, I can tell it will need welding on floor pan (small hole in jacking areas on passenger and driver side), rear arches, small portion of the sill on rear ends, inner wings, and driver side window pillar (this bit seems most awkward). However, I'm planning to respray the car and change colour from silver to white after welding. This will give me a good opportunity to go over the entire shell and I'm prepared to see some more areas uncover themselves on dismantling but I've looked closely over (and under it) and it doesn't seem to be that bad at all. Since there is some welding required on inner wings/bay, I'm also looking at doing a smooth and tidy show bay and relocate some of the fluids and battery to the back of the car. Essentially, it's going to be a track/road car. Yeah, I think realistically, I will be putting in around 4-8 hours a week of work in. I think then I will need to anticipate around a year to carry out the work which is still fine.. I think with things like this, it's better to not look at the time and rush the job, maybe take your time and expect to experience a few set backs as part of the learning curve. Embrace it rather than take it on as a drag.. Our project is a Saab 900 T16S. It started off with an mot and we decided to just do a few jobs. Next thing it was in bits on the drive - and turned into a 4 year project. This is known as 'project creep'lol. Do you have a garage? Doing ours on the drive means work stops in the autumn and winter. I am not sure I would do another big project without a decent garage. With welding, the mig forum is a fantastic resource. And practise as much as you can, then start on a bit of the car where your welds won't be seen. By the time you get to the visible bits you will have got the hang of it. The best resto tool we bought was a Black and Decker power file. It quickly removed rust and paint, and is great for dressing down welds. Funny you should mention this. I'm hoping to get started this week on my fathers Saab 900 Turbo is Scarab Green. First job will be to take out/replace blown engine (he blew it up racing a brand new bmw 335d at triple figures lol). Second task will be to sort the body work/respray. I've not had the chance to inspect body underneath but I haven't seen any rust on it at all (inc door bottoms), literally mint expect for colour fade/lacquer peel. Again, same reason as merc, I may give it to professional for the respray after sorting mechanical work myself. Yes, I have access to a double garage at my parents home. I've also just recently purchased a property with a double garage too which I will be moving into in the next month or so.. My father has pretty much all the tools needed to do body work but I want to invest in my own as he worked very hard to build his tool collection so I'd feel guilty asking him. He is quiet unwell at the minute hence why I'm restoring the Saab for him. Also, just in case your wondering, my father isn't that experienced with body work. Even though he has the tools to carry out the work, it's just for small jobs on bangers rather than desirable cars, that's why I can't really ask him for help on this one. Thanks for the advise pal. I'm literally considering going to the local scrap yard and getting some rusty panels to practise welding and tempting on. A bit of a shame I haven't got a rot box to mess up and it seem counter productive to go out and buy one lol. Black and Decker Power File, will give it a google! Have a look around local colleges and see if any do a welding course, its a great way of getting some hands on experience with an expert who can look at what you are doing and point you in the right direction. Saves a lot of time/frustration over learning all by yourself and asking on forums 'does this weld look ok' etc. As said you want a Mig with a gas bottle, you can get bottles from everywhere nowadays. You want a Co2/Argon mix its much better than just plain Co2 gas. Couple of grinders (buy brand name not cheap if you want them to last) the more grinders you have the better as it saves a lot of time not swapping discs. It also gets you using the right disc for the right job, and not trying to clean metal wit a 1mm cutting disc instead of a flap disc or similar. I run 5 grinders and still have to swap discs occasionally for a 6'th type of disc. Oh and as you are doing metal work you will want a good hammer/dolly selection and cutting tools. I would strongly suggest you set aside an hour or more and go and read this thread fully forum.retro-rides.org/thread/70135/panels It is full of so much you will need to know along the way and lots of pictures to show exactly how to do what you want to do. Do not expect your first dozen attempts at following what TonyBMW shows you to look like his, but practice a lot before you make what you need for the car and it will pay off in the end. I feel that I learn better by getting my hands dirty and doing it for myself rather than learning bit by bit. I tend to get frustrated in a schooling environment. However may still look into it to see if there any fast track courses or something where they let you get into it right away! I will need to take note of all the cutting/griding discs, theres seems to be many to choose from! Thanks for that pal, I will take some time out to go through this thread. I got a feeling its going to be a steep 'long' learning curve. haha Jeezz, you guys have given me a lot of homework, I was never good at homework lol.
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Last Edit: May 14, 2018 10:11:54 GMT by shyam
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May 14, 2018 12:02:14 GMT
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A common mistake I know I made was to not be brave enough with the cutting out, At first the tendency is to cut a s little as possible out and save anything which is not full of holes, which leaves you welding to thin rusty metal and using loads of small patches, What I have learnt is that it is far easier and neater to cut right back to sound metal and weld in a larger repair than it is to keep trying to fill in the holes you blow in the thin rusty metal and end up with a dozen small patches.
Also on modern car watch out for foams, sealer adhesives etc inside box sections and joints they can cause some very nasty fumes and burn really well.
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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May 14, 2018 12:42:47 GMT
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A common mistake I know I made was to not be brave enough with the cutting out, At first the tendency is to cut a s little as possible out and save anything which is not full of holes, which leaves you welding to thin rusty metal and using loads of small patches, What I have learnt is that it is far easier and neater to cut right back to sound metal and weld in a larger repair than it is to keep trying to fill in the holes you blow in the thin rusty metal and end up with a dozen small patches. Also on modern car watch out for foams, sealer adhesives etc inside box sections and joints they can cause some very nasty fumes and burn really well. Yeah mate good point! The perception in my brain is that rust is like a disease that is likely to spread. To deal with it, you need to literally cut it all out or burn it all away with treatment. haha, a modern car wouldn't be worth the effort in my eyes!
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May 14, 2018 15:34:11 GMT
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The advice to cut out all of the rust is something to listen to. Even full panels can be the way to go when you see rust making an appearance. The panel below is a outer sill on the Molvo. From the outside, you could only see a few pinholes. However, I went ahead and replaced the entire outer sill since I will have way to much into this thing to want it to show rust signs in a couple of years. Good call as you can see where the rust was eating it's way to the front When you get your welder, let us know and I will link you to the" Welding For Dummies" process that I teach people. Takes an hour or so to catch on to the point where you can do bodywork. Wont make you a "welder" but it will let you stick car-bits together.
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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The advice to cut out all of the rust is something to listen to. Even full panels can be the way to go when you see rust making an appearance. The panel below is a outer sill on the Molvo. From the outside, you could only see a few pinholes. However, I went ahead and replaced the entire outer sill since I will have way to much into this thing to want it to show rust signs in a couple of years. Good call as you can see where the rust was eating it's way to the front When you get your welder, let us know and I will link you to the" Welding For Dummies" process that I teach people. Takes an hour or so to catch on to the point where you can do bodywork. Wont make you a "welder" but it will let you stick car-bits together. Yeah this makes sense.. Thanks bud, I really appreciate your enthusiasm to help me. Will add you as a friend. I think it will be about a month down the line as work wont commence until we've moved and settled down into new place.. My civic had a pretty big bump on driver side wing and door. Damage was sustained by lady on roundabout coming on to my lane without seeing me there! When i pulled into a side road to swap details, she failed to turn right and carried straight on!.. It was dark, rush hour, pouring it down with rain and she had escaped in front of 10 odd cars before I had chance to spin around and catch up to her. The deed was done. I suppose insurance company would have written it off anyway. I was absolutely devastated at first but luckily there was no structural damage. Also, bracket and hinge on door were still in proper place. There were no nasty knocking noises or anything to suggest any deeper damage so I was thankful for that. With the grace of God, car carried on running and driving without a single issue as if it had never been in an accident. So I gave panel beating/pulling a go on weekend, this was the first time I've ever done it. What do you reckon? Was about a couple hours work. You could say it's my first ever attempt at 'bodywork' lol. I literally used what was around me, a block of wood, and a couple plates of wood, with a hammer and steel bar to push out the door. For the wing, I slipped a thick rope through the gap and pulled it out bit by bit.. Its not perfect but it has that 'battle scar' look going on. lol Eventually I will replace door and wing with new ones. This was just to make my car look a little more presentable in the meantime!
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Last Edit: May 15, 2018 8:19:28 GMT by shyam
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The best advice I can give when your doing a project that needs extensive welding is break it down into sections in your head, e.g. all the floors a pillar are rotten as are the sills inner sills and arches and inners, don't look at it as a whole as this will daunt you, think of it as a floor repair, an a pillar repair, a sill replacement it may seem obvious but it's a stumbling block for progress as people make out the job to be bigger in their head stopping acting as a block for them to do it.
Also don't forget bodyshell bracing, I pop down to my local steel suppliers and get 7.5m lengths of box section and brace accordingly, don't get too excited with the cutting discs either when cutting out things can go downhill very quickly
Last but not least safety, all flammable out of the way e.g. fuel tanks and have something that you can fight a fire to hand because panic can set in when something does set on fire, make sure you have the correct ppe, I use tig gloves when I'm migging so I can still feel, grind sparks in the eye aren't nice, even wearing goggles I have had to visit A&E a few occasions due to one or 2 creeping in, a long story short if it doesn't come out with a cotton bud it gets scraped out with a needle so a good quality pair of goggles with a face shield is essential
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shyam
Part of things
Posts: 153
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May 15, 2018 10:34:39 GMT
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The best advice I can give when your doing a project that needs extensive welding is break it down into sections in your head, e.g. all the floors a pillar are rotten as are the sills inner sills and arches and inners, don't look at it as a whole as this will daunt you, think of it as a floor repair, an a pillar repair, a sill replacement it may seem obvious but it's a stumbling block for progress as people make out the job to be bigger in their head stopping acting as a block for them to do it. Also don't forget bodyshell bracing, I pop down to my local steel suppliers and get 7.5m lengths of box section and brace accordingly, don't get too excited with the cutting discs either when cutting out things can go downhill very quickly Last but not least safety, all flammable out of the way e.g. fuel tanks and have something that you can fight a fire to hand because panic can set in when something does set on fire, make sure you have the correct ppe, I use tig gloves when I'm migging so I can still feel, grind sparks in the eye aren't nice, even wearing goggles I have had to visit A&E a few occasions due to one or 2 creeping in, a long story short if it doesn't come out with a cotton bud it gets scraped out with a needle so a good quality pair of goggles with a face shield is essential Fordperv, thanks for your input pal. Yeah, I suppose a lot of people would get disheartened when they look at a project as a whole car and all the things need doing to it. Makes sense; best way is to break it all down in to little section and tackle one section at a time till there aren't any left. Sounds simple when you say it but psychology is important and under rated! Bodyshell bracing huh, this sounds interesting! Is this basically the process of putting 'cross shape' beams/rods in places that see alot of stress, i.e front wheels, rear wheels, across the boot, suspension pilars, across the floor bottom etc? I imagine this sort of thing would work wonders in increasing rigidity. Might look at titanium to keep weight low as possible whilst holding aluminium strength.. Yeah, I think your the first person to mention safety haha. But thanks for heads up on that. I usually work with bare hands so I will keep this in mind. Your story about sparks flying in eyes is quiet scary too, will definitely be investing in a good set of workshop googles. Since you like perving on fords, heres a pic of my first ever car. An 83' Ford Fiesta 1.1 Ghia...ahem 1.6 lol. Loved this little s*** box, was great fun.
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