cutting out rust & welding

[babydriver]

This year I would like to make a start on my Herald and I have been swatting up on welding etc, I am armed with a mig and angle grinder a pair of shears & ive watched all the welding projects on this fine site and read all about owners restos in Practical motorist but no one seems to go into detail on how or what is used to remove the rot, my plan is to go down to the chassis and then repair the body sections one at a time and then rebuild, I don't have oodles of cash so a compressor and air tools will be out of the question. Any suggestions and tips for what you can see below. Thank you.

 

 

I have a replacement wheel arch and I know the ribbed panel over the axle is available in segments to fix this bit of rot

 

How about the bonnet wings? I think I may be better drilling out the spot welds and then plug welding the new wings and 'D' panel.

 

 

and how do I make a long cut as in the door bottom repair section, I thought of a dremel cutting disc but would not have believed one would be strong enough for the job.

 

As I say the chassis will have to be first. so I have time to get the tools needed as I presume the angle grinder, cutting disks and a wire cup is all thats needed for that.

 

being lazy as I have not had a chance to get under the car yet, The chasis bolts spin in the holes, are they in captive nuts inside the chasis (is it box section?) or do they bolt through as I was thinking the nuts sticking out the bottom of the chassis would do some damage to someone if they were run over, not that being run over won't!!

[cort16]

A grinder and 1mm cutting discs will do for 99% of cutting up stuff. It's only when you get into corners it's a pain in the arse.

The main thing I can say with welding is make sure both sides of what you're welding are spotlessly clean and rust free otherwise it'll be spitting and shitting itself.

 

If you've not got a welder yet then look for one for as flexible a power setting as possible. If not you'll blow through think metal easily. I wish I'd spent a little more on my MIG and got one with a more variable power setting for this reason.

[Rocket88]

This year I would like to make a start on my Herald and I have been swatting up on welding etc, I am armed with a mig and angle grinder a pair of shears & ive watched all the welding projects on this fine site and read all about owners restos in Practical motorist but no one seems to go into detail on how or what is used to remove the rot, my plan is to go down to the chassis and then repair the body sections one at a time and then rebuild, I don't have oodles of cash so a compressor and air tools will be out of the question. Any suggestions and tips for what you can see below. Thank you.

 

 

I have a replacement wheel arch and I know the ribbed panel over the axle is available in segments to fix this bit of rot

 

How about the bonnet wings? I think I may be better drilling out the spot welds and then plug welding the new wings and 'D' panel.

 

 

and how do I make a long cut as in the door bottom repair section, I thought of a dremel cutting disc but would not have believed one would be strong enough for the job.

 

As I say the chassis will have to be first. so I have time to get the tools needed as I presume the angle grinder, cutting disks and a wire cup is all thats needed for that.

 

being lazy as I have not had a chance to get under the car yet, The chasis bolts spin in the holes, are they in captive nuts inside the chasis (is it box section?) or do they bolt through as I was thinking the nuts sticking out the bottom of the chassis would do some damage to someone if they were run over, not that being run over won't!!

 

Buy an Oscillating multi tool [oo err missus] great for cutting steel, a lot neater and more precise than an angle grinder

[babydriver]

Just had a look on ebay to see what an Oscillating multi tool is and now I know what one of those is thanks to you seen them in B&Q and thaught they were sanders, Thanks for the tip will get one.

[Rocket88]

They'll cut body panel gauge steel fairly easily, but they won't go through anything much thicker. I'd buy a make that has universal cutters, there's a very good article on them in this months Practical Performance mag.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

The best metalwork guide on the web is TonyBMWs ‘making panels’ thread on the blue channel, defo worth a read alright. That guy is a legend.

[Morgan84]

1mm cutting discs are good for clean cutting,but not so good in tight spaces;a jigsaw with a metal cutting blade is pretty good for panel fabrication/adaption. As for cleaning our rust,a rotary wire wheel on a angle grider soon blasts the rust out,but have a good mask to protect your eyes and face,or you might have metallic stubble ! There are 2 types of brush,ones a cup type and the other like a catherine wheel type if you know what I mean ?

 

http://www.drapertoolbox.co.uk/draper-4 ... tAodJFUATA

 

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=heavy+ ... B300%3B300

 

Thats the sort I mean -

[Albert Ross]

MASK THE GLASS AND DASHBOARD! If you don't, you'll get rusty spots all over the windows/speedo etc, and you will melt the plastic capping and lacquer of the dash....

[Morgan84]

Remember to guard the headlining as well,as its amazing how far sparks will go

[M'coli]

My advice is to wear earplugs when grinding and welding. Welding may not be as noisy as gringing, but weld spatter ain't half hot, especially when it travels down your ear canal towards your eardrum.

[cort16]

I've had the weld spark down the ear hole and it's fucking horrible,

[drum]

I ruined the windscreen on my series 3 with sparks from the angle grinder. You'll have seen the mig welding forum? Lots of examples of car repairs on there. http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/index.php

[Des]

A good sharp chisel is handy for areas an angle grinder can't reach, I'm not a great fan of angle grinders since someone hit me over the head with one, I was minding my own business then suddenly Bosch!

[babydriver]

Thanks for all the tips everyone, best go shopping

[Danblez]

Excellent, I look forward to the progress reports

[barrett]

How rusty is your chassis? I wouldn't be thinking about removing the tub unless it was absolutely necessary. It's possible to replace the outriggers without taking the body off. IIRC the bolts are not in captive nuts as such although I haven't really investigated how the rear section is mounted. I'm not sure how clear it is in this photo but the front section has 'captive bolts' in a bit of box section that go through the chassis and are secured with regular nuts underneath. Visible on the left of this pic, sort of:

 

The rear arch section is gonna be a bugger even with a repair section (lucky bastard) as it's quite a complex double-skinned jobby, assuming like mine the rot has got through to the floorpan section as well. It's all MOT'able too as it's so close to the seatbelt mounting point. Again it's not mega clear here but you can just see the rear outrigger through the hole there

 

On the plus side your front floors & a-pillars look sound as a pound, which is unusual. Have you checked behind the heater box

 

Good luck!