St.Jude Posted April 5, 2021 Author Share Posted April 5, 2021 16 minutes ago, rickvw72 said: I’d try to do it as originally intended, so I’d fold a run of steel to go from the remains of the intermediate sill, down to the bottom flange. Repair floor or inner sills, plug weld to this new bit, grind and then plug weld the outer sill or patch to it. You’d then have three seperate 1mm bits joined, and full strength. Welding 2mm to Japanese tin would be a challenge I’d guess, without blowing a golf course amount of holes anyway. That makes more sense. I'll get on it tomorrow Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 Combination of things, like it being fucking cold, snowing, and my welder playing silly buggers with the wire, meant today was incredibly frustrating. I've sorted the inner sill, I've a repair panels for the inner reinforcement thing, leaving me with this: Welded both sides so make sure it was solid. Depending whether it decides to snow tomorrow, I'll look to weld the reinforcement panel. Then outer sill, then the bottom of the arch by Friday. 666jjp, theshadow, juular and 7 others 10 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_dyane Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 You’re making great progress but I have to say (and I’ve hesitated to do so up to now because I don’t want you to feel like this is an awful criticism or insult-it absolutely isn’t) but your welding still looks like shit. It may be solid enough but there is a fundamental problem here, whether it’s technique or your machine I don’t know. I wish I was closer so I could give you some pointers and try to get to the bottom of things and help set up the welder. The welds you are laying are too big and nasty looking which I suspect is because you either have the wire speed too high or the power too low to avoid burning through HOWEVER this results in a substandard weld. You need more heat but when welding something like Japanese tin you need a staccato on/off approach where the torch is only for something like 2 seconds then a 4 second gap. Also what I do is dance the torch around in tiny circles to promote a good weld shape and to avoid burning through. Hopefully as you progress things will get easier and neater, please don’t give up or feel demoralised. St.Jude and Tickman 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonathan_dyane Posted April 6, 2021 Share Posted April 6, 2021 PS your fabrication work is excellent! Also if you haven’t got one already buy a powerfile, it will change your life. St.Jude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 6, 2021 Author Share Posted April 6, 2021 22 minutes ago, jonathan_dyane said: You’re making great progress but I have to say (and I’ve hesitated to do so up to now because I don’t want you to feel like this is an awful criticism or insult-it absolutely isn’t) but your welding still looks like shit. It may be solid enough but there is a fundamental problem here, whether it’s technique or your machine I don’t know. I wish I was closer so I could give you some pointers and try to get to the bottom of things and help set up the welder. The welds you are laying are too big and nasty looking which I suspect is because you either have the wire speed too high or the power too low to avoid burning through HOWEVER this results in a substandard weld. You need more heat but when welding something like Japanese tin you need a staccato on/off approach where the torch is only for something like 2 seconds then a 4 second gap. Also what I do is dance the torch around in tiny circles to promote a good weld shape and to avoid burning through. Hopefully as you progress things will get easier and neater, please don’t give up or feel demoralised. Yeah I'm well aware it's shit. I don't understand it really. I thought it was a gas issue, and in fairness the small canister I had the regulator is fucked. But I use the Hobbyweld 5 gas now and I can hear the gas coming out, so that's not a problem now. The wire speed is set to 3, I put it up but that was too much. I don't think I've put it down further than that though, and with the two switches one is set to min and the other is set to 1. I selected 2 earlier, and that just put holes in the steel. I think it's technique, as I am capable of creating welds where they're just slightly proud of the steel and looks nice, a bit like a pimple. The top of that perforated sill that I put on has those welds. One thing i will say is that I'm struggling with my mask, as in when it's not darkening it's quite dark. So I see the metal, position the gun, flip the mask, zap it, open the mask, and I've welded next to where I should've done it. I need to look at the helmet again, plus it pisses me off because it's bigger than my already fat head, so when I go to position myself I can't put my head in the space because the mask fowls it. So the right hand side with the nasty welds, that's one that is the result of the helmet being too dark. I'll have a look at the settings for it tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 10, 2021 Author Share Posted April 10, 2021 Short day, as it decided to snow and rain and generally be shit weather. I cut a bit of steel for the outer sill before the weather turned, welded it on and tidied it up. Fiddled with the welder as per @jonathan_dyanesuggestion, turned the wire speed down, it helped a bit. Not burning through anything but sometimes the welds just don't want to stick, like I'm putting oil in a non stick pan. Turned the gas way down and it seemed to weld better, as in it was giving the bacon sound not the zapping sound I had before. I also welded in the reinforcement panel as well, so that sill is done! You can't see it, but the outer sill is slightly long, as I want to see if I can turn it up to form a lip. But that can wait for the good weather, whenever it is. Dick Longbridge, theshadow, privatewire and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 Making me some repair panels now for the arch, starting like all good people do with me cardboard. It's now dawned on me, how the frig am I meant to do this? This panel, and the subsequent ones on the arch are easy enough. It's how they join to the outer arch is where I'm starting to get stuck. Originally, the inner arch would go out to the outer arch, 90 degree turn down, then another 90 degree turn so it met with the outer arch lip. Am I right in thinking I could just make panels that go around the inner arch, then make a separate panel that replaces the curve of the inner arch that would then attach to the outer arch? Then weld the two together? I might have a google of inner arch panels, see how much they are in case I get lucky and they cost £10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bunglebus Posted April 13, 2021 Share Posted April 13, 2021 Just a thought, but what gas are you using? I find argon or an argon/CO2 mix much easier to use than CO2 alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 13, 2021 Author Share Posted April 13, 2021 2 minutes ago, bunglebus said: Just a thought, but what gas are you using? I find argon or an argon/CO2 mix much easier to use than CO2 alone I'm using this: https://hobbyweld.co.uk/products/hobbyweld-5-mig-welding-gas/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 17, 2021 Author Share Posted April 17, 2021 Started on the inner arch today by welding in a new plate. I welded it, knocked it back, welded where I missed, knocked it back, blew holes, welded them, knocked them back. Now I have the fun job of making the arch. I decided to remove more of the outer arch. As the steel behind it was rotten: The outer arch itself isn't totally solid, so I thought I might as well. Plus it means I have more access to make the arch properly. I've cut a panel to fit above that, where the curve starts. I need to get a sand bag tomorrow to hammer a curve in to it. I also need a new welding glove, as it's torn. But it saved my finger from the guard less angle grinder earlier! Low Horatio gearbox, Dick Longbridge, colino and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Longbridge Posted April 17, 2021 Share Posted April 17, 2021 Kudos to you for sticking with this. It must be a labour of love* for you to have continued! At least when you're finished you'll know that it's likely more solid than every other tidy looking Rav 4 of similar vintage. They certainly seem good at hiding their grot well. St.Jude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juular Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 I had similar problems in awkward areas regarding missing the weld area. Good lighting is essential and changes everything. Pick up one of those cheap led floodlights and get it right in where you're working. It will trigger the helmet darkening but that's ok because it's still very bright. Also strapping a small LED flashlight to the gun helps a lot in seeing before you light the arc. This was £4 for a pack of two on eBay. With good light you'll be able to see even if the helmet has auto-darkened. Does your welder have a table of settings for certain wire / metal gauge / joint type combinations? Usually that will get you really close to optimum and you can tweak from there. In my opinion you should be burning through occasionally. I try to aim to burn through initially and then back off a bit, either by nudging the voltage down, reducing the length of weld time, or moving the gun further away from the metal. On my Celica - same steel as yours probably - I needed really short bursts, 2 seconds, move, 2 seconds, move. It's just a series of joined up tacks. 2.5 seconds would blow through and 1 second resulted in a weld that just sat on top! I also found penetration increased a lot and blowing holes reduced when I paid attention to the gun angle. I aim almost 90 degrees straight into the joint to begin and then tilt slightly back towards the previous weld to continue. Don't give up. If you smack the finished pieces with a hammer and the welds don't shear off its better than rusty steel. 😇 St.Jude, mercedade and warch 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickvw72 Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Wow, this has out rusted the Fourtrak! In awkward areas, I’ll hold the torch and wire where I want it, and tack it. Try and hold your torch so you can see the wire from the tip. Then as said before weld as a series of tacks. Ive used of load of welders and sizes of machines, I usually find 1 or two on the power switch, and 3-4 wire speed is the start point. 10 psi gas with the trigger pulled, about 15-20 if outside in the wind or laying underneath a car. St.Jude, 500tops and warch 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 18, 2021 Author Share Posted April 18, 2021 Jeez I like that @juular, I'm going to get a torch for my torch I think. I've got two LED floodlights but they're bulky, so it's hard to get it right in there. Really I want a suit full of super bright LEDs and just wear that, but they don't exist. The welder (Clarke MIG 106 Turbo) doesn't have it on the welder itself, think it had it on the book. I'm at MIN 1 right now with the wire speed down to between 2/3. I used a higher setting and it was leaving too much wire. The wire itself is 0.6mm. With the gas, I've had it at 10psi and I found it blowing the weld away. I'd get the blob on the wire, and it'd blow any other way but where it was needed. So it's turned right down and it seems to be alright again. I've taken a hammer to these welds and none have popped. Which I'd say is good! But like me they're ugly, although they're getting less ugly. I haven't a photo at the moment, but the piece I did first on the rear has nice welds that aren't high. So I'm capable of it. I only saw your Fourtrak this morning @rickvw72 and i felt better about this 😂. As for today, I carried on with the repair panel. The yellow sack is full of sand. Made a fairly good panel here with a good curve, and it fit snugly to where it should be going in to. I've tacked it in, but as I was about to grind it back the wife wanted to know why I wasn't painting a cupboard for her, as we are having the bathroom done tomorrow. So work stopped, for today at least. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the grinder to it, and get the next section of panel done for Tuesday weld day. juular, rusty998, rainagain and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juular Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 Excellent impromptu beater bag! I might steal that idea.. I'm about to tackle exactly the same area on my Volvo and it's leaving me head scratching staring into space wondering how I'm going to make it all fit together. St.Jude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rickvw72 Posted April 18, 2021 Share Posted April 18, 2021 You may need to go to 2 power if it’s 106 amp. Don’t be afraid to move faster with the weld formed. You can see by the blue heat marks how much your weld is burnt in as such, on the Daihatsu you can see where I started and stopped. You won’t get much consistent seam on Japanese tin. rusty998, Low Horatio gearbox, theshadow and 3 others 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 25, 2021 Author Share Posted April 25, 2021 So I done gone fucked up on this arch. And I can't tell you how fecked off I am about it. I made a lovely repair panel. It took me ages to sort it out. Cut the paper template, matched it to the bit I cut off (which is the fuel filler hole), measured it, got the angles right etc, marked which side should be closer to me and which should be facing the car. Welded it all in, and it's not until I set about making the next panel do I realise I got an angle wrong. That triangle shouldnt be so far out. So I need to cut that off when it comes to making the outside arch. I've also worked out that my welding isn't too bad when it's on fresh steel and on my bench! My phone is also playing up. The apps updated automatically, and now several apps just won't work. It keeps saying "Google stopped working", which affects the camera some how in terms of video recording. So that's also annoying. I'm currently waiting for the wife to come home so I can get another bottle of gas. Surprised that I've gone through a whole bottle on just one side of the car! But, hopefully, the inner arch should be completed today! sdkrc, rusty998, Ian_Fearn and 4 others 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted April 25, 2021 Author Share Posted April 25, 2021 Well... I have 98% of an inner arch! Small piece, actually the bit I welded on first nearly a month ago, is waiting to be cut. The wife informed me the sparky was coming tomorrow, helpfully, at 4:30pm. So I had to stop and move two wardrobes and tear up some boards in my loft. If it weren't for that, the inner arch would be done. But yeah, quite happy now again with it all, especially as the drivers side doesn't have a fuel filler pipe to recreate. So it should be a more "straight forward" repair. Onwards dear comrades, viva la rusty japanese off roaders! rickvw72, Low Horatio gearbox, sdkrc and 6 others 9 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 9, 2021 Author Share Posted May 9, 2021 Last weekend was a waste of time. The wife demanded I stuck some plasterboard up in the bedroom, which took the whole day because she doesn't know how to work a tape measure. 44kg per sheet, up and down the stairs, meant that the Sunday I was shattered and only fit enough for drinking. Which I did. Meaning Monday was a wipe out as it was pissing with rain. And it continued to piss with rain all through last week, today (Sunday) being the only dry day I've had. I've sorted the last piece I was missing, that's welded in and so I just spent today sorting out the edge of the inner arch. Just need to "square" it off now, so I have something to weld the outer arch too. Contemplated putting in a 90 degree angle all along the inner arch, doing the same for the outer arch and weld to that. I've also coated the whole thing in Vactan, as the bits I had already Vactanned hadn't rusted. Now I have some surface rust on the inside of the arch. Only as a temporary thing until it's done and I can throw primer at it. gadgetgricey, sdkrc, Jenson Velcro and 5 others 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 Coming to you live from CSI:Stourbridge It's raining. Again. It's been fairly dry all day, as I sat at home working. The moment it's home time it lashes down. And it's also quite windy. Spurious, Tickman, juular and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spurious Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 Ahahah did you have to sign the scene log when entering the tent. Top work so far. Have you been about Manchester way recently? I swear I seen this about last week and it made me think I'd seen similar on here. The Moog and St.Jude 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuboy Posted May 10, 2021 Share Posted May 10, 2021 bloody good show Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 10, 2021 Author Share Posted May 10, 2021 1 hour ago, Spurious said: Ahahah did you have to sign the scene log when entering the tent. Top work so far. Have you been about Manchester way recently? I swear I seen this about last week and it made me think I'd seen similar on here. I had one, but frigging AC-12 took it. Something about the letter of the law. Nope, I do my best to avoid Manchester as the signwriters are blind and didn't work with the chaps painting the roads, who are also blind, so I never have any frigging clue what the frig I'm meant to be doing there. Meanwhile, trying out a different way of welding upside down. I will flat it back when I've got the while arch done. But, right now, it fits near enough. As in, the bits of the outer arch I took off have the old inner arch in them, and it leaves a gap where I cut them off which is the same thickness as what's left on them - if that makes sense? Not doing anything tomorrow as it's the mother's birthday and I'm giving blood. Not for her, she's sound. That'd be a cheapskate birthday present. Rusty_Rocket, juular, Spurious and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Isaac Hunt Posted May 11, 2021 Share Posted May 11, 2021 Epic, brought back some memories from when I was a lad. I'd rebuilt a car using doors bonnet and boot from another car, it was a proper Joseph Coat of colours. I had taken a weeks holiday to prep and paint it, and as you guessed, that weekend and beginning of the week it was pissing it down. I had makeshift tents just like yours whilst I did the prep work and squirted some primer on in the dry periods between showers. I was on a tight timeline as a mate had offered me his Mums large single garage as a paint booth while his Mum was away, so it needed to be done at the end of my weeks holiday before she came home. St.Jude and juular 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 17, 2021 Author Share Posted May 17, 2021 Couldn't do anything this weekend as, amazingly, while I have managed to avoid COVID I managed to get a head cold instead! Plus the weather's been cack. The makeshift tent is good, as long as the steel itself isn't wet. It's been lovely all day, up until 2/3 hours ago and it started throwing it down. Judging by the weather this week, it's dry in the morning but throwing it down in the afternoon. I looked back at some photos the other day of this time last year when I was elbow deep with the Lada. It hardly ever rained, but this May just seems to have been wall to wall rain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghosty Posted May 23, 2021 Share Posted May 23, 2021 On 5/10/2021 at 8:35 PM, St.Jude said: Nope, I do my best to avoid Manchester as the signwriters are blind and didn't work with the chaps painting the roads, who are also blind, so I never have any frigging clue what the frig I'm meant to be doing there. Leeds is worse. I see a green one of these around my parts of Manchester sometimes! St.Jude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 24, 2021 Author Share Posted May 24, 2021 18 hours ago, Ghosty said: Leeds is worse. I see a green one of these around my parts of Manchester sometimes! I only went as far as Elland Road, decided I'd seen enough, and vacated very quickly back to the A1! As for this, weather's been shit. I had 2 days off last week which I thought I would at least have some time for it, my body then decided to have gout in my foot so I only really started moving and walking on Saturday. Even now I'm hobbling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 30, 2021 Author Share Posted May 30, 2021 On the finest day of the year, when I fully expected to be in bed from the Pfizer jab I had yesterday... I've also been told to hurry up by the wife, as I need to do break the MG, get some wooden flooring, paint etc, as we are expecting our first born in November. I get to keep the RAV4 until the Lada is on the road. Which is good I suppose. It also means that the wife took it upon herself to get a Mercedes Benz C350e as baby can't be seen dead in any child I think is nice. The wife very much likes that car, and that car only. While I brokered the deal (as it was my gaffers old company car), I can't say I like it. I have to be careful with what I wear in it, how I drive it etc. So I need this RAV4 on the road so I can wear jeans while I drive!!! Low Horatio gearbox, sdkrc and colino 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian_Fearn Posted May 30, 2021 Share Posted May 30, 2021 Congratulations on the baby news! St.Jude 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
St.Jude Posted May 31, 2021 Author Share Posted May 31, 2021 18 hours ago, Ian_Fearn said: Congratulations on the baby news! Cheers! Could've waited a few months so I could get my stuff done, but it's taking after its mother already with the demands. Anyway, it's 1:30pm, and I've got myself an inner arch! Now to make the outer arch which I hope is going to be easier than the inside... Ian_Fearn, juular, Fumbler and 1 other 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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