Club 80-90 Forums

Ok cool that makes sense. Hopefully selling the pug to concentrate my efforts on the van anyway. Ive got a spot and an arc welder at work but am I right in thinking they're prob not much use for what Im wanting to do?

Spot welder might come in handy but the arc welder will just blow holes through everything.

Do enough to get it through it's MOT even if it means lashing a solid bit over a rotten section..
Then once you have a ticket you can, spend your warm summer evenings doing a bit at a time, cutting out and rebuilding sections
The other bonus about the summer is if you nip down the shops in it you aren't balls-ing up 2 hours of prep....
The MOT actually has bugger all to do with road worthy-ness, in my opinion...

pierce wrote: Do you just get your pub gas off a friendly landlord or is there a company selling it?

Yeah i have the half bottle, ie not the big tall un but the middle un! Lasts ages dont cost much!

jamesc76 wrote:..... I use pub co2

Be careful as CO2 is predominately for deep pen on thick plate work and unless your an experienced welder I wouldn't suggest you use this as is spatters like buggery and will make your welds look horrid (even if they are mechanically sound) and leave you with more clean up/fettling afterward - you can get Agroshield equivalent from Adams Gas and in dumpy bottles too...
http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/Categories.aspx?id=132
No rental on the bottles and next day delivery too

dugcati wrote: Be careful as CO2 is predominately for deep pen on thick plate work and unless your an experienced welder I wouldn't suggest you use this as is spatters like buggery and will make your welds look horrid (even if they are mechanically sound) and leave you with more clean up/fettling afterward - you can get Agroshield equivalent from Adams Gas and in dumpy bottles too...
http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/Categories.aspx?id=132
No rental on the bottles and next day delivery too

I am amazed at how expensive gas is that adams gas seems to be the cheapest I have seen, with a couple on ebay around the same price.

Can you still use gas outside?

I have taken the advice on this post and also got myself a door, off an old audi quattro to start practicing, bit of a shame to be cutting it up but, all for the greater good

yes you can weld outside however be careful as anything more than a light breeze and you will get welds like aero bars as the gas has been blown away

dugcati wrote:yes you can weld outside however be careful as anything more than a light breeze and you will get welds like aero bars as the gas has been blown away

Ok cool, thanks

Whilst practicing, it's worth having a go at welding continuous and stop/start as continuous will/can distort panels due to the heat input, stop start technically could be weaker due to the arc not stabilising/cats eyes but on thin sheet steel panels it's irrelevant

[img] you have metal this part does not even exist on my van

personally , i would clean up/ rust proof what you have the fibreglass it up.

done well it will give a few years service, probably as long as the patches you will weld in.

the parts you show arent structural or pose an mot problem.

this will give you time to use your bus and enjoy it. start the welding and it may never stop.

i have just done exactly wot billy739 just said, i have rust in the exact same areas and i have just fibreglassed it up so that it is water tight in the van and now im fitting the interior, i figure i got the van so cheap about £400 that even if it only lasts a years camping it will be worth it and then i can always sell all the nice bits ive bought for the interior and scrap it

just purchased a nice newton commercials cab carpet set to smarten up the front aswell as new panels, a rock and roll bed and a buddy seat

dugcati wrote:

jamesc76 wrote:..... I use pub co2

Be careful as CO2 is predominately for deep pen on thick plate work and unless your an experienced welder I wouldn't

Forgot that bit! Tho with years of practice mine are lush

make sure she is underseales / waxed in and out and you can get a good few years camping before any welding is needed.

welding is great and the best way , but i always advise peole to get and use there van before going crazy on rebuilds .
great if you have all the kit but if you have to go to the trouble of setting yourself up to weld and poss learning then dont worry about it.

in a couple of years it will still need the same peice welding if glassed. if you weld it as a novice/new welder it will also need rewelding in a few years due to lack of knowkedge / skill plus it will be all out of shape!

billy739 wrote:make sure she is underseales / waxed in and out and you can get a good few years camping before any welding is needed.

welding is great and the best way , but i always advise peole to get and use there van before going crazy on rebuilds .
great if you have all the kit but if you have to go to the trouble of setting yourself up to weld and poss learning then dont worry about it.

in a couple of years it will still need the same peice welding if glassed. if you weld it as a novice/new welder it will also need rewelding in a few years due to lack of knowkedge / skill plus it will be all out of shape!

Ok cool this is good advice and very reassuring! I ripped up the floor today to check what was hiding underneath. Rusty but solid metal. Gonna clean it up nicely and let rip with the POR 15. Paid 700 for the van and spent about a grand rebuilding the engine last year so planning on keeping it for a while. Be a bit silly to start cutting chunks off it with summer just around the corner!