Fisher Price - My first welding and fabrication
Posted: 08 Jan 2017, 22:58
Hi,
After months of putting it off as I was bricking it, I finally started tackling the tin worm issues on the top half of the van.
So on the o/s/r quarter, under the track cover, there was a fair bit of crud which I was hoping I might get away with but after grinding back it was holed in quite a few places and I could also from inside that the window had obviously leaked and was rotting the double skinned panel from the inside out.
I first hacked some dirty big holes in the side of my van - yikes, that's scary!!!
I then spent a lot of time head scratching and trying to work out how I was going tackle this and more importantly rebuild it again afterwards. I am a complete novice to welding and this sort of bodywork so please don't laugh - I have been practising MIG welding and done loads of reading / Youtube and advice from friends so decided to give it a go.
As where the rot was is double skinned and spot welded together, I decided to try and build the inner back up first, then the outer, then puddle weld the two back together at the end.
So as my grinder cutting was not hugely accurate, i made two pieces for the first section of the inner. I put a bit of a curve on these by bending in a vice to try and match the original (no fancy pants tools available here I'm afraid)!
Then I thought I would try and tack them in but then ran out of gas. So I tacked them in anyway (without gas)!...
So reasonably happy with what I achieved today for novice...another update next weekend hopefully
After months of putting it off as I was bricking it, I finally started tackling the tin worm issues on the top half of the van.
So on the o/s/r quarter, under the track cover, there was a fair bit of crud which I was hoping I might get away with but after grinding back it was holed in quite a few places and I could also from inside that the window had obviously leaked and was rotting the double skinned panel from the inside out.
I first hacked some dirty big holes in the side of my van - yikes, that's scary!!!
I then spent a lot of time head scratching and trying to work out how I was going tackle this and more importantly rebuild it again afterwards. I am a complete novice to welding and this sort of bodywork so please don't laugh - I have been practising MIG welding and done loads of reading / Youtube and advice from friends so decided to give it a go.
As where the rot was is double skinned and spot welded together, I decided to try and build the inner back up first, then the outer, then puddle weld the two back together at the end.
So as my grinder cutting was not hugely accurate, i made two pieces for the first section of the inner. I put a bit of a curve on these by bending in a vice to try and match the original (no fancy pants tools available here I'm afraid)!
Then I thought I would try and tack them in but then ran out of gas. So I tacked them in anyway (without gas)!...
So reasonably happy with what I achieved today for novice...another update next weekend hopefully