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Sun Dec 03, 2006 6:40 pm

So here is the donor panel in its "Test Fit" phase. I will trim and grind until i have a nice, complete fit. As you can see i cut through half of the cross brace that way i will have a nice strong support when it goes back together and when it is completely welded and ground down the repair will look nice and clean. I still have a couple of things to do before it gets completely welded in.

Mon Dec 18, 2006 8:49 pm

hey Matt, you got any updates? or are you just taking a holiday break?

Tue Dec 19, 2006 7:59 am

vdubvr6 wrote: hey Matt, you got any updates? or are you just taking a holiday break? Sorry, i am doing a project for Busses By The Bridge and of course the hollidays are upon us, but i do plan on continuing very soon.......................sorry for the delay.

Wed Dec 20, 2006 6:58 pm

Matt,
What is the model of your Hobart Welder?
And if you don't mind me asking how much did you pay for it?
I'm shopping for a good 110V welder and right now I'm leaning towards a Lincoln SP135 plus but I'd like to explore all the options out there before spending my money.

Thanks :)

Wed Dec 20, 2006 8:15 pm

This is truely an awesome photo-journal. Keep up the great work and keep us posted into the New Year!

James

Wed Dec 20, 2006 11:37 pm

I bought a Millermatic 135 and it was not cheap but is worth every penny.

First, I bought it through a welders supply store so there is product support in house. You do not get that from the box stores...

Second, they will give me a loaner if mine is in the shop.

Third, is parts availablity for the Miller is 2 days guaranteed.
the store said it can be difficult to get parts for the lincoln (sometimes more than a month) . They did sell the comparible lincolns there too.

Fourth, I work a major brewery and our maintenance department as well as all the pipefitters and contractors around only use Miller.....

Hobart is made by Miller. The millers are infinitely adjustable and Mine uses the large wire spools (cheaper) or smalller one.

Price out the door with cart and medium( I think 80cf bottle/ 3 ft tall) argon bottle $950 including sale tax

Thu Dec 28, 2006 11:33 pm

This is a great how to thanks. keep it coming :D

Sat Dec 30, 2006 12:05 pm

PRW wrote: Matt,
What is the model of your Hobart Welder?
And if you don't mind me asking how much did you pay for it?
I'm shopping for a good 110V welder and right now I'm leaning towards a Lincoln SP135 plus but I'd like to explore all the options out there before spending my money.

Thanks :)

i like hobart handlers. the 140 is the best 110v welder you can buy in that price range. the lincolns weld just as good, but hobarts just seem so much more durable internally (wire feed drive mainly). lift the cover on them and take a look.

Sun Dec 31, 2006 9:28 pm

This is a very good tread and I have learned a lot from it. But one thing I would like to know about cutting out a rusted panel and welding in a new one (And please keep in mind that I am very new at welding!) is how much of the metal should I cut away? And when welding in the new panel should I over lap the new panel over the old, or should I cut away enough metal on the bus so that the two pieces butt together?
Here is a couple of picture are the arias which I will be fixing

Tue Jan 02, 2007 10:41 am

CheapBusForSale wrote: This is a very good tread and I have learned a lot from it. But one thing I would like to know about cutting out a rusted panel and welding in a new one (And please keep in mind that I am very new at welding!) is how much of the metal should I cut away? And when welding in the new panel should I over lap the new panel over the old, or should I cut away enough metal on the bus so that the two pieces butt together?
Here is a couple of picture are the arias which I will be fixing

Your rear corner is rusty right where the battery tray is welded in. The first step is to strip away the paint and old bodywork and get down to bare metal to see how far the rust damage has gone. I like to save as much of the bus metal as i can. I usually will cut a rusty panel about a 1/2" to an inch above where the rust has stopped and then butt the donor panel up to that.

Tue Jan 02, 2007 7:04 pm

Yeah, it seems that the more I chat with people the more Im starting to realize that I need to cut the two pieces of metal so they just butt together which will hopefully give me a much cleaner weld, instead of the way I was thinking of doing it, which is to just over lap the metal. But the only thing im not sure about now is, should I cut down the panels that I will be putting in or should I cut away more of the bus metal beyond where I had already cut to find good metal?

Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:17 pm

CheapBusForSale wrote: should I cut down the panels that I will be putting in or should I cut away more of the bus metal beyond where I had already cut to find good metal?

it all depends on where exactly you are doing the splice. generally, leave as much good original metal as you can but if you can hide the inner splice seam or something by trimming more original metal to do it, go for it. a lot of it is also what you feel comfortable doing. you mentioned that you are not all that experienced, but just use your head and take your time. think everything out before you go cutting.

Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:15 pm

Ok, finally the hollidays are passed and time to get back on this project.

Here is a picture of the bottom of the door rewelded and ground back down.It was test fit several time before i was satisfied with the fit. The color on it is a temporary etch primer so it does not get any surface rust. now i could have cut it differently to actually hide the weld and do it in two pieces but that is a significant ammount of work and being that this one is mine i want to be able to seal up that weld really good with some Duraglass to prevent any moisture from getting through the porous part of the weld. plus it will have a panel covering it.

Here is a shot of the outside of the door. There will not be any bodywork done to the panel until it comes back from the media blaster so for now i need to get the metalwork finished. I hosed on the etch primer in a spray can to get it into any nooks and crannies, its for protection only.

Sun Jan 07, 2007 7:29 pm

So i had replaced the rocker a while back and this little close out panel was rusty as well so i opted to cut it out and replace it that way i could get the welder ito a few more spots while it was out.I sprayed a liberal ammount of etch primer into the area prior to welding the filler in.

Here is the close out panel i made to finish the rocker area, it is made from three pieces--two sides and the outside panel all welded together to form a box and test fit several times before being welded in.

And here we are with the panel welded in and the weld ground down. As you can see i need to fix the bottom of this cargo door as well---that one i will shoot some better detail shots so you can get a better understanding of how it is actually done..........stay tuned.

Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:23 pm

So now that the left cargo door is fixed its time to move onto the right side. The right side has rust at the very bottom of the door that has wiped out both the outside skin and the inner structure.

Before we do any cutting we need to line up the door properly in the opening, paying close attention to making sure that gaps line up not only up and down but the top, bottom and body lines should all line up before making any repairs.

I make sure that my doors open and close properly then i figure out exactly what i need to cut off in order to repair the area.

This picture shows my doors lined up and the bottom sliced off.

Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:32 pm

This picture ( a tad blurry) shows the inside of the door and the innerstructure is cut off.

I chose to cut the innerstructure the way i did to save the integrity of the factory welds. There is a small brace that runs on the left side of the door that strenghthens up the hinge- i cut just below that and i cut the top corner to save the spot welded section that goes across the door.

Definately make sure that your door rod is pulled out so you do not cut through it.

Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:39 pm

Here is a shot of the donor door. With the innerstructure cut out i can clean up the lower part of the section and get it prepped to be put on my door.

I did cut the innerstructure out with a thin cut off wheel because i am going to use this piece again. I cut it nice and clean so i will have a nice edge to weld back together. Make sure that you double check any measurements you might make and cut your donor piece slightly larger so you can have some room to adjust the fit.

Tue Jan 09, 2007 6:54 pm

I had a little trouble getting out one of the screws that hold the door on. Someone has stripped it beyond belief so i used a EZ-Out to get it out.

Usually The Impact Driver(left) will get it out, it may need a little heat and some choice words. But if all else fail use the EZ-Out (right).

Now if you have never used an EZ-Out it is realitively simple. EZ-Outs come in kits or sets and there is usually a reverse drill bit and a corresponding removal bit. First, determine the size of the drill you need( roughly a little smaller than the threaded part of the screw. Second, drill a hole completely through the center of the screw. Third, take the removal bit and install it into the hole as if you wanted to loosen the screw. The removal tool has a special twisted spline that will actually grip the screw internally and break it free.

Tue Jan 09, 2007 7:19 pm

Matt, This is way cool of you to do.. I just found this thread and I want to say " Great work ". I am still new here, so I search and search for new info. Watching other craftsmen work is very enjoyable. Keep up the great work. I know the rookie bodymen will appreciate this information.

Steve

Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:15 am

Matt, thanks for that info on the EZ out. I didn't know how they worked.

Is there a specific brand that you recomend?