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jazzed
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2002
Posts: 628
Location: Eugene, OR
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 Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:23 pm Post subject: DIY Welding |
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| I've got two buses that need belly pans. Just how difficult would it be for someone with no welding experience to remove the existing pans and replace with new ones? What sort of equpment would I need to purchase or rent? I have reasonable handyman skills, but welding is something I've never tackled. |
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slow36hp
scott wimberley
Joined: August 09, 2004
Posts: 3113
Location: mukilteo washington
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jazzed
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2002
Posts: 628
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 9:38 pm Post subject: |
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| slow36hp wrote: |
| if your belly pans rotted away you have more to weld up than just belly pans ,which by the way would be a snap to fix with and gas shielded 110volt mig welder |
There's just a little rot towards the front of the pans, but I imagine it would make sense to replace the outriggers as well, since they're relatively inexpensive. Of course, there might be more once I get things exposed. |
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slow36hp
scott wimberley
Joined: August 09, 2004
Posts: 3113
Location: mukilteo washington
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kombisutra
Samba Member
Joined: October 02, 2003
Posts: 4127
Location: San Anselmo, 10 miles North Of San Francisco
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| Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 10:26 pm Post subject: |
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| jazzed wrote: |
| slow36hp wrote: |
| if your belly pans rotted away you have more to weld up than just belly pans ,which by the way would be a snap to fix with and gas shielded 110volt mig welder |
There's just a little rot towards the front of the pans, but I imagine it would make sense to replace the outriggers as well, since they're relatively inexpensive. Of course, there might be more once I get things exposed. |
Gee, ya think? Post pictures and let us tell it like it is. |
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mtb7001
Samba Member
Joined: February 11, 2009
Posts: 899
Location: Meridian Idaho
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| Posted: Thu Nov 26, 2009 11:36 pm Post subject: |
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kind of depends on how much time and money you have, a decent teacher can have you welding in less than an hour but theres more to it than that. go for it, desire for a result is a good thing.
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63 15 window deluxe Turkis walk through 1500
"comfort the afflicted, afflict the comfortable" |
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jazzed
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2002
Posts: 628
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:12 am Post subject: |
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| kombisutra wrote: |
| jazzed wrote: |
| slow36hp wrote: |
| if your belly pans rotted away you have more to weld up than just belly pans ,which by the way would be a snap to fix with and gas shielded 110volt mig welder |
There's just a little rot towards the front of the pans, but I imagine it would make sense to replace the outriggers as well, since they're relatively inexpensive. Of course, there might be more once I get things exposed. |
Gee, ya think? Post pictures and let us tell it like it is. |
And would these comments be dripping with sarcasm? Pretty hard to post a picture of what's underneath when the pans aren't even off yet. Read my original post. My question involved the difficulty of welding for an inexperienced welding newbie. Thanks to the others who have replied and I'm still open to any relevant comments. |
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Snoop Bob
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2003
Posts: 2687
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:56 am Post subject: |
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What he and others are saying is this...If your belly pans are rusted it's because sunroof/skylights/windows, etc have leaked and your cargo floor is rotted out which have caused the rotting of your belly pans. You claim to be a welding newbee and without pics we don't really know how rusty they are. Through rust, surface rust, etc. Maybe it was a little sarcasm, but it had a true meaning. Take some pics of the cargo floor and some pics of the belly pan and post them, no big deal.
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| BarryL wrote: |
| Put your lips onto the little tit with the hole in it inside and make a good seal. You can suck and blow but with a little resistance. It gets better after it's wet. |
| EverettB wrote: |
| I would be interested in knowing the sizes of the various shafts. |
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germanrust
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2004
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 8:58 am Post subject: |
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| Jazzed, they are just the belly pans, so I wouldn't worry about the quality of your welds. The under side would be a good place to practice. I use a right angle grinder with 5" cut off wheels to cut the old pans out. Make sure you grind off the old metal and rust on the frame rails before you try to weld anything new on. The cleaner and shinier the metal is, the better your welds will be. I've never put on new pans, but I would assume that you would dill holes along the edge of the new pan and plug weld through the holes, like you do with rockers and cargo floors. I would suggest you do some practice on making plug welds first, but they are not that hard. Obviously, the hard part is doing this all on your back with very little room to work. Dial your welder in and go man, go. |
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sventinker
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2009
Posts: 1481
Location: the sandbox
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:41 am Post subject: |
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I don't know if you can rent one of those. But they are relatively inexpensive on sites like craigslist. I got mine from a buddy that had just upgraded to a 220 volt model . I wouldn't buy a new one till you plan on using it often . but to answer your question its easy, if you don't have anyone that can teach you search the web or youtube . and practice on scrap pieces first to get a feel. good luck!
_________________
April 3rd 62 standard mgr/pw
374 North American equipment
Includes 6 popouts
025 Safety belts
195 Adjustable bench seat/backrest (until 1963)
| dawerks wrote: |
| Perfection only comes with delusion. |
http://www.oacdp.org/ |
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Lohe
Samba Member
Joined: June 26, 2007
Posts: 662
Location: Chandler, Az
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 9:48 am Post subject: |
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| germanrust wrote: |
| Obviously, the hard part is doing this all on your back with very little room to work. Dial your welder in and go man, go. |
Just remember, weld splatter falls down, and you're under.. you know.  |
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sventinker
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2009
Posts: 1481
Location: the sandbox
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:42 am Post subject: |
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germanrust wrote:
Obviously, the hard part is doing this all on your back with very little room to work. Dial your welder in and go man, go.
Just remember, weld splatter falls down, and you're under.. you know. Shocked
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that just builds character!
_________________
April 3rd 62 standard mgr/pw
374 North American equipment
Includes 6 popouts
025 Safety belts
195 Adjustable bench seat/backrest (until 1963)
| dawerks wrote: |
| Perfection only comes with delusion. |
http://www.oacdp.org/ |
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Lohe
Samba Member
Joined: June 26, 2007
Posts: 662
Location: Chandler, Az
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:52 am Post subject: |
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| sventinker wrote: |
| Quote: |
germanrust wrote:
Obviously, the hard part is doing this all on your back with very little room to work. Dial your welder in and go man, go.
Just remember, weld splatter falls down, and you're under.. you know. Shocked
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that just builds character! |
Molten metal burning through your clothes and sticking to your skin builds character?? Remind me not to let you babysit!  |
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mintonman
Samba Member
Joined: October 20, 2003
Posts: 4245
Location: between Trenton NJ. & Philly Pa.
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 10:53 am Post subject: |
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| Lohe wrote: |
| germanrust wrote: |
| Obviously, the hard part is doing this all on your back with very little room to work. Dial your welder in and go man, go. |
Just remember, weld splatter falls down, and you're under.. you know. |
I lifted my mask to find a 1ft. flame creeping up my leg due to the shredded bottoms of my jeans 
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Hoockd on fonicks werkt for mee?
under the influance "DUH" |
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germanrust
Samba Member
Joined: June 19, 2004
Posts: 14
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 11:02 am Post subject: |
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| The use of solid wire w/shielding gas of CO/argon mix will also help with splatter. Flux core seems to splatter more, and leaves a dirtier weld. Also if you are just starting to figure out welding, if helps to have a #9 or 10 shield in your helmet so you can see a little better. Wear cotton or denim shirt buttoned up to the neck. |
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sventinker
Samba Member
Joined: June 10, 2009
Posts: 1481
Location: the sandbox
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 4:18 pm Post subject: |
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Get yourself some leathers ,a good quality hood. I keep a fire extinguisher nearby and because I don't want to clean up that mess I keep a pitcher of water as well . Old denim jeans (the leg part) do a good job of keeping your arms safe. And yes gas shielded is the way to go. Stay away from flux core unless you don't care how it looks. And seriously rarely are you laying directly under your weld. One quick lesson I learned I was standing once arc welding on the top of a bench with my upper leathers on with just jeans and boots. A piece of molten metal went down my boot under my arch and burned through my sock and foot! of course by the time I got the boot unlaced it was too late. I pulled the metal ball out of my foot with needle nose pliers .
_________________
April 3rd 62 standard mgr/pw
374 North American equipment
Includes 6 popouts
025 Safety belts
195 Adjustable bench seat/backrest (until 1963)
| dawerks wrote: |
| Perfection only comes with delusion. |
http://www.oacdp.org/ |
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thom
Samba Member
Joined: October 12, 2000
Posts: 5943
Location: Sacramento
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 5:25 pm Post subject: |
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Any welding store should be able to sell you anti-spatter spray, which works fairly well.
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-Thom
1956 Single Cab
1957 Porsche 356A Sunroof
1957 23-Window Deluxe
1957 Mercedes Westfalia single cab
1963 Unimog 404
1965 E-Type |
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jazzed
Samba Member
Joined: August 03, 2002
Posts: 628
Location: Eugene, OR
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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| Snoop Bob wrote: |
| What he and others are saying is this...If your belly pans are rusted it's because sunroof/skylights/windows, etc have leaked and your cargo floor is rotted out which have caused the rotting of your belly pans. You claim to be a welding newbee and without pics we don't really know how rusty they are. Through rust, surface rust, etc. Maybe it was a little sarcasm, but it had a true meaning. Take some pics of the cargo floor and some pics of the belly pan and post them, no big deal. |
The cargo floor is in excellent condition, as are the sunroof, skylights, windows. Of course, somewhere along the line, it's possible that the cargo floor was replaced given its excellent condition. The belly pans have a couple of quarter-sized holes in the front (under the bulkhead, more or less). If I remove just one of the pans and find out the work is more than I want to handle, is it safe to drive the vehicle the five or so miles I'd need in order to take it to a professional welder? Thanks to all who responded...I'm gonna give it a shot! |
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Snoop Bob
Samba Member
Joined: May 06, 2003
Posts: 2687
Location: Florida
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 7:16 pm Post subject: |
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My opinion (and you know what they say about those) is that it will be fine for that short distance as long as it's smooth driving and you don't drive with the doors open 
_________________
| BarryL wrote: |
| Put your lips onto the little tit with the hole in it inside and make a good seal. You can suck and blow but with a little resistance. It gets better after it's wet. |
| EverettB wrote: |
| I would be interested in knowing the sizes of the various shafts. |
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zao
Samba Member
Joined: December 29, 2004
Posts: 281
Location: Yucaipa/Calimesa
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| Posted: Fri Nov 27, 2009 7:18 pm Post subject: |
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There's only one way to learn... and that is by doing it
If you decide to buy a welder, I would go with a gas rig (220 if possible), not the flux core. If you only plan to do the pans, and never weld again, then a cheap flux core will work, but the welds are fairly nasty. You can clean them up with a flapper wheel.
You don't need to go crazy and purchase a bunch of welding leathers or anything. Just get a good auto dimming helmet and a good pair of welding gloves. Wear some old clothes, like coveralls, and watch that slag falling into your shoes! You'll learn pretty quickly on how not to weld 
Get some scrap metal and practice some lines on that. There is a distinct sound that a welder makes when you are welding correctly. That is, your heat and wire speed are optimal.
I am sure there are welding videos on Youtube, so give that a shot as well.
Biggest problem most people have when learning to weld is going too fast with the torch. It's also best to "push" your weld rather than pull it towards you. This keeps the weld molten longer and you get a better/cleaner weld.
Once you get a welder, I'm certain you will put it to good use around the house
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-Kevin |
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