Radiator panel continued

First off I thought I'd give the underside a good clean and a coat of Zinga. Zinga say it can be used as a weld through primer (but be aware of fumes when welding - 99%{?} zinc)



Whilst that Zinga was drying I bimbled off and cut and bent the reinforcing strip - also 1.5mm thick steel (and of course arsed about with the starter motor nose cone as shown above - perhaps this is multi-tasking after all?)

Tapping the reinforcing angle into position (scraping off some of the Zinga of course - two steps forwards...)



Bending back that edge that I heated and bent outwards so the reinforcing strip could be removed (that didn't work of course) and refitted (that did work yeah!)

Just using the hand bending pliers - another good buy that tool - happy bunny



Flattening the edge in a G-clamp - nice and easy - neat trick



Spraying a bit more Zinga behind the reinforcing strip to try and rectify the scratches made by said strip during fitment



Little bit of grinding with the mini angle grinder (have I mentioned that Bosch 10.8V angle grinder before? Really good tool that)



Using sanding flappy disc thing to flatten off the rest of the welded joint - a bit more controllable than a grinding disc but will eat through metal at a surprising rate if you're not awake



Ran out of time but the remainder of the welding has been started.



To be continued

I'm sure we all have them - one of those days where everything else gets in the way of the Land Rover fiddling

Today was one of them.

Still - gorra keep focused - even if you only manage a small bit. 10 minutes of Land Rover goodness - checking starter motor armature for continuity between each segment and the armature shaft.



I'm not one for electrickery (I think it is important to make this very clear!) but even I can look at a screen on a multimeter and listen out for a beep...

...red probe in the picture needs to go up against each segment on the armature to make sure there is no electrical connection between the shaft and the armature segments. If there's a reading or even worse a beep (beep is set to beep at different points on different machines - check the illegible manual that came with your DVM) then the insulation is buggered. If the insulation is buggered you need a new armature (and in many cases these days it'll be cheaper to buy a replacement starter motor)

I've just seen the best bit of Land Rover advice ever. It was posted on the series 2 club forum =>



Kind of all you need to know isn't it?

Radiator panel progress



Spot welding the lower edge today

It took a very long time - adjusting and tightening G-clamps to make sure there was no gap before clamping on the spot welder



Funny old thing experience eh? In the old days I'd have probably measured the hole positions and cut them in the two parts in the hope that the holes would line up later on...

...these days I'm a little bit wiser =>

Stretch said:

BULKHEAD (partial) DAY NINTEEN

Continuation of the upper A post manufacturing =>

I'm happy to make some wooden parts to help make this / these parts but I'm trying not to fall into the trap of spending too much time wood working - as it turned out I think spending more time with the wood might have helped - I dunno...

...Here's where I woz before

I'd got a bent flanged edge that was the start of the upper A post.

I then needed to work out where the next fold needed to be made, so I did the old MTAD

View attachment 129731

Removed masking tape and marked out the shape on the sheet

View attachment 129732

Instead of making complicated wooden shapes and hammering I thought I might be ale to do the necessary with a combination of the bead roller and tipping wheel...

View attachment 129733

...the vice mounted bending jaws...

View attachment 129734

...and the hammer and chisel and the hard wood "V" blocks...

View attachment 129735

Turned out to be a blinking disaster - teddy got chucked out the cot.

View attachment 129736

To be honest I'm not quite sure where I went wrong but the bead roller seemed to add in a curve in the wrong plane - I'm sure it was the bead roller and not the operator!

View attachment 129737

^^^^
As you can see the panel is now bending the wrong way - it should be straight. Arse buckets.

############

The problem above prompted this little aside - a little diversion - a wee purchase.

View attachment 129738

Such quality!

Look at that =>

View attachment 129739

It says "innovation" so it must be the dog's bollocks right?

Actually, despite the dubious references to Germany (note not actually "made in Germany") and the low price tag I'm quite surprised. It isn't total ****.

It came with tools!

View attachment 129740

And best of all it came with a pirate's sword!

View attachment 129741

'King excellent! A pirate's sword - never 'ad one of those before arrrgh

(Not at all camp)

Anyway the point is I can now cut deep / thick bits of wood for making hammer forms that will survive a good hard ****ting

View attachment 129742

#############

Despite the new purchase I decided to carry on with the mistake panel - I decided to cut and shut. It isn't a brilliant solution - I'd prefer to have a nicely formed one piece panel if possible (partly for reasons of ego) but as this part won't be seen I guess it'll be alright to do the dirty...

View attachment 129743

The picture above shows just how far I'd have to stretch the sheet to get it to do what I want. I'm not sure I'm up to that level of metal working just yet (!)

So measuring a triangle

View attachment 129744

Trial fit =>

View attachment 129745

Bit of welding - bit of MTAD

View attachment 129746

Back in the bead roller to help score a crease for the next stage

View attachment 129747

Messing about with the new toy

View attachment 129748

Bit more cutting - some tapping with the hammer - will weld later

View attachment 129749

Quick comparison

View attachment 129750

That's about as far as I got today.

I ran out of time, mainly because of the hilarity of the pirate's sword - lots of dicking about and arrghing I'm afraid...

(But it wasn't at all camp)

Click to expand...

BULKHEAD (partial) DAY TWENTY

Hmmm - well the work done so far on the upper A pillar turned out to be wasted. I don't quite know how it went wrong - I think the MTAD gave me the wrong positions or something like that. Every bend was in the wrong place or at an incorrect angle! Bugger! Anyway the first attempt is now in the bin =>



I decided to do the masking tape trick for the whole area =>





I laid it out on a bit of sheet and traced the curves and lines



I then trimmed a piece of wood as a back up check



As you can see the traced lines on the sheet don't match up with the curve on the wood - so something goes wrong with the masking tape + transfer method.
I can't say for sure exactly what goes tits up with this - normally it works.



I decided to trust the wood



After this point (which is easy to reach) I kind of went off on several tangents and some parts worked and some parts didn't - here's a hammer form made out of tropical hard wood that was partially used



The bead roller was used at one point as were some of the other curved pieces of wood that had been made previously for the first attempt







Heat treating when I thought it was about to rip









This time no cutting and shutting (!) - all done out of one piece of metal - no welding





I eventually got it to a stage where I felt brave enough to cut out the original



Only when the original is out of the way is it possible to see which parts need to be adjusted.



As you can see I'm kind of at the stage that is more of less the stage where after you've spent a lot of money buying a replacement pattern part you find the effing thing needs one heck of a lot of work to make it fit! So I'm kind of happy with that.

The plan now is to repair the rust under the original upper A post and adjust this newly made panel so it fits well enough to put in spot welds (just like the factory did)

Yet another one of my little diversions I'm afraid - but I'm well chuffed with my little electric motor and mechanical variable speed gearbox.

Perhaps others already know but I hadn't heard about Heynau gearboxes before

http://www.ybcomponents.co.uk/?s=heynau

Seem to be pretty much the Rolls Royce version - which for an outlay of ten euros including the motor was a pretty good deal. The casing is obviously leaking so I thought I'd have a butchers...



The "long life" oil is long gone - bit of a shame I bet it is 'king expensive to refill (which might be why it was so cheap of course)



The system works by applying pressure via opposing cones to the gerbil wheel in the centre of the mechanism - simple as that

The special oil seems to be the crucial part of the system. I'm off to see a driveline specialist I've met before to see if they have a clue where I can get the magic juice...

Still following the thread with interest - what's the variable speed gear box for?

Headtester said:

Still following the thread with interest - what's the variable speed gear box for?

Click to expand...

I was hoping to have got more done this week - shame really but other stuff keeps on getting in the way of the importance of Land Rovering.

The gearbox was primarily a bit of fun - I saw it offered for 10 euros and I thought - I'll have that. I need to get another gearbox to reduce the speed even more (ideally need something that spins between about 0.25 revs /s to 2 revs / s) but I now plan to use this little thing to power the bead roller.

I have, however, been looking for variable speed electric solutions for some time. I'm in the market for a variable frequency drive for another little project that would be more directly related to Land Rovering - if that comes off then I'll really be having fun (!)

I dont know how you are still going! Fair play to you sir!

Chris Hebden said:

I dont know how you are still going! Fair play to you sir!

Click to expand...

Done by the power of =>

Radiator panel again. Today I got a bit of sand blasting done.

Before sand blasting I had gone over the whole panel with the angle grinder and wire brush attachment.

I then did the rustyco stuff which ate into the pores of the rust a bit. The worst bits looked like this =>





I sand blasted it all away - it was clean - looked good (should have taken pictures sorry - don't know why I missed that I'm usually clicking away).

Despite having a visually clean surface I re-did the rustyco stuff and it showed up some rust that was not visible to the naked eye =>





So there you have it! Rust is nearly always there - sand blasting doesn't necessarily remove it.

I'm hoping this combined sand blasting and chemical treatment helps give a good head start for the future!

Next up - Ferpox epoxy undercoat.

Great work!

One of the things I love most about this thread is not the usual "I did this" (which is generally very impressive), but "this is how I did it, it went wrong, and this is how I did it again". This is how most of us work, but in this case, it is fabricating panels I'd not have a clue where to start let alone tackle.

Job job!

rob_bell said:

Great work!

One of the things I love most about this thread is not the usual "I did this" (which is generally very impressive), but "this is how I did it, it went wrong, and this is how I did it again". This is how most of us work, but in this case, it is fabricating panels I'd not have a clue where to start let alone tackle.

Job job!

Click to expand...

I'm glad you appreciate it - working with a camera in one hand or stopping to show something (taking pictures) and thinking ahead for the thread does sometimes impede progress. There are times, however, when it has been useful - some times it is useful to stop!

#####

Today I had a proper look at the replacement lower A posts I bought to see how they compare with the originals.

Luckily the holes for the door hinges fit nicely - the holes for the front wing fixings are blinking miles out. I reckon it is most important to get the door hinges in the right place first: Those fixings are visible (and whilst there is a bit of wiggle space) they would look bloody dreadful if they're not right. The wing fixing holes could very well be a right royal pain in the arse in the future but I reckon If necessary welding in new metal and cutting new holes in the future could be done more easily than getting doors to line up.

Anyway - replacement panels - the question that has been nagging in the back of my mind: Would it have been better to try and buy replacement panels instead of trying to make my own replacement parts?

Based on the replacement lower A posts - NO!

Now I realise that some might think I'm being picky but I'd like this bulkhead to look half decent after I've been playing with it...

...so...



Not only is this shape slightly different form the original: There is more metal on the replacement part than the old one too. This has an effect on a stiffening fillet piece that goes between this A post and the foot well.

On the original this lower A post panel seems to have been fitted under a part on the main bulkhead - see seam weld



So that means the replacement part really ought to have a bit of a joggle in it so it fits under neatly - as you can see it isn't there =>



It has also been cut too short =>



And on the "inside" of the door way the channels for the door seals haven't been made.



So I conclude that there's a bit of work to do on these replacement parts.

I'm a bit disappointed - they are YRM parts - kind of thought to be OK here on this forum and on the series 2 club forum.

I'm guessing this is a standard part that is meant for both series 2 and series 3's - may be the series 3 bulkhead is slightly less complicated? Still it leaves me with a fair amount of work which isn't really cricket when you've paid dosh for "a solution" (in these result driven times)

#############

I couldn't resist a show off (macho) shot of the bulkhead from the other side with lots of parts missing from it (!)



Not at all wobbly (honest gov)...

More on that pesky lower A post

I decided to check it up against the wing to see just how bad the alignment of the holes is - if I decide to bolt the wing on with M2 nuts and bolts I might just about get away with the current configuration...

...otherwise an angry hack job would probably happen (pain in the arse when you've got all your Mechano nicely painted and then you have to "adjust" the holes) =>











This unfortunately adds a bit of an unexpected spin to the bulkhead refurbishment:-

I'm guessing that the front wings were all made "unique" - I bet if I have to find a replacement wing(s) ('cos the one(s) I've got might not be fixable) these holes will be in another position. So before I cut up the new lower A post panel and fit it to the bulkhead it seems prudent to make sure the wings I've got are going to be serviceable...

...so screaming screech of brakes - HOLD UP! - stop the bulkhead repairs - get the wings done first...

Meanwhile - some more multitasking of sorts.

Radiator panel paint preparation

Bit of filler (eek!) to smooth over the welded seam for the new bit on the lower edge



I'm using the finest grade of filler here. The thickness of the filler is way way under 0.5mm after I've sanded it back



(I'm sure I've said it before - always use a sanding block - don't go bareback you'll make it even more wobbly than Land Rover did when they made it!)



I'm using dry cheapo sanding paper for (fast-ish) filler removal. The paper does clog quite quickly but 'cos it is cheap just chuck and replace...



To treat the exposed metal I'm using the Brunox cos it treats the metal as well as providing an epoxy coat



You can see the metal has been turned blue due to the anti-rust treatment



You can also see quite deep scratches in the filler left over from the sanding. At this stage it isn't a big deal (and can actually help) because I'm going to apply a spray filler over the top of the whole front panel in the next stage

To be continued

I'm not too impressed with YRM either. Their replacement front axle coil spring seat brackets need about 4mm taken off before they sit level. Took pictures and measurements and helpfully sent them to YRM so that they could improve future production. Didn't hear a peep from them.

boguing said:

I'm not too impressed with YRM either. Their replacement front axle coil spring seat brackets need about 4mm taken off before they sit level. Took pictures and measurements and helpfully sent them to YRM so that they could improve future production. Didn't hear a peep from them.

Click to expand...

That's just miserable. Even if they didn't trust your work, a polite thank you would have been reasonable. Ideally they should have checked their product. I wonder if they did.

Oh well.

For the lower A posts I've got I'm pretty sure they are made by someone else. The other YRM bits I bought were obviously done by them - these A posts turned up in black paint much like I assume Britpart ones do too. I was kind of pee'd off when they came out of the packet because they were a bit more expensive than the ones Paddocks were selling - I think it is possible I got the same ones but ended up paying tourist tax (I hate paying tourist tax)

Radiator panel continued

I can not be bothered to dig out the spray gun and use a better spray system - this might bite me on the arse - but hey ho spray cans it is for the moment.

Spray filler =>



As usual - spray cans do their best to mess up your life! It is a constant battle - they pretend to be quick and easy but really they are evil - not your friends...

...this spray filler has a tendency to block spray nozzles - it floods out of the top of the can, under the spray nozzle, and DRIPS! Even though this is spray filler and you are going to sand it - do not allow it to drip on the part you are painting - circular spots of extra dripped filler sand away at a different rate - they can stay behind...



It had to dry for about two and a half hours before I could wet sand the panel to make it nice and smooth



As you can see in the picture above the panel is not at all flat - it was made wobbly! The edges of the bends are higher than the metal in between them. This is OK - it is a Land Rover! But it has an undesirable problem: It is very easy to sand down to metal. This is a bit of a shame but in my opinion is more or less unavoidable.

I could slap on heap loads of filler and try and make the entire panel super flat.

Problem is - I've never seen a Land Rover with super flat slab sides before - I reckon it'll look a bit strange if I do that - so I'm living with what I've got but trying to make it as presentable as possible.

##########

The problem with rust treatment(s) - special epoxy coatings - and such on a wobbly panel like this is that when you do sand down to metal the special (expensive) rust treatment goes too. I used to get upset about this sort of thing and try to reinstate the special rust coating. The problem with doing this is that these rust coatings are usually thick and not at all smooth so you then have to go back round with a new coat of filler and then try and sand again so you don't see metal...

...all very frustrating...

...I now reckon it isn't worth my time trying to get a 100% rust treatment coverage. I've done my bit - most of the panel has been treated!

##########

Because I've got bare metal on some of the edges I dusted the panel with self etch primer...



...I'm not 100% sure that's a smart move - I think a normal primer would probably be better - self etch is probably a bit aggressive for the epoxy (I guess the more experienced out there on the interweb have something to say?)


First coat of colour has been applied=>





I plan to sand again to make sure I've got it all as nice as I can. I can already see some areas that need a bit of help - it is always the way - you can't see them until the colour goes on (which is why I think the experts talk about guide coats).

To be continued

Front wing repairs and woe

(Unfortunately this is turning into a bit of a big job - typical!)

Started out by removing the lights and cutting out the bolts (rusted beyond use) for the number plate



Pictures of the damage on the side of the wing - bashed and ripped



The reinforcing strip is now helping to keep the wing in its newly altered shape



Nasty corrosion too



Although the method of annealing your Birmabright has reached almost epic forum myth status - the method is actually recommended in the green book

Apply oil to one side of the panel - heat underneath until you see the oil bubbling on top - this is about the temperature needed to anneal



I tried penetrating oil and cutting oil - both seem to bubble at about the same temperature - I plan to check this with a thermometer in the next few days - always good to know what you're doing eh?

Simple blow torch is all that's needed



See the bubbling?



(^^^^Great action shot that one!)

###########

After trying to straighten the side with it attached to the rest of the wing I decided to remove the side (which will help with the painting stage anyway)



Only two of the bolts had to be cut - good good.

Not a job I'd like to do with the wing fitted to the vehicle



With the side off it is easier to clamp the damaged area and try and push it down carefully...



Surprisingly strong that crease! =>



Although I was trying to avoid using a hammer and dolly I decided I had little option

(Hammering helps to get the rough shape but can cause more trouble / work in the future cos you then need to smooth it out)



By clamping the side of the panel to a (relatively) flat surface it is easy / easier to see where the panel needs to be encouraged back towards its original shape



That nasty rip goes right up to the reinforcing strip - which I was trying to leave in position because removal is going to be a pain...



Not looking so great eh?



Sandwich compression helps a bit



Curved piece of wood under the panel to help shape the form - hammer on top =>



Still a great big kink in the panel - cos of that sodding reinforcing strip (Note the angle of the panel nearest to the floor - in front of the wheel bit ====> Compare with the angle of the panel edge higher up in the picture - they are seriously twisted away from each other)



Trying to make the crease of the panel under the reinforcing strip by wedging a chisel in there ( edge of panel held in hard wood "v" block) =>



Bit of adjustment with the folding pliers (good tool that one)



Clamped back onto the (pretty much) flat table top - pushing down with my hand to feel how much of a gap there is =>



Hmmmm =>



Well I suppose it is getting there!



Gorra keep positive about these things - BUT - it looks like I really need to remove that reinforcing strip...

...to be continued...

Oh dear

Well yesterday in some ways was BLACK TUESDAY


I have been putting if off for some time - sticking my head in the sand - hoping that what I read on the internet would help make it come good...


...turns out you (probably) can't always believe what you read on the internet

I mean what is the world coming to?

Damn shame but it looks like Birmabright can not be welded with DC TIG

(It is certainly blinking obvious that I can't do it anyways - I've started a thread on the series 2 club forum where I'm sure I was by some one that it could be done {with DC TIG} but as always with that forum I can't find that crucial thread anymore, so I've asked the question me-self in the hope that who ever it woz will chime in with the secret - which might very well be something to do with reversing polarity and dealing with over heating tungstens and stopping before bits burn off said electrode and fall in your weld pool)





As you can see the results are not at all good.

It is easy enough to get it to arc and to generate heat - so much heat in fact that the whole heat affected zone sags (!)

Increasing the amps - you get to make holes

The fine balance in between doesn't seem to exist


##########


Two solutions to the problem seem to be

1) Gas welding
2) Gucci AC/DC TIG amplifier


########

Both of these options are going to give the bank balance a seriously good kicking.

I already have Oxy Acetylene - but - seem to need a much lower pressure torch. Typically (it seems) that about 4 PSI is given in equal balance to a torch with pretty small nozzles. Kits such as the "Meco Midget" torch with its gucci lightweight hoses (about 240 euros for torch with out nozzles) and then the uber expensive goggles (of course only extra special goggles will enable you to see through the awkward orange haze - apparently) will mean another 330 euros. Flux nozzles, torches, goggles will be about 700 euros.

Other torch kits are available such as the DCH2000 - can't seem to find it in Europe but sells for 500 USD or there abouts - and Eastwoods do one too - also can't find in Europe (Frosts normally stock Eastwoods stuff but seem to have stopped a lot of it since the Brexit + GBP value fiasco)

'King Hell!!!!

The results of oxy welding aluminium when done well see this for example =>



Seems to make a really strong but soft joint. I'm not sure but I get the impression AC TIG makes things a bit stiffer? (If you know - please let me know!)

#########

An AC/DC TIG amplifier is going to come in at the best part of 1000euros for an entry level thing that shouldn't be as bad as some of the cheapest on ebay. A 200 amp Jasic digital version sells in Holland for about this price - 5 year warranty...

#########


I'm leaning towards the TIG solution rather than the messing about needed for welding aluminium with gas (see video) as it will be a bit more all round useful than just the specific aluminium gas welding equipment and will be a nice upgrade to my existing amplifier.

Still - what ever - big outlay which ever route I take. Not part of the master plan: Bugger