Time for final galvanising

[Guest 4386]

I've been a while fitting the vehicle together ensuring the parts will fit after they have been galvanised. I will have incorporated a number of alterations which i'd wanted for a while, such as the 'Half height' center piilars for when the sun is out and the roof is off..
The full height center pillars for when in serious 'Roof on, winter and travel mode', will be galvanised together with all the other steel parts, which including the front rad panel, bulkhead, exhaust brackets, sills and all other steel parts.. All parts are 'repaired' originals.
The bulkhead was quite a project, with the usual footwell and pillar rot. I cut the pillars out and replaced then with box section, profiled to suit. The footwells as standard are made from very light gauge material that is doubled in many places for added strength, around the peddal boxes, etc.. A potentcial rot trap and a risk to galvanise as can trap air and acid during the process, so Ive made the entire area out of 1/8th plate. about the same thickness as the standard, 'doubled' areas.
The chassis has already been galvanised but I am so glad I ordered the Chassis ungalvanised!! There were a number of areas that I would have hated to live with, such as the flimsy, 2.3mil rear crossmember, the p1ss poor workmanship in a small areas, missaligned brackets, (As in snaggers case) and areas of personal preference replaced. i'e.,
The hand brake bracket on the old original chassis was a skillfully crafted, Gas welded and fabricated bracket. Not a simple and very crude bit of 6mil pressed channel slapped on the side. So I cut that off and replaced it with my original.
Anyway I have a van load of bits that I'll be taking to be galvanised, then the parts will be painted and the motor fianally put back together..
Im the mags, they do a chassis swap in a day,I've been the best part of 3 years.. I could have slapped it together in a fraction of that time, but i wouldn't have been at all happy with it.. I just hope it will go together as well as I hope.. Im expecting bulkhead warpage during galvanising but I hope that will not prove that much of an issue.
Ive not posted anything on this before as I couldn't see past the finish line....lol

 

[Guest 4386]

Here are some chassis and bulkhead pictures before galvanising.
The New chassis Top-hat gear box crossmember looked very vulnerable and nowhere near as substantial looking as the Rover built original. Since the xmember spent much of its time being grounded I knew that with it being that flimsy, it wouldn't take much to distort it. Plus once galvanised, any repairs made would be very dificult if I wasn't to distroy the Galvanise. Since that area of the chassis is the most vulnerable, I cut the crossmember off to be replaced by a braced and much heavier box section. A reason I chose not to make the crossmember removable was because of its vulnerability, and from experience of previous overland trips, I was amazed at what could shake loose. I wouldn't want the gearbox to drop out!

You can see the bulk head.. both pillars, were knackered, I cut them out along with the footwells. The pillars I made and profiled from box section.. The inner skin was a mess so that too neded to be fabricated and shapped on the anvil

 

[Guest 4386]

The New chassis Top-hat gear box crossmember looked very vulnerable and nowhere near as substantial looking as the Rover built original.

her is the picture of the gear box x member as it came and what i replaced it with.
With my half height pillars I can finally have my own 4 door pillarless cruiser or with the roof removed, a 4 door convertable..

 

[Guest 4386]

The New chassis Top-hat gear box crossmember looked very vulnerable and nowhere near as substantial looking as the Rover built original.

her is the picture of the gear box x member as it came and what i replaced it with.
With my half height pillars I can finally have my own 4 door pillarless cruiser or with the roof removed, a 4 door convertable..

pics

 

[Guest 4386]

Ill have to send yet another reply for the final pic at... the mo ????

 

[Guest 4386]

Ok just some pics of my 'half height' pillar with the drivers door closed.
I have the One piece rear passenger doors to finish and cut in half yet, but I've already adapted a front door caps to sit on top of the one middle door I have done.
The pillars, both the full and half height ones bolt to the sills so can be easily swapped over.

 

[bvudzichena]

This is a great thread Tony!

Are you going to have the galvanisers sandblast or acid dip them before galvanising the bits?

Cheers

 

[Guest 4386]

I have just had all my parts sand blasted to remove any paint. Rust isn't a problem as the acid dip removes rust, but wont touch paint.
A rusty surface ( I don' t mean rotten) with slight pitting has been found to leave a thicker galvanise layer than if the plate used is brand new, and equally a sand blasted surface gives an equal result. Removing the paint was my main objective tho. Unfortunatly bits of metal I thought good were very thin and a few small holes were found on some items, so they'll need sorting before I go to the galvanisers.. A minor problem.
Pics in next box

 

[Guest 4386]

My parts where sand blasted today to remove the paint.. Heres the finished pile. I'll take it to the galvanisers once they have a free slot.. a that will give me just enough time to make small repairs where the metal was thin.. I should have sand blasted my bits first....
I was very lucky really, because all the Bulkhead is sound, there is just one small pin hole in the grill panel and small holes in the bell housing cover, which i can weld up.
My 4x4 sherpa bumpers were not so lucky though, One has turned to lace, once the chrome plate was blasted way.
Thats a project for another day.

 

[bvudzichena]

I should have sand blasted my bits first....

OUCH

 

[alex]

This is a great thread Tony!

Are you going to have the galvanisers sandblast or acid dip them before galvanising the bits?

Cheers

Yeah I`m likin it too. I like your Cebora. Thought with you being a true Brit you may have had something like this I bet you got a big Oxford somewhere

 

[bvudzichena]

My main one's a Mean Green Machine with Migtronic written on the sides.

The other one's, small, red and 24 years old...

I'll send you a pic of what I'm using to make my stainless water tank

 

[alex]

Excellent Bud. Migitronic is Brill...Let me guess ........a big Miller TIG?

Alex

 

[Guest 4386]

My main welder is a 350 amp Ruston Lincoln Arc welder for my main work.
The Mig is pretty versatile. Im learning how critical the cas is though.
Argo shield light works well for auto work but no good for heavy plate over 6mm. I prefer Arc or TIG when I can.

 

[bvudzichena]

My main welder is a 350 amp Ruston Lincoln Arc welder for my main work.
The Mig is pretty versatile. Im learning how critical the cas is though.
Argo shield light works well for auto work but no good for heavy plate over 6mm. I prefer Arc or TIG when I can.

Another fan of ARC!!!

My dad taught me to weld when I was about 10 or 11 with an oil cooled four post ARC welder. It was only when I could weld baked bean tins together (alomost with my eyes closed) that he allowed me to do weld anything else.

I've still got the single phase Lincol ARC machine that he gave me when I was 15 - and it still works bloody well.

The nicest thing about MIG in Africa is that one has control over the wire. ARC welding rods grow little wings, whereas there are few "welders" who've worked out that they can use the MIG wire with an oxy-acetelene setup. So the MIG wire tends to end up where it should - on your work. The disadvantage is that we're currently having gas shortages.

Alex; It's a very big Millar TIG that cost more than my Defender. But it earns it's keep - unlike my Defender...

TIG isn't as quick and easy as ARC or MIG, but I love it and would TIG everything if I could.

 

[Guest 4386]

My main welder is a 350 amp Ruston Lincoln Arc welder for my main work.

Heres a pic of my Mobile arc set.. 1948.. Still working, last job, a dock side ship repair 6 months ago.

 

[alex]

WHEY HEY!!!!. That looks like part of the WW2 war effort....Brilliant!....... Bvudzi. I thought that might be a Miller Tig you had. Watch it guys.......I think we are in with a couple of Pros here

Alex

 

[bvudzichena]

I'm designing and trying to make a couple of theft proof brackets to attach the hilift, shovel, axe (yes, we can buy big axes in our local hardware stores in SA - and for that matter solvent glue too), bow saw and sand ladders tp the side of the trailer.

Bracketry is supposed tp be one of my strong suits, but I sure as heck don't feel like a pro at the minute.

 

[Guest 4386]

After sandblasting I was left with small areas of the Bulkhead that looked like lace. I'd replaced the foot wells and pillars but the dash board let go in some places. Using flat and curved plate as a former and heat sink I was able to built up the missing areas. The welds are visible but not unsightly. To grind them away seemed crazy as the bits wern't accessable and I didn't want to remove anymore metal.
So the MIG has proven usful again. No distortion and a quick solution.

 

[bvudzichena]

Since it's show and tell time. This is the old TIG. It's slightly younger than Tony's ARC welder.

It's works very well, but not as well as...