fbekholden.com

Good onya Scott for having a crack. Thanks for posting your methodical approach to your work

Stephen

love your have a go approach mate

ardiesse wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:31 am
You're concerned about getting the business end of the MIG down into the channel where the rubber sits in order to plug-weld . . . My advice is -
Don't form the return completely before welding the piece in. Go to about 30 degrees (say). If you can get yourself a short length of 10x25 flat bar, you can use it as a dolly inside the channel to form the return. Stretching (where the A-pillar curves downwards) is easier than puckering (where you bang your knee if you're tall). A pair of stumpy round-nose pliers is quite good as a tucking fork. Or you can just make a couple of hacksaw cuts and weld them up.

Rob

Thanks Rob - I'm working on a repair at the top of the door frame and I bent that out to get the torch in. Realistically not sure what light bulb solution I was hoping for, but it great to get advise that confirms what you were thinking. The flat bar is a good tip. I bought some 10mm square bar that I will use to help form the rubber gutters. Not much weight behind it, but that might do it.
Scott

SunnyTim wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 7:35 am Good work. Don't forget to fill that aerial hole too. The never went there and it will likely let water under the top skin.

Will do - it was patched over but fell out when I hit it with the wire brush.

Next piece. Top bit around the window.
Think I need some welding clamps


With the car window frame as a guide this should have been a breeze. But took several hours of shrinking, bending, twisting, stretching to get it to fit with the second bit


Scott

Nice work Scott.

Mate that’s detail. Did similar but rougher for a rear boot floor corner section in the ute. Shape is critical for screen seal there. Hats off to you for tackling it. All the welding and smoothing would have been trying to warp it a fair bit. Would be tempting to stitch in place, then fill, but harder to protect the inside.


FB ute fixer upper, EK van on rotisserie

So on to part 3 which is the tricky one as it has a straight vertical face along the entire length that bends sharply at one end and feathers back into the vertical. Reckon I had 4 versions of this in yellow paper before I was happy.
Bent the top over first then started the feathered bend.
Once that was done started working on the curve. Made a sand bag out of a pants leg and some cable ties then rounded off an old rubber mallet with the grinder. Used a cardboard template profiles off the driver’s side. This curve was surprisingly easy too achieve. Just take it slow.
And checked against the door
And here’s a trial fit as I started tackling the top part of the door rubber channel
Need to do the door rubber channel so I can check everything is going to work. Be spewing if I cock up the weld on this. It’s fitting together pretty well


Scott

Metal magic

Sent from my SM-G973F using Tapatalk

Great work Scott
Love the sand bag for metal forming, hope you manage to remove all the sand before you wear the pants again

Stephen

Awesome metal fabrication,

I like doing this work as well although I don't take long to loose the plot and walk away !!! ( Happens a lot lately )

Must be a age thing I'm hoping.

Greg

Thanks for all the support. Keeps me motivated. This was never a quick fix but it’s taking a lot longer than I thought. Still plugging away. Bit hot in the shed and run out of MIG gas just before Christmas.
Here is the last piece. The rubber channel
Lots of bending and twisting etc to get it all to line up. Sorry was a bit slack with the camera but after much hand wringing I finally started tacking it together
Working from the bottom up. Refit the door to check alignment. Can’t quite close the door as the channel is bent open to allow for the MIG torch.
Started stitch welding. Worked small sections and allowed to cool. Also tried heating the area with a butane torch prior to welding to get better penetration.(read it somewhere) Not sure it works.
Then the gas ran out. Got a bit of grinding to do. And this was way more inviting


Scott

FAB-ulous!!

Love your work mate, you have way more patience than I do .....

Bloody amazing work!!!!