Bagged Bunny

[Jarred]

good work george! keep it up

[Peter Jones]

Some tips for your next welding session.

Connect the earth lead as close as possible to the area you're working on.

Bad connections will affect weld quality so make sure that the metal you connect the clamp to is ground back to bare metal with your flapper disc.

Your mig should be set to the lowest power setting and the wire speed adjusted to achieve the result you're after.

0.6mm wire is best for panel work, thicker wire will be hard to get a neat appearance and will be tricky to avoid burning through.

Don't try and lay down a continuous bead. Aim to make a small bright puddle and let go of the trigger before it burns through. Wait for the puddle to cool and lay another one on it's edge. You'll have to pull that trigger 100's of times.

The effect you'll see with that technique is refereed to as a "stack of dimes"

You can see the effect in this pic.



There's a bit of welding technique stuff in my various threads if you're interested.

I've still got a lot to learn but a lot of it just comes from practice so keep up the good work!

[GeorgeMK1]

Wow pete, thanks for that. To be honest i didnt know a few of those things you mentioned such as closer ground is better etc. Thanks mate i really appreciate it, as i dont always have someone to guide me and sort of learn on my own, as i go really. I am currently using 8mm, and am on the lowest power setting. However i noticed lastnight when i amped the power a bit, it worked alot better.

And yes i never hold down the trigger continuessly, as i learned the hard way that it burns through haha !! As for looking into your thread, haha mate where do you think i got all the inspiration from? In all honesty if it wasnt for your thread i wouldnt be doing any of this at all

---------- Post added 26-02-2012 at 10:52 AM ---------- Previous post was 25-02-2012 at 01:58 PM ----------

A few quick welds before heading out yesterday. (and yes i got a haircut )

[Peter Jones]

OK . Two things.

Get yourself some gloves. If you can't afford a pair I'll send a set of my used ones.
If you keep going like that you'll have third degree sunburn on your hands and arms.

Secondly, that mask isn't doing you any favours. You can pick up a self darkening one for under $100. You'll be able to start the welds in the right position and have both hands free.
I tend to use both hands on the torch to keep it really steady. One hand on the handle and trigger and the other hand bracing the torch against the body work to keep it really still.
Waving it about in the air like a magic wand doesn't work.

Before you start a weld plan out what path your hands will follow and make sure the torch will be at the right angle over the entire path.
Consider if you need something to lean your hand against to keep it steady. Even a well placed set of vice grips can help steady your hand.
You're aiming for mm accuracy here.

[hiho]

Wear gloves and a long sleeve cotton shirt and try to cover all exposed skin. The arc emits massive amounts of UV radiation and you will get burned if you weld for long enough. Good ventilation is essential too unless you want black lungs

[GeorgeMK1]

Thanks Pete, i will most definately take those things into consideration next time i weld. Pete and Hiho, i do wear gloves however this was a quick pic haha. I also 90% of the time do wear a long sleeve top when i weld, but only because i didnt want to get dirty. I had no idea that the arc creates such a strong amounts of UV. I guess hygiene saved my skin a little haha

Anyway here i have plugged up all the holes on the radiotor support and have grinded everything down, and made it smooth. This golf will have a smoothened and shaved engine bay, and all holes will be plugged. I have never actually shaved an engine bay, so if anyone wants to give me tips or pointers, im all ears. Matter of fact this is my very first car resto at all, so ANY tips will be great haha. Im chasing down POR15 at the moment to eliminate the rust i cant remove myself.

Now i need some pros/cons with the rain tray. This golf will be my daily, so i thought i should keep the rain tray for two reasons, one, so that i can use heater/fan, and two so that the water that goes through the bonnet when it rains, doesnt do all over my engine bay, speeding up the rust and ruining my paint job. Can anyone tell me how people who shave the rain tray keep the engine bay from getting wet in the rain?

[Peter Jones]

Can anyone tell me how people who shave the rain tray keep the engine bay from getting wet in the rain?

I've removed the rain tray in the race car I'm building.

No water will get in through the bonnet vents because my fibreglass bonnet doesn't have any.

I guess other people block them off or just let the water flow through.

I'm not going to run a heater either so all those holes will be blocked up too.

[GRN_VAGN]

Notch the chassis while your there Georgey,
Saves you ruining axles later on if you plan to go low... (which of course, you will )

[Jarred]

dont notch the axles yet, if you ever want it to get registered!

[GeorgeMK1]

I guess other people block them off or just let the water flow through.

As in block off the vents on the bonnet? Is there some way i can by pass that to get fresh air into the heater, but no rain... Hmm tricky question.

dont notch the axles yet, if you ever want it to get registered!

They are already half notched, but i have to finish it properly. As for registration, who said it wasnt rego'd?

---------- Post added 27-02-2012 at 07:11 PM ---------- Previous post was 26-02-2012 at 10:10 PM ----------

Took off the only remaining things today, rear suspension beam and fuel tank. The golf is now completely stripped. I will be fixing whatever needs fixing underneath the car, and am going to paint the whole underside of lucy the golf with bitumen. About 2 layers of it. I love that stuff, and i think will work great.

Now fellas i really need some help on this subject as its THE ONLY thing that is stopping me from continuing my project. Rust. I have cut and welded most rust but some i cannot reach. I have two parts to this question, if anyone can help me i would love them forever, and even throw in a free hug. A) for the rust that i cannot remove or reach/get to, do i simply 'rust converter' and paint over or? I just dont want it coming to surface within 2 years. B) For the bits that i have cut/weld and fresh metal, what do i coat it with to ensure it never see's moisture anymore and will never rust agian. I need a very good seal, as well as being able to stick to bare metal. PLEASE PLEASE help its the only thing stopping my build from now on. Sadface.


Stripped



Also what are these for? Previous owner must have done it.. but what for. Only the belt was attached, the other hinge is unknown