Rust in all the Usual Places...
Posted: Fri Apr 11, 2008 4:45 pm
I bought one of those buses and it's true. All you Left Coasters, Dry and Non-Salt State people go give your "rust-free' buses a hug, I'll wait.
Back yet? Anyhow here's is one of the pictures.
I've seen some of the miracles and read a few war stories, but I still have questions. I have the 'bus depot' pieces (show in photo). They fit well but seem to need some trimming and bending. Here come the questions...
Should the pieces be trimmed and bent?
Do I cut the frame out to match the width and height of the pieces or should I allow an 'overlap' to weld?
Is it necessary to weld a 'bead' or can the welds be ''spots'?
After grinding the welds, should I use a 'metal filler' (Alvin Products - Lab Metal, for example) or fill with regular body putty?
I could go on but I think you folks get the idea of where I am going with this. I am about to make some serious cuts and grinds and attempt to mate some moderately expensive metal pieces back into place. The hope is that the end product will - look good, not leak, allow windshield reset, and not haunt me again for a few years. (Hey, I can dream, can't I?).
Here are some of the other 'usual places'...
battery tray
lower nose
p.s. CEO IAC - photos depict actual (cramped) working space, refund deposit to my paypal account if you have second thoughts.
Back yet? Anyhow here's is one of the pictures.
I've seen some of the miracles and read a few war stories, but I still have questions. I have the 'bus depot' pieces (show in photo). They fit well but seem to need some trimming and bending. Here come the questions...
Should the pieces be trimmed and bent?
Do I cut the frame out to match the width and height of the pieces or should I allow an 'overlap' to weld?
Is it necessary to weld a 'bead' or can the welds be ''spots'?
After grinding the welds, should I use a 'metal filler' (Alvin Products - Lab Metal, for example) or fill with regular body putty?
I could go on but I think you folks get the idea of where I am going with this. I am about to make some serious cuts and grinds and attempt to mate some moderately expensive metal pieces back into place. The hope is that the end product will - look good, not leak, allow windshield reset, and not haunt me again for a few years. (Hey, I can dream, can't I?).
Here are some of the other 'usual places'...
battery tray
lower nose
p.s. CEO IAC - photos depict actual (cramped) working space, refund deposit to my paypal account if you have second thoughts.