Rust Repairs

[5m3g_head]

thanks O_man..... I'll remove the tank and get on with it.

cheers for the info

[5m3g_head]

Just had another though, can I drain the fuel tank and fill it full of water before working on this area ?

obviously I need to dry it out well before reusing it but it would be easier than removing the tank.

[barned01]

well i removed an rt142 tank at the wreckers on the weekend (part of the rt142 fits ra40 idea floating around courtesy of owen aht the witzl). now this is supposed to be similar to ra65/ma61 fuel tanks.
there are 3 hoses going to the tank.
2 are piss easy as they are held on with standard plier job clips.
the third is a bit harder as it is one of those annoying threaded style ones. Assuming you can crack that one threaded dooberie, the tank can be pulled from the car in under 20 minutes.
I say the effort of draining, filling with water, clearing of water completely and refilling is much more than removing 2 bolts (that hold the tank in place), three hoses (of which only 1 is a potential show stopper) and 3 or 4 screws (around the filler neck) to drop the tank would be (plus a plug or 2 i guess).
and you don't have to worry about it being in the way when you go wayward with die grinder/welder. and the wet towels won't get in the way either.

Please make sure you take lots of pics of your progress and update your process you took into this thread.

[o_man_ra23]

Im with barned... its not that hard a task to get the tank out... its just the pressure line thats a bugger... but a bit of persistance and a lot of NuLube will fix that... oh and if you can borrow a good 17mm hose spanner... that would make your life easier. Failing that, the wet towels will be easier than using water... a little bit of water will do a lot of damage to your engine.

Cheers, Owen

[GasedT18]

All the welders out there,

can anyone recommend a mid sized MIG unit?

Also, I have a fair bit of rust to cut from a project. If I did the cutting and made up the pieces of sheet to fit, and did the cleaning up, how much would it cost to get the welding done by a 'pro' (say on an hourly basis) - preferably them coming to me vs trailering the shell to them. I'm a great fan of DIY - you learn from your own mistakes, eventually get the hang of it and at the end you've got the tools - for often less than paying a 'pro' (depending on the size of the job and how much one might plan to do in the future), but if I can find someone who charges reasonable rates it might change my mind.

I've done a fair amount rust cutting, rust proofing, patching and bogging - it never stands the test of time. If your going to spend heaps on a paint job it is a waste not to cut and weld.

Also, it's really important that any metal filings are removed from the inside creases of panels - vacuumed out.

I've used fish oil as a preventative and it is good - the thicker the stuff is the better and lots of coats.

D

[MWP]

If your a big fan of DIY (as i am), buy a MIG.
Welding car panels isnt easy, but with a little practice you should be able to do tacs to hold in repair panels which you can then bog over.
The MIG will also come in very handy in the future.

Its seems TIG is also a DIY option these days as the welders are now within the price range for home use.

[GasedT18]

MWP,

do you recommend a brand? Are the cheapie Chinese units good value?

Have you used gasless vs gased and what were your impressions? The impression I have is that doing a section at a time with MIG you can avoid warping and with TIG you can go from start to finish without warping.

D

[MWP]

Im a novice with a welder, so someone else will have to answer those questions for you.
Ive only ever done welding with a borrowed gas MIG, so i cant offer any opinions on what gasless are like, etc.
I just know that now ive done some welding (i stitch welded up my RA28 chassis), a good MIG/TIG will be on my list of things to buy.

[Yotaholic]

Hey i'm also doing a rusto opps i mean restoration on my 82 . If you can get a mig that has gas capabilities then thats the way to go , the flux core is o.k. for some things (bbq repair ) but not good for body panels and chassis repair. Unshielded wire in .20 works good for panels and .30 for 18 guage sheetmetal or thicker. I'm no pro welder but I have been stickin things together for a while and with every new role of wire i'm gettin better I like the stick it and hammer form the metal . Just get a couple of body hammers and spend some money on a good helmet to protect your eyes ( digital solor powered is $$$ but works ) I just bought a Decastar 135e and it's gas or flux currently i'm on co2 and it's great . I thought i'd share some of my mess and I hope your Supra is in better shape . Good luck with your project and pics are always fun especially when it's not your rust ..LOL

Bruce

Yuck!!!!




Yummm!! Not great but o.k. it's not finished I still have to grind down the welds and treat it with 3m rust killer 3m part #'s Weld thru Coating 05913 Rust fighter #08892
I thought I would also show you what the guys were talkin about with the adhesive 2 part mix for panels etc. We use it quite a bit up here and it works excellent for fiberglass repair panels on a Toyota truck. You have to check out the full line of this stuff to see just what it can do . Hope it helps

http://www.3m.com/intl/nz/english/ab...n/story10.html

[5m3g_head]

Thanks for all the input folks. I'll remove the tank soon and take some pictures. I drained it last night and was going to remove it tonight but it supposed to be mid 40s today so I might wait till it cools down.

I have borrowed a small MIG and am about to lear how to weld with it. I scammed an old boot lid from a wrecker to paractic on. Im just chasing a helmet at the moment.

Eventually I start a thred with pix of my progress.

[o_man_ra23]

Im looking at a CIG MIG161 for $800 locally not ebay, 6 current settings and analog wirefeed. Look for something with a decent wire feeder and as many settings as possible. Detachable/replaceable gun leads are a great thing too. Ive used a few migs, and the cheapies just are a pain in the arse.

Cheers, Owen

[YLD-16L]

I'm enrolled in a MIG/TIG course which starts in about 1 months time, I hope to learn enough to tackle some small jobs, one of which being some minor rust repairs.

I have access to/own a TIG/MIG so should be able to get in plenty of practice.


I have a question though regarding rust repairs, I was under the impression that for cosmetic panel work oxy welding was best?? A book I have at home recommends oxy over MIG as a skilled oxy welder can minimise panel distortion and the join created can be softer and easier to work with??

Thoughts?

[o_man_ra23]

note the term skilled. it takes many years to get skilled with an oxy. TIG is a little easier, and can yeild almost as good a result as OXY. MIG is by far easier, and with grinder in hand, you can get quite good results... its also a one handed job, leaving the other free to hold the work in place (with suitable protective gloves etc)

Cheers, Owen

[YLD-16L]

note the term skilled. it takes many years to get skilled with an oxy.

Yep, that's why I noted it. I guess that after some practice I'll determine whether to MIG, TIG or get someone skilled with an oxy to do it. I also have an oxy setup in the garage but I won't be doing a course on oxy welding until after mid-year and as you said, it takes longer to attain the talent anyway

[o_man_ra23]

After taking my RA23 to a panel beater to get some rust patched up in the rocker sills for a roadworthy, and him charging me $150 plus a carton of beer to weld in 3 small patches which I had cut, shaped and cleaned for him... I decided to learn how to weld. Its been about 4 years since that work was done, and guess what?? The rust is back... because the old rust wasnt cut out and the inside of the sill wasnt treated.

So... The "professional" in summing took my money, got me to buy him a case of beer, welded in plates I had made without advising me to cut the affected areas clean, didnt treat the area properly and left me with something that I now have to cut back out and re-do. I was younger and less learned than I am now, and he knew that, so took advantage of me like a woman at a mechanic shop. Oh, and the welds looked crap too.

So, if your going to get a skilled person to do the work... make sure they arent dodgy, and get the area treated properly after the repairs are done... nothing worse than the crap coming back.

Cheers, Owen