Trying something new (to me)

[Steevo]

I am restoring a vintage garden tractor, and the original hood is badly rusted out along the hinge mount at the bottom edge:

I have a donor hood from another model (not interchangable, or I'd just swap it).

My plan is to cut out the area outlined in red here:

And cut out the same area of the damaged hood.
Then weld the good piece in place of the bad, grind smooth, glaze the flaws, paint and go.
I could just drill out the welds between the grill section and the hood and swap the good grill for the bad one, but then the headlight mounts would be incorrect for the year of the tractor.

I have seen lots of threads on here by very experienced body metal artists, who can cut out and replace just about anything.

I have never attempted this before, but an somewhat profficient with a MIG welder. I know enough not to over-do it and melt/warp stuff, and to stitch it along the seam then go back and fill in the rest, but could use any pointers that those of you who do this can offer to me.

It is about 16ga steel and I'll clean the pieces well and have them prepped for welding prior to attempting this.

 

[Zeke]

Just read through MP&C's threads. Nothing else could be added.

 

[CJM8515]

The key is to take it slow and make many small welds so as to not heat up the metal and warp it.

 

[Fender1325]

Make a tack, then maybe 5 inches away make another, and so on. When you've reached the end put another tack next to the first one, then one next to the second tack you made. This will keep you hopping around and your heat low.

Keep in mind the grinder can warp metal too, so dont work too hard or long in an area. Id start with a new 40 grit flap disk to rip the tacks down, then an 80 to smooth it out more.

Make sure to set it up exactly where you want it, and leave maybe 1/16" gap so the metal has somewhere to go and not pile up on the surface.

 

[Steevo]

Great info, everyone.

Thanks.

 

[jimgood]

I believe the gap between the pieces is pretty important too; IIRC gap should be the same as the thickness of the metal? But, like Zeke said...

 

[countryroad82]

I can't add nothing here. The best one is look at MP&C, sometimes I feel he makes me look like a total hack! Only thing I can add is take your time!

 

[MP&C]

Steevo, any welding operation involving sheet metal is going to introduce a certain amount of shrinkage into the equation, which will result in some distortion of the panel along the weld. Be prepared to do some planishing to stretch the area back out and remove some of this distortion. On a straight seam, you will experience the same amount of shrinkage on both sides of the weld seam. Now introduce a sharp corner, as you have drawn in to your proposed cut line. You still have the same amount of shrinking on either side of the line, but when you get into these tight corners, the shrinking effects will start to stack up/compound and cause a pucker right there at the inside corner. It will be more difficult to remove this distortion, and to help limit this effect, either make the sharp 90 into a more gradual radius, or in your case, get rid of the 90's altogether. You could cut your seam straight across and straight around the sides, (if the widths are the same) and it will eliminate any "stacking" effect. You'll still have shrinking to contend with, but with the distortion more balanced on either side of the weld joint, it will be an easier job of removing said distortion with a bit of planishing.

 

[Kevin54]

Nothing much to add other than to second what Fender said.......use a flap disc over a solid disc. It will cut a little faster but not heat up as quick as a solid disc.

I'm assuming that this is your Bolens you are starting to tackle?

 

[MP&C]

For grinding any welds on sheet metal, I prefer to use a 1/16 wide cutoff wheel. It has about the smallest sized contact area that you will find, which will keep heat buildup to a minimum. Also, it is about the best thing going to use for grinding welds without blocking the view of what you are doing. Flap wheels, 4-1/2" grinding discs, and the like, block your view where you run a greater risk of hitting the parent metal to the outside of the weld, thinning out the panel in the process. Here's a video showing this grinding process on a plug weld..


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2WHT_zMOE8




.

 

[MarkG]

These little panel clamp deals are about the best thing yet for this type of work! I did a lot of patching in on my truck a few years ago. It was my first time doing this stuff including using a cheapo shrinker/stretcher for the wheel arch area. As everyone else said-----just a lot of tacks skipping around till it's filled in. You definitely don't want to try to run any beads, you'll just blow a big hole. It will look pretty nasty probably, but after grinding and a little filler, no one will know!

 

[Steevo]

These little panel clamp deals are about the best thing yet for this type of work! I did a lot of patching in on my truck a few years ago. It was my first time doing this stuff including using a cheapo shrinker/stretcher for the wheel arch area. As everyone else said-----just a lot of tacks skipping around till it's filled in. It will look pretty nasty probably, but after grinding and a little filler, no one will know!

I am planning to pick up set of those at HF today, with my 25% off 4th of July coupon.

 

[Steevo]

Nothing much to add other than to second what Fender said.......use a flap disc over a solid disc. It will cut a little faster but not heat up as quick as a solid disc.

I'm assuming that this is your Bolens you are starting to tackle?

Yes, it is this one, that has been in the corner for five years:

This is what it looks like today:

I went all the way down to bare frame rails with it:

Every nut, bolt, bearing, bushing and seal replaced, rebuilt the hydrostat, new engine, power steering conversion, etc.

 

[Steevo]

Steevo, any welding operation involving sheet metal is going to introduce a certain amount of shrinkage into the equation, which will result in some distortion of the panel along the weld. Be prepared to do some planishing to stretch the area back out and remove some of this distortion. On a straight seam, you will experience the same amount of shrinkage on both sides of the weld seam. Now introduce a sharp corner, as you have drawn in to your proposed cut line. You still have the same amount of shrinking on either side of the line, but when you get into these tight corners, the shrinking effects will start to stack up/compound and cause a pucker right there at the inside corner. It will be more difficult to remove this distortion, and to help limit this effect, either make the sharp 90 into a more gradual radius, or in your case, get rid of the 90's altogether. You could cut your seam straight across and straight around the sides, (if the widths are the same) and it will eliminate any "stacking" effect. You'll still have shrinking to contend with, but with the distortion more balanced on either side of the weld joint, it will be an easier job of removing said distortion with a bit of planishing.

Thank you for that information, Robert.
I'll see if I can cut it all the way around on one line.

 

[racingtadpole]

Yes, it is this one, that has been in the corner for five years:

This is what it looks like today:

I went all the way down to bare frame rails with it:

Every nut, bolt, bearing, bushing and seal replaced, rebuilt the hydrostat, new engine, power steering conversion, etc.

You know you can't post those pictures and not start a build thread...

 

[Steevo]

You know you can't post those pictures and not start a build thread...

The build thread is over on MyTractorForum.com:
http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/823698-my-ht20-rebuild-refresh.html

 

[racingtadpole]

The build thread is over on MyTractorForum.com:
http://www.mytractorforum.com/18-bolens-forum/823698-my-ht20-rebuild-refresh.html

Thanks for the link.
Your work looks great.

 

[richeyc2000]

Looking great Steevo. Starters my bench build to help build another bench inspired by the files you sent me back a few months ago. Thanks again for them. Subscribed to this one. Best of luck with it.

 

[Steevo]

I did the transplant on Sunday.

Cut the bottom off the good hood, and clamped it to the bottom of the "to be saved" hood.

Spot welded between the clamps front and back:

Then a bunch more between those.
And ground down the welds.

I took the hood and other parts to the sandblaster today, and will finish the fill/grind/glaze/sand when it comes back.

Thanks for all the help everyone.

 

[Fender1325]

Looks great. Good job

 

[Reddodge]

Don't mean to side track the thread but not being a body guy-Those little clamps look Very cool. How do they work and where do I get some.

 

[Reddodge]

OK just googled them and found out how they work. Ingenious little things.

 

[nine4gmc]

Great work so far Steevo!

 

[MP&C]

Looking good!

 

[dlcwent]

Real nice Steevo. What a sweet little tractor. What year is it?

 

[Steevo]

Real nice Steevo. What a sweet little tractor. What year is it?

It is a 1974 Bolens HT-20