I’m currently working on repairs on my '98 Durango. It’s got a lot of rust damage that I’m working on cutting out and replacing. I plan to stay with the vehicle for the duration of the repairs, which at this point are looking to take a few days. The vehicle is off to the side so other vehicles are still able to be pulled into the bay. Someone asked if I had gotten the multi-day project approved, which I hadn’t thought would be an issue if I remained with the vehicle.
So now I’m retroactively asking, is it alright if my Durango sits on the side of the car bay for a few days? I will be done with the work no later than Sunday, January 4, although I believe the vehicle will be mobile again by Friday.
That will be OK, thanks for not blocking the bay. Be sure to write a note and leave it on the car with your name and contact info for when you are not there. Also please take some before and after pics to post here!
In general its better to keep the vehicle mobile so it can be stored outside when not actively working on it, but we also want to enable larger projects like you are doing.
Thanks, I’ll be sure to post some pictures then. I tried to upload one but it didn’t allow me to since I’m a new user. Work is going well, but ran into a few snags yesterday. Found a few spots I’ll need to make simple patches for as well.
I’m just about finished cutting out the rusted sections. Just a little bit more and I’ll be ready to start welding in new material.
This afternoon or so I could use some help for anyone who wants to. I’m thinking shaping patches, a little bit of rust grinding for the lightly rusted areas near where I’m working, and general this-and-that assistance. Eventually I’ll need to reinstall doors and fenders as well. If anyone needs something to do today, tomorrow, etc. I’d be happy to have you around.
The MakerSpace needs shields for any welding in the auto bay. This is a general use area and arc welding should not be allowed without shields setup. I have seen shields in the metal shop, but I am not sure how mobile they are.
All welding that can possibly be done in the metal shop should be done there, but with something that can’t physically be moved into the metal shop, is having the welding fume extractor running and some screens up in the auto area acceptable? We will also need to do some welding on the Lemons car in the next couple weeks
I would like to finish the other side of my Durango this coming weekend. I would like to begin the evening of the 15th (Thursday) or the morning of the 16th (Friday) and work through Monday, January 19, if needed.
I have spoken with several of the more established members and they said welding was acceptable in the automotive area if necessary, but to make sure to keep flammables and other people away from where you are welding.
Excellence Improvements:
Move the welding screens out into the automotive bay to block light
Run fume extractor when grinding and welding
Keep walkway in front of receiving door accessible
Lay down cardboard/other material to ensure no fluids drip onto floor (in case I was the unknowing culprit who left the fluids)
Please let me know if there is anything else I can do to improve everyone else’s experience in the Makerspace while I work through this project. Certainly if anything comes up while I’m working do inform me and I’ll remedy the situation.
It should only be in the automotive area 1-2 days. Is it possible for the welding shop to get a spool of .030" solid wire and install it into the MIG welder before Saturday? The .035" wire is rated at a minimum of 18 gauge and some automotive sheet metal is thinner. I imagine the Lemons car would benefit from a smaller wire for their upcoming work as well.
If not, I will buy a spool and install it myself later this week.
If metal committee doesn’t have the .030 wire and you buy some I can reimburse/buy it from you as we will need to weld on the the ~22 gauge floor pan, just keep the receipt.
I was thinking maybe a matter of hours, not days. The welders, screens, and scrubber get used a lot within the shop by the other members, with the weekends being the busiest time for it, and the MIG more so than the other processes. Pretty much our most used machine now. It would be akin to taking the table saw out of the wood shop or the Bridgeport out of the machine shop for a couple of days. Not sure how Alex or Brian would feel about something like that.
If you can prepare everything beforehand that needs to be welded and do it all at once so that the machine is not out of the shop for long for the benefit of the other users of the metal shop that would be much appreciated. If you’re going to be using it for an extended time, it might be best to pick a weekday and either late at night or early morning when it’s not that busy. Bodywork can be a long and arduous process if you’re not experienced, with many screw ups along the way.
Since the welder will be on the cart it will be mobile and can be moved between the automotive area and the metal shop as needed. My experience from doing the passenger side of the vehicle was that I fit one panel, weld it in, grind in as needed, then move onto the next. There was typically an hour or two delay between panels. I have a total of 4 panels (floor pan w/ body mount, inner rocker panel, outer rocker panel, and rear wheel well) that need to be put in. I think it’s reasonable to assume I’ll be actively using the welder for 1-2 hour periods over 1-2 days, not 1-2 days straight.
As for the welding wire, I will be welding approximately between 22 gauge (floor pan) and 14 gauge (pillar support). Will the .023" be adequate for 14 gauge? Will a softer version of the weld wire still create a strong/stronger weld between the sheet metal than just sheet metal? The provided link states that it should be used with 80/20 Argon/CO2, will our 75/25 mix be sufficient? It is my understanding 100% CO2 (which we have) is not ideal for welding sheet metal as it welds hotter.
That sounds a lot better, but as far as I know we don’t have a cart for the MIG unless you have one. The blue cart in the metal shop is for John Fouch’s TIG that he was nice enough to loan us, it is not the property of DMS. The gas on that cart is pure argon to be used for the TIG. The bottles of MIG gas we currently have are too large for that cart. I’ve come in before and found John’s nice TIG welder (about $3K worth of equipment) laying on the floor, the MIG welder on his cart and hooked up to the straight argon. Hopefully that doesn’t happen again.
You will need a way to secure the MIG gas when using it such as a transport or gas cart, which we currently don’t have. That’s why I built the bottle racks in the shop and secured them against the cement wall. 75/25 is what you want to use. .023 will be fine for your welds. The easy grind is not only easier to grind, but the welds are also more malleable, while still maintaining their strength, which is good for bending or shaping panels with less chance of cracking. You’ll work the weld from thick to thin.
The MIG/TIG switch out was 100% my bad. I had been told the cart could be switched out with the MIG equipment and I just dealt with the 100% Argon at the time, which to my understanding works but not great for MIG. I will bring in a cart and handcart for the MIG welder and larger bottles.
Sounds like a plan. I think I remember there being some adjustable red strapping in one of the workshops you could use to secure the MIG bottle to one of the pillars once you’re situated.