Scout-It-Out
Member
Very cool build!! Love it!! I'll have some extreme rust pictures soon.
Very clean bug too! I drive a '63.
Very clean bug too! I drive a '63.
No-Name '73 Scout II
- Thread starter Cowtron
- Start date
Looks like you left the original piece that the original floor braces, trans tunnel and floor itself were attached to. I would weld a 1" by 1/8" thick angle to either side of that piece. Then when you weld in the new floors you can attach them to your angle iron tying everything back together. Normally when we replace a floor we always leave around an 1" of original floor attached so that we can weld the new floor to. Hope that all makes sense. I put a couple lines on your picture to show you what I mean.
Attachments
Cowtron
Member
Jeff, that makes perfect sense, glad you were able to understand my ramblings 
I don't really know what we planned on doing once we cut all that out, but you know hindsight is 20/20. Is that leftover seam structural for anything other than the floor? Would it be any benefit to remove it totally and replace the whole thing or am I just creating more work at that point? Thanks for the advice!
I don't really know what we planned on doing once we cut all that out, but you know hindsight is 20/20. Is that leftover seam structural for anything other than the floor? Would it be any benefit to remove it totally and replace the whole thing or am I just creating more work at that point? Thanks for the advice!
If it's in otherwise good shape I would leave it as it will be a ton of additional work to fully replace that part of the tub. If you put something else in there it probably needs to be as tall as that rib helps support the tub in the middle and keeps it from sagging.
Cowtron
Member
Well, after procrastinating for a while, I got a couple steps closer on the Scout. I welded a section of angle to replace the aforementioned rib going alongside the trans tunnel. Seems to be pretty strong, and I'll have something to weld the floor to like Jeff suggested.
After that, I welded in a section of 1x3 box for the body mount. Of course, after doing all the welding, I'm not 100% happy with it. I might cut it back out and adjust the angle a bit. I'm also not 100% happy with the welds. I'm still really novice, and I manage to burn through just about any thin tubing I put my hands on. You can see on the left end what I'm talking about. But it does give me a nice preview for the time being!
Anybody have any tips for welding thin tubing to thicker metal? I've read that some people simply focus most of the puddle onto the thicker material and sort of "dip" into the thin to keep the heat down. It seems like an ok concept, but I can't seem to get the hang of it yet.
After that, I welded in a section of 1x3 box for the body mount. Of course, after doing all the welding, I'm not 100% happy with it. I might cut it back out and adjust the angle a bit. I'm also not 100% happy with the welds. I'm still really novice, and I manage to burn through just about any thin tubing I put my hands on. You can see on the left end what I'm talking about. But it does give me a nice preview for the time being!
Anybody have any tips for welding thin tubing to thicker metal? I've read that some people simply focus most of the puddle onto the thicker material and sort of "dip" into the thin to keep the heat down. It seems like an ok concept, but I can't seem to get the hang of it yet.
Cowtron
Member
Holy cow! I've been using .030, and I've got a flux core welder. Maybe that's my problem. I'd like to eventually get a grown up welder, but it never seems to be the right time to buy one. Something else is always coming up!
I had some luck today putting in the cross-braces for the floor. I turned it down a bit and didn't burn through this time, hopefully that's not an indication that it's turned too low. Seems to be penetrating both pieces judging by the heat discoloration. I guess we'll see when I'm riding flintstone style with my butt on the ground in a few months!
I had some luck today putting in the cross-braces for the floor. I turned it down a bit and didn't burn through this time, hopefully that's not an indication that it's turned too low. Seems to be penetrating both pieces judging by the heat discoloration. I guess we'll see when I'm riding flintstone style with my butt on the ground in a few months!
Cowtron
Member
I have the hobart handler 125 ez, doesn't have any mig capabilities it's literally the easiest welder you can buy, I think. I mean, it only has one knob with pictures of how thick the metal is. Live and learn, I suppose.
I'm seeing a trip to the welding shop in my future, I believe two months is close enough to qualify for an "early bday gift" :d
it's literally the easiest welder you can buy, I think. I mean, it only has one knob with pictures of how thick the metal is. Live and learn, I suppose.I'm seeing a trip to the welding shop in my future, I believe two months is close enough to qualify for an "early bday gift" :d
punjig
Member
I have had the same problems with tiring to get by with a flux core. The welds hold just fine but I will never be able to put nice finish weld on my project. I always have to go to a friends house to use his mig. At first I thought I would just make one trip to do a bunch of weld on the chassis, but that has not been the case. If I had to do it over I would buy a nice mig out of the gate.
Scooter
Active member
I'm liking the rocker build.
Flux core wire isn't exactly ideal for sheet metal. Only good that flux core wire is good for is outside use where it tends to get windy. As stated, .023 and argon/co2 gas mix works well. The little 110v mig welders are well suited for it, but limit ones capabilities for thicker material. My mig is of the 220v variety, and personally don't have a need for anything smaller. For me, I have found that .030 wire, along with 75/25 co2/argon mix works well for just about everything that I have done on my own projects. Ranging from sheet metal patch repair(including floor replacement) to roll cage builds and other metal fusion upto 1/2".
Flux core wire isn't exactly ideal for sheet metal. Only good that flux core wire is good for is outside use where it tends to get windy. As stated, .023 and argon/co2 gas mix works well. The little 110v mig welders are well suited for it, but limit ones capabilities for thicker material. My mig is of the 220v variety, and personally don't have a need for anything smaller. For me, I have found that .030 wire, along with 75/25 co2/argon mix works well for just about everything that I have done on my own projects. Ranging from sheet metal patch repair(including floor replacement) to roll cage builds and other metal fusion upto 1/2".
FDChappie
Well-known member
Hobart handler 180 here which is about as big as you can go on a 120v welder. It will pop a 20a breaker at full output. Good for about 1/4" steel and a very nice arc.
The nicest ones I've used are 3 phase millers which gives a nice smooth arc and pretty welds to go with it.
The nicest ones I've used are 3 phase millers which gives a nice smooth arc and pretty welds to go with it.
Cowtron
Member
Thanks for the comments, guys. I'll probably stick to the smaller 120 when I go mig. I'm hesitant to do any electrical in the "garage" since it's really just a big shed. It's not even big enough to pull the Scout in, so I end up doing all the welding on her outside, anyway. Plus, we are in a 80's manufactured double-wide, so the wiring here is.... Interesting.
I might end up running some 220 out there. And by "I" I mean maybe somebody who actually knows what they are doing.
I might end up running some 220 out there. And by "I" I mean maybe somebody who actually knows what they are doing.
Cowtron
Member
Got some more missions accomplished on the Scout in recent weeks. Making progress slowly, but still making progress!
Finished up the passenger side rocker a while back, didn't get photos of that one but basically the same as the driver side. I was having a heck of a time getting the fan to stay on my welder, which was making the rocker progress very slow-going. But with some suggestions from the forums I was able to get it jammed on there pretty well, seems to be holding now.
After that, I cut out and replaced the pillar corner gusset on that side with a new one from IHPA. It went pretty well, just need to go back to the driver side and replace that one.
Welded in a section of angle that spans the length of the trans tunnel, just like I did on the driver side. There isn't a whole lot to weld to, so I think I might need to devise some sort of supports. But it's there, which is good enough for now, as I can at least use it as a guide.
Next will be the cross-supports, but I got sidetracked by a nice little birthday surprise - 2.5" Rough Country lift! I ran into some issues with the hardware they sent, but after a couple days of parts runs we were able to get the font installed and I think it looks pretty good! There is some fierce forum debate over the quality of this brand, but honestly I've only driven the thing for a grand total of ten minutes so I'm not sure I'd notice a ride quality difference. On the other hand, some of the guys were saying they've broken parts from the rc lift, which worries me a little bit. That's a problem for future cowtron, I suppose :d
we cleaned up the axle & diff with a wire wheel as best we could without rolling it out from under the truck. The plan was to take it out and do an all-around clean, but in the interest of saving daylight we decided to leave it in when we were struggling with the steering linkage. If/when we get the body lifted off, we'll revisit this area and really get in there. Still 100% cleaner than it was before - about 1" of crap came off that pumpkin! Now some pics...
The ol' ball and chain doing the details with a drill and wire wheel. Angle grinder & wire wheel was used for the larger areas:
Cutting the extremely long u bolts that I had to go out and buy, as the kit didn't have long enough ones for the diff side of the front axle. I'm not too worried about it, as I May end up changing the front axle in the future anyhow:
After painting. Shiny!
And now this is how she sits with the front done. Hopefully I can bargain for some time this weekend to get the rear done. All in all, I'm happy with it:
That's it for now. Hope everybody has a great turkey day! Or if you're not into that kind of thing, hope you have a great November 26th
Finished up the passenger side rocker a while back, didn't get photos of that one but basically the same as the driver side. I was having a heck of a time getting the fan to stay on my welder, which was making the rocker progress very slow-going. But with some suggestions from the forums I was able to get it jammed on there pretty well, seems to be holding now.
After that, I cut out and replaced the pillar corner gusset on that side with a new one from IHPA. It went pretty well, just need to go back to the driver side and replace that one.
Welded in a section of angle that spans the length of the trans tunnel, just like I did on the driver side. There isn't a whole lot to weld to, so I think I might need to devise some sort of supports. But it's there, which is good enough for now, as I can at least use it as a guide.
Next will be the cross-supports, but I got sidetracked by a nice little birthday surprise - 2.5" Rough Country lift! I ran into some issues with the hardware they sent, but after a couple days of parts runs we were able to get the font installed and I think it looks pretty good! There is some fierce forum debate over the quality of this brand, but honestly I've only driven the thing for a grand total of ten minutes so I'm not sure I'd notice a ride quality difference. On the other hand, some of the guys were saying they've broken parts from the rc lift, which worries me a little bit. That's a problem for future cowtron, I suppose :d
we cleaned up the axle & diff with a wire wheel as best we could without rolling it out from under the truck. The plan was to take it out and do an all-around clean, but in the interest of saving daylight we decided to leave it in when we were struggling with the steering linkage. If/when we get the body lifted off, we'll revisit this area and really get in there. Still 100% cleaner than it was before - about 1" of crap came off that pumpkin! Now some pics...
The ol' ball and chain doing the details with a drill and wire wheel. Angle grinder & wire wheel was used for the larger areas:
Cutting the extremely long u bolts that I had to go out and buy, as the kit didn't have long enough ones for the diff side of the front axle. I'm not too worried about it, as I May end up changing the front axle in the future anyhow:
After painting. Shiny!
And now this is how she sits with the front done. Hopefully I can bargain for some time this weekend to get the rear done. All in all, I'm happy with it:
That's it for now. Hope everybody has a great turkey day! Or if you're not into that kind of thing, hope you have a great November 26th
Cowtron
Member
Somebody on bp asked what the heck is up with the no-name Scout, so here's the latest. Progress resumed after lots of turkey and mashed potatoes were had :d
first, we got the rear half lifted. Really happy with it, and it went pretty well aside from some issues with the size of the alignment pins. Had to drill our some material on the perches, but not too much.
Then I got back to the floor, here are the cross braces on the passenger side:
I thought it was funny that these guys have never ridden in the Scout, yet they know it's their truck and they are going to have some good times. They are like supervisors watching over my shoulder to keep me on-task
Then came cutting and fitting the sheet metal. Not too many pics of the process, but here are a few. I went with a 16ga sheet. Cut it to the right size using a cardboard template, then marked the underside where the cross-braces were. Drilled every few inches or so for the welds.
I actually went back after this pic was taken and added a ton more welds, this was not nearly enough. Every time I touched it, it sounded like a tin can, so I can only imagine what it would have sounded like if I tried to drive it like that. It's really solid now:
Passenger:
Driver with the part behind the pedals (what's that called anyway?)
Passenger:
And I think that's it for now! I'm going to seam seal those panels in between the welds so I don't throw more heat into the metal by trying to weld completely around. I was doing ok on the new metal, but kept catching the underside of the trans tunnel on fire because it's caked with grease. Hmm, if only there was something I could do to prevent that :d
if I had to do it again, I would not cut out the brace where the two factory sections of floor meet. I am having some issues with the angle of the floor on the passenger side, as mentioned above. I'm sure not getting trigger-happy with the cutting wheel would have saved me some grief. Learned the hard way on that one.
Next will be the cargo area. Most of it is good, I might end up just trying to patch up some holes, but knowing the team, we'll have the whole thing cut out in no time.
Thanks for checking in!
first, we got the rear half lifted. Really happy with it, and it went pretty well aside from some issues with the size of the alignment pins. Had to drill our some material on the perches, but not too much.
Then I got back to the floor, here are the cross braces on the passenger side:
I thought it was funny that these guys have never ridden in the Scout, yet they know it's their truck and they are going to have some good times. They are like supervisors watching over my shoulder to keep me on-task
Then came cutting and fitting the sheet metal. Not too many pics of the process, but here are a few. I went with a 16ga sheet. Cut it to the right size using a cardboard template, then marked the underside where the cross-braces were. Drilled every few inches or so for the welds.
I actually went back after this pic was taken and added a ton more welds, this was not nearly enough. Every time I touched it, it sounded like a tin can, so I can only imagine what it would have sounded like if I tried to drive it like that. It's really solid now:
Passenger:
Driver with the part behind the pedals (what's that called anyway?)
Passenger:
And I think that's it for now! I'm going to seam seal those panels in between the welds so I don't throw more heat into the metal by trying to weld completely around. I was doing ok on the new metal, but kept catching the underside of the trans tunnel on fire because it's caked with grease. Hmm, if only there was something I could do to prevent that :d
if I had to do it again, I would not cut out the brace where the two factory sections of floor meet. I am having some issues with the angle of the floor on the passenger side, as mentioned above. I'm sure not getting trigger-happy with the cutting wheel would have saved me some grief. Learned the hard way on that one.
Next will be the cargo area. Most of it is good, I might end up just trying to patch up some holes, but knowing the team, we'll have the whole thing cut out in no time.
Thanks for checking in!