A Blog About Land Rovers in Oklahoma
Today was a punch in the gut. My welds will.not.stick. I have no idea what is going on. I’ve tried several thing and I can’t get these welds to stick.
My goal this weekend was to get the bed installed and to move on to something else. Unfortunately this is a big set back.
I will have to investigate what is going on. Sort out what I’m doing wrong and hopefully get some welds to work.
Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.
In this post I fit my floor panel in the Range Rover. Yes, I know, it’s about time!
I finished up bolting on the support beams and got the panel test fitted in the Big White Bus. This required me to go to the hardware store and buy a bunch of stainless steel hardware. Fortunately for me I bought a box of 100 bolts. Unfortunately for me the bolts had a 37.5% failure rate when fastening them with nyloc nuts.
Why? I have no idea. It’s not like I was torquing the hell out of them. I hadn’t even bottomed the nuts out and the bolts were binding up. Pretty disappointing. I’ll be sourcing a different brand of hardware in the future. These really let me down. I’ve had problems before but thought it was me being rambunctious with the impact driver. Turns out it wasn’t that after all. You might be quick to say “made in China” I’m not surprised. But these were made in Taiwan. Normally an acceptable substitute, and if that helps them stick it to the CCP I’m all for it. Not sure where I’ll find another brand but I’ll be looking.
The panel fit was “tight” to say the least. It required a bit of persuasion (with a hammer) but it fits. The next step is to get the damn thing welded into place. I probably have 100+ plug welds to do. This is going to be a challenge.
I can see the end of this part of the project in sight so I’m excited to get after it. That’s all for this week. Like and subscribe if you enjoy the content and appreciate all the free content.
Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.
In this post I pose a question, “Why not bolt those supports on?!?”
I have the holes for bolts. I either have to weld those holes up or use them to mount the supports. It’s only a few bolts to get the beams attached. Bolted or welded I have the same result.
So I decided to bolt them on. I went through my stash of stainless bolts. You KNOW those bolts would have to stainless as do the nyloc nuts and the fender washers. So I needed a run to the hardware store. I had a coupon for 20% off on $50(US) so…let’s go nuts…I mean nuts and bolts.
I am now ready to mount those beams. I managed to get the shop up to 57 degrees Fahrenheit so I sprayed some primer on the bare metal. I then decided I needed to move the beams and the floor pan into the sunroom in the house. It is climate controlled and the paint will cure more effectively if the temp is above 60F.
I also sprayed bedliner on the floor pan too. This rubberized material will help form a water tight water resistant mount once I get this all bolted up. I’m feeling pretty pump about it actually.
The next episode will have the beams installed and mounted in the Range Rover to assure the fit is right and then to weld the pan in place.
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In this update I begin attaching the supports to the floor pan. Also in this update I tried to get carbon monoxide poison and avoided getting bit by a fiddleback spider.
I started on the supports and the first one was the strap across the back portion of the floor bed. When I removed the strap during my tear down I drilled out the welds. I did a decent job and only punched through on one weld. This allowed me to plug weld the strap back into place.
This was fortuitous. The other support beams are drilled through. That’s gonna make reattaching …difficult.
Since it was a bit chilly in the shoppe, I fired up the kerosene heater. I done this several times in the past. Before I closed the overhead door a little exhaust from the Big White Bus managed to get in. The heater must have added to a substantial amount of carbon monoxide. This set off the sensor. So I opened up the door to let the monoxides out.
I also moved the alarm, under the alarm was a damn fiddleback spider. The cold didn’t allow for the damn thing to scurry away. I ended it right there with a tap. When it twitched, I gave it a SMASH. One less brown recluse spider is a good thing.
I now have one of the three supports into place. The other two will not be as fun.
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Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.
In this video I outline all the things I’ve still got to address. Its a good time to look ahead to what all the Range Rover Classic needs to get back on the road.
In this video, Part 4 of 12? (I’ve stopped counting), I dry fit the repaired floor pan and contemplate how I’m going to get the braces welded up.
Well…it fits. It’s not great, but I think it will work. There are going to be gaps and those will need some seam sealer to make them water-tight.
The holes in the panel will present a welding challenge. The holes will likely need to be filled prior to welding on either the brace or the panel. I’m not sure which will be the best.
So there are some decisions need and I’ll have to fix it to get this project completed.
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Thanks for reading and Happy Rovering.