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Clay's Build Thread

556K views 5K replies 145 participants last post by  Skerr 
#1 · (Edited)
I have been contemplating posting a build thread for awhile. After viewing some of the current ones I got really pumped! I also figured that as long as I was going to be asking for help fixing stuff I might as well have it in the thread... so here we go. My 16 YO son, Clay, and I are building his CJ5. It's a 79 that I acquired in a boat/Jeep trade nearly 2 years ago. I got it for myself but I don't fit well, so I got a 7 and gave him the 5. He is really stoked about building the Jeep and I can't think of a better father/son project. Clay will be doing the work while I supervise ;). The 5 has a 258, T18A, D20 with axles from an 85 CJ7, D30 and AMC20. Gears are 2.72. We will probably go to a 3.73 in the future. It will get the RC 2.5" lift, Procomp 9000 shocks, and a urethane bushing kit (already purchased). It also has a FG tub which will require a bit of glass work. We had already completed the frame resto when we discovered that we didn't do it right. So we took it back down to bare metal again, finding some rot and a few cracks. We should have those repairs made in the next couple of weeks. After that the frame gets POR-15 and black implement paint. In the meantime, we'll be working on getting the engine painted and installing the MC2100. In these pics Clay is prepping the T18A for paint. He wanted to paint it silver with a red stripe, but I put the Kibash on that! So he settled for a silver tranny and red shift levers... when we get there. He plans to paint the rig International red (tractor paint) with a silver tub floor. Hmmmm... maybe! It MIGHT look good. We just finished watching the entire Season 2 of the Rat Patrol... so guess what HE wants to mount up!?!? :laugh:
 

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#3,001 ·
Looking good, Scott! You're really moving along, now. You'll make your deadline with time to spare.

Just curious...what type of resin are you using, polyester? Did you use polyester resin when you fiberglassed in the plywood, and other wood on the tub, or another type of resin? Thanks.

Rich
 
#3,003 ·
Looking good, Scott! You're really moving along, now. You'll make your deadline with time to spare.

Just curious...what type of resin are you using, polyester? Did you use polyester resin when you fiberglassed in the plywood, and other wood on the tub, or another type of resin? Thanks.

Rich
Yes, polyester.

u make the glass work look easy big boy...

and, as for the shed? You raised 4 boys for a reason, time to put 'em to work again...in fact, with the skills flowing through the Kerr family we all know and love, I bet you all could take apart and put back together that shed faster then the video of the soldiers taking apart and putting back together the jeep...I can't wait for that video!
Thanks, Mike. I'm hoping we can move the sheds. The carport should be easy enough... that's just bolts and a couple of screwguns. But the shed is like a 10X14 or so, and it is all wood construction. I'm hoping to be able to slide it onto a trailer with come-alongs and fence posts.
 
#3,002 ·
u make the glass work look easy big boy...

and, as for the shed? You raised 4 boys for a reason, time to put 'em to work again...in fact, with the skills flowing through the Kerr family we all know and love, I bet you all could take apart and put back together that shed faster then the video of the soldiers taking apart and putting back together the jeep...I can't wait for that video!
 
#3,006 ·
Thanks, Jeff. "Built Kerrdog Tough..." :D

Man I have gone through all 201 pages of this project and I am just flat out impressed. You and your son are doing some great work. Hopefully my daughter will want to help Daddy in a few years or whenever I can find a project Jeep. Im glad you and your sons are making some great memories. Keep up the great work, cant wait to see her finished up.
Bomber, that's amazing! I really, really appreciate you taking the time to view our soap opera! I hope there is something of use in there, and keep in mind that ANY Jeep is a project Jeep... all you have to do is take it apart! :D I'm sure your daughter will be interested in whatever YOU are doing!! :thumbsup:
 
#3,005 ·
Man I have gone through all 201 pages of this project and I am just flat out impressed. You and your son are doing some great work. Hopefully my daughter will want to help Daddy in a few years or whenever I can find a project Jeep. Im glad you and your sons are making some great memories. Keep up the great work, cant wait to see her finished up.
 
#3,007 ·
Stuff for today...

Finished the glass work this evening. I didn't take any pics as I was just doing detail work, cleaning it up for a better finish. Once I was done with that, I sanded it with 80 grit and feathered the edges with Bondo. I am scraping the Bondo can... I hope I have enough to effectively finish both sides. It is what it is...


And since I was doing some glass work, I wanted to repair my steering wheel. The whatchamacallit ring is cracked and cracking. I put a small band of glass around it to stop it.

AJ showed up!! It's totally amazing. Whenever I think of him he comes rolling into the yard. He drove his Cushman down with his wife for a visit. he checked everything out, and he said, "Ya'll are dong a good job." Then he looked at the rollcage and told Clay his welds were no good!! He demo-ed Clay's welder for Clay, told him he's running too big wire, then said he thought he had a spool of solid .030. I didn't realize Clay was doing that, but he's trying to emulate everything he does in his welding class... which is a perfect world! So Clay is, right this very minute, grinding down his welds to do them over again! Poor guy. His confidence is waning...

AJ said my shocks are on upside down!! :rofl:

Sorry for the blurry pictures.
 

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#3,009 ·
I don't know enough about welding to advise him. I took welding courses 25 years ago, and I remember how to turn the machine on! Clay does excellent work at school, but he can't get the same quality here in our shop. He has had porosity issues ever since he got the new machine. I have to believe it is the difference between a DIY welder and state-of-the-art equipment inside a welding booth. I THINK I heard AJ say that Clay was welding with .052 flux core wire, but I haven't heard of wire that size, so I was probably mistaken. AJ said to go to .030 solid core, which I have on MY welder, so we'll swap tomorrow and see what happens. AJ is going to check to see if he has another spool in his shop. With AJ's help, Clay will master this Lincoln. Glad I'm just doing the glass!!
 
#3,014 ·
Glass work looks great Scott! I don't remember, do you have a gas bottle for that welder? He will need it with .030 solid core wire. I have been using .030 for 1/8 or thicker steel. When I move to the tub will use .025.
Yes, he has 75/25 mix. His Instructor has been teaching them to use gas with flux core wire, which is contrary to what I learned, but I'm staying out of it.

IIRC he has a huge Argon/co2 bottle.

On the perosity, all the oil was removed from the tube? And the Argon isn't used with flux core. I know you knew that, or Clay did.

You do some great glass work buddy!
Yes, oil was removed and the weld areas were cleaned and ground first.

And you should see the crater welds produced when you, ummmmm, forget to turn the gas on with solid core. Not that I have ever done that. :D
I am guilty of that myself! Not intentionally... just when I ran out of gas I couldn't figure out why my welds were so crappy! It was on another project.

Nice glasswork,Scott....I just started dabbling in glasswork, so I can really admire yours.
After viewing your craftsmanship, Rich, you ain't gonna have any problems! Let me know if I can help. If you have a source for bulk resin that would be the way to go. 10CCs (I use a syringe for my catalyst) catalyst to 32 ounce of resin. This will give you about 15 minutes of work time, depending on how hot it is outside.

As far as the spool wire goes,AJ might be right, depending on what size wire Clay actually used.

.030 wire is real nice for the cage. .035 is alright,too.

Other common sizes are. 045, and. 062, which would be too thick for your project.
Maybe AJ said .062 and not .052. If Clay was in fact using that size it's because of his Instructor's teachings. I know when I got home from work today and sauntered out to the shop, I noticed the weld quality. It was totally uncharacteristic of Clay. It looked like he forgot to turn on the gas. He has been under a lot of stress with exams, and he has been going back to school on Saturdays to catch up on his welds, as he is behind. He's really wanting this semester to end!

Is Clay getting porosity just at the beginning of each bead, or throughout the entire weld? What is the cfh of the bottle gauge set at?With this information, we may be able to get to the bottom of this.
Clay gets porosity throughout the weld, and he has had the problem all along, even using .025 and .035 wire, flux core and solid core. He is running about 45 PSI. In my opinion, flux core creates a lot of spatter, with or without gas, and I think his Instructor is wrong.

There is also something called a leakdown test to make sure that you're not losing gas through a leak between the bottle and the tip of the gun. With the bottle opened, pull the trigger on the gun, and watch the ball,or needle of the gauge go up to where you have the cfh set to. When you release the trigger, the gas should stop coming out, and the ball,or the needle should drop to zero.

If it stays up a little bit, that indicates a leak in the system.

There's more to this porosity thing, but this is a good place to start.

Rich
I'll check that out tomorrow. I took it for granted that it is all tight since it is new, but since Clay bought it with his own money, I let him assemble it! Maybe I should covertly have a look?
 
#3,011 ·
VACJ7 said:
Glass work looks great Scott! I don't remember, do you have a gas bottle for that welder? He will need it with .030 solid core wire. I have been using .030 for 1/8 or thicker steel. When I move to the tub will use .025.
IIRC he has a huge Argon/co2 bottle.

On the perosity, all the oil was removed from the tube? And the Argon isn't used with flux core. I know you knew that, or Clay did.

You do some great glass work buddy!
 
#3,013 ·
Nice glasswork,Scott....I just started dabbling in glasswork, so I can really admire yours.

As far as the spool wire goes,AJ might be right, depending on what size wire Clay actually used.

.030 wire is real nice for the cage. .035 is alright,too.

Other common sizes are. 045, and. 062, which would be too thick for your project.

Is Clay getting porosity just at the beginning of each bead, or throughout the entire weld? What is the cfh of the bottle gauge set at?With this information, we may be able to get to the bottom of this.

There is also something called a leakdown test to make sure that you're not losing gas through a leak between the bottle and the tip of the gun. With the bottle opened, pull the trigger on the gun, and watch the ball,or needle of the gauge go up to where you have the cfh set to. When you release the trigger, the gas should stop coming out, and the ball,or the needle should drop to zero.

If it stays up a little bit, that indicates a leak in the system.

There's more to this porosity thing, but this is a good place to start.

Rich
 
#3,015 ·
Skipper there sounds like there maybe two problems with Clays welder first there should be some taps in the machine to change wire polarity. Solid wire runs electrode straight polairity and flux core is DCRP. Either will give you fits if its set on the wrong taps. Next look at the gas line cause there is some problem there kinked or cracked or parialy plugged.

For this work I prefer solid wire and on a scale of 1-10 pipe welding small pipe is about a 30 so dont let it get you down.

I see your working on the steering wheel, IRRC that there was some incident between you and Bill about this?
 
#3,019 ·
Skipper there sounds like there maybe two problems with Clays welder first there should be some taps in the machine to change wire polarity. Solid wire runs electrode straight polairity and flux core is DCRP. Either will give you fits if its set on the wrong taps. Next look at the gas line cause there is some problem there kinked or cracked or parialy plugged.

For this work I prefer solid wire and on a scale of 1-10 pipe welding small pipe is about a 30 so dont let it get you down.

I see your working on the steering wheel, IRRC that there was some incident between you and Bill about this?
Thanks Professor... I will check the welder against those points. Clay's welder has no taps. It is a variable model.

Yeah... that sorry dog Bill. He made me go to Illinois for that steering wheel. I had to bang on his door, over and over, screaming, "YOU COME OUT OF THERE!" But he wouldn't come out! Figured he was hiding under the bed. His Grandson snuck up behind me and clunked me in the shin with 1/2" extension, then created a diaper bomb. I couldn't figure out why I was being treated this way, but it became apparent after the Missouri cops let me go. I got lost somewhere after I turned of I-10... But it's all good...
 
#3,016 ·
No incident on the wheel George. IIRC there was a crack there when I gave it to Scott. I remember it looking like the first picture where the wheel is lying with the plastic faceing up. I don't know how it got so big,

Welding with flux core wire and gas ( just co2) is called dual shield. I used this when working a Caterpillar, ( it was on D9 track roller frames, the wire was 3/32").From a short google search dual shield wire is a different makeup than the intershield wire , you probably have. So check on what what wire you have.

I don't understand this 45 PSI, I run my welder with 13 psi on the regulator, with solid wire.

Like said earlier check polarity, the wires should be right by the wire feed motor.

Bill

On edit, the intershield wire should not have a lot of spatter. And the spatter it does have should be very fine , like pinpoint size.
 
#3,020 ·
Your shocks are on upside down Scott. :)

I know that Clay can weld. The problems he's having are with equipment for some reason. That welder he bought should work right too. Like George said you may need to change the way the leads are attached. That definately makes a difference. I also think Clay either needs to weld with gas of flux, not both at the same time. I use .035 wire on mine for everything, even sheet metal. I use the 75% argon & 25% carbondioxide. The porsity thing could be the pressure on the gas. If you're welding outside with any wind blowing it can really cause the gas to not do it's job. You can turn the pressure up to help but it's better to get it inside and leave the pressure as low as you can get by with, saves gas. Another thing that will wreak havoc on good welds is wire that has moisture problems. The obvious is rust on the wire but I've even heard that it can cause trouble even though it's not rusted. You do have allot of humidity.

Scott if all else fails Clay bought a new welder, right. I'd get in touch with the Lincoln tech dept. and see what help they can be. You all are just having way too much trouble with this thing to be something wrong with Clay's skills. I'm sure once the problem is fixed his welds will be fine. There is a reason he's having problems and it is in that welder somewhere. I bought mine new and it wouldn't weld worth a dime. No matter what I did it just did not work right. I called the place I bought it and the next day a tech guy showed up with a new lead. It welded perfect then. Problem was the wire was not feeding smooth and my welds looked terrible. That lead is extremely important. Don't walk on it, drop anything on it and never use it with a kink or even a tight bend in it because the wire will not feed right. If that happens weld quality goes down hill fast. Another thing that needs adjusted right is the tension wheels that feed the wire and they need to be made for the size wire you're using. Check it all out and make double sure everything is right, go by the book supplied with the welder. Yes read the instructions. :)
 
#3,024 ·
Your shocks are on upside down Scott. :)

I know that Clay can weld. The problems he's having are with equipment for some reason. That welder he bought should work right too. Like George said you may need to change the way the leads are attached. That definately makes a difference. I also think Clay either needs to weld with gas of flux, not both at the same time. I use .035 wire on mine for everything, even sheet metal. I use the 75% argon & 25% carbondioxide. The porsity thing could be the pressure on the gas. If you're welding outside with any wind blowing it can really cause the gas to not do it's job. You can turn the pressure up to help but it's better to get it inside and leave the pressure as low as you can get by with, saves gas. Another thing that will wreak havoc on good welds is wire that has moisture problems. The obvious is rust on the wire but I've even heard that it can cause trouble even though it's not rusted. You do have allot of humidity.

Scott if all else fails Clay bought a new welder, right. I'd get in touch with the Lincoln tech dept. and see what help they can be. You all are just having way too much trouble with this thing to be something wrong with Clay's skills. I'm sure once the problem is fixed his welds will be fine. There is a reason he's having problems and it is in that welder somewhere. I bought mine new and it wouldn't weld worth a dime. No matter what I did it just did not work right. I called the place I bought it and the next day a tech guy showed up with a new lead. It welded perfect then. Problem was the wire was not feeding smooth and my welds looked terrible. That lead is extremely important. Don't walk on it, drop anything on it and never use it with a kink or even a tight bend in it because the wire will not feed right. If that happens weld quality goes down hill fast. Another thing that needs adjusted right is the tension wheels that feed the wire and they need to be made for the size wire you're using. Check it all out and make double sure everything is right, go by the book supplied with the welder. Yes read the instructions. :)
Definitely welding inside the shop. Wind is not an issue. However, the wire develops pitting fairly quickly once it is removed from the package. Clay strips a lot of wire from the spool before he is satisfied. Another reason to kick myself for not enclosing my shop when I built it! The Tech Dept is a resurce I constantly overlook! Thanks for reminding me.

If he doesn't have external taps, it is probably like mine where you open the side where the wire is and you will see the connections for the ground cable and the feed line. That's where you reverse the polarity, just switch the connections.

If all else fails, have Clay take it in to the school and have the instructor check it over. Then he could use it there for the day, and compare the welds from the school's shop environment to your home shop's environment. That would take out some of the variables to help narrow down those nice welds at school compared to the ones at home - same conditions, same materials, different equipment.
He does have external taps... I just thought George was talking about preset heat settings. You know you have to try and guess what George is talking about! :D

Good post Jim! Since Paul didn't do a picture I will. Mine is set for solid wire .

Bill

View attachment 384371
You ain't gonna say anything about the "Steering Wheel Incident"?

Skipper see the pic above those are the taps I was talking about the one with the + and - move those around and see hwo she welds.

Now if you have a higher class of machine, such as I have its painted blue and says Miller on it the taps will be same area.
Roger... Wil-co. We looked at Miller machines, and blue is my favorite color too. But they all say "auto-set", and we figgered anybody could weld with one of those. We wanted to learn! :rofl:
 

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#3,021 ·
If he doesn't have external taps, it is probably like mine where you open the side where the wire is and you will see the connections for the ground cable and the feed line. That's where you reverse the polarity, just switch the connections.

If all else fails, have Clay take it in to the school and have the instructor check it over. Then he could use it there for the day, and compare the welds from the school's shop environment to your home shop's environment. That would take out some of the variables to help narrow down those nice welds at school compared to the ones at home - same conditions, same materials, different equipment.
 
#3,025 ·
Eye Candy! :D Done, except for some glaze inside the tub. Hit the inside with a can of sandable primer. Underside brushed with the Valspar implement paint, as was used on the rest of the frame and undercarriage. Time to move on...

If I could just get that son of mine to....
 

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#3,026 ·
My wife has TWO ride-on vacuum cleaners (my version of a self-propelled vacuum). She has broken both of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
#3,027 ·
I did say something about the wheel. You must have still been in bed, it was about 10:30 am your time

On your latest pictures, I'm reading something I don't see on my Lincoln 12.5 lb.spool. Right under the barcode.

No where on the box or spool does it say, made in China. Where is the flux core made? Check the wire in your welder, maybe swap it to Clays.
 
#3,028 ·
Skerr said:
My wife has TWO ride-on vacuum cleaners (my version of a self-propelled vacuum). She has broken both of them!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Must be all that hair.
 
#3,033 ·
In my 26 hour of a 36 hour shift. There are some benefits though, And I didn't have to cook.

So what's up with the welder? And the 12 hour days?

Bill

Food Tableware Ingredient Recipe Cuisine
 
#3,034 ·
As far as I can tell, your mig machine appears to be set up correctly. To double check the polarity setting, you want the lead connections ( just below the drive rollers), to match up with the center (top) picture of the diagram.

Your gas is set at about 27 cfh, which should be fine. You may be able to get away with less, to save a few bucks.

A good way to check your drive roll tension (set by the spring loaded black knob), is to pull the gun's trigger, and shoot the wire into your opposite palm (WEAR WELDING GLOVES!!!!). If the wire stops when it hits your palm, but the drive rollers keep spinning trying to feed the wire, the wire tension needs to be increased. Increase it until the wire keeps feeding into your palm. Obviously, it will ball up and go every which-way, but that's what you want. To conserve gas, turn it off while doing this, just remember to turn it back on before welding!

If it's too tight, that's not good, either. It can actually cause premature wear of the drive roll system, and sometimes, deform (flatten) the wire as it comes out.

.062 solid wire is HUGE for what we do. That's used in real industrial applications for "spray" welding. For what you weld, either .030, or .035, is fine. Like Jim said, he uses .035 for everything....and you CAN. But I don't think that you'd ever regret buying .030. It's a lot nicer on thinner stuff, and will be fine for whatever thick stuff that you'll weld. I've welded 3/4" thick stuff with .030 wire....just turn the wire feed speed up. The cost of .035 is cheaper, though...

And, from what I've read and heard, there IS a difference in weld wire, as far as maunfacturers go. I've never had an issue, because I only buy quality mig wire (ESAB) from my welding supplier. If you but a lower quality wire (unknowingly, for most guys) YMMV. This may not be an issue with general fabrication and repair work, but I can't take that chance.

Another thing that I do is to use the next size up contact tip. If I'm welding with .030 wire, I'll use a .035 tip. There's less chance of an "issue" occuring, and it really doesn't matter, as far as the welding goes. It's just more forgiving.

I can bore people silly with this stuff, so I'll quit, now.

Rich
 
#3,035 ·
As far as I can tell, your mig machine appears to be set up correctly. To double check the polarity setting, you want the lead connections ( just below the drive rollers), to match up with the center (top) picture of the diagram.

Your gas is set at about 27 cfh, which should be fine. You may be able to get away with less, to save a few bucks.

A good way to check your drive roll tension (set by the spring loaded black knob), is to pull the gun's trigger, and shoot the wire into your opposite palm (WEAR WELDING GLOVES!!!!). If the wire stops when it hits your palm, but the drive rollers keep spinning trying to feed the wire, the wire tension needs to be increased. Increase it until the wire keeps feeding into your palm. Obviously, it will ball up and go every which-way, but that's what you want. To conserve gas, turn it off while doing this, just remember to turn it on before welding!

If it's too tight, that's not good, either. It can actually cause premature wear of the drive roll system, and sometimes, deform (flatten) the wire as it comes out.

.062 solid wire is HUGE for what we do. That's used in real industrial applications for "spray" welding. For what you weld, either .030, or .035, is fine. Like Jim said, he used .035 for everything....and you CAN. But I don't think that you'd ever regret buying .030. It's a lot nicer on thinner stuff, and will be fine for whatever thick stuff that you'll weld. I've welded 3/4" thick stuff with .030 wire....just turn the wire feed speed up. The cost of .035 is cheaper, though...

And, from what I've read and heard, there IS a difference in weld wire, as far as maunfacturers go. I've never had an issue, because I only buy quality mig wire (ESAB) from my welding supplier. If you but a lower quality wire (unknowingly) YMMV. This may not be an issue with general fabrication and repair work, but I can't take that chance.

Another thing that I do is to use the next size up contact tip. If I'm welding with .030 wire, I'll use a .035 tip. There's less chance of an "issue" occuring, and it really doesn't matter, as far as the welding goes. It's just more forgiving.

I can bore people silly with this stuff, so I'll quit, now.

Rich
Rich I love ya brother. Very well said! :thumbsup:

A couple more things are stick out (how far Clay holds from his work) and direction.
A shorter stick out will increase amperage, but will shorten the life of tips and nozzles. A longer stick out will lower amperage, but will increase spatter and the likelihood of porosity.

Direction is a subject of debate and someone who is schooled more than I (Rich) could chime in on that. I know if you are "pushing" too much you will blow your shielding gas away from your weld puddle letting porosity occur.

Also check your O-rings at the machine end of the welding lead.

Jeff
 
#3,037 ·
Wow, Rich just answered one of my questions I've had just come up lately - I ran out of .030 tips, then realized I was running .035 wire, which I didn't have any tips for, but I had .040 tips, so I used that. Worked fine - better than the .030 tips!
 
#3,038 ·
See! There ya go! All the wire has to do is make sliding contact with the tip as it's coming out.

Rich
 
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