Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[JohnDale]

Looking at Peter's pic of the 4/50(in Richards Doctor Who post) & seeing the heater control under the dash brought back a memory of long ago. When I was an apprentice (2nd year)my father had a Morris 10M which had no heater so he decided to purchase one(by mail order even then) When it arrived the aluminium bracket(which has the control levers in it) was broken. He wanted to send it back but, of course, with all the experience of youth, & having been taught to weld, I persuaded him I could repair it. When he was presented with a ball of melted aluminium he was not well pleased - no one had told me(my excuse) that ally didn't weld like mild steel. Ah well,lesson learned,cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.

[Dobbin]

JD, I can relate to that. When I was also a 2nd year apprentice I was being shown how to weld aluminium with a gas torch. I gathered together some off cuts of aluminium from the back of the guillotine and with the eagerness of youth set to it. Unfortunately as Mickey mouse found out in the sorcerers apprentice it can go pear shaped very quickly. I ended up with some very rough holes and silver boots...........

[lowdrag]

While converting my D-type to an XKSS a couple of years back one clever fellow asked about how I was getting on fabricating the GRP panels, plus a few other rather sarcastic quotes. I replied that since the invention of the new GRP welding process things were very much easier. You know, he sent me a pm asking for a link to the welding technique!

So don't despair, the process is ongoing still!

[JohnDale]

[Dobbin]

JD I agree, whoever came up with the saying 'everyday's a school day' wasn't wrong. I have left that school and enrolled at the university of hard knocks...........However I don't think at this rate I'm ever going to graduate......hehehe

[alanb]

The problem these days is trying to remember what I did learn!
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old tourer


Morris 8 two seater

[Old Wrench]

Gas welding ally sheet is not actually hard: it is as normal, simply a matter of following procedure and practice.

The old boys gas welding Aston e.g. bodies, made from aluminium alloy, used to wipe soft green household soap along the line to be joined and watch the colour change as they progressed.

Always a much smaller tip and much lower gas pressures than normal.

Always use a slightly carburizing flame: i.e. less Oxygen. This reduces the effective tip heat.

Same for ally castings: the trick here is to bring the part up to as high a temperature as possible before welding: and cover in old sacks, sand etc afterwards to allow the casting to cool slowly and not induce strain stresses and subsequent cracks.

Learn to carefully watch the "puddle" develop as the material approaches smelt point.

For filler rods when welding sheet, simply cut off thin strips as wide as the material is thick. For casting use a standard pure ally filler rod.

First quality ally flux is also essential: not "Soldering Flux" by welding flux.

I found melting ally is very similar to melting lead: too much heat and it's on your boots!

[peter scott]

I could gas weld aluminium as an apprentice but I doubt if I could repeat that now. Fortunately technology has moved on..

http://www.jaguardriverforums.co.uk/showthread.php?t=131

Peter
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https://www.nostalgiatech.co.uk
1939 SS Jaguar 2 1/2 litre saloon

[Old Wrench]

I have heard of this new approach, Peter: first saw it on a US welding site some years back.

Looks like an excellent result!

Today, of course, TIG and Inverter Welding have taken over where MIG left off.

Some few years ago, I had a cum of mine rebuild around a valve seat using TIG on an ally BMW six cylinder head and he pressed in a new valve seat. (Dropped a valve).

Astounding result.

[Riley Blue]

[JohnDale]

There is one thing which we appear to have learned very quickly but which stays with us right through life - when to stay quiet & let someone else put their foot in it!! Works with wives too(if you have one) Cheers,JD.
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1958 Ford Zephyr Mk2 Convertible
1976 Ford Granada Ghia.