Alvis Stalwart 18 ET 29 restoration project

[cosrec]

corten steel is often used for boat building so although it's a buggar to weld you know it won't rot the same as mild. good luck with the resto.

 

rick

 

It is used on a lot of the steel shipping containers 20ft 40ft etc it seems if you can weld a patch on eg mild steel it seems to promote oxidisedation in it and seems to last no time at all i hate the stuff

[Amphibi boy]

My stolly sides above wheels are ok at moment, but are slightly pitted, and the 2 rear boxes will need doing in a year or two, so I was thinking of doing it all in stainless plate? What you all think? :nut:

 

Yours is coming along nicely, we'll all have to get together for a stolly swim.

 

Cheers

Shaun

[101 Ron]

I am watching this thread with much interest.

My stolly has been patched many times and I am at the stage of where I do a fully replate job or to keep patching it.

I am worried about if the welding distorts the metal enough to affect the position of the side gate hinges etc and the size of the job required to completely replate the sides.

No stolly body parts are advailible in Australia...ie side gate seals.

This site is of my progress of going into stolly ownership and where i currently am.

Ron.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/fcs-military-variations/118657-ultimate-fc.html

catch 22 good luck with it all and please show me the way.

[fesm_ndt]

I am watching this thread with much interest.

My stolly has been patched many times and I am at the stage of where I do a fully replate job or to keep patching it.

I am worried about if the welding distorts the metal enough to affect the position of the side gate hinges etc and the size of the job required to completely replate the sides.

No stolly body parts are advailible in Australia...ie side gate seals.

This site is of my progress of going into stolly ownership and where i currently am.

Ron.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/fcs-military-variations/118657-ultimate-fc.html

catch 22 good luck with it all and please show me the way.

 

G'Day...... Welding distortion should not occur if done properly and welded in a sequence. As Robin was saying MIG is one of the better options as has less heat input.

 

TIG is the ultimate best on thin plate but slow and costly.

 

Stick or SMAW (US), MMAW (UK) has a much higher input so the precautions for preventing distortion would be a lot more, but is dificult.

 

The weld is like a cast, as it solidifies it shrinks, so you weld in stitches of short lengths around the patch, never long runs. Also depending upon the curvature of the plate you may finish stitch welding too opposite sides instead of all four.

 

Gas is also good but it's a dying art.

[Catch 22 LBDR]

I am watching this thread with much interest.

My stolly has been patched many times and I am at the stage of where I do a fully replate job or to keep patching it.

I am worried about if the welding distorts the metal enough to affect the position of the side gate hinges etc and the size of the job required to completely replate the sides.

No stolly body parts are advailible in Australia...ie side gate seals.

This site is of my progress of going into stolly ownership and where i currently am.

Ron.

http://www.aulro.com/afvb/fcs-military-variations/118657-ultimate-fc.html

catch 22 good luck with it all and please show me the way.

 

I have two Stolly's, one was a limber and had bean half striped. I thought it was the worst of the two, boy was i wrong, once i striped off the loan deck from the other one i found all sorts of horrors (this is the one im working on now). My advice is if you have any rot then nip it in the bud now, 'a stitch in time saves nine'.

[Catch 22 LBDR]

I dug out a very good book i got on e-bay a while ago. The Alvis Saracen Family by Bill Munro. In it, under the heading of 'Welding and Painting' it says the following.

 

Cor-ten, (a low-alloy steel) was used in some of the prototypes. But due to the shortage of this steel the main production run was made from BS968 steel. It was also CO2 welded as this would mean it only needed to be welded from one side.

 

BS968 is a High Tensile steel used for Bridges, etc. I dont know its exact properties.

[N.O.S.]

If it is high tensile steel you can use either a MIG welder (which uses CO2 as the shielding gas) and I'm sure just ordinary mild steel wire? (at least I do ), or a Low Hydrogen electrode if using a stick welder.

[Catch 22 LBDR]

This is the newly made exhaust box being fitted, (The harry guy is my dad) It went together nicely but note the poor weld at the base, still having trouble there. was using Overcord Z's rods, but i am still experimenting

 

 

Prob going to repeat this on the left side, not happy with my poor patch work.

 

 

You can see hear where i welded each joint, the box was folded but i gave each one a nick with the grinder to make it easer to fold.

 

Edited August 12, 2011 by Catch 22 LBDR

[Catch 22 LBDR]

The new bilge pump out let pipe, the middle pipe is what was left of the old one. I painted them with high temperature paint.

 

[Catch 22 LBDR]

This is what was left of the exhaust, the next part to rebuild.

 

 

 

[Catch 22 LBDR]

If it is high tensile steel you can use either a MIG welder (which uses CO2 as the shielding gas) and I'm sure just ordinary mild steel wire? (at least I do ), or a Low Hydrogen electrode if using a stick welder.

 

Thanks Mate, Im using a stick welder so i think i need to go shopping:cheesy:.

[Catch 22 LBDR]

My stolly sides above wheels are ok at moment, but are slightly pitted, and the 2 rear boxes will need doing in a year or two, so I was thinking of doing it all in stainless plate? What you all think? :nut:

 

Yours is coming along nicely, we'll all have to get together for a stolly swim.

 

Cheers

Shaun

 

Thinking about it Shaun, i dont think it would be necessary. The prob with Stolly's is there are too many places for the water to lie, and most people dont check under the load deck. They really need to be kept in doors or well covered and in true Army style, keep it painted, then she will last forever.

 

If you think it need attention then i would see to it as soon as poss. They seam rot from the inside out so you might not see it all.

 

Its also worth knowing that there are different grades of stainless and it can still rust:wow:. You also need to weld it with stainless rods or wire. not cheep Mate.

 

Good luck and keep an eye on this thread, at the very least it will tell ya what not to do:nut:. lol.

Edited August 13, 2011 by Catch 22 LBDR

[Amphibi boy]

Cheers Ross,

 

Your doing a fine job matey, keep it going, will be good to see her swimming again. :wow:

 

I actually have 2 rolls of stainless mig wire laying about, (got them from the garage I worked at when it closed down) I only ever used stick at college, I've always used mig/tig. But I must admit, I never knew stainless rusts! :blush: "everyday is a schoolday"

 

I rubbed down my floors, de-rusted them, then painted them with primer that they use on oil rigs, then a good top coat, so hopefully it won't need doing for a long while yet. Will sort out some pictures for you.

 

Cheers

Shaun

[Catch 22 LBDR]

Cheers Ross,

 

Your doing a fine job matey, keep it going, will be good to see her swimming again. :wow:

 

I actually have 2 rolls of stainless mig wire laying about, (got them from the garage I worked at when it closed down) I only ever used stick at college, I've always used mig/tig. But I must admit, I never knew stainless rusts! :blush: "everyday is a schoolday"

 

I rubbed down my floors, de-rusted them, then painted them with primer that they use on oil rigs, then a good top coat, so hopefully it won't need doing for a long while yet. Will sort out some pictures for you.

 

Cheers

Shaun

 

It will only rust if its poor quality stainless, of course it doesent rust near as bad. I bought a stainless bumper for my landrover and the ends started to rust where it had bean welded.

 

looking forward to seeing the pics mate.

[Simon Daymond]

looking good, I bet your welding is better than when you started? Practise is the key

[Catch 22 LBDR]

looking good, I bet your welding is better than when you started? Practise is the key

 

Tell me about it,:laugh:.

[listerdiesel]

I'd go for MIG on sheet metalwork, and an Argon/CO2 mix, such as Argoshield for the gas.

 

My boys have got a pair of Series III Landys, and when the youngest started on the chassis work on his 88", I bit the bullet and got an Oerlikon 250A semi-pro welder, secondhand, and it has been magic.

 

We get the full-sized gas cylinder from one of our metalwork suppliers, and it has lasted over a year, they are on the 109" chassis right now.

 

We do have a 140A arc welder, but I'd not go back to stick having seen what a decent MIG will do.

 

Peter

[Catch 22 LBDR]

I'd go for MIG on sheet metalwork, and an Argon/CO2 mix, such as Argoshield for the gas.

 

My boys have got a pair of Series III Landys, and when the youngest started on the chassis work on his 88", I bit the bullet and got an Oerlikon 250A semi-pro welder, secondhand, and it has been magic.

 

We get the full-sized gas cylinder from one of our metalwork suppliers, and it has lasted over a year, they are on the 109" chassis right now.

 

We do have a 140A arc welder, but I'd not go back to stick having seen what a decent MIG will do.

 

Peter

 

I wish i had the price of one, but will have to use what i have, (it an old but good oil cooled arc welder), and i know it can be done, practice makes perfect:cool2:

[Masseyboy89]

Great thread, hats off to you for restoring a vehicle that would frighten many people away. keep up the good work.

[Amphibi boy]

Hi,

as promised, pictures of the floor in mine. as you can see she is still solid, just a bit pitted in places. these are from the worst side. :blush:

 

i stripped it, cleaned it, de-rusted it (rust converter for the small dimples i missed) then primed it with anti rust and gave it a top coat.

 

it will need doing eventually, as i want it to be perfect, but as she is kept under cover there is no major rush, it will be a winter job, probably next year. :nut:

 

cheers

shaun

[robin craig]

Do you have the Dowty water jets to go back in?

 

I will never forget swimming a Stolly out here in Canada, truly something to say one has done for the bucket list in my book. I feel I can say that as I near a significant age . . .

 

 

R

[FEC]

Hi,

as promised, pictures of the floor in mine. as you can see she is still solid, just a bit pitted in places. these are from the worst side. :blush:

 

i stripped it, cleaned it, de-rusted it (rust converter for the small dimples i missed) then primed it with anti rust and gave it a top coat.

 

it will need doing eventually, as i want it to be perfect, but as she is kept under cover there is no major rush, it will be a winter job, probably next year. :nut:

 

cheers

shaun

 

 

Amphibi boy

Hi

 

Lovely work on the panels.

 

 

There is a corrosion weak spot forward of the cab bulkhead both sides which is a bu..er to get at, it turned up in the 70's during overhaul programs and was the subject of a miscellaneous instruction issued to EMER'S. It gives you a real shock when it pops, but the bilge copes with it. Time has moved on so the pop might be larger if it is present.

 

Ps, I noticed in the photos something on top of the propulsion PTO, that looks like a breather? I was a testing stollys for six years prior to 84 and don't recall this. Is it?

 

Regards Colin G.

 

[Catch 22 LBDR]

Hi,

as promised, pictures of the floor in mine. as you can see she is still solid, just a bit pitted in places. these are from the worst side. :blush:

 

i stripped it, cleaned it, de-rusted it (rust converter for the small dimples i missed) then primed it with anti rust and gave it a top coat.

 

it will need doing eventually, as i want it to be perfect, but as she is kept under cover there is no major rush, it will be a winter job, probably next year. :nut:

 

cheers

shaun

 

Looks the business Shaun, wish mine was that clean when i started.

[Catch 22 LBDR]

Hi there peeps,started working on the new exhaust this week.

 

[Catch 22 LBDR]

The finished exhaust

 

Packing the exhaust with wire wool