The Newman Skoolie!

[thjakits]

!!! ...getting there!!

JUST ONE word of caution: BE very careful with penetration - ESPECIALLY with a small MIG unit like yours!!

DO a few test welds with 1/4" stuff and then cut it apart across the weld!1

Very easy to get good looking welds and near ZERO penetration....


You are on the way!!


Cheers,

thjakits

[milkmania]

Originally Posted by Jman6631

Thank you all again and again!

And now for something completely different...I'm heading into a divorce and need to officially valuate my partially disassembled, not yet rebuilt bus. I assume (there's that word!) it is worth zilch at this point or pretty close to it.


Does anyone know how I could get a value on it as-is? I'm going back to the dealership where I bought it but they may not know either.


ANY help is appreciated, thanks in advance!

Two things I can tell you about divorce...
1) the judge can do anything she wants to do as far as determining assets split.
2) when the gavel drops, and everyone is gathering up their papers... do not turn to your council and tell him "I want to know when she dies, so I can take a s*** on her tombstone" (barely escaped jail time for that one)
I know it was disrespectful, but when a judge gives your inheritance to the ex, emotions get involved.

[Jman6631]

Originally Posted by thjakits

!!! ...getting there!!

JUST ONE word of caution: BE very careful with penetration - ESPECIALLY with a small MIG unit like yours!!

DO a few test welds with 1/4" stuff and then cut it apart across the weld!1

Very easy to get good looking welds and near ZERO penetration....


You are on the way!!


Cheers,

thjakits

Thanks thjakits,

That is one huge question I have. I've cut welds before (ran out of time with this one) and all I've seen is a continuous cross cut of metal. I don't know how to tell where the stock metal ends and the weld begins. I'll cut this one open but I wish I knew how to positively identify penetration.

Suggestions?

[Jman6631]

Originally Posted by milkmania

Two things I can tell you about divorce...
1) the judge can do anything she wants to do as far as determining assets split.
2) when the gavel drops, and everyone is gathering up their papers... do not turn to your council and tell him "I want to know when she dies, so I can take a s*** on her tombstone" (barely escaped jail time for that one)
I know it was disrespectful, but when a judge gives your inheritance to the ex, emotions get involved.

Oh wow, that SUCKS milkmania, holy s#$t! Of course I agree with you, who knows where this revolving door will stop! At least I have documentation from an objective, reputable 3rd party so that it doesn't appear that I'm trying to rip my wife off.

[thjakits]

Originally Posted by Jman6631

Thanks thjakits,

That is one huge question I have. I've cut welds before (ran out of time with this one) and all I've seen is a continuous cross cut of metal. I don't know how to tell where the stock metal ends and the weld begins. I'll cut this one open but I wish I knew how to positively identify penetration.

Suggestions?

If you weld together 2 pieces you CERTAINLY will see the difference!
If you just lay practice welds on top of a piece of metal - it might become difficult to see, but I think you should be able to see where it was molten...

You normally do not just welds on top of metal (except for making a grippier surface) - welding, normally, implies 1 of 2 things: Join 2 pieces by welding (melting material on both sides + filling in with more molten material) OR re-fill or build up volume on or in a piece of metal (As in cutting out corroded material and build up clean material) Both things can kind of mix - like welding a big axle or shaft, where you need multiple passes to fill in all the material - start at the root from both sides and then put layers into the V-notch on both sides....

So - THE suggestion: Get 1/4" cuttings and weld them back together - cut across the weld a see/watch/observe/learn/analyze!


Cheers,

thjakits

[Tango]

Q: "Why do divorces cost so much?

A: "Because they are worth it."

[Tango]

And...I agree with thjakit. Do a few passes on separate pieces and try it on different thicknesses. My Miller 140 gets excellent penetration even on 3/8" steel and I have welded much heavier stuff with multiple passes. Keep your heat up and the puddle moving with small overlaps. You should see some red in the surrounding metal. Actually, the most common mistake I see (and have made) was moving too slowly. If your heat & wire speed are correct for the metal...you should be able to move fairly quickly.

And if you know a "real welder"...buy'em a six-pack. A twenty minute lesson will get you WAY ahead of the game.

And, oh yeah...have fun.

[EastCoastCB]

Originally Posted by Tango

And...I agree with thjakit. Do a few passes on separate pieces and try it on different thicknesses. My Miller 140 gets excellent penetration even on 3/8" steel and I have welded much heavier stuff with multiple passes. Keep your heat up and the puddle moving with small overlaps. You should see some red in the surrounding metal. Actually, the most common mistake I see (and have made) was moving too slowly. If your heat & wire speed are correct for the metal...you should be able to move fairly quickly.

And if you know a "real welder"...buy'em a six-pack. A twenty minute lesson will get you WAY ahead of the game.

And, oh yeah...have fun.

Funny- I've been tossing this roof raise idea around for a couple years.
I've offered every pro welder I know SEVERAL hundred dollars to show up and weld for a couple hours. NO luck at all. Apparently welders live in a parallel universe where our non-welder money is of no use to them.
thats been my luck anyhow.

[BusFiend]

Good welders are generally very well compensated. Welding is not necessarily good for one's health. After to 8-10 hours a day of welding, I can imagine a good welder would rather be doing something else.

I think Tango's point was to ask a good welder for a 20 min. lesson. A far majority of the welding we do on skoolies is fairly basic, with light gauge metals. Few of us have $10,000 worth of a welding shop at our disposal. The rare occasion where we run into 1/4" steel can usually be overcome with our inexpensive gear. What most of us lack is the skill and/or experience. A little lesson can go a long way.

I'm a passable welder. My next door neighbor has been a master welder for 35 years. I volunteer helping him on personal projects where he needs extra hands. I've learned a lot from this. He'll even answer questions as we work. It also builds equity that I can use to borrow his Lincoln TIG 225 or ask for help, along with supplying the beer.

[Tango]

Ain't it amazing what can be accomplished with just a little beer!

[milkmania]

Originally Posted by Tango

Ain't it amazing what can be accomplished with just a little beer!

Liker is quicker

[Tango]

Just make sure the work is done BEFORE any beer or likker is distributed.

[BusFiend]

You learned the hard way too, huh?

[superduty_59]

Jman6631
1) All of the welding advise is spot on. During my time on my associates degree I spent 6 weeks in welding class. I can weld pretty good. A good (Miller, Lincoln ect) welder can make you a better welder but I still think a cheap HF welder can work just fine for most needs. I use a HF welder when needed at work on the jobsite and suits my needs just fine.
2) Hopefully your buying or working on the bus didn't lead to the divorce. Not mine but some women seem to have an attitude with projects like this.
3) keep us updated

[Jolly Roger]

Originally Posted by Jman6631

Wow, Jolly Roger, thanks...way to blow my fantasy! How are you keeping the bolts from rattling loose and backing out?

All of my seats and everything underneath like the drivetrain the springs,shocks axles,wheels and so on are bolts and nuts and are a pain to get apart?
Use
Lock nuts,lock washers and if you are that scared of your nut tightening abilities put a small tack weld at the nut and bolt but make sure it is where you can cut it off later for when you have to re-do a frame cause you hit a speed bump or bottom out in the grass somewhere hence the twist able movable framing that will give if needed then the only thing your out is the sheetmetal doors or whatever instead of angle welded to be immovable but moved,twisted,buckled,bowed and wasted?
Just my opinion.

[Jman6631]

Thank you all again, I do appreciate the input. I am reconsidering some of the underframe welding for the flexibility reasons you all point out. Yes, if I go with bolting I'll use lock washers and loctite for sure! Hadn't thought of tacking the nut on but that's interesting.

I thought I would weld the angles that will be attached to the bus frame and then bolt the rest. After pondering for too long I suddenly realized that if I insist on welding it all then how am I to remove the potable and gray water tanks if I need to replace them or work on them? Same goes for the split system AC unit I'm going to do and also the storage bins.

On another note, I'm still having cranking issues. Last Friday I took my existing cranking batts to Interstate and traded them in for new ones. But, now I'm getting the exact same thing. Check this out:

https://youtu.be/DaOGeP5YcBA

The cranking volts still seem low at ~10v-11v. Just like the old batteries. In fact it's lower than the old batteries. When they were holding a charge it would be just under 12v. So, it would seem I have another issue at hand? Any suggestions where to start?

As always, thanks in advance!

[BusFiend]

Those batts are reading low on the volt meter. Fully charged 12V batteries should read >12.5V, no-load. I would check the alternator and/or voltage regulator. Try putting them on a 6+ Amp charger. Keep them charging until the ammeter dips below 3A.

[Jman6631]

Originally Posted by BusFiend

Those batts are reading low on the volt meter. Fully charged 12V batteries should read >12.5V, no-load. I would check the alternator and/or voltage regulator. Try putting them on a 6+ Amp charger. Keep them charging until the ammeter dips below 3A.

I'll check the no-load charge today...didn't think I had to on new batteries - DOH!

I'm not sure what you mean about charging them until the ammeter dips below 3A?

[BusFiend]

If your battery charger is old school, it will have a meter (amp meter or ammeter) on it that displays the current (amperage) passing from the charger to the batteries. Once the meter reads below 3 Amps, the batteries should have enough charge to turn the engine. The alternator should be able to top off the batteries from there.

After starting the engine, the Volt meter (on dash) should read >14V. If not, there is an issue with the meter and/or alternator.

[Jman6631]

Gotcha...my charger is not old school, it's about three years old and I got it to tender my waverunner battery in the winter. But, I'll check the no-load voltage and go from there. These are new batteries though, so it would surprise me if they're undercharged.