well...as far as i can tell, huntin season is over for me...so its shop time! first step is to get the j10 mobile so i can push and pull it in and out of the shop. i test fit the front axle under the front leafs and she fits like a gem...
however...i did decide that i didn't want to deal with the rust on the dang rims that i have (getting darn sick of rust) so i sold the rims and tires in hope of finding something better. i also picked up a second set of axles (14b and d44) to swipe some of the good parts on the 44 for spares...then i promptly sold the 14b for $25 less than i paid for both axles
today started what will be a longer project to get the 14 bolt mounted under the frame and to fix the rust holes in the back side of the frame. i started with the rust...yuck.
after i whacked the old perches off, here was what i was left with
these are the worst two holes, the one on the other side isn't really bad at all. i bought a piece of 3/16 flat steel, drilled a few holes in it and welded around the perimeter, through the holes in the steel and through the holes in the frame
this is the first big project im tackling with my welder...up until now, i have been welding with flux core but i gave solid wire a try. took me a bit to get the hang of the speed and feel of it, but it didn't take me long to realize that my regulator was broken...thus i lost most of my gas too quickly and ran out :flamemad: so back to flux core i went for the 2nd side. actually it came out much better than the first side...mostly because i started to settle into a good groove about 2/3 of the way through the first side. all in all, its not pretty but it did get WAY better on side 2. i have to go buy some more wire tomorrow but ill snap a pic of the welds when im done. im kinda proud of them. i am NOT proud of my first welds...they started off looking like this
aaah well...no one will ever see it. and in all actuality...its on there REAL good
i also took some time to play with my welder and gas bottle on some sheet metal and i'll be damned if my sheet metal welds didn't look better than my welds on the frame. im not quite there, but a few more weeks/months of practice and i think i can get her figured out
tomorrow i'll finish plating up the other side and then move to mounting the new spring hangers...(i may bring in a friend to give me some help with the spring hanger welding). i also need to find 2 more 8 bolt rims with tires...