DIYbanter

DIYbanter (https://www.diybanter.com/)
-   UK diy (https://www.diybanter.com/uk-diy/)
-   -   Old car body repairs - advice sought... (https://www.diybanter.com/uk-diy/72028-old-car-body-repairs-advice-sought.html)

Grunff October 5th 04 05:53 PM

Andy Dingley wrote:

That doesn't make them 'like bombs'. By your reasoning a can of
deoderant is 'like a bomb', and should be treated with utmost respect.



It is if you're holding it. An oxygen cylinder though is still a
major hazard if you're on the other side of a brick wall from it.



Well, yes and no. Yes in that it contains a huge amount of stored
energy, which if released quickly enough can have some very unpleasant
consequenses. No in that it's actually pretty difficult to get a
cylinder to explode.

When I used to do a lot of lab time, I saw many instances of cylinder
abuse. The two most memorable incidents resulted in a) a cylinder
tumbling down two flights of stairs, and b) a whole bunch of cylinders
falling off a lorry. No cylinders exploded on either occasion.

The department's safety officer, who had been doing the same job for
some 35 years, and had seen far more accidents than I had, couldn't
recall a single cylinder failure in all his time at the unoversity. He
said that valve failures were pretty common though.

Given this, I can't think of many things a home user could do to cause a
cylinder to blow - except maybe torch it!


--
Grunff

:::Jerry:::: October 5th 04 05:59 PM


"Pete C" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 14:40:55 +0100, ":::Jerry::::"
wrote:

Try one of the online scrap thingies for spare parts. If you do have
to repair it yourself use zinc rich primer, fibreglass for holes, and
filler/stopper to get it level.


And see it fall out the first time someone slams the door....


No. How would you do it? I wouldn't want to weld every little hole,
especially if it meant taking a tailgate glass out.


You wouldn't but those who know what they are talking about will, as I've
said in another message this is my trade so please don't tell me what should
and shouldn't be done, As for the filler, on another part of the xar you
would have at least a 50/50 chance but on a door there is little chance of
it staying in place, it might not drop out but it's ver likely to crack and
allow water in behind - even with so called dlexable fillers that are around
these days..


Get a cheap body shop to do a 'blow over' of the panels, and you'll
get a better result than you ever will from an aerosol, especially if
it's metallic.


I wouldn't be so sure, if you had implied paying the going rate for the
paint work you might have a point, 'cheap' means something has been

skimped

OK, 'inexpensive'...


Still means something has been skimped on....


on some place when talking about paint work, 75 percent of the cost is
nothing but labour - go figure...


Correct, do the prep yourself and get them to just spray it. What
would you recommend in the way of prep?


Well that would depend on what paint is being used and has been used in the
past not to mention what it's condition is, sorry but you can't advise on
this sort of thing blind - other than to say strip it back to bare metal.



:::Jerry:::: October 5th 04 06:09 PM


"Grunff" wrote in message
...
snip

Given this, I can't think of many things a home user could do to cause a
cylinder to blow - except maybe torch it!


Rhetorically speaking
Oil the valve of the Oxygen cylinder ?.....
/Rhetorically speaking



Grunff October 5th 04 07:22 PM

Andy Dingley wrote:

I found a burnt-out and ruptured O2 cylinder a while ago. I thin there
had been a car fire on top of it - hopefully the local chavs took some
shrapnel when it went. If I'd not been cycling I'd have dragged it
home and made something from it - splendid "banana peel" split down
the side.


Makes you wonder how that situation came to be. Where they got the
cylinder from, how they got it there, whether they did it on
purpose...mind boggles.


--
Grunff

Pete C October 5th 04 08:16 PM

On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 17:59:55 +0100, ":::Jerry::::"
wrote:

No. How would you do it? I wouldn't want to weld every little hole,
especially if it meant taking a tailgate glass out.


You wouldn't but those who know what they are talking about will, as I've
said in another message this is my trade so please don't tell me what should
and shouldn't be done, As for the filler, on another part of the xar you
would have at least a 50/50 chance but on a door there is little chance of
it staying in place, it might not drop out but it's ver likely to crack and
allow water in behind - even with so called dlexable fillers that are around
these days..


OK, what about epoxy resin and fibreglass cloth? Epoxy sticks very
well to bare metal, it's used to line drinks cans to stop the contents
reacting with the aluminium. It also has a long history of use in boat
building and repair.

I'd agree that it's better to mig in new metal but depending on the
skill/facilities available and the value/lifespan of the car it's not
always worth it.

cheers,
Pete.

dave October 5th 04 08:52 PM

On 4 Oct 2004 10:46:17 -0700, (Reuben) wrote:

I have a 1983 VW Passat GL5 which is in reasonable condition barring
some serious rust on the training edges of the doors and the tailgate.
Professional repairers seem reluctant to take on repairs like this -
they want to replace the doors (possible) and the tailgate (not
possible to buy new tailgate now).
I'm considering doing the repairs myself and I'd like to hear from
anyone who has experience of this kind of job in relation to materials
and methods.
I'm realistic about what I can expect to achieve - I just want a
passable job to keep the car legal. If it turns out really well,
that's a bonus.




Try
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/syncronized/. Its an American
forum for 4wd Mk1 passats which they call Quantum syncros. They are
the same body style as the GL5 of your year. Although they based in
the U.S I know there is at least one guy from Lincon whose username is
Scot. He responded to my post for parts so it might be worth a browse.

:::Jerry:::: October 5th 04 09:12 PM


"Pete C" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 17:59:55 +0100, ":::Jerry::::"
wrote:

No. How would you do it? I wouldn't want to weld every little hole,
especially if it meant taking a tailgate glass out.


You wouldn't but those who know what they are talking about will, as I've
said in another message this is my trade so please don't tell me what

should
and shouldn't be done, As for the filler, on another part of the xar you
would have at least a 50/50 chance but on a door there is little chance

of
it staying in place, it might not drop out but it's ver likely to crack

and
allow water in behind - even with so called dlexable fillers that are

around
these days..


OK, what about epoxy resin and fibreglass cloth? Epoxy sticks very
well to bare metal, it's used to line drinks cans to stop the contents
reacting with the aluminium. It also has a long history of use in boat
building and repair.


And it also has a long history of cracking and crazing, doors [1] flex far
more than any other part of the bodywork and if the frame it's self is weak
things get far worse.

[1] when I say doors, I also include tail gates.


I'd agree that it's better to mig in new metal but depending on the
skill/facilities available and the value/lifespan of the car it's not
always worth it.


Then it is not worth doing at all, a fibreglass repair could be breaking up
within the year, time and money wasted....

It would be better to spend the money on having plates welded in and then
finish off with something like 'Bondaprimer' and say "sod it" to the way it
looks IMO.




Richard Porter October 5th 04 10:42 PM

On 5 Oct 2004 Andy Dingley wrote:

On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 17:53:34 +0100, Grunff wrote:

Given this, I can't think of many things a home user could do to cause a
cylinder to blow - except maybe torch it!


Garage fire will burst an oxygen cylinder, unless the brigade get a
hose onto it and cool it.


It's the ascetylene ones that are really nasty. If they're knocked over
or involved in a fire you have to play water on them for 24 hours
because the stuff is so unstable.

--
Richard Porter
Mail to username ricp at domain minijem.plus.com
"You can't have Windows without pains."

Mark October 5th 04 11:04 PM

Mike Mitchell typed:

On Tue, 5 Oct 2004 00:08:24 +0100, Rob Morley



but not where
structural strength has been compromised by rust. The most fun you
can have with a welding torch is brazing! You can inset pieces of
sheet metal and braze them in,

Did you really mean brazing ?
if so, its an MOT failure in anything considered structural.


Door skins are hardly structural, are they?


Nothing is structural about a modern monocoque body.


LOL
Now I have heard it all. Try explaining that one to Mr MOT inspector.
when you have Brazed a patch on something as Non-Structural
as a sill.

--
Mark


:::Jerry:::: October 5th 04 11:08 PM


"Richard Porter" wrote in message
...
On 5 Oct 2004 Andy Dingley wrote:

On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 17:53:34 +0100, Grunff wrote:

Given this, I can't think of many things a home user could do to cause

a
cylinder to blow - except maybe torch it!


Garage fire will burst an oxygen cylinder, unless the brigade get a
hose onto it and cool it.


It's the ascetylene ones that are really nasty. If they're knocked over
or involved in a fire you have to play water on them for 24 hours
because the stuff is so unstable.


Are you SURE about that, and if you are perhaps you can direct people to an
online (or 'hard') copy of the H&S etc. rules etc. relating to the use and
safety of Ox-acetylene equipment.



Richard Porter October 5th 04 11:15 PM

On 5 Oct 2004 ":::Jerry::::" wrote:

"Richard Porter" wrote:
It's the acetylene ones that are really nasty. If they're knocked
over or involved in a fire you have to play water on them for 24
hours because the stuff is so unstable.


Are you SURE about that, and if you are perhaps you can direct people
to an online (or 'hard') copy of the H&S etc. rules etc. relating to
the use and safety of Ox-acetylene equipment.


No, but I know it's what the fire brigade does if they're dealing with
acetylene cylinders in a fire, and they'll evacuate neighbouring houses.
Actually I have got some safety guidelines from a welding course I did
but I'm not going to dig them out now.

--
Richard Porter
Mail to username ricp at domain minijem.plus.com
"You can't have Windows without pains."

Grunff October 5th 04 11:16 PM

Richard Porter wrote:

It's the ascetylene ones that are really nasty. If they're knocked over
or involved in a fire you have to play water on them for 24 hours
because the stuff is so unstable.


Hmm...

The acetylene bottles are at much lower pressure than the o2. This is
because the acetylene is dissolved in acetone, which is in turn adsorbed
onto clay powder.

I don't buy your 24 hour assertion.


--
Grunff

Andy Dingley October 5th 04 11:29 PM

On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 22:42:10 +0100, Richard Porter
wrote:

It's the ascetylene ones that are really nasty.


Not if they do finally explode - nasty, but much smaller blast radius.

The cooling schedule for both after a fire is similar.
--
Smert' spamionam

:::Jerry:::: October 5th 04 11:36 PM


"Richard Porter" wrote in message
...
On 5 Oct 2004 ":::Jerry::::" wrote:

"Richard Porter" wrote:
It's the acetylene ones that are really nasty. If they're knocked
over or involved in a fire you have to play water on them for 24
hours because the stuff is so unstable.


Are you SURE about that, and if you are perhaps you can direct people
to an online (or 'hard') copy of the H&S etc. rules etc. relating to
the use and safety of Ox-acetylene equipment.


No, but I know it's what the fire brigade does if they're dealing with
acetylene cylinders in a fire, and they'll evacuate neighbouring houses.
Actually I have got some safety guidelines from a welding course I did
but I'm not going to dig them out now.


I suggest you do look them out, certainly before you go near any
Ox-acetylene equipment....



Andy Dingley October 6th 04 01:57 AM

On Tue, 05 Oct 2004 23:16:02 +0100, Grunff wrote:

I don't buy your 24 hour assertion.


In some ways oxygen is safer, because if you don't annoy it, it won't
annoy you. An oxygen cylinder will not _spontaneously_ explode, it
needs some external interference to cause it.

Acetylene can get into an explosive state all on its own. An initial
accident and root cause may be as minor as a welding flashback.
Nothing obviously happens, so the operator thinks that it's "safe". A
few hours later the building explodes.

Even a relatively minor perturbation of high-pressure acetylene can
cause the cylinder contents to begin decomposing. If the cylinder
isn't cooled with a hose, cooled quickly, and cooled and monitored for
many hours afterwards, then it's almost guaranteed to explode. A
cylinder that's getting warm on its own, is making a noise, or is
vibrating (!) is in a really dangerous state. It usually takes a few
hours before the explosion, which is time to deal with it. However
some famous examples (there's one on the front of the HSE acetylene
leaflet) have happened in minutes.

I've heard it said that if an acetylene cylinder is warm, you ring the
fire brigade. If it's already vibrating, you just run like **** right
then and don't stop for anything !

--
Smert' spamionam

mike October 6th 04 11:21 AM

snip

I don't buy your 24 hour assertion.
--
Grunff


where any fire involves acetylene cylinders, for the past few years it has
been standard practise for the fire brigade to establish a 24hr 100metre
radius exclusion zone, to the degree of closing roads (and in recent memory,
a railway line) and evacuating houses - believe me, because i've been stuck
in the ensuing traffic jams



Richard Porter October 6th 04 11:45 AM

On 5 Oct 2004 ":::Jerry::::" wrote:

I suggest you do look them out, certainly before you go near any
Ox-acetylene equipment....


If you want to be helpful post something useful.

Btw, the '24 hours' isn't an assertion on my part, I'm just telling you
what I've heard reported. I expect in practice it could be a longer or
shorter time before the cylinders are deemed safe.

--
Richard Porter
Mail to username ricp at domain minijem.plus.com
"You can't have Windows without pains."

mike October 6th 04 12:21 PM


"Richard Porter" wrote in message
...
On 5 Oct 2004 ":::Jerry::::" wrote:


Btw, the '24 hours' isn't an assertion on my part, I'm just telling you
what I've heard reported. I expect in practice it could be a longer or
shorter time before the cylinders are deemed safe.


I've been delayed twice in the past 12 months -
fire near cylinder in a works yard - A576 closed for the full 24 hrs
shed containing cylinder caught fire. The shed was at the rear of some
houses that fronted on to the A58 - A58 shut for the full 24 hrs
thats' the Greater Manchester Fire Brigade

I also found the following on West Sussex' FB website -
'Because of the explosion risk, the main south coast railway line that runs
past the building had to be closed, causing major disruption for rail
travellers. A safety cordon of 200m had to be sealed off and a number of
businesses on nearby industrial estates were also evacuated in an operation
co-ordinated by Police. We are working hard to minimise the disruption being
caused, but because of the volatile nature of acetylene cylinders when
involved in fire, firefighting operations will have to continue for a period
of 24 hours, before we can be satisfied the cylinders are safe to move, and
premises will be able to reoccupy'



N. Thornton October 6th 04 06:00 PM

On 4 Oct 2004 10:46:17 -0700, (Reuben) wrote:

I have a 1983 VW Passat GL5 which is in reasonable condition barring
some serious rust on the training edges of the doors and the tailgate.
Professional repairers seem reluctant to take on repairs like this -
they want to replace the doors (possible) and the tailgate (not
possible to buy new tailgate now).
I'm considering doing the repairs myself and I'd like to hear from
anyone who has experience of this kind of job in relation to materials
and methods.
I'm realistic about what I can expect to achieve - I just want a
passable job to keep the car legal. If it turns out really well,
that's a bonus.


If all you want is an MOT pass why not just stick cloth tape over it,
then its legal. (That wont apply to structural stuff of course.)

Best option is replace the doors, but if you cant, its a matter of
metal sheet and weld or rivet, preferably weld.


NT


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 09:18 PM.

Powered by vBulletin® Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
Copyright ©2004 - 2014 DIYbanter