Patrick Tipton Posted March 9 Share Posted March 9 1 hour ago, DonM said: As an aside, Patrick as an aviator might appreciate this. One of my all time favorite WW2 fighters! Claire Chennault was one of my first childhood heroes. Absolutely love that you get to continue using that stool in a fine legacy of craftsmanship. Congrats to you two for jumping in and getting after it. You are moving right along - outstanding. Regards, Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 Fun in the shop today…..started diving into the final drive unit. Looking over the housing we noted a casting number and a tag. See photo. Don’t know if there is anything meaningful there. There is also a tag from what I assume is a repair shop in Lyon, France dated exactly 67 years ago. See photo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted March 12 Author Share Posted March 12 Opened up the unit and I think it is in great shape. One of the drums has absolutely no ridges and the other has barely noticeable ridges. My only concern is some minor pitting which may be a result of from a small amount of water in the case. The brake bands looked almost brand new to me. My guess is it was not used much since its last maintenance. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 It seems that most of our Weasels really have not seen very much use. Those drums do indeed look nice. I don't really have a feel yet for how much that drum surface impacts steering. My M29 steers harder than I like, but the drums are probably worse than those. I am going to be resurfacing the M29 drums and replacing the brake linings in the next few weeks - will let you know how much of a difference it makes. Keep up the great work. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 It's been awhile since our last update but we have been making progress. We've done a lot of patching on the lower right side hull especially on the corners of the bottom edge. We have also installed the "J" channel and blind nuts on the right side. We have also started fitting the floor and trimming as needed. Hopefully will start welding this weekend. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted April 30 Share Posted April 30 Outstanding! Great to see this machine coming along so nicely Don. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted April 30 Author Share Posted April 30 One question we have is do you guys have suggestions about how to recreate that “bend” in what looks like a stamped section of the hull lower side. Where the bend is under that forward most hat channel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted May 11 Share Posted May 11 I would make it out of several pieces of 18 gauge and just weld and grind it up. Make the profile, then add the top...a little creative grinding and welding and no one will know you were there! Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted May 13 Author Share Posted May 13 Thanks Patrick…..that’s what we ended up doing. We also avoided a bullet when we noticed that we missed 2 bolt holes in the J channel for the cross shaft mount. Got that fixed and it passed the fit check. Now about ready to mount the floor. Next question is, what do you guys recommend for installing the longitudinal corner gusset? It seems like it should go in before the floor. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted May 15 Author Share Posted May 15 Things are going good…..just a couple little tweaks and floor is ready to get welded on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted May 15 Share Posted May 15 @DonM Well done mate and BZ for your efforts.👍 By time you finish the hull repairs, you and your welder will be close friends. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted May 18 Author Share Posted May 18 I know we have a long way to go but we’re excited to have the floor welded in place finally! We appreciate the advice and encouragement! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted May 18 Share Posted May 18 It is a huge accomplishment....congrats! One fix at a time and you will have it painted in no time. Love that you guys are moving so deliberately through this project -can't wait to see it running. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 What do you guys recommend for a hole diameter for the hat channel plug welds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darth_kitten Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 16 hours ago, DonM said: What do you guys recommend for a hole diameter for the hat channel plug welds? I'm using 1/4" on mine. Seem to be getting pretty good penetration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted May 19 Author Share Posted May 19 25 minutes ago, darth_kitten said: I'm using 1/4" on mine. Seem to be getting pretty good penetration. Excellent! Thanks darth_kitten! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OZM29C Posted May 19 Share Posted May 19 20 hours ago, DonM said: What do you guys recommend for a hole diameter for the hat channel plug welds? @DonMIt depends on the diameter of the MIG wire you are using. 1/4" holes will be OK if you are using 0.8mm wire but if you are using 0.9mm wire I would open them up to 8mm (5/16"Inch) diameter holes. If you drill the holes in the sponson (as opposed to the hat channels and contour flange) and plug weld from the outside, the finish inside will look almost OEM. Also makes for an easier time dressing the plug welds. Good luck. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonM Posted May 20 Author Share Posted May 20 Thanks OZ, that’s a cool idea! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patrick Tipton Posted May 20 Share Posted May 20 I used a version of this for all of the holes: https://www.harborfreight.com/pneumatic-professional-punch-and-flange-tool-58620.html?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=12126915354&campaignid=12126915354&utm_content=150898453847&adsetid=150898453847&product=58620&store=&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw6auyBhDzARIsALIo6v8CI0GBoDOCoB8f9OKySp5MOXDvihGotgNYQJ6elIhak53nVWkgymUaAr5fEALw_wcB It makes a 7/32" hole....you have to be on your welding game to get good penetration, but it sure makes the hole punching operation easy. When everything is new metal (like these repairs), I run the MIG as hot as I can stand....and make sure that I start the weld in the center of the hole...and get a good puddle going...then a quick circle and the hole is filled. I like John's @OZM29C idea...a little extra work to drill the holes, but it does look great at the end. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Gilmore Posted June 18 Share Posted June 18 Don, FYI.......Your vehicle is actually a M-29 even though your Hull plate says T-24. Assuming your Hull plate is original ...the number 2003 would have an MFG/ORD number of around 177? ( ? = Unknown number ) and your USA number would be around 401490??. Sand the area behind the drivers seat to see if you can find the USA #. Jim Gilmore Jim Thorpe, PA jgilmore@ptd.net 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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