m 37 resto in new brunswick

[pauljboudreau]

did more work on the m truck yesterday and this morning, pretty close to start restoring the frame , gt some sanding disc and the primer and paint today, gee that stuff is becoming expensive, oh well if i want a good job i have to get the good stuff i guess

any how here are the pics, enjoy

front frame view

rear frame view

some one did a poor welding job on a crack

another crak by the stearing box mount

transfert case crossmember had a hard life

power train awaiting restoration

striped the rear of the frame this morning

mask , tack cloth and filter for the paint

primer with etching primer in it

the paint formula from sherwin william



now it started raining so i stalled for the day

[pauljboudreau]

paint hardener and reducer, note the color, it is exactly the same as the paint on my nos gas cap, the rigth olive drab, cool

pre marked mixing cup for the paint wich goes 8-4-1, and the primer is 1 to 1

[super dave]

I will be interested in how the color comes out, Keep up the good work

[pauljboudreau]

nice day today had some more work done and started restoring the frame ouf hard labor but it will be worth it, i found some marking stamped in the frame including a serial number , but the number is to faint to show on the camera, you can also see all kind of tool marks on the frame proving it was bended cold or pressed

any how here are the pics enjoy!

crack ready to be welded

crak welded

where is the crack?

other crack fixing

original dodge black paint showing under the drab

1/3 sanded down

marking stamped in frame

[pauljboudreau]

axles waiting restoration

[Alex Blair (RIP)]

Paul..
That is a nice weld..low splatter..looks like 7018 or 7011..
7011 would give you a nice base for a deep large weld but not with a frame..but not strong enough for a stand alone,one pass fix,in my estimation..especially for a restoration.... the 7018 is your best choice for price and strength.....70 series means 70,000 pounds tensile strength..more than enough for your frame..if it was a military application I would use 8018 or even 9018 for a 90,000 pound tensile strength weld..the frame would break somewhere else..not the welded area..
Anyway ..by the look of your weld..you don't need any advice from me but it may help others that are doing some welding with out your experience that may have some questions that we could help with..Keep posting..love the pictures and the description..

[pauljboudreau]

thank for the flower's!!

actually i used the mig welder at a high voltage and slower wire speed to make sure i had good penetration, also since those frame are high in carbon i preheated to a cherry red before welding and kept it hot for a while before leting it cool down on its own slowly to prevent any stress in the steel, it is important not to over heat it as it can become brittle because of the carbon , the mig welder combined with the mix gold gas and some nozzle dip make for very clean welds, i also used the plasma quite a bit to remove some material to cut down on grinding time.

as for progress pics , the more nice wheater the more progress , i do need to build a garage..lol