Salvaged 2005 GX470 Project - Now with Rebuilt Title & Plates!

I need to check. I wasn't very thorough with that then either lol. But I did pay $3400 extra for lifetime warranty, that has paid >$12k in repairs so far! $5600 just for the SMG hydraulic pump, I only paid the $100 copay.

I'm actually going to take it to a body shop and get a quote. See if the Hargerty insurance will pay for any of it.

 

Small update. Aluminum alloy wheels are going for $0.70c a lb at the local recycler. Cat6 is up to $1.50! Got tires of lugging the old jeep wheels around, one was damaged from the salvage auction I got the jeep from. Tired were in ok shape but no one ever bit at the ad for them in the last three years. So those and the damaged lexus wheel all got hacked up. Pretty easy after watching a few vids.

Deflate tires.
Sawzaw the sidewalls in a donut fashion a few inches from the rim.
Angle grind away the remaining rubber from rim

5 less wheels and tires cluttering up the place

Actually I also sold my OEM M3 19" staggered wheels sitting in storage.

And I still have the Tundra wheels, and TRD wheels for the Lexus waiting for tires

 

Gotta find where I can take the tires now. Hoping there's a recycler for that somewhere. Don't want to pay to dispose them..

 

For future reference, a razor knife with a hooked linoleum blade goes through sidewalls like a hot knife through butter.

 

First ever spot weld! Practicing on scrap metal cut off of qp. Seeing how long I need to hold it for a decent weld

 

I quickly scrolled through this, and that DID NOT look like a Mig nozzle at first glance.

 

Lol not yet. Working my way up to it. Quite a few places I can knock out with the Harbor freight spot welder before needing to do...is it rossett or plug welds? And then the regular might welding to seem up the two panels. Hoping to do some practicing with the mig over.the next few days

 

I’ve seen these kits to help, but honestly as long as you find the right amperage and hold time for solid penetration with a consistent tip distance, you can zip spot welds pretty quickly with the Mig.

Those spot weld machine are cool too though!

https://www.eastwood.com/eastwood-m...ickedid=629947572238&wickedsource=google&wv=4

 

Small welding cart and clamps

+ $68

 

Almost at the point of saying "good enough". It's mostly there but I can quite pull everything straight to be 100% as long as the back door shuts properly and the qp lines up well. Not like this is a show vehicle or anything.

 

Couple of clamps and it practically is good enough!

Now I really really gotta learn the welding part

 

Welding cart and welder all set up. Break for lunch and maybe firing it up after

 

Definitely need to upgrade welding masks...

 

Haha. Back to HF.

 

Yeah! Definitely get a solid true color auto darkening helmet. It will make a world of difference!

Edit: Also good job really digging in there and going the extra mile to replace all the sub-assemblies. I’m looking forward to seeing this completed.

 

I have no clue when it comes to welding but I know crap when I see it, that is 1/2 a step up from eclipse glasses.

lol

 

A little bit of googling and I picked up the HF auto-darkening mask. Will likely upgrade helmets in the future depending on the amount of welding I keep doing.

+ $50

 

It’s definitely a step or two above Safety Squints though!

 

How many HP does the blue flames add??

lol

 

+2 welding skills

They had a more gaudy red helmet for +2 welding & +3 obnoxious

 

Not pretty but I finally made two pieces stick! Gonna keep practicing and maybe next weekend weld in the qp support

 

Looks good. Practice makes perfect! Make sure when you’re welding the spots close together you either give them ample time to cool in between tacks or you space them out well so you don’t introduce too much heat to one spot and warp the sheet metal.

 

Getting a little better. Still dialing in the voltage and wire speed. Welds aren't pretty but ground down flat and sticking together. I'm using the old sheet metal i removed, cutting out strips and welding into the spot welds I previously removed. So hoping the new metal and cleaner holes make it easier to do later

 

Nice! If you really want to make the end result pretty, snag a couple of these flap discs next time you go to Harbor Freight.

They really smooth out the area and I like to use them prior to welding too, to clean the metal but not take too much material away.

 

Cool cool cool. Getting the hang of this. Planning to burn in the qp support by end of next weekend. And then work on getting the qp itself cut correctly and burned in.

I think I need to get some weld through primer. And a little bit of seam sealer

 

Alright dude, it’s Sunday and I’m all out of build threads to read!

 

Lol I had to go down town to finish a work project, cause I don't want to drive there during the week. But we got tomorrow off and I'm gonna whip out the welder!

 

I’ll be impatiently waiting!

 

Need to drill out some more holes for spot welding. Should be the last thing before making it permanent

 

I'm out on the hunt for weld through primer to spray before I weld anything. Seems ill have to order it. Expensive! $30-50 for one rattle can