With a looming calendar date when I have to present the M151A2 for safety inspection, I made a plan to make roadworthy but not concourse-quality repairs. The battery box is under the passenger seat. The batteries are ganged together with cabling. They sit on a cookie sheet tray with is perched over two large oval basins in the battery box floor on top of the right frame rail. Why the designers put so much air space under the batteries is unknown, but all the M151 family seem to have this problem area.
Two days ago I used a pick hammer and 4" grinder to find and remove the worst of the rust. In the process of making sparks I became more familiar with the re-militarization job. The battery box floor had been torched in the disposal, and then patched together in the restoration. Fortunately only the righthand depression was rusted out. I trimmed some 12ga sheet steel salvaged from somewhere to make an 'L' shaped piece and a simple rectangle, each with a 2" 90-deg stiffener. Both pieces bridged between the frame rail hump and the outside skin.
Mindful of my own limits with sheetmetal, I decided not to recreate the basin shape but go flat across. Authenticity will have to wait until a later more skillful rebuilder takes the task. Some dimples on the bottom the battery tray mean it can't fit exactly back in the same spot, but the flat panels are actually a little lower than before. No fear, I will not let the terminals ground out on the cover.
Last night I turned to someone who was properly trained in welding - my brother the retired Ship's Engineering Officer. He ran the 110v MIG wire feed welder while I did the unskilled stuff. He heated the undercoating and paint, I'd scrape and brush. He'd tack, and I'd chip and brush. He'd start a puddle, and I'd adjust the feed. He'd take a breather, and I'd inspect or chip some more.
After four hours on the job and about 48" of weld, stopping only for one pint, we burnt in both patch panels and some unexpected little fillets. The floor is sealed up, and likely stronger than factory! The biggest problem is Bondo body filler concealed several marginal spots along the right sidewall of the body. Burning Bondo has a reek all its own, not to mention roasting nuts when bending over top ...
There are some other gaps between previous patch pieces elsewhere on the floor which were picked up in the inspection. I can unbolt or back out the existing fasteners and surgically wedge patches into place. But last night got rid of the daunting part of the job. Finish grinding and cleanup are still required. Primer, undercoating and outer surface paint will follow, probably the morning of the inspection.
Pix to fol.
And, just an acknowledgement to the forum for motivating me to try something I've never done before.
