Super Dexta Nose Cone Repair

[Dcal]

Thanks Andy,
I've just been through the photos you posted for me earlier (to see how the nose cone lines up with the bonnet) and you have already shown how it goes together'
The brackets bolt to the reinforcement pieces that I've still to fit, so no spacers required.

Filled a few holes in the top of the nose cone and fitted it to the sides with screws.
The nose cone was a sheet of filler and not just to fill the holes.
It has had a fair thump in the past, been repaired and it's all shapes.

I'm never going to get decent gaps with the shape it is so will have to fill it and do the best I can


I just need to make the patches that line up with the bonnet and extend the front of the panel at the top to suit.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

@Dcal Cracking job! How long before he 'remodels' it....

 

[Dcal]

God knows
It doesn't get used much but it's in a shocking state.
The water pump is hanging in it so it wont hold water.

How it not seized I'll never know.
Some people just shouldn't be allowed tools

I have to do the one on my Major.....unless you fancy a job?
LOL! yer mekkin a crakin job!!

@hermetic I hope you major is in better shape than this Dexta.
It's been fighting me all the way and is certainly putting me off tractors

 

[Dcal]

Found one of the reasons I couldn't get anything to fit properly.

The bracket that the lower mountings bolt to is bent, someone has tried to straighten it but has not made a great job of it.

I don't have enough heat at the moment to do any good so tried to straighten it with a porta-power wedge and an air hammer.

That didn't go well so I split the bracket and tried again

That worked but the end was still bent so decided to get the big grinder out, cut the offending bit off and straightened it with the press.

Then welded it back together with 2.5 7018s

Hopefully the panels will fit a bit better now.

 

[Dcal]

Finally getting somewhere with this and can see an end.

Things are lining up a bit better but still far from perfect (or even, it will do)
Cleaned up the reinforcement plates and a few other bits

Installed and held in place with a few screws.

And trial fit

Made the final patches that overlap the two half's.

Then cut to size and ran a step on the bead roller

Fitted up and tacked in place.

 

[Dcal]

Continuing on and after 5 min with the grinder -

And the other side

Just need to sweep blast and a couple of coats of epoxy (and the wee infill patch from the side panel to the grill)

That was really a lot harder than I expected.

I suspect the bottom of the overlap panels should have a "safe edge" but I don't care anymore

 

[Browser]

Unless someone's said it already, get a guard on that grinder!

 

[arther dailey]

dcal I think promotion is on the cards , cracking job and loving the thread, can I just thank you on behalf of everyone for the patiance you have shown taking all the pics etc, let alone the standard of work . appreciated very much

 

[Dcal]

@arther dailey Thanks for the kind words and encouragement, especially after the previous post which makes me wonder why I bother posting actual work on diy welding forum.
I already know I'm a bad person and am going to hell (or A&E) because I'm lazy and take shortcuts but it's a flap disk and you don't have to look too hard to see much worse infringements.
Mind you Browser's approach is really going to work on someone like me, or most on this forum.

Back to the Dexta
Where the bottom of the nose cone bolts to the front axle, is a mess and had been plated before.
Also to get any sort of panel gaps (instead of overlaps) I need to move the bolt positions.
I have a feeling the diesel tank needs moved back but I'm not getting into that so the holes need to move.

The originals bolt positions are dished so I decided to replicate that as best I can and needed to make a couple of dies, which is easy when you have a lathe. I wonder how I managed without one for most of my life.

I could only find stainless washers so used them.
I can mig braze or weld them in with dissimilar tig rods, but I'm not doing that until it's all welded together.

Finished off the last few repairs.

Then took it all apart again for blasting.

And painting with Jotamastic 87A
This is thinned 10% with Jotun 17 thinners and sprayed with a cheap spray gun with a 2.5mm fluid tip.

 

[arther dailey]

loving the fact you knocked out a die (?) to press those pieces , considering I thought it was gone too far to be worth saving ..I reckon cracking job , if in a line up with most others having repro(c**p) on them yours is going to stand out by far the best fit . good on you

 

[octo0072000]

hope you fixed the water pump while the front was off
be a shame if it seized up after all that work

 

[Dcal]

It is shocking, so worn the water just runs out.
I've a new one to fit and a thermostat and a radiator cap.
I dread to think what state the waterways are in. It hasn't seen antifreeze or inhibitor in many a long year.

 

[hermetic]

It remind me of a job I did a couple of years ago!

 

[postie jon]

yes & 24hrs later you get a call,.....oops ive hit something

 

[Dcal]

Can't believe it's almost 6 months since I posted on this!
I've been doing bits and pieces, but in truth I sort of lost interest.
Anyway. I decided to ty and get it finished.

Because of the method of construction, I thought it would be a good idea to prime the sections before assembly and do all the welded seams and overlaps with weld through primer and then seam sealer.
I'm not so sure it was a good idea now.
Anyway I got it assembled on the tractor and tacked as best I could.

After it was together I started applying the "magic butter" and sanding most of it off again.

On the inside where the primer had been burnt off by the welding, it was a pig to sand.

So I swept blasted the inside with the pressure pot.

Then a couple of good coats of Jotun 90 inside and out.

Let that dry and applied some polyurethane sealer over the joints and laps before brushing it out with a paint brush.

Hopefully that will stop the rot starting again from the seams.

 

[brewdexta]

Lovely job!

 

[slim_boy_fat]

^^ What @brewdexta said ^^

 

[arther dailey]

thatlooks out standing ,especially when you compare to what you started with ! I certainly had my doubts and pleased to say how wrong I was . you should be well pleased with that

 

[Dcal]

Thanks all, it's almost there but not quite.
It's a bit silly the work that went into it, but all good learning.

@brewdexta did you get your's sorted?
I was to get you measurements of the holes in the bottom of the nose cone.
If you PM your address I'll send you a template which would probably be more useful.

 

[tom2207]

Thanks all, it's almost there but not quite.
It's a bit silly the work that went into it, but all good learning.

@brewdexta did you get your's sorted?
I was to get you measurements of the holes in the bottom of the nose cone.
If you PM your address I'll send you a template which would probably be more useful.

Tidy result , thats the sort of stuff folk seem to bring me all the time ,, just dont count the hours , you will weep.