2008 Escape

bbjordan

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FWIW, from a guy with little welding experience, I found overlapping the metal worked better than butt welding...more metal to absorb the heat.

IDIoit also mentioned that he uses a block of aluminum behind the weld to absorb the heat.

Using thin wire (.023" or .024") helps too.

I also stumbled across a video that said straight CO2 runs cooler than straight Ar or 75%Ar-25%CO2. I have a bottle of CO2, I should try it out.

My welding has improved lots just from doing. The more you do it, the more you learn. I'm becoming more of welder and less of a grinder. :)
 

chillman88

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FWIW, from a guy with little welding experience, I found overlapping the metal worked better than butt welding...more metal to absorb the heat.

I was too lazy to do butt welds LOL I will say the thicker metal was WAY easier. As was the spots I actually cleaned the paint off my patch panels :rolleyes:
 

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A quote from the Canadian fella that does all the tool testing on YouTube, AvE I think is his channel. He actually disassembles the tools and goes through everything.....

"Grinder and paint, make me the welder I ain't"

one of my current favorite channels!

i am not even sure i would grind it down much. if it is that thin you might want to keep all of that bubble gum weld. just make sure to seal it up to help keep the rust demon at bay.
 

chillman88

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i am not even sure i would grind it down much. if it is that thin you might want to keep all of that bubble gum weld. just make sure to seal it up to help keep the rust demon at bay.

I want to grind it smoother so I can find the holes. A decent amount of it was built up with tacks. I'm not going to grind any more than I have to though. I'm going to prime everything good and then slather it with seam sealer on the joints before painting.

Truthfully, I could probably leave it bare and have it last longer than the paper it was made from before! I couldn't believe how THIN it was. Literally cardstock thickness.
 

chillman88

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Seam sealer and rubber undercoat left and the inspector man should be none the wiser.

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chillman88

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Well I finally spent the $12 on the cheapest brake pads I could find. I hate having to change them so early, they clearly don't need it...

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That's not the rings of Saturn, that's my rotor.

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See? They're fine!

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Warning, the faint of heart and those **** about repairs being done properly should leave now....

I don't care too much for the longevity of this thing and I don't even know for sure it'll pass inspection. That being said I did a dirty Zip ties n Bias plies brake job. Got out the old 4-1/2" brake lathe....

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F'n mint!

Works fine. No vibration from the redneck resurfacing. I'm happy with it!
 

chillman88

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Well she went to a new home today. No regrets but I'm kinda sad to see her go.

Now to get started on this beautiful mess.....

Assuming I don't find more trouble than I have already found there will be a build thread. Nothing special but... Misery loves company LOL


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you are a glutton for punishment lol

are the frame rails straight on the front? that might be a bigger headache than it is worth if not.........otherwise 4bt swap? LOL
 

chillman88

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you are a glutton for punishment lol

are the frame rails straight on the front? that might be a bigger headache than it is worth if not.........otherwise 4bt swap? LOL

First yes I am lol. However... He gave me $300 and the Jeep for the escape so I'm perfectly happy regardless of what happens.

As best as I could tell yes they are. 95k on the odometer and really not bad rust wise. Looks like the lower control arms took the brunt of the impact. They're bent pretty good but the mounts appear unharmed. I honestly believe I can probably straighten out the fender, replace the control arms and steering knuckle (TRE boss snapped off) and probably drive it from there. I'm very anxiously holding off on ordering parts until I get it ripped apart. I will be picking it up this weekend hopefully.

I would love nothing more than either a 4bt or LS in it. Time and money will tell. It's emissions exempt being a 95 or I wouldn't have considered it at all. Has the 4.0 I6 in it right now.
 
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chillman88

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I'm sure the wife was thrilled :p

Are those unibody?

Honestly I think she's given up. She said "oh well, it's your problem."

She's happy to see the escape gone and I already told her if it's too far gone it'll go for scrap. From what I see the age is probably the reason it got totalled by insurance other than the airbag going off.

EDIT: Yes they are unibody unfortunately.
 

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Alternatively I have contemplated a Mercedes diesel swap too.

Although I really would love to just toss a DT466 in the back end and run fullsize axles :joker:

if you are going 466 i would step it up to at least a excursion or full size jeep!
 

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