Welding precautions.

**Steve Webb** · 15-03-08, 12:59

I need to do some heavy duty welding on the Range Rover (diff protection) and just wondered what the precautions for ARC welding were?
Is it just a case of disconnecting the battery, or is Batt/alternator/ECU?

I'm off on an Off road jaunt in a couple of weeks so need to get the front diff protector on. If I leave if off I'll probably go and smash the front diff on something, but if I've got it on there I'll miss everything.

Cheers in advance.

**K.Kotkas** · 15-03-08, 19:29

I usually disconnect the battery, but most people don't even care about that. Just put a lot of protective stuff around problematic areas, like fuel and break lines, so if it spits, it wont burn a surprise hole there.

I'm currently finishing a front bumper and winch mount for G-wagon. Feel like a grease monkey after heavy welding and grinding. Nice to see that there are other people also interested in 4wd driving other than just on road.

**Steve Webb** · 15-03-08, 20:57

Cheers, I was just going to disconnect the battery, but then when you start looking on the internet you get to see all sorts of reasons why you ought to disconnect the alternator and or the ECU. I think I'll just disconnect the battery.

I've got to weld a couple of tabs onto the axle to fit one of these

I'm under orders not to break or bend the Range Rover so its just fairly simple off road stuff for the time being.

Is it your G wagon? Rumor has it they are pretty unbreakable.

**wrinx** · 15-03-08, 21:38

I'd agree with Kotkas...battery off is the usual requirement.

Having said that I've MIG welded exhausts on the car without undoing anything, with no problem!

wrinx

**mindus** · 16-03-08, 08:45

Does anyone has an idea for the protection of the Q4 oilsump/oilhousing?
I saw some ideas for Integrales on the net, but haven't seen anything ready made for the Q4..
I'm thinking of one because when my q4 was lowerred by approx. 50 mm in the summer, i used to "bump" with the whole front end of the car to the asphalt driving at higher speeds on uneven roads and several times I hitted the oil sump. After that i changed the springs to standard ones leaving the aftermarket shocks...

**wrinx** · 16-03-08, 11:55

Sounds like you need new shock absorbers.

wrinx

**mindus** · 16-03-08, 15:40

The shocks are brand new GTS black ones (the car quite stiff even with standard springs). but still was something wrong. and off course the roads here in Lithuania are quite poor as compared to, say, Great Britain... Not very safe to drive with a much lowered car.
Thinking to sort things with coilover suspension.

But a oilsump protection still would be very good idea.

**Steve Webb** · 16-03-08, 17:27

Is it the sump that is hitting the ground or some other part of the car? One thing you could try is cutting some 5mm steel into strips profiled to fit flush against the bottom of the lower sump. Kind of like cooling fins, running lengthways. 10mm deep of so, then these would hit the ground first. 4 or 5 of these across the width of the sump should offer pretty good protection.

**K.Kotkas** · 16-03-08, 20:32

Darn, I cant tell how much I hate myself now for not doing it with a water jet cutter, anyhow, work in process, quite ugly now, but will be nice, after some sandblasting, grinding and painting.

**K.Kotkas** · 22-03-08, 22:17

duh, finished grinding :p

final outcome:

**RMB-Racing** · 22-03-08, 23:25

Isn't that a Mercedes Gel?ndewagen..???

**Steve Webb** · 23-03-08, 09:00

Looks like one to me.

I'm off with the local Land Rover 4x4 club for the day in the middle of April, so I'll grab some pics and video of the day. Be interesting to see just how mad these French drivers are.

**Steve Webb** · 13-04-08, 22:20

Well I survived the offroad day, I've posted up a report of the day here http://forum.difflock.com/viewtopic.php?t=24620 if you are interested.

Steve

**AlfaJack** · 13-04-08, 22:37

Big machines in some big and deep mud! Glad you made it back...

Wrinx will have to get the Matta out there to that event!

**wrinx** · 13-04-08, 22:41

No fear

It's still recovering from NAD 2007

wrinx

**K.Kotkas** · 14-04-08, 06:47

nice mud

We came third in Euro 4x4 2008 Championship first stage.

**Xti** · 14-04-08, 06:56

Whooohaaaaa

...I like that. Congrats for the results too.

Good luck,
Chris.

**Steve Webb** · 14-04-08, 08:04

That looks pretty extreme, any pics of the truck without the steam. It is steam isn't it?

**K.Kotkas** · 14-04-08, 08:31

yes. it is steam. some spectator said that Silverbeast's shist is boiling

anyway glamor shots http://www.lahe.net/gallery/Silverbeast

Just to show that it has one been clean too :p

**Steve Webb** · 25-04-08, 19:39

Originally Posted by K.Kotkas

yes. it is steam. some spectator said that Silverbeast's shist is boiling

anyway glamor shots http://www.lahe.net/gallery/Silverbeast

Just to show that it has one been clean too :p

That looks seriously useful offroad, what chassis is it built on and what are the portals from?

**K.Kotkas** · 28-04-08, 19:12

Its a german unimog 404, that has a custom chassis and 4.0 Jeep engine adopted to the unimogs 6 speed gearbox.

Currently we are in redesign phase. it will get a 210kW engine, auto transmission and hopefully we can make it 500 or so kg lighter. I myself have to lose 15 kg ...

**Steve Webb** · 28-04-08, 21:16

That explains the axles then. Just looking at the pics, and the car is obviously bigger than it first looks in the pics.

Should be easy to lose 500kgs from a mog.

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