I'm repairing (as opposed to restoring) my 1966 Triumph Herald;
The chassis is receiving extensive welding; much cutting out of rust and
replacement with good metal.
The problem is my welding AIN't pretty. Don't get me wrong, it's strong
enough; I've ground back many welds to prove that to myself; it just ain't
pretty and the chassis is going to wind up looking like a badly stitched
patchwork quilt. Not that I mind that; the idea is to get a good tidy
everyday driver out of this car; I've no intention to show it, this isn't a
restoration job it's an extensive repair job and to an extent I really don't
care what the underneath looks like, so long as it's strong, safe, and gets
through the annual test.
The question is; how will this affect the (UK) MOT test An MOT tester has
already told me that there is no problem with the actual amount of welding;
and he seems to be suggesting that the fact it is continuous is enough. As
yet though I haven't got the guy to actually look at the car and give me a
ye or ney ....I'm told that other mechanics have looked at the car in my
absence and pronounced the welding 'OK' if a little heavy handed; but I
really feel I need further advice and comments.... And none of these
mechanics have said it's ok to ME directly....
Should I grind\dress the welding back? TO be honest I'd rather just leave
the excess metal there; but it is heavy, particularly in corners where I've
built up layers of weld to convince myself that the new metal is actually
attached to the old.
..and what about painting the chassis? Obvoiusly this needs to be done
before re-assembly; but this MOT tester I spoke to reckons he would rather
see it unpainted; impossible I say; I don't propose great gobs of bitumen
based underseal; I plan to hammerite the chassis......
HELP! I'm having a crisis of confidence here; Is ther an online guide to
what's actually expected in the MOT? I did spend a few hours searching but
came up with nowt.
As always, any thoughts, advice and experiences would be very welcome
Matt.
_______________________________________________
Matt Rathney-Quinn
Please reply to: matt@tfgtv.co.uk
TFG Arts and Media
Professional Corporate Video for SMALL Business!
www.tfgtv.co.uk
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