Fender replacement Q?

[Trailrider]

I removed my fender today and to my surprise I discovered it was brazed welded to the frame. I know a good braze weld can do a good job, but I was planning to mig weld my fender back on.

Can those with experience let me know if this is a mistake to do? I don't have much brazing experience and I'm worried I would excessively heat it and warp it.

Cheers Neil

[JeffC]

You are right about the heat warping it
I cheat at this so don't tell anyone
I fit my fender, then glue it in place with two part auto body adhesive from any auto body supplier.
Then tack weld the inside edges only.
The same with the supports.
This keeps the heat to a minimum.

[fap67]

Just curious, is this a 444? All of the 444s that I have seen were welded not brazed. I'm not sure how the older models were done. Anyways, I'll try to explain how I did two 444s. On the 1st one, I got more warpage than I liked. The 2nd one turned out better, still with a small amount of warpage. Both were done with a mig welder. On the 2nd one, I did all the welding to the pan first. By pan, I mean the piece that the engine bolts to. After welding to the pan, I then clamped and welded to what I call the bumpers. By bumpers, I mean the 1" round tubes at the front and rear of the fender. On the 1st one, I tacked the fender to the pan and bumpers first, then did all the finish welding. By halving it tacked to the bumpers from the beginning, the fender couldn't go anywhwere and therefore warped. The bumpers and bumper braces had been welded to the chassis previously. Another way, which is what I suspect the factory did, would be to weld the bumpers to the fender and then add the bumper braces last. I hope I didn't confuse you, I'm not a good teacher. I've included some pics because a picture is worth a 1000 words. You can see which one which by looking at the date in the corner of the picture. If you have any questions, just ask.

[fap67]

Jeff, you posted while I was typing. This is a good idea, I use that 2 part autobody adhesive to glue the hoodscoop in place and to glue the expanded metal to the hood and to the side panels.

[Trailrider]

Great ideas thanks, you can't find real world experience in a book! What is the name of this magic two part glue that holds so well that nobody can tell that you used it? Might be an idea to put some of it in a lipstick tube to keep the noise down about being in the shop so much....mmm?

Yes it is a 444 fab67.

I have a 200 to do next and then I am going to tackle a bunch of other 444's that I picked up from a fella who sold me his entire collection.
I have very little experience with body work (fit and finish), so all the advise is really appreciated.

I should get the hang of it by the time I'm done doing the entire collection.

Thanks...Neil

[fap67]

Each one is a learning experience and you get ideas on how to do the next one different. The 2 part glue that I used is 3M Panelbond. There is probably other brands as well. How many 444s do you have, when you say a bunch? Or is that a secret?

[Trailrider]

No secret at all, hell we are all here for the same reason and that is to share the passion.

I responded to a Kijiji ad advertising Hus Ski parts. I was looking for a few small pieces to complete my restoration with as few McGivers as possible. It turned out the guy advertising had a very large collection of both complete machines and all sorts of parts that he had collected over the years.
I still haven't got them all here at my place so I don't know for sure what I have, but there is probably enough machines and parts to make up 8-10 units, with many spare parts in addition.

He was looking to sell them to someone who would restore them, vs just part them out on Kijiji for profit. I have always loved these machines so I decided to take on a project of restoring them. He also sold me his collection of Snowbugs for the same reasons.

I was very intrigued how he was able to find so many units and he explained that there used to be a dealer in his town and back in the day many of the local farmers and trappers bought them.
25 years after the dealer closed down he was looking for parts and put the word out in the community, being very prevalent in the snowmobile community (and a real good guy), all sorts of old timers came to his aid with what they had in their barns and fields. He quickly filled his fathers barn with everything from junk to some real gems. Frames, motors, sleighs, you name it. Lots of machines that have been modified to meet the needs of the owners imaginations, quite interesting actually.

Once I have had a chance to understand what I have and what I need, I'd be glad to offer up the spare parts to those who are also looking to finish their projects.

BTW, this guy also has a real nice B12 Woody for sale if anyone is looking for a nice restored vintage looker.

cheers neil

[duke]

Hi Niel, I am looking for some parts. Where are you located? Duke