K20A Euro R Swap - Project Inheritance

asudiswa said:
Would love to see it. Since I’m kswapping it I would like to have it stronger.
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Hussien also had to rebuild his, you might peruse his extensive build thread, its good reading, well illustrated with hand drawn images and excellent photos. There is good commentary and plenty of fabrication.

Before rebuilding the area you might consider the whole exhaust issue. On many of the K swaps the header has had to be a compromise due to the existing geometries of the existing parts of the car. One could turn this around and instead look at it from the perspective of what would be best from a whole system standpoint. Build the structure around the engine and exhaust assembly.

You will be doing plenty of fabricating as it is to fit the engine in along with the various rust repairs, making the rear of the engine bay custom wouldn’t be much of a leap.
 
kmead said:
Hussien also had to rebuild his, you might peruse his extensive build thread, its good reading, well illustrated with hand drawn images and excellent photos. There is good commentary and plenty of fabrication.

Before rebuilding the area you might consider the whole exhaust issue. On many of the K swaps the header has had to be a compromise due to the existing geometries of the existing parts of the car. One could turn this around and instead look at it from the perspective of what would be best from a whole system standpoint. Build the structure around the engine and exhaust assembly.

You will be doing plenty of fabricating as it is to fit the engine in along with the various rust repairs, making the rear of the engine bay custom wouldn’t be much of a leap.
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thats the one I was looking for. I thgouth for sure I bookmarked it but nope.

Odie
 
kmead said:
Before rebuilding the area you might consider the whole exhaust issue. On many of the K swaps the header has had to be a compromise due to the existing geometries of the existing parts of the car. One could turn this around and instead look at it from the perspective of what would be best from a whole system standpoint. Build the structure around the engine and exhaust assembly.
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Excellent suggestion. That's thinking ahead to avoid a problem instead of fixing issues after the fact. ;)
 
kmead said:
Hussien also had to rebuild his, you might peruse his extensive build thread, its good reading, well illustrated with hand drawn images and excellent photos. There is good commentary and plenty of fabrication.

Before rebuilding the area you might consider the whole exhaust issue. On many of the K swaps the header has had to be a compromise due to the existing geometries of the existing parts of the car. One could turn this around and instead look at it from the perspective of what would be best from a whole system standpoint. Build the structure around the engine and exhaust assembly.

You will be doing plenty of fabricating as it is to fit the engine in along with the various rust repairs, making the rear of the engine bay custom wouldn’t be much of a leap.
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Yeah that’s kind of what I was thinking. I’ll cruise through his thread this weekend. The main concern I was definitely worried about is screwing with the geometry in that area, and that’s definitely a great call out on the exhaust.
 
Engine and transaxle is out today. Will start cleaning to determine how bad everything is, and mapping out the next steps especially with the rust in the back. First step will be to remove the rest of the insulation from the shielding.
 

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Put one of the kiddos to work and cleaned up on of the control arms and the MWB subframe kit primed it just to prevent surface rust building up. Have been doing a lot of reading on @lookforjoe posts on his swap, and will need to fabricate some brackets to make the transaxle mount appropriately. Still debating the intake, and how I’m going to do that part my intake is a RBC so I know that’s going to be a challenge to fit. I’m going to hook up my sandblaster to actually do a proper job but the kid wanted to see progress haha.
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I need someone to do my dirty work. :p Over the decades of building old cars I've come to hate cleaning off all the grime, grease, road debris, etc.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
I need someone to do my dirty work. :p Over the decades of building old cars I've come to hate cleaning off all the grime, grease, road debris, etc.
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Haha I got a few kids but this is the first one that volunteered to help. Which meant she didn’t have to go to the grocery store. She’s definitely a homebody 🤣. They’re learning a little, and for me the memories are worth it all.
 
motoTrooper said:
That is adorable, my wife and I don't regret not having kids but maybe this should have figured in.
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And you never should man! Everyone sees and posts these parts as they’re awesome, but there are many challenges too. For me it’s the thought of doing something wrong, or could I do it better. I just know that I’m trying my best, and hopefully they will know that. My sister doesn’t want kids, and her having the self awareness to know that is awesome.
 
Bouncing around to the interior while I vacillate on which welder I'm going to get. Way too many different choices. I have experience with Mig, but was leaning towards a combo to learn how to tig. If anyone has suggestions let me know. Had to slot the bottom of the bolts on the passenger seat due to slides not working correctly.
 

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The technology for welders has come a long way in recent years. And as a result now you can get a machine with multiple capabilities for a lot less money than a single process machine was not long ago. I'd say go for a combo MIG/TIG machine. MIG can be used for almost everything once you get good with it. But there are some instances where a TIG is a MUCH better choice. And naturally TIG can do anything a MIG can, but there are times when it is easier, quicker, and less expensive to just use the MIG. I also recommend getting one with a higher capacity than you think you need. Be sure it has a infinite heat control adjustment; many earlier machines did not (only some preconfigured heat settings). Now most machines have "touch screen" control panels which I feel might be more prone to problems in time. I think I'd prefer a fairly basic one in that respect, as it should be more durable/reliable.

EDIT: I should also add, be sure the unit can do reversed polarity in both MIG and TIG. Not all machines do, and it is essential for good aluminum welding.
 
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Dr.Jeff said:
The technology for welders has come a long way in recent years. And as a result now you can get a machine with multiple capabilities for a lot less money than a single process machine was not long ago. I'd say go for a combo MIG/TIG machine. MIG can be used for almost everything once you get good with it. But there are some instances where a TIG is a MUCH better choice. And naturally TIG can do anything a MIG can, but there are times when it is easier, quicker, and less expensive to just use the MIG. I also recommend getting one with a higher capacity than you think you need. Be sure it has a infinite heat control adjustment; many earlier machines did not (only some preconfigured heat settings). Now most machines have "touch screen" control panels which I feel might be more prone to problems in time. I think I'd prefer a fairly basic one in that respect, as it should be more durable/reliable.

EDIT: I should also add, be sure the unit can do reversed polarity in both MIG and TIG. Not all machines do, and it is essential for good aluminum welding.
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Yeah they’ve definitely changed a lot since I last messed with them. I’m not a big fan of touch screen everything either. I feel like it’s just another thing to break vs. just working. I’ll definitely make sure of your notes on heat and reverse polarity as that was something I was already looking into bc I do want to weld aluminum. Thanks Doc!
 
asudiswa said:
Bouncing around to the interior while I vacillate on which welder I'm going to get. Way too many different choices. I have experience with Mig, but was leaning towards a combo to learn how to tig. If anyone has suggestions let me know. Had to slot the bottom of the bolts on the passenger seat due to slides not working correctly.
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I work in the welding industry and have extensive experience testing machines. If you would like some free advice, ask here or PM me.
 
Dr.Jeff said:
I'd love to hear any general thoughts you have regarding a home-hobby machine. :)
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Which process are you interested in?

Novices do better with MIG, but TIG offers a lot more precision and control. I weld virtually everything in TIG.

Give me some parameters. What is your budget? Do you want to be able to TIG weld aluminum? What is your maximum material thickness?

Hobbyists who want to do it all often turn to multiprocess machines. If you want to TIG weld aluminum, you need AC capability on TIG. If you want an all-in-one multiprocess machine that can TIG weld aluminum, there are very few options on the market as of today.

My approach is to buy an advanced AC/DC TIG machine and a competent MIG machine because my welding projects are easily 95% TIG. MIG is reserved for auto unibody and sheet metal work, quick and dirty jobs, and galvanized when I can't avoid it. If you are terribly cramped for space, a single machine option might serve you better.
 
Longitudinal said:
Give me some parameters.
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For the most part I was thinking along these lines.....

"Hobbyists who want to do it all often turn to multiprocess machines. If you want to TIG weld aluminum, you need AC capability on TIG. If you want an all-in-one multiprocess machine that can TIG weld aluminum, there are very few options on the market as of today."


So this comment may answer the question....

"My approach is to buy an advanced AC/DC TIG machine and a competent MIG machine because my welding projects are easily 95% TIG. MIG is reserved for auto unibody and sheet metal work, quick and dirty jobs, and galvanized when I can't avoid it. If you are terribly cramped for space, a single machine option might serve you better."


Thanks. ;)
 
Dr.Jeff said:
For the most part I was thinking along these lines.....

"Hobbyists who want to do it all often turn to multiprocess machines. If you want to TIG weld aluminum, you need AC capability on TIG. If you want an all-in-one multiprocess machine that can TIG weld aluminum, there are very few options on the market as of today."


So this comment may answer the question....

"My approach is to buy an advanced AC/DC TIG machine and a competent MIG machine because my welding projects are easily 95% TIG. MIG is reserved for auto unibody and sheet metal work, quick and dirty jobs, and galvanized when I can't avoid it. If you are terribly cramped for space, a single machine option might serve you better."


Thanks. ;)
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There are only three AC/DC multiprocess machines on the market that are within reach of mere mortals like us. The original two, Miller's Multimatic 220 AC/DC and ESAB's 205ic AC/DC, are around $4500 each now, and I think that is too high for what they are--hobbyist machines.

I prefer to separate into two machines (as stated above.) On the TIG side, I can make suggestions from $1000 to $2000. For MIG machines, I can make recommendations from $600 to $1800.
 
For me it is important to have a machine that does it all including aluminum. I was prepared to buy a TIG and a MIG until I found the Parweld XTM 211Di. I didn't think a multi process machine could be good in all welding methods but this machine is impressive. I imported my machine from GB as it wasn't sold in Sweden at the time (it is now). The price was good; about 2300 USD including shipping, customs fees and taxes. Buying two quality machines would have been more expensive and would require more valuable garage space. Unfortunately I don't know if it is available in US.
www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk

Parweld XTM 211DI Multi Process Welder (AC/DC TIG)

Key Features 10MM maximum weld thickness on mild steel AC/DC TIG, MIG & MMA 110V / 230V input supply 15KG wire reel capacity Includes MIG torch & TIG torch as standard 3 year warranty
www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk www.weldingsuppliesdirect.co.uk
 
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