OK -

Got myself a new mig welder and have cut down my sump - now just need some metal to make the new base plate from...

Question is this - how thick should i go for?
Was talking to someone yesterday who said that I should go for at least 6mm thick - seems a little excessive to me but would appreciate your opinions...

6mm is total over-kill!

When I cut my X-flow sump I found that the flat bits were around 1mm thick, less where it had been stamped round the corners.

I used 1.6mm 'cos I had some handy at the right size. I cut the sump so that I could fold the edges down to give me something more substantial to weld to - 1mm is a bit 'fragile' for an amateur MIG welder like me.

I have a series of pictures if you're interested - only of use if your engine is a X-flow - there are better sites for Pintos.

cheers,

David

I'd agree with David, i used 3mm cos thats what was floating around and it seems stronger than it needs to be. 16swg would suffice i think.

Seconded. I used 1.6mm because I had a large sheet and it was easy enough to work with.

See

http://www.whirl.demon.co.uk/locost/cutsump.jpg
and
http://www.whirl.demon.co.uk/locost/shortsump.jpg

for pics.

Cheers,

Eddy

It's hard to weld thick stuff onto thin stuff. Use a similar thickness to the metal you're welding on to. 1.6mm sounds fine.

Anyone done this to a steel sump on a vauxhall engine ????

Any info/links people might have ?

I agree with the 16g steel, its what the original sump is made from

I should have plenty of that lieing about

[Edited on 29/9/03 by Ben_Copeland]