Old Argo 6x6 Body Damaged Badly

[1975 Argo 8x8 2-Stroker]

Hello, my friend and I (we are 14) both have Argos, mine is in really good shape, as I bought it off the origional owner, but his is, so-so, it is older than mine, with a V-18 Briggs in it, and updated axels, it has had lots of work done on it... One problem; the tub has lots of splits and cracks in it, is there a cheap way we can repair it, (I read on this site of using gas can plastic and a small hand torch...?.

I want to help him, get his floating, so we can have some real fun, mine floats and his dosen't so the fun just isn't there...

Thanks!
Here is his Argo and mine (mines the 8x8):
argo 005.jpgargo 002.jpg004.jpg003.jpg

[hydromike]

You guys both have a couple great looking Argos! I love the simple lines of the older machines. Fixing up the poly bodies isn't too hard. You basically need a source of HDPE (if you can find red to match your body, that would be cool) and a focused heat source. Cut the plastic into very thin (maximum 1/8" thick strips). A hand torch is really a bit too hot, since you can't focus the flame as finely as you'd like to. The plastic tends to get a bit too hot, too fast for welding. Some folks have met with success using a soldering iron with a spade or paddle-shaped heating end on the end of it. Just like welding steel, you want the surrounding plastic AND the rod to melt together. Make sure you don't just put a bead of plastic on top of the crack.

The other way to go is to get a hot-air plastic welder. A real cheap base model can run between $40 and $80, and typically uses compressed air to blow hot air over the heating element in the gun. I've used them with a lot of success on ABS, but never really tried much on poly yet.

Hope this helps!

~m

[Slimpickin]

I found some stuff that will work. I'm not home till March 20th. I'll send you the name.

Slim

[1975 Argo 8x8 2-Stroker]

Hey Hydro Mike, Thanks!

I thought a plastic welder was very expensive like mig, and AC/DC welders (400$-800$), WHERE can I pick up a cheap 40-80-120$ plastic welder, Home-Hardwear, Canadain-Tire, Princess Auto,...?

If I had of know they were that cheap for a base model I would have already bought one!

Do you know of any stores in Canada that cary the cheap models?

Thanks

[1975 Argo 8x8 2-Stroker]

I did not add that photo of thread repair stuff, I think it's just an ad...?

[hydromike]

I don't know of any places in Canada that carry them specifically, but I'm sure they do.... Check out ebay item number 380323198698. That's an example of what I use, but mine is a bit of an older model. I picked mine up at Harbor Freight, but I don't see any in Ontario. (Where are you in Ontario, anyway?) It's stone-simple, and has welded quite a bit of stuff for me. The ebay item I listed is the one they sell at HF, but I think it's substantially cheaper in the store.

You CAN spend a lot of money on a better high-end unit, like a Leister. If you're on a budget, I wouldn't shy away from the cheaper model.

~m

I did not add that photo of thread repair stuff, I think it's just an ad...?

Yup... they typically show up on the last post in a thread. I think it would be fun to play around with google, and just ad a bunch of random keywords to your post so that it really doesn't know what to try to sell you. Hair band freckles ice cream shirt apples American Idol J-lo lap-band exhaust Jimmy Choo Louis Vitton weeeee!!!

[jeffery9076]

yours is not that bad find a welder and fix and suggest putting a skid plate on

[racerone3]

This is the plastic welder that I use and where I got it from Urethane Supply 5600HT Model 6 Airless Plastic Welder - eBay (item 350442137880 end time Mar-24-11 07:31:54 PDT)
After a year or so of borrowing one from another member I finally caved and bought one. It works great. Just follow the directions and you will be doing good welds in no time. It's just a little over the price range you were looking at, but it seems to be a quality tool so adding it to your arsenal will only help you down the road. the kit comes with some welding rod for every type of plastic you can imagine, but you will want to get some more poly rod for the argo's. here is the best source I've found for that. 1/8" HDPE Welding Rod | U.S. Plastic Corp. it would be great to find rod that matches the body color, but I've found that the raw (white-ish/ clear-ish) rod works the best and makes the strongest welds

[1975 Argo 8x8 2-Stroker]

Thanks everyone for all the suggestions!!!! I am going with buying a plastic welder... or does anyone have one for sale...?

Thanks