Help, I've got the droop !!

[rodp]

No, not that droop, this will take more than a little blue pill.
When I bought this Argo, an 85 I/C K17, I thought the clearance between the tyres and the mudwings (fenders / body ?) was minimal as you can't get fingers in without touching both tyre and body (20" tyres). Anyhow, today I popped the top off to check things out and make winch mounts etc.
What I've found is the part of the lower tub above the wheels droops down towards the outer edge, quite substantially, about (a guess here) 1.5". I'm thinking make a frame from 1" x 1/8" sq tube that fits all around the outside edge between top and bottom tub (it looks like it will go in) and then fit cross members from the same material. The angle that goes side to side across the rear of the fuel tank is bent down at both ends so get rid of that and replace with the 1" square.
The rear of the front seat sat on this angle and the front of the seat on the fuel tank !! So the obvious answer here is to make two cross members tied together to support the whole seat. I can get another cross member at the rear of the tub (between inner and outer) or perhaps two inside the tub to support a rear seat. The front end can have one around the front of the engine tied into the winch mount.

If I do this and weld all cross members to outer frame this should lift and support the edges of the lower tub, I can put verticals down to the frame in various places that should give it quite a bit of strength.

The big questions are, (A) is this a common thing and (B) is there an easier / accepted way of solving it, (C) when the top is off should the lower tub above the tyres be perfectly horizontal, IE flat?
I shall not give up on this now, I've become quite attached to it already although I think it was owned by the village idiot in a previous life (the front seat cover was stapled to the fuel tank !!!, the alternator is tensioned with a spring to the frame)

One more little thing, what's the best way to fill small holes in the body (pop rivet holes etc)?

Cheers guys, answers greatly appreciated as always and sorry to take your time up.

[philipatmaxfour]

If a previous owner used a cargo strap to tie the argo down to the trailer, it is often the cause of your described problem. On My avenger the rear seat fits into a flat bar that bolts to the frame and runs up the inside of the machine.. It sounds like you have the right repairs in mind. good luck

[rodp]

So it's not uncommon then? At least it's not the disaster I first thought it was.

[AlbertaRider]

I had the same thing, and ended up doing what you are planning. The sides drooped due to heavy loads on the ROPS, men (and I mean some pretty big dudes) standing on the edges to enter the front seats, and using a 2" rachet strap to tie the unit down while trailering. I used 1 1/4" angle iron around the perrimeter and this straitened everything out nicely. Your plan to use square tubing would be even better perhaps, I just didn't want the added weight. The side benefit of using the increased size tubing under the seat is your gain a little leg room as well.
Good luck!

[KBSAK]

My body droops as bad as yours. When I got the argo a part, I found the angle iron bracket aft of the seat was broken.

I rebuilt that bracket using 1/4" angle. I plan to make a second bracket for the front of the tank as well.

[rodp]

Yep, the angle on mine was bent down. Unfortunately I think you'll find, as I did, that where the angle bolts to the tub it's pulled up, sort of bulged. The rest of the wheel wells sags down around that spot. After I jacked mine up and reformed the bend with a hot air gun I heated up the bulge until soft and dropped a big piece of timber on it for a few minutes until cool. Hey presto, one flat wheel well.
When warming the plastic I found the best way of determining if it was hot enough was to use the handle of a screwdriver and gently push the heated area until it felt soft and pliable, warm it, push it, warm some more, push again, etc, etc. It warms up quicker than you think, obviously the plastic doesn't draw the heat away. I warmed up about 18" to 2' at a time by fanning the gun back and forth. I was using a big Leister gun though which gives off a lot of heat and a lot of air.

I shall double up the seat bracket, one piece to the front of the seat and one to the rear. I shall do the same at the rear of the tub and fit a rear seat, front outriggers can be mounted to the winch mounting stays. Once that's done I shall run a length of steel down the length of each side as far out as I can get them and bolt through the bottom tub, then tack it all together. Just a case of lifting it out for final welding then. That should keep it all nice and straight but still allow a little flex.

[KBSAK]

Thankfully, my frame is in good shape except the sheetmetal pan on the bottom. Thought I might straighten it, but now that the frame is out of the tub, I'm going to replace it with new sheetmetal. Easier to cut it out and start anew.

As for further reinforcement, I think I'm going to wait until I get the frame cleaned up and mocked back up in the tub before I decide what to add where.

[rodp]

Built most of the frame to stop the dreaded droop, used 1" sq x 1/8" wall and it's lighter than I thought it would be. I can lift it in and out comfortably on my own from one side. I've put supports where the seat is and at the rear (not shown yet) along with a cross bar at the rear that will have another seat on. I shall tie the front in to a winch support that should also help to keep the front of the wheel wells up. It's amazingly rigid now but as it sits on verticals should allow some flex.

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[rodp]

The new anti droop frame is finally out ready for full welding and painting I've tied front and rear winch mounts into it and also to the main frame. These will also be bolted through an angle belly band.
The anti droop frame still flexes nicely due to sitting on legs but holds the fenders up nicely, I've also incorporated a new front seat base and a rear seat.




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[rodp]

A few more, just in case you're not fed up with looking at them

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[ARGOJIM]

some nice work there rodp, the winch should def. not tear that body apart.

[rodp]

We can but hope, I usually have to sorts of luck though, no luck and not a fat lot.

[Supermag]

Very nice job. I had the same problem with my magnum. I rebuilt the frame under the seat with 1x1x1/8 tubing also but did not go all the way around. I built a full cab enclosure that has a 1.5x1.5x1/8 angle that wraps around the machine where the upper and lower tub join. This added all the support I needed. I like your idea because you do not need to rely on a cab to support the tub. Keep the pics coming... I may go back to the drawing board

Dave

[rodp]

This is the frame more or less finished now, I've tied front and rear winch mounts into it. The front mount goes down to the chassis frame as in factory standard but I added a cross brace to the uprights to help support the front of the fenders.
rear winch mount is braced longitudinally with diagonals and will have an external brace down to the tow hitch.
I've run rear winch power cables through plastic conduit secured to the new frame and will run the wires from a dash mounted control switch through this as well.
I also added the supporting frame for a rear seat while I was at it, this also gives the frame a little more strength to support the fenders

I need to knock up a new drivers seat back rest frame which is higher as in newer models, make and fit a rear seat and that's it, more or less done

Finally got the vile green paint off it, copious amounts of thinners and a jet wash. Got to remove whatever sort of paint it is from the lower tub now.



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[Piterix]

I bought an 85 I/C with the 17HP Kohler recently with the exact same problem, my plastic tracks actually rub on the bottom of the tub, so I'm looking for a fix. I was thinking of putting 1 1/2" x 1 1/2" x 3/16" angle iron around the outside of the entire tub, but after seeing this I might just go this route. How is it holding up?
Thanks for sharing!