Beck TD, Part 64: An Ugly Weld Is Still Strong

This is a rarity, a blog post without photos. It's because I am not willing to show you my welding, especially on sheet metal! But I did have a nice success with the outcome.

I've had a nasty rattle in Beck's exhaust system, and as it worsened, I finally had to admit to myself that it was inside the nearly-new AutoZone muffler. Since the fix would be a new muffler anyway, there was no downside to exploratory surgery. I removed the exhaust and used an angle grinder to cut a window the size of most of the top. Sure enough, one of the plates that hold the silencer assemblies was loose.

I cleaned it up a bit and did several spot welds on both the loose plate and the matching one on the other end, just for security. And then the fun began - trying to close that big hole I opened!

I put 0.025" MIG wire in the welder, and turned it down as far as it would go, but I continually blew holes in the extremely thin skin of that cheap muffler. But I persevered, adding weld to weld, until it was mostly stitched shut. Then I ground the welds closer to flat, and took a look. Plenty of porosity, even with multiple attempts to find and fix holes.

So, I went back to AutoZone and bought some JB-Weld brand "permanent" heat-activated muffler repair tape, and used it to seam-seal my welds. And it worked! It's amazing how much more pleasant the car is to drive without that snotty rattle. No telling how long it will last, but I didn't want to have a shop create the "final" exhaust system until I have the "final" drivetrain, with a B20 engine and D-type overdrive trans. I want that to have something like the ANSA exhaust that sounds so good on an MGB.

Now that the rattle is gone, the next noise has grown in annoyance. It's a "jingle," as if someone is rattling a small chain. I've been under the car multiple times, shaking everything in sight, without finding anything loose. But it's there, and consistent at any speed over about 15 MPH. Driving me nuts! My next theory is that it's something loose under a brake drum, but I am very open to suggestions from others!

Oh, I can't stand it - a blog post should have a picture. Here's a "beauty shot" of Beck I made recently with a characterful brick wall.

Continue on to Part 65...