Any Welder Mechanic recommendations?

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Roy14

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I’ve just picked up a ‘47 shorthood and since it is currently needing a water pump anyway, I wouldn’t mind having it “gone through” and before I take it to someone who I don’t have any feedback on, I wasn’t sure if anyone one here might have had a good experience with somebody.
 

_CY_

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Bill's Welding Equipment Repair has got to be one of the most knowledgeable SA200 folks in America.
If not the most knowledgeable pipeliner resource anywhere. right in your backyard to boot ..

billswelderrepair.com_sitebuilder_images_shoppatch_574x477.jpg
 

dennishoddy

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I've never seen one that old.
Its hand crank only. We had one when I worked at Smith Tool.
We had a little competition among those that used it to see how short of a crank it took to start it and you better have your fingers in the right position or you might lose one if it kicked back like some of the hand crank tractors of an earlier era.
I was the only farmer(had a restored classic tractor) that knew the trick so I won. It's a four stroke engine so you had to "feel" when it was just starting on the upstroke of the compression stroke. Give it a couple of priming turns while chatting to get fuel into the cylinder and at the compression stroke, give it a fast crank and it will start on 1/4 turn of the crank handle. Didn't win anything but bragging rights and the right to watch the new guys make two or three cranks and ask for help.
I wasn't a welder by profession but had to use one occasionally on the job. All of our welders were production welders that couldn't be released for maintenance work so we had to do our own.
 

Roy14

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I appreciate all the feedback. I’ll check Bill’s out. It’s only 75 years old and almost all original internally. When they say “they don’t build them like they used to”, they weren’t joking.

This has actually been converted to electric start. The guy (kid, really) was using it all day every day running everything from refinery repair to hot passes in 750 wall. I’ve always admired this skill, and am only mediocre at best.
I did have a line on one that I should have bought, another shorty with hand crank that had a total engine rebuild, with trailer, for $2400. I him hawed around and somebody smarter than me picked it up.
 

_CY_

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I appreciate all the feedback. I’ll check Bill’s out. It’s only 75 years old and almost all original internally. When they say “they don’t build them like they used to”, they weren’t joking.

This has actually been converted to electric start. The guy (kid, really) was using it all day every day running everything from refinery repair to hot passes in 750 wall. I’ve always admired this skill, and am only mediocre at best.
I did have a line on one that I should have bought, another shorty with hand crank that had a total engine rebuild, with trailer, for $2400. I him hawed around and somebody smarter than me picked it up.

I've had several SA200 dating back to 40's. someone correct me if I'm wrong, SA200 shorthoods from about 1950's with S came with electric starter. but so much time has passed it's common to find shorthoods with later engines installed with starters, distributors, upgraded carbs, idle controls, remote hookups, 12v alternators, etc. etc.

if your SA200 was used in production all day every day. it may only need a proper tuneup and/or upgrade(s). Bill's will straight up tell you what your shorthood actually needs.

any SA200 with total rebuild is worth $2400 if it starts, runs decent and welds proper. it's a fact that rebuilds are NOT all equal. a rebuild from Bill's will be worth more $$$. simply because they are so well known and everyone knows rebuild will be done right!
 
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Roy14

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I've had several SA200 dating back to 40's. someone correct me if I'm wrong, SA200 shorthoods from about 1950's with S came with electric starter. but so much time has passed it's common to find shorthoods with later engines installed with starters, distributors, upgraded carbs, idle controls, remote hookups, 12v alternators, etc. etc.

if your SA200 was used in production all day every day. it may only need a proper tuneup and/or upgrade(s). Bill's will straight up tell you what your shorthood actually needs.

any SA200 with total rebuild is worth $2400 if it starts, runs decent and welds proper. it's a fact that rebuilds are NOT all equal. a rebuild from Bill's will be worth more $$$. simply because they are so well known and everyone knows rebuild will be done right!

That’s great info. I don’t know when they went to electric start. This has an upgraded electric idle, which is pretty common from what I’ve seen. The old vacuum setup was supposedly pretty hit or miss. It kicked right off and went to welding (I just filled up the radiator beforehand and only ran it a couple minutes, not long enough to chance anything) and put out a good bead. I’m going to give Bill’s a call and see what his schedule is like. Now to buy some ultra flex leads, a good reel setup, and build a skid with room for bottles. I’ll be as much into that as I am the machine by the time I’m done...
 

Selzerwelding

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It probably won't need much those old 200s are damn near impossible to kill. Get the water pump swapped have the carb cleaned and a new set of plugs and you should be good to go. Bills is one of the best repair shops I've dealt with in my years of pipelining definitely can't go wrong have them check it out. As far as building a skid goes I'd recommend against putting your leads on reels. They'll get hot enough to melt the rubber insulation on any high amperage welding I'd build a simple lead rack that you can swing out of the way at the tailgate of your truck.
 

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