Have been looking for a SA200 to fix up and make into a reliable machine for a little while. Picked this machine up today for little more than scrap price. The kid I bought it from un stuck the engine and got it to run, currently it will sputter and won't run. Was told that there is oil leaking past the magneto seal into the housing. From what I can tell all the brushes are stuck in the holders , there is only one wire connected to the fine control rheostat.
My goal in the short term is to get the engine to run for a few minutes steady, and see if I can get some weld current from the generator. I have not read through the SA200 sticky yet, guessing there is a diagram in there for the exciter wiring? I am very experienced with mechanical things, my niche is building 4x4s/rockcrawlers and general hot rodding. However this is my first foray into the workings of an old lincoln welder.
Here is the short list of what it needs that I know of now :
Exhaust/Intake manifold rotted
Snapped head bolts
Oil pan may be rotted or leak at drain plug
Magneto - seal and tune up
Radiator needs repaired or replaced
Un seize current selector
Have not investigated the idler setup, looks like it has some sort of electric solenoid in there I am not very knowledgeable on the R57 vs electronic idler components , I will want to convert it to the electronic idler for grinder use
Verify that the exciter is wired correctly , clean up rheostat and ohm it out
Marvel carburetor is supposed to work, PO said he rebuilt it. It is missing the choke lever that attaches to the choke shaft though
Missing the main brush cover
I want to get it to work as far as making weld current and welding, then I will move forward with making it a reliable machine. Planning on pulling engine/generator and splitting them. I will be sandblasting the frame, straightening and reinforcing it. Want to sandblast the exciter cage as it is very corroded and the outside of the generator housing. Have some rust repair on the face plate in bottom corners. So sandblast and repair the frame, sheet metal, then will be painting with some decent urethane single stage. Have some leftover gunmetal grey metallic from my truck I painted that would look real nice.
I will update the thread this week with more pictures and questions I am sure.
View attachment IMG_20240211_170522907[1].jpg View attachment IMG_20240211_170536043[1].jpg
My goal in the short term is to get the engine to run for a few minutes steady, and see if I can get some weld current from the generator. I have not read through the SA200 sticky yet, guessing there is a diagram in there for the exciter wiring? I am very experienced with mechanical things, my niche is building 4x4s/rockcrawlers and general hot rodding. However this is my first foray into the workings of an old lincoln welder.
Here is the short list of what it needs that I know of now :
Exhaust/Intake manifold rotted
Snapped head bolts
Oil pan may be rotted or leak at drain plug
Magneto - seal and tune up
Radiator needs repaired or replaced
Un seize current selector
Have not investigated the idler setup, looks like it has some sort of electric solenoid in there I am not very knowledgeable on the R57 vs electronic idler components , I will want to convert it to the electronic idler for grinder use
Verify that the exciter is wired correctly , clean up rheostat and ohm it out
Marvel carburetor is supposed to work, PO said he rebuilt it. It is missing the choke lever that attaches to the choke shaft though
Missing the main brush cover
I want to get it to work as far as making weld current and welding, then I will move forward with making it a reliable machine. Planning on pulling engine/generator and splitting them. I will be sandblasting the frame, straightening and reinforcing it. Want to sandblast the exciter cage as it is very corroded and the outside of the generator housing. Have some rust repair on the face plate in bottom corners. So sandblast and repair the frame, sheet metal, then will be painting with some decent urethane single stage. Have some leftover gunmetal grey metallic from my truck I painted that would look real nice.
I will update the thread this week with more pictures and questions I am sure.
View attachment IMG_20240211_170522907[1].jpg View attachment IMG_20240211_170536043[1].jpg
