Miller Big 40 Find. 

I am a fan of rebuilding machines, if it make’s economically sense. So I would vote for rebuilding it. Your videos are really great and I learn a lot from them. Thanks Isaac for all the great content.

It ain't what you're gonna do with the welder. It's the interaction between the old man and the young kid. You can't buy memories like that. What impressed me was the interaction between you and your son as you did everything to load the welder onto the trailer. It's obvious that you and he have developed some teamwork in how you do things together. Now, whether he follows in your footsteps as a welder ... or he goes on to become a famous mechanical engineer ... or whatever else he decides to become in the future ... the interaction you and he have had in your various videos will bring back memories in your old age ... and that's what will keep you trucking onward in our "old" age.

Recently I have been buying old engine driven welders and restoring them. I own a hotrod race and fabrication shop so it's a perfect fit for me. I build all my own sheet metal panels in house and I recently started powder coating in house so my oven is big enough to powder coat welder frames. I just converted a sa200 I am working on to coil near plug ignition with electronic fuel injection using a fabricated aluminum intake manifold that I build in house. The efi system has Bluetooth and wifi remote monitoring capabilities so a welder can check engine coolant temperature, oil pressure and engine rpm from a app on their phone and I am adding the ability to start and stop the machine from the phone.

Man I love that truck. That's a high end rig you made!

After being a Dad for forty years I will say this. A man is lucky if he's got a good job,a good family, and a good truck. You have knocked the ball out of the park!

We run a Miller Big 40, Boy they are smooth as silk.

Hi Isaac and son, definitely give the big 40 a full restoration and take us all along for the ride 😊

A buddy of mine has a Miller Big 40 mounted on the flatbed of a rather large truck that's been rotting beside a barn for at least 35 years. That'll be a really fun Father/Son project.

I bought an old Lincoln Weldanpower 9-G, replaced a lot on the Onan engine, carb, coil, plugs, wires, intake manifold, reseated the valves, replaced the fuel tank with an aluminum tank, fuel filter, soaked the seized inner workings of the dials with pv blaster still works today, resurface the contact of rings, replace the couple capacitors in the welding unit. Welds great and runs great. I very much like the old mechanical welders lest stuff to break. Easy to fix too.

Just got one of those big 40's running for my 19 year old son a few months ago. He bought it non running and we turned it into a project. His has the continental diesel engine. I rebuilt the injection pump for him and he's replaced the injectors and all the lines and hoses. We finally got it running and is one of the best welders that I have struck an arc with. The engine runs a little warmer than it should but it works well enough to spend the extra money for a complete rebuild sometime later this spring. It has been a fun father/son project. The one that you found would be be a good project machine for you and your son. They're great machines and the one that my son has is an arc gouging beast! It's been enjoyable watching you work and teach at the same time. Make those memories, they grow up fast!

I bought a Big 40D 3 years ago for cheap, ot ran but poorly, went through it and found a good radiator guy and brought that baby back to life

I'm new to your channel. I hope you rebuild the machine. If you did I'd like to see it. Also, thanks for taking us on the ride to pick up your machine. It was a nice cruise.

Howdy Issac, Back when in was in school I was trying to get my dad to teach me to weld. I cleaned up his Miller Big 40 and Blue Star 2, gave them new skids and a liquid blue and black overhaul. I think he was afraid that I would like it and be good at it and choose it as a vocation. Long story short... Big 40 welder went with him from Midland, TX. to Clallam Bay, WA. The salt water environment has not been kind to it, and neighbor left the muffler off of it. Dad had brought it into shop and removed the head and had cylinder bores soaking. Maybe I'll get a bit of time to check it out and restor if viable. Enjoy your videos, have a great day! Dad's has a Continental engine.

It's amazing how many old rigs get left like this. Where I live in southwest NM, we have a couple big copper mines. And those mines have tons of equipment, the equipment have tons of mechanics, and the mechanics have hundreds of trucks. Each truck has a welder on it that only gets used for charging 24 volt systems when down. Very rarely do these mechanic trucks weld, so a lot of low hour welders. And every time a truck gets replaced or upgraded, the machines are left to die in a warehouse or yard. I was lucky to get a small Bobcat 225 a couple years ago from a boss who worked a trade and I then traded that machine for work at his home. Don't know why they don't sell them off for auction or whatever. There's plenty of youngsters starting out that would love a fixer or in this area a rancher who can't simply afford a 10k new machine. I vote rebuild restore, but that's just me boss

I found a big 40 at a auction couple years back. Took a little bit to get it running but when it did run it was awesome!!! Wish I hadn't sold it...If you decide to get it running I highly recommend the PerTronics pointless distributor. Made my life so much easier. Mine had the Continental engine part number for the distributor I got was D41-05A.

Crane company owes you big time. Great ad.

The crane you have on your truck is a beast. That was quite a lift at that reach. To be fair, the entire rig is a beauty. So, what l would do if l was you is give to your son. Then do a father son restoration on it. That experience, the asset and the memory will stay with him for the rest of his life. Give him something of his own to be proud of and a great bit of kit to use. Best wishes to you and your family for 2023!

Tell ya a little story about one of these. Way back in the 80's I worked for a parts outfit, owner had a welding/ gas store, sold miller. They took in a 40 some guy had bought at an auction, out of a flooded mine. He'd had the engine rebuilt, cleaned it up and could not get it to weld. Short story, ended up removing all 6 diodes, and I had built a big tester to load test automotive/ truck alternators. Tested all 6 and MISSED the fact, found out later---that someone had replaced one with the WRONG polarity. So there were 4 of one polarity and 2 of the other, and it loaded the welder output and would not weld. Felt pretty good when I found that!!! ---even thought I'd missed it first time around.

I thought I would be the only one to say that your service truck is awesome. I was wrong. ✌️👍

I would try to get it running .... clean the plugs and make sure you have spark, clean the carb, and see if the engine is freed up, make sure there is oil in the engine, and the radiator has coolant , and give her a crank and she if she fires up and then go from there those are good old Generator Welders !! I love to see old tools brought back to life if possible !! Great video as always !! 👍👍

I would definitely get it running and welding. I bought an SA-200, partially burned for $200 years ago. Smoothest welding machine I ever owned. That's what I learned to weld overhead with 7018. No computers, problems were always repairable in the field. I carried an extra coil and a carburetor kit with me. Never left me stranded at a job. Scott

I have a big 40 just like that one. Mine is a 1978. In hacked and a factory muffler. It's been a good machine. Some parts may be hard or impossible to get. Don't throw any parts away thinking you'll get another one easily

I ran a Big 40 in the early 80’s. It had a f-163 continental in it. I always loved it. Good luck, Mike New

Many years ago I was in charge of QC for a company that made Ariel man lifts and after a heavy lift for the size it was recommended that the turntable fasteners be re-torqued. Just FYI and thanks for taking the time to share.

A friend of mine that used to be the welding tech at a community college took machines like this, waved his hands over them, and made serviceable units out of them. I turned down an engine drive that a boom had smashed that was offered to me for $35. He took it and worked his magic on it and resold if for good money. Several of us took a class that he taught to figure out his secrets. I'd think that trying to make a working unit out of this would be worth the effort. Then, rebuild the forklift engine.

Rebuild that classic and no hurry. You've got all us out here if you can't find a part... and it would be A GREAT EDUCATION for your son, who seems very capable of taking care of the business!

My vote, for what its worth is to restore it. Robert M. mentioned you and your son working on it together, that time is priceless.

Always enjoy watching! Look forward to seeing what you do with this. Watching from the Western NC mountains.

Access is pretty good to the motor. I'd be tempted to do the basic stuff, soak it down with oil, see if you can get it to turn over, maybe carb rebuild/replace (if cheaply available) and check the ignition. If you can get it to run you'll find out how the generator side is. If no good then pull the motor and rebuild. Either way looks like a fun little project

I broke out in 1979 January 3rd with a rig truck and a big 40 brand new gas. Good machine headed a year or two and then went to Lincoln got on drilling rigs and pipeline work. You can't beat a good old Miller Big 40 that's for sure did a lot of bucket work and track work building up sprockets and idlers and lugs on pads for draglines. Take care of yourself enjoy watching you on the job site and your son with you. Mark Scott retired welder she'll be North Carolina take care of yourself my friend. I'm from Sugarland Texas originally I've been here 19 years now. Have a great New Year. Adios amigo.

Would be a great opportunity to teach and learn with your son how welders work and he would probably be using it with his son someday. I taught my son to weld with my Lincoln 225 I bought in 1979 when I was in 11th grade . Now my daughter is using it to work on her drift car 🚗.

I would be more concerned with a rattlesnake being in there than an opossum lol. Sweet find, thanks for sharing. Stay safe and God bless

Figured you picked that so you could set the son up with his own starter rig. It would be cool to see if you could get it back to running order.

Back in the early 1980s I knew a fellow that took one of these large 4 cyl welders that was made in the late 50s, and did a complete tear down and restore. He needed a welder, but pointed out that the engine was very common, used in tractors, fork lifts, mobile pump rigs, generators, etc. You already have a great mobile welder, so take it apart and make use of the components. Sleeve kits usually available, and any auto machine shop can do valves.. Go for it! Rebuild and repower the old forklift.

Your truck is a BEAST! 👍⭐️👍 This sure looks like a GREAT Father and Son R&R project! That welder was a Titan in its heyday! Good luck ISAAC and SON.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

From a very selfish perspective, if it belonged to me and my son was at an age which he was mature enough to appreciate it, I’d do a father and son project. Assess the condition of the power plant and welder, and if warranted, rebuild it with him taking the lead. Let him research the part, manuals, and do the tear down. Then guide him on the paint and rebuild. Get that old beauty refurbished and then give him a tool that he worked on, knows inside out, and will allow him to build his own career with. At the very least it will be a project you both will enjoy and never forget. Just my two cents worth for you, Isaac! Love the channel. Good to see your son working with you. Makes me smile to see you two work together. Cheers! Whipple

Hey Isaac, I didn't read through the comments first so someone might have said the same thing I'm going to say. First thing I would do is bar the engine over to see if it at least turns. water settles to the bottom of oil so if the dip stick says it's over full, more than likely there's water in the crank case. Good part of that is the water will be on the bottom so the crank shaft and rod bearings will be in oil. Bad thing is that the oil pump pickup is in the bottom of the of the oil pan so the pump will pick up water first. Might be a good idea to drain the water out first. The old Flat head 4 cylinders are known for valves sticking so don't be surprised if you have a few valves stuck open. There are 2 letters on the end of the serial number that will tell you what year it is. The numbers in the serial number will let you know if it was an early or late in the year build. Using the serial number on the Miller web site will get you the year and a manual for it. I would say it would be a great project for you and your son. I vote rebuild it as a welder. Its a simple 4 cylinder flat head engine. Points, condenser plugs and wires. It's also carbureted, so no Fuel Injection or ECM. The Electronics board in the welder will also be fairly simple with through board mounted components.

Man that truck rig is awesome

Thanks for the video Issac and Son, going Diesel Creek getting the old stuff. Take care of yourself and family ❤️❤️👍 it

Dad and Lad team, just like me and my lad, tough at times but hugely rewarding at other times, superb u both!

I always enjoy your videos. Isaac you are a class act! Just basic things like blowing the dirt and debris off the unit before hitting the road. Not many people would bother to do that and just let the wind on the ride home blow it all over the cars behind them. You are doing such a wonderful job of teaching your son a solid work ethic, to be a skilled master welder and above all, to be a good citizen. KUDOs to you sir.

You probably will never come across a beautiful artifact as that ever again. My vote would be to bring it back to its original glory and let your son use it on his future truck.

Looks like a great father son project. Should be an interesting build. Happy New Year, both of you.

Love your videos and your music selection adds a touch of class the other channels could learn from.

My vote is for a full restoration (father-son of course), but, whatever you wind up doing with it, if you post it on RU-vid, a whole bunch of us are going to enjoy watching it!

I like to watch you fixs this red welder. Miller young like you.

What a good project. And the youngster can learn a good foundational knowledge of how a welder machine actually works. Good find IC.

Even though I live 1000 miles away, your drive was a real déjà vu. :) Stayed with a family in Pflugerville two months ago. First time ever in the Austin area.

Another vote for rebuilding the engine with your son. Happy New Year.

I've never heard a truck with a backup sound like that, reminds me of a toy laser gun sound or space ship alarm.

Always enjoy your content, also whatever you decide will be better than just letting it rust into the ground.

Definitely rebuild. The kid turned a few wrenches under the hood of one truck, this will definitely be a win win

Because they are so basic I personally would do a father son refurb. They had great arc characteristics

I forgot to comment on your road trip. The sensation on the road was different than any have seen. It was like a bird floating along on air. COOL....

You can get it going…. Nice father son project. I’d try to get it running first

Me my self I would take time and find out what is wrong with it and then make my mind up !!! And I look at that wilder I can remember when my boss had old Miller welder. If a person was starting out trying to get in to welding. If he was to take his time and restore the wilder. He would have a very good second one. And have some thing that he could depend own. It would take time but he could make it work. Great content.. You find some very good stuff.

That’s a pretty cool find. I have a 78 Big 20 sitting around. My only beef with it is that parts can be tough to find. If it’s a gasser, it’s probably a Y112; at least that’s what is in mine.

What makes you think that it needs to be rebuilt may be a runner. Let's see if you can get the engine to turn over and go from there. Thanks for all of your content and the time you spent making it.

Nice rebuild project for you and jr Those machines were bulletproof tough as flint I’d soak it down daily to hopefully free seized parts then if it turns I’d consider rebuilding it as a welder for jr Cheers from Nova Scotia

Wow your Cran build is awesome guy and that welder put some fresh paint including sand blasting most parts. Get it as a older truck build spring chicken. I'm a 1970's spring chicken too.. from Connecticut love your build. Let's see it working bro...

Isaac I ran that exact welder for 10-12 years, one of the smoothest machines I ever welded with. Its a ford industrial 4cyl motor. It may cost you way more than its worth to bring it back to life just by what I see but great find though.

I always like to see old things rebuilt. Makes me think there's hope for me. I enjoy watching you problem solve and there will be a lot of chances for that on a rebuild. Good luck!

This will cost you more money than it is worth based on what could be seen in this vid. Although a project like this involving your son? Priceless!!!

What an awesome candidate for a restoration! Always cool seeing old American iron being brought back to life!

That country over there is pretty settled up ain’t it!

Looked like to front end of the truck was close to coming up when you first picked it. Guess you have to find a vintage Hobart now too, to round out your collection with the SA200 and this, lol. If that motor is not stuck it will probably run.

This is crazy! I watched this video the other day, next thing I know I come across a Big 40 with a Deutz Diesel with 1000hrs. in perfect condition, thing was loud man, but ran and welded great, going to make the guy an offer the next couple of days. Same thing happened with your SAM650 video years ago, after watching your vid came across one with a perkins and 1400hrs in mint shape days later, bought it, they maybe older units and lost their good looks, but weld just as good as anything out there today.

I think it would make a great father and son project. I think you are a build it back up, and if the generator part of it works, or it will actually make power to be able to weld when you get done with it, then it could be your son’s welder, but it would be something that you guys built together

Sorry Isaac but you got another vote for the rebuild. Been looking for something like this in the UK. Thanks for sharing.

Paul from Fab Rats helped get an engine that had been underwater for 30 years running. Because there is a rain hat on the exhaust there's a chance you can get it running. I've converted all my gas welders over to electronic ignition. Magnetos just don't spark as hot and they need an occasional overhaul.

Ah, the venerable old Miller engine powered welders! We had this model but mostly the 400D ( diesel powered ) in our Rental Fleet a few years ago. I'm certainly in favor of you rebuilding it, just as long as you let us follow along here on your YT Channel, with the restoration. That Continental gas. engine is or was, a very popular engine, as you are no doubt aware. Tough as nails, and reliable power plants for welders ( of course ) and pumps etc. It should make a good unit for your Forklift.

Looks like a good family project . If it doesn’t work out it may be good content to find out why .

Great find. I vote for full restoration if time and money allows.

Howdy Isaac and son. I see a lot of other commenters here would like to see a rebuild of the machine and I too would go for that option. Derek over at Vice Grip Garage has a lot of experience, which he shares via his channel, about getting "elder" engines unstuck and running again. Thank you for sharing your videos and really like having your son learn from you about the business.

Dang that crane is handy!

Great machine my dad had 2 of them in mid 90's only problem we ever had was the brushes would tank out more often then usual. To the point the brushes wouldn't even be touching the slip ring although it was the one machine more than the other. Nice find tho!

What a series of videos, making that old Miller work.

Do you know of anyone who used one or still has one actually running. That might be a good start on researching it. Great video, great truck and great team. Thanks.

Those are a beast of a welder and great job to the crane lol

Time and money permitting it would be great to see the Big 40 making sparks, but realistically it's probably gone too far unless you're looking for a project with an up and coming welder.

i looked up Miller Big 40, it says it's gasoline. I'd do the basics, flush the fuel system, tear down and rebuild the carburetor, get a battery, spray some penetrating oil down the cylinders, take out all the spark plugs, check the starter.and turn over the motor. If frozen put a wrench on the Harmonic balancer. Check for spark. Depending upon the hours this machine has it could be a gem. It's cosmetic. Great job, hope you take the time to get this machine running. Good luck

If the engine is in good enough condition to rebuild and you have a potential use for it, I would do it. Depending on how much you have invested in it so far you could use for something down the road or turn it for something else maybe?? Would love to see the rebuild!! Thanks for bringing us along.

Bless Rebuild it with your son & it will be a GREAT 👍 experience for the both of you. Thanks 😊 always for excellent videos.

I think you should rebuild it. It's a great project to do with your son it's also great content for your channel, eventually you end up with a working welder that you can sell or trade for a more practical welder for Isaac Jr. Can't wait to see the progress. Good luck.

I have a 1980 big 40 that I got from a junkyard. He had it for 10yrs sat unused for 8. Rebuilt the carb, new coil and a couple of diodes and she was going. Great machines but they weigh a literal ton, 2067lbs with the axel and tongue.

Beautiful truck … the crane has good lifting duties of the back, got to be worth a rebuild, nice to see your son on your videos .. happy new year Isaac.. 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧

Awesome lift. I'm watching the boom starting to point down as the winch started to pull, watching the boom getting close to the ground, for a moment it looked as if the pressure relief valve was going to kick in, but then, gravity gave up. That was a close one. I vote for full restoration of the welder. I know it is an undertaking but as mentioned by your other fans, great father/son project and worthy of its own video series.

Happy New Year Isaac. If the engines in OK shape - only needing the rebuild (as you say), I’d put it in the fork truck. You’ve already got a trailer mounted machine and the machine on your truck… Having a dependable engine in the forklift is an important piece of your shop “works”.

You already have more than one welder! I say rebuild the engine! With your son! Fun project! And then both decide where it’s going! Thanks for sharing! 👍

Should at least be good for a "will it start" youtube video. 😆 I love those videos where someone gets a 80 year old truck running that has been sitting in a farmer's field. It doesn't star, it doesn't start. They are especially fun when the machine was abandoned over something silly like a broken cable or something, and they simply never got around to fixing it.

Full restore. Think of all the videos!!! Paint job and she looks like new. OH the engine. Can't wait till you light it up for it's first bead.

Well looking over the other comments, I'm in agreement that you should consider rebuilding it before using in another application. Either way, I'm sure you'll get good use out of the unit.

Getting it running, would be a cool series of videos

I'd definitely try to get it working as a welder first, shouldn't be too hard, if not it would make a cool yard ornament if you re painted it Miller blue with some Miller stickers

I suspect it’s a boat anchor, but it would be fun to see if you can get it to turn over. I love the simple no bullshit approach of a hard working field welder.

Nice change . Could be worth the effort to see if it'll run and work as a generator or welder as a project with junior . If not your gonna get some valuable time learning how to take one apart . Maybe the reason you haven't seen many is they are that good when working no one sells them on ... or nit lol ..another video to inform what the outcome turns out to be .

You def! Remind me of me and my old man!!! I wish he was here with me right now. Health problems! :/

I can't believe your crane picked that welder from that far away. I definitely would have lost that bet.

The bantam rooster in the back was cracking me up

Put it back where you found it