Welding Question
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 2,938
Likes: 2
From: Arkansas
Welding Question
I'm getting ready to relocate my parking brake brackets on top of my trailing arms for more clearance against my wheels and had a question.
I have one of those $170 cambell-hausefield wire feed flux core welders from walmart. Other than "trash that welder" or "get a better one" is there any solid advice anyone can give me to be able to weld two tiny brackets? This is all I'll ever weld so i'm not going out and buying a bigger welder, and my car is immobile right now.
I'm by no means a experienced welder but I'm trying to practice with some scrap steel and I can get a good bead but it doesn't penetrate the bottom piece of steel. It's rock hard and unbreakable on the top piece though.
1. Is there a certain point to ground the metal?
2. Is there a spray that you can put on the metal to get better contact?
3. what dia wire do you reccemend?
or will I do better getting a stick welder to do this? If I can't get it I may just cut the old brackets off and when i get the car running take it to a welder and let them do it for me. After all it's just the parking brake.
I have one of those $170 cambell-hausefield wire feed flux core welders from walmart. Other than "trash that welder" or "get a better one" is there any solid advice anyone can give me to be able to weld two tiny brackets? This is all I'll ever weld so i'm not going out and buying a bigger welder, and my car is immobile right now.
I'm by no means a experienced welder but I'm trying to practice with some scrap steel and I can get a good bead but it doesn't penetrate the bottom piece of steel. It's rock hard and unbreakable on the top piece though.
1. Is there a certain point to ground the metal?
2. Is there a spray that you can put on the metal to get better contact?
3. what dia wire do you reccemend?
or will I do better getting a stick welder to do this? If I can't get it I may just cut the old brackets off and when i get the car running take it to a welder and let them do it for me. After all it's just the parking brake.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 1,198
Likes: 0
From: staten island new york
St. Jude Donor '10
you could try and get someone that does iron fencing that has a mobile welder on their truck to come by and weld them on for you. they should be able to do a better job if you're not that good of a welder. if you go at it yourself just make sure weld area is clean and grease free, paint that kind of stuff set welder with a good ground and set welder on the hot side and back it down as you go along if is too hot good luck
Burning Brakes
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 853
Likes: 0
From: Foxfield, Co
Thats a small welding job and your welder should be fine for it. Just keep practicing on some scrap untill you can get a decent looking weld. If your not penetrating the bottom piece of steel then you need to angle your rod down toward the bottom piece more. Your puddle should be covering both pieces.
Instructor
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 185
Likes: 0
From: Buckner Missouri
Wire diameter is pretty much determined by the tip already on the welder and the diameter the welder is set up for. I think somewhere around .023 to .030 for smaller welders.
Ground as close as reasonably possible to where you are welding. Ground does not work well through rust.
No spray that I am aware of.
Practice on the same thickness of metal in the same configuration as what the real weld will be.
Ground as close as reasonably possible to where you are welding. Ground does not work well through rust.
No spray that I am aware of.
Practice on the same thickness of metal in the same configuration as what the real weld will be.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
you should be fine, just practice...grind everything clean...and get a book on welding sometimes you grind a 45* angle on the pieces and sometimes you seperate the pieces to get the penetration....depends on the angles involved...and its ok to tack it in place and come back to it....all flux must be removed prior to rewelding
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
I'm in the same boat but have no welder at all. I need to find someone with a welder to do this small job for me. Sometimes I wish I had a small mig but just can't justify the cost for a once a year usage.
Racer
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 304
Likes: 0
From: Pasadena Maryland
Practice makes perfect is the old saying. I have a Lincoln Weld Pac 100 and have welded sheet metal to the engine mounts in my son's Jeep. Sounds like your not getting penetration. Turn down the wire feed speed and stay in the puddle as long as you can.
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Team Owner
Joined: Jul 2001
Posts: 61,415
Likes: 478
From: Here to make friends
St. Jude Donor '11, '16-'17
Are you trying to weld through the top piece into the bottom peice? You should be welding the edge of the top piece to the bottom piece. Point your arc more at the bottom piece, and melt the edge of the top piece.
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 16,945
Likes: 9
.30 wire will weld about anything you could ever need on these cars, there's no real thin sheet metal that you need a smaller wire for and nothing thicker that requires a thicker wire. Practise makes perfect but a good machine and gas also helps, just like infinite wire speed control, trigger contact (instead of always hot)..and so on...but practise is most important. Oh and like others have said above..clean clean clean. You want the metal to be clean enough to eat from. Train your eye to see the root when welding and especially the darker outer edges of the weld pool to see if you have penetration all the way (kinda hard since the glowing white center makes it hard to focus on the other parts...but you have to practise that), always keep feeding into the leading edge so you get penetration and not fusion and just a lot of material buildup.
Here's how clean the metal should be:
notice the absolute lack of spatter, that's what gas will do for you (and the proper gas and machine settings), no anti spatter spray or anything was used (I never use that kind of stuff)
Here's how clean the metal should be:
notice the absolute lack of spatter, that's what gas will do for you (and the proper gas and machine settings), no anti spatter spray or anything was used (I never use that kind of stuff)
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,752
Likes: 4
From: Austin Texas
Originally Posted by Gordonm
I'm in the same boat but have no welder at all. I need to find someone with a welder to do this small job for me. Sometimes I wish I had a small mig but just can't justify the cost for a once a year usage.
Besides, when you get good you can fix anything steel..garden tools, steel furniture, and charge your neighbors to when they come running, to help pay for the welder... 
Safety Car
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 3,581
Likes: 28
From: Spring, Texas
Originally Posted by big_G
Gordonm....let me tell you something....once you have a mig welder, you will be looking for things to weld.... Besides, when you get good you can fix anything steel..garden tools, steel furniture, and charge your neighbors to when they come running, to help pay for the welder...
Besides, when you get good you can fix anything steel..garden tools, steel furniture, and charge your neighbors to when they come running, to help pay for the welder... 
Race Director
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 19,610
Likes: 778
From: Forked River NJ
I can probably get a very good deal on a welder also. Some of the distributers for our products are welding supply houses. Might start shopping around. I actually am giving a seminar on our products at an Airgas store tomorrow. Maybe I'll take my trailing arms and see if they can give me a demo. 
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,752
Likes: 4
From: Austin Texas
Originally Posted by Gordonm
I can probably get a very good deal on a welder also. Some of the distributers for our products are welding supply houses. Might start shopping around. I actually am giving a seminar on our products at an Airgas store tomorrow. Maybe I'll take my trailing arms and see if they can give me a demo.
Race Director
Joined: Sep 2004
Posts: 11,874
Likes: 263
From: Arlington Va Current ride 04 vert, previous vettes: 69 vert, 77 resto mod
Originally Posted by Gordonm
I'm in the same boat but have no welder at all. I need to find someone with a welder to do this small job for me. Sometimes I wish I had a small mig but just can't justify the cost for a once a year usage.
can you bring them out to the shore?