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The gussets are a great improvement, but without a proper penetrated weld, they are useless. To clean the suspect areas, hit them with a small sandblaster to get the metal clean. I'd turn up the heat and reduce the wire speed. I'd grind out those goober-looking welds and redo them. It's worth the extra effort, imo.
The gussets are a great improvement, but without a proper penetrated weld, they are useless. To clean the suspect areas, hit them with a small sandblaster to get the metal clean. I'd turn up the heat and reduce the wire speed. I'd grind out those goober-looking welds and redo them. It's worth the extra effort, imo.
Everything is sand blasted. All my gussets are new metal cleaned with a wire wheel before i put them in place. They are burned in really well, I have excellent penetration. There are no colds welds that I have done. Many of the factory welds were cold with little to no penetration. In some place they completely missed the part they were welding to the frame and just had a bead along side it.
Ok. My comments strictly based on your comment that you have "popping" and "fire" when welding. Those are clear cut signs of contamination which compromises the weldment. When I get that, I stop and I grab the small sandblast gun and hit the areas til the joining metals are white. Yeah I agree that the factory welds leave much to be desired! Some look like Ray Charles was the welder. :-)
Check your frame for square and true after all welds are done. The heat will want to move things around a bit, especially if it's not in a jig during the welding.
One suggestion. On a bare spot on the inside of the frame, get the temp setting where you think it should be. Start a test burn and adjust the wire speed until you hear that fried bacon sound.
Ok. My comments strictly based on your comment that you have "popping" and "fire" when welding. Those are clear cut signs of contamination which compromises the weldment. When I get that, I stop and I grab the small sandblast gun and hit the areas til the joining metals are white. Yeah I agree that the factory welds leave much to be desired! Some look like Ray Charles was the welder. :-)
Check your frame for square and true after all welds are done. The heat will want to move things around a bit, especially if it's not in a jig during the welding.
The contamination is between where the frame halves overlap or where pieces were laid on the frame and then welded. You can't get between the pieces to clean them. I degreased, pressure washed and had it blasted. I wire brush it before I weld. If the bead comes out too bad I grind it out and go over it again.
The contamination is between where the frame halves overlap or where pieces were laid on the frame and then welded. You can't get between the pieces to clean them. I degreased, pressure washed and had it blasted. I wire brush it before I weld. If the bead comes out too bad I grind it out and go over it again.
Mike
Mike.
I have the same thing happen to me at times ( if this is happening to you)..and regardless on how much I clean and blast/grind...when the weld is being applied it is heating the metal and all of a sudden...crap comes out and effects the weld path. I have been there..and I CUSS like a sailor...but then...that is when I get my torch and heat up where I am going to weld to burn off any of that crap or make it ooze out.
'Funny' as it may seem;..a person can sandblast the frame to death and also pressure wash it at point blank range with the best degreaser and STILL...when it is heated by welding...that darn oil and crud that has worked its way in the lap joints for decades will finally decide to show itself.
I had the same problem. Switched back to Lincoln wire and the problem went away.
Mike
My buddy has Linkoln wire in the welder. The car was just really oily and greasy underneath and it's in all the seams. It is what it is. I have good penetration and the welds are strong. I'm not going to worry about how pretty the welds are. It's not a show car and after I cleanup all the spatter with a sanding disc and paint it, it will look fine.
I am actually afraid to comment...to try to give some advice on what I see....still knowing that you are not worried about it being a show car....which has nothing to do with what I see.
If you are good with it..then all is good I guess.
And I am guessing you are straight line welding...which I would describe like taking a pencil and pulling or pushing it across paper and making a single line....and it does not need to be 100% straight line but more rather a single line.
I am actually afraid to comment...to try to give some advice on what I see....still knowing that you are not worried about it being a show car....which has nothing to do with what I see.
If you are good with it..then all is good I guess.
And I am guessing you are straight line welding...which I would describe like taking a pencil and pulling or pushing it across paper and making a single line....and it does not need to be 100% straight line but more rather a single line.
DUB
No, I am not doing straight line welding. I am watching the puddle close and moving back and forth between the pieces to burn into both.
I finished the top and sides of the frame and flipped it over to start on it. In checking it for cracks, I found about a dozen more cracked welds. Below in just one area marked with red marker. Most of the cracks I have found so far have been in welds. A good weld should never crack.
No, I am not doing straight line welding. I am watching the puddle close and moving back and forth between the pieces to burn into both.
Mike
Thanks for the reply.
If I my suggest...instead of going back and forth...do circles...or curly q's...that way you get more width where needed and and allow the weld to lay down a bit better.
Look a the 'circular pattern in the photo below and that is what I and trying to describe. and PLEASE understand I am on your side and just trying to offer some advice that may help you
And if you need me to..I can post a photo of how this looks because I just welded on a strut rod bracket today.
If I my suggest...instead of going back and forth...do circles...or curly q's...that way you get more width where needed and and allow the weld to lay down a bit better.
Look a the 'circular pattern in the photo below and that is what I and trying to describe. and PLEASE understand I am on your side and just trying to offer some advice that may help you
And if you need me to..I can post a photo of how this looks because I just welded on a strut rod bracket today.
DUB
Thanks Dub!
I've found that the circular pattern works best on the really dirty areas. It will spit some of the fill out and then I loop around and pass over it again.
The zig zag pattern works well on clean metal.
I'm getting better as I go. I have maybe an hour or two left is all though.
I welded most of the bottom today. It was way dirtier than the top. Good thing I started on the top and figured out how to deal with it.
Made a new bottom piece for my front cradle/crossmember out of high grade .125" plate steel. It is way stronger than the original bottom of the cradle.
I shaped it with a press and then clamped it in place, tack welded it and then used a BFH to get it to lay properly. I welded it solid to the lower a-arm mounting brackets and to the cradle. With the other gussets to the mounts and being rewelded, they are not going anyplace now!
Photo is before I tacked it in place. I forgot to take a photo when done before I came home. You get the idea though.
Yea, I've never seen an easy solution to that cross member. There is a tool to straighten it and that's all most do. But it's kinda annoying to leave it bent up - like mine.
09-26-2017, 11:54 AM
