When MIG welding on C3 frame, is there any need to anneal/normalize the weld areas afterward? (My guess is no).
If you are making it "fully welded" with the frame reil halves welded together over the entire joint, do you need to weld a few inches here and a few inches there to avoid distorting it? (My guess not necessary to do in smaller pieces, but cannot hurt).
Thank you much for info!

 

im no welding expert, but when i was thinking of doing so, a asked around town to some of the big welding companies, and all told me not to weld a continuous seam...that the factory did it like they did for a good reason, that welding it as one whole long seam would weaken the frame, by putting too much stress in different areas...thats what they told me so hey i dont know but it kinda makes sense if you think about it..... :flag

 

blue, hate to disagree with you but i think the reason the factory didn't solid weld the frame at the factory is it (literally) would take twice as long to construct the frame. even with robotics, it just plain takes time. one of the first things the chevy power manual says to do to prepare a corvette for racing is to solid weld the frame rails and some related gusseting.
last year i solid welded the beads on the bottom (no frame off, just what i could get to) and i welded a seam here and there allowing the frame to cool in that area before moving to an adjacent 'stitch'. i don't know if it's really necessary but it did seem like a good precaution.

 

Most non-professional MIG welders are not 100% duty cycle, anyway. So,
you should be taking breaks for the welder to cool down also. There are some
nicer fan cooled units taht can go 100% - but not popular homeowner models.

So keep a cold one nearby, and occasionally take a two minute beer break
and admire your work. Then - back at it for a few minutes. When welding,
beer should be sipped, not guzzled. You don't wanna get drunk and grab the
end of the nozzle - or worse.

I'm getting ready to start my chassi, so I'm gonna put a poll up - to weld or not.

Good luck weldin' and paintin' -- right behind you.

:seeya

 

clutchdust,

how did you prepare your frame for welding? wire brush? I was thinking maybe a spot-type sand blaster.

Chris

 

yeah i read the chevy power book too and i agree with you, but i was just stating what i was told....and im not knowledgable enough about welding to know what is right, i was just telling what i was told by welders....i will however still weld mine....this weekend before it goes out to the powdercoater.

 

When I visited my 'bubba' and lifted the car, he told me that it were the most stiff Corvette frame he had seen, and my is fully welded like they do in power book. No trouble since 1976. So if you have the opportunity, do it!

You can find the power book @ CorvetteFaq.com http://www.bokonon.net/corvettefaq/redir.asp?site=189 :thumbs:

 

Hi i am a welder and do weld frames all the time i was working on the GM line at Dana ,328 frames a shift. You can finish the seam welds as long as already stated you weld no more than about 5 or 6 inches at a time and let it cool .You can place wet rags around the area to help it cool and disipate the heat easier. The reason the whole seam was not welded at the factory is time and cost.Remember when these frames are welded at the factory they are clamped in a jig to stop it from twisting under the heat . I hope this helps. Dave :auto:

 

hey chris, awaiting anxiously on pan! ;)
i did the wire wheel method since, at the time, i did not have access to compressed air and the car was about 22" off the ground and on jackstands. one of the things i still have to do is go back and re-wire wheel the thing and paint it.
i still haven't done my annual winter checklist :rolleyes: :bb

 

Whoooo, -Boy

A Real question here.

I've had alot of time -REPAIR Welding- on these cars............

MIG? Hmmmmm, I think I'd rather not.

I have one VERY Hi Tech -T.I.G.- set up myself, and I don't expect all that many people can justify one for sure.
Being steel, D.C. would be the current of choice. Annealing?

Not at ALL a bad idea if you are STICK welding, which MIG is......sort of related. One VERY hard spot,in a fairly soft base material is often the result of electric welding of all types. Which would lead to your FEARED.....Crack.

But for me? If you already have an Ox/Actylene Torch there, WELD IT UP WITH IT!

Yes! Kind of a slower poor man's TIG. Heats a larger area, and slowly COOLS said larger area. The area heats up,turns red, begins to melt then FLOWs. Add filler rod to form the bead and keep the parent metal solid and not "undercut". TIG welding is much the same,but with "ELECTRIC FLAME"!

IT also COOLS slowly as the flame moves relatively SLOWLY away from the new weld. Hence, said area is virtually normalized or annealed.

Have -"I"- ever done this? Only about 25 to 30 times. Maybe more......

I actually was "Conscripted" by my Father, a Corvette Body Man, to weld a problematic frame on a good repeat customer's '69 Vette way back in 1975!

The job required a good patient ox/acetyl welding skill, the tight manual positioning ,and dexterity that most teenagers possess! :)

This Vette's frame had been ( Arc) welded by several supposedly professed experts, and yet it continually broke. :(

SO my Dad asked the owner if he would consent to ME doing the task as he claimed to the man that -....."he's got more skill & patience with that torch than anybody in this facility". (at the time a LARGE Chevy Dealer)

We would fix that car 4 more times over the coming years,but NEVER that weld! The customer would always remind my Dad of that. My dad would tell him that I had done a few dozen since. ( A- P.I.T.A. task that virtually NOBODY else wanted to do,but I was happy to! )

I was 14 years old at the time.
So One need NOT be old and grizzled or even deeply experienced,to be a decent welder. Some practice ,determination and patience, -REPEATEDLY- if need be.

Let us hear how it ALL comes out!

Regards......Cholo

 

I have a MIG, no TIG or torch. Should I do anything to the seams?
I have another problem, apparently the car had been in an accident because the mount for the lower a-arm pivot shaft on one side has been rewelded, but not at the same angle as the factory side :mad I have not measured how different it is yet, but there is a difference. I am a bit confused because otherwise the fame is dead straight. The "dog leg" is not bent. Cross measurements and plum line measurements are coming out clean except to the back bolt hole for the lower a-arm pivot shaft. Either the frame was not bent but the mount was damaged or someone did a fine job straightening the frame and then screwed up the welding :confused:
Anyways, if I remove this part from the bottom of the frame, can I reattach it SAFELY with a MIG?
Thank you much!

 

I talked to a guy who works at a local shop that specializes in Corvettes. He said that they use a MIG and no post welding treatment is needed. He claimed that he has been doing it for 30 years and he has never had a weld come back. He said that MIG is fine. He said that the frames were stick welded at the factory.

 

i have a friend who builds some pretty intense cars and other mod work for customers (including paul tracy and pat carpontier). he has virtually every type of welding apparatus known to man and he uses MIG quite often. i'm not a welding expert so i won't go into any more detail than that but i'm o.k. with MIG.

 

Hi mig welding is fine for your frame tig welding is a much cleaner looking weld but on the assembly line on GM FORD we use mig CHRYSLER we use flux core ( very messy ) Dave :chevy