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It just takes practice. Good thing to go to the bigger welder. I love my 110 but wouldn't trust it for that heavier stuff either. I'm still kind of old school and tack everything up with the wire feed then go out to my old Lincoln 200 pipeliner to burn it in with 7018. I've been welding since I was 9 and now I'm 64 and still need the grinder quite a bit. Plus I can't see through a welding helmet very good so my welds need cosmetic work all the time too.
And yeah, even on a perfectly still day a gas welder will tax you welding outdoors. I have a couple pices of light plywood hinged in the middle that I use to shield the outdoors. If you can get them in close, they help quite a bit.
I bought the Lincoln 110 in '94 and have been practicing since. It's built a lot of cars and welded on a lot of ranch and farm metal. I was at the point I could lay a pretty decent bead. I started using the gas welder at my work shop and realized how much clean up I had with splatter and slag on the non-gas so I spent $150 and installed the gas kit in my Lincoln. Of course, the wire feeder motor started acting up at the same time (when I started welding the c-notch of course) so I wasn't able to get a clean bead. I didn't want to invest anymore money into it so I decided to buy a 220 welder which so far, I like. Pretty much all of my scrap pieces of metal are all welded together from practicing. As for the breezes and gas, I guess I was spoiled by the innershield and the ability to weld in a hurricane. I guess great minds think alike. I already built a screen with plywood and piano hinges.
I like steelys about as well as anything you can run. And I like seeing a lot of tire side wall. Good choice.
I think the large fad bling wheels and low profile tires ruin the look of an old truck.
And you know, if you ever get tired of the while letters and want wide white walls just a little bit of grinding will reveal about 3 1/2" wide white wall. Like I did here.
Had a very productive day today. Finished the c-notch on the driver’s side, chiseled off the rivets for the rear shackle hangers and rear crossmember, trimmed the bottom frame rail so the gas tank can slip in, flipped and mounted the shackle hangers and drilled and bolted the rear crossmember in place. In another post, they flipped the crossmember upside down. Not sure why but mine is bolted so I can flip it if needed. That way I can also take the tank out if needed. Lastly I had to mount those beautiful red rim and tires to see what they look like. I took a bunch of pictures but I’ll norrow it down to just enough to show what I did and break it up to a few posts. Maybe that is why my earlier attempts at posting pictures failed, too many at once. Anyway….
This new welder rocks. The welds were so much easier and look way better than the passenger side. I did a three pass fillet weld which turned out great. I did have an oops moment though. When welding the bent C piece to the flat plate. I welded it for another right side instead of the driver’s side. Doh! I decided the easiest fix was to cut off the extra from front side of the plate and weld it on the back side. Turned out good.
Picked up this motorcycle table for $160. When I'm not working on a Harley, I can use it as a welding table. Was much better welding at chest height.
Driver's side pre c-notch.
Marked and cut the 1/4 plate.
MAssaged it with a grinder to get a good fit.
Used a grinder on the edges to get it to just fit into the frame.
Clamped it in place on the outside of the frame to mark the cuts.
Used a sharp screwdriver to scribe the cut lines.
Cut lines.
Used a framing square to mark the bottom.
On a frame, I always drill a hole where there will be a corner to eliminate crack.
First Pass on the outside fillet weld. Gonna do a 3 pass weld here.
First pass on the inside fillet weld. Gonna do a 3 pass weld here too. I like to do the first pass on both sides before doing the second and third passes.
Second pass on the outside fillet weld.
Third pass on the outside weld completed. Pleased with this weld.
Second pass on the inside fillet weld.
Third pass on the inside fillet weld. Pleased with this weld too.
Post 3. Here is my oops. When I welded the plate to the bent C piece, I had the plate flipped to wrong way, making a second c-notch for the right side... Made a template out of cardboard, trimmed the long side and used the trim pieces to add to the now short side. Made sure the welder was burning hot and stuck them together.
Uuuuhhh... That don't look right....
My choices were to grind off those welds or cut and re-weld the plate to fit the frame. Cut and re-weld it is... Made a template out of card board, marked the plate and only had to make 2 cuts.
The pieces cut off the other side get welded here.
Laid a hot bead on both sides to get good penetration.
This side will show so I used the grinder and prettied it up.
I Made sure it welded all the way.....
Only did a double fillet weld here.
This is what it was supposed to look like the first time. Can't hardly tell.
Bottom welds.the weld on the left was a victim to wind trying to blow my gas away. Set up my screens after that.
Other bottom welds.
Finished product.
Last edited by Martin Torres; Nov 5, 2017 at 01:14 AM.
Reason: spelling
I cold chiseled the rivets on the rear spring shackle mount and flipped them. I used 7/16 bolts to mount them. I’ll use grade 8 bolts for the final install. They can’t stay this way because they will likely hit the bed but it gives me a better perspective on how much I need to raise the back. After flipping them, it sits about 2 to 3 inches higher than I want. I will probable make new hangers once I figure where the stance needs to be.
I also cold chiseled the rivets off from the rear crossmember. I then trimmed the bottom rail of the frame so the gas tank will slide into place. It’s going to fit nice. Not sure I need to make a frame for it. If I use u-nuts on the tank and weld nuts to the frame for the bed bolts, I should be good. Probably weld nut to the frame for the rear bumper brackets once I get them. Once I slid the tank into place, I mounted the rear crossmember with 3/8 bolts. Again, I will use grade 8 bolts for final assembly.
I went ahead and hung the rearend and mounted the tires. It was dark by this time but I took a few pics anyway.
Here are some picks that show the steps of what I did. Any input and constructive criticism is welcome!
Mini sledge, cold chisel, and elbow grease.
If you cut the head of the rivet in half or, if there is room for the grinder, into 4 pieces, they pop right off with a little elbow grease.
One down.
Both hangers off as well as the crossmember.
Need to trim the bottom rail so the tank can slip in there.
Tank slipped into place and crossmember loose in the back.
I think I can live with the clearance for the tank.
Tank in place (Loose), rear crossmember bolted in, and rear shackle hangers flipped and bolted in.
Rearend hung, tires on, and sitting on the ground.
I'm about 2 to 3 inches higher than I want to be. Will drop it when I make my new hangers. Tires and rims look good!
Looks like the tank was made for this. Tank is a 1970 Mustang.
Wow, looks great. Those red wheels do look good. Are you leaving the body with the natural patina? Maybe just address any bad spots, but leave the rest the way it is?
Wow, looks great. Those red wheels do look good. Are you leaving the body with the natural patina? Maybe just address any bad spots, but leave the rest the way it is?
Last night when I flipped the rear shackle hanger it got me thinking, "Can I keep it in this position and clear the bed?" Has anyone done this? Will it clear?
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