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Awesome work you’re doing. Glad you’ve started back. I know all about life getting in the way. I stopped for almost 5 years on mine but now I’m full steam ahead and have been putting several miles on it here lately. Awesome feeling getting it on the road. You’re getting closer to that reality.
Based on your photo...it appears that your welding gas is a bit low. I recognize that soot from some of my early work.
You are making great progress and I am sure that you are learning a lot...like, I should have taken up golf! :~)
Based on your photo...it appears that your welding gas is a bit low. I recognize that soot from some of my early work.
You are making great progress and I am sure that you are learning a lot...like, I should have taken up golf! :~)
Charlie do you mean low pressure? Mine soot up like that. I thought it was normal. I set the regulator at 20 psi.
Bob
Charlie do you mean low pressure? Mine soot up like that. I thought it was normal. I set the regulator at 20 psi.
Bob
When I said low I was referring to the level of gas in the bottle. When the shielding gas gets intermixed with oxygen you will have an oxidizing arc which results in soot. There are various reasons for this occurrence...low bottle level, wrong gas...I assume you are using a 75/25 Ar/Co2 MIG mix, leak in the gas hose to the torch ( I see this more often in TIG setups), or improper technique. Too much angle on the torch tip or too much distance (stick out) between the torch tip and the weld bead. If you keep an upright angle, 15 degrees or less, and you keep the tip as close as possible to the weld bead then you can get away with less shielding gas pressure and still have a clean weld bead. Welding is like bodywork...the more you screw up the smarter you get. Good luck!
Thanks Charlie, interesting. I to run about 20 psi or whatever the gauge reads. Yes to the 75/25 gas mix. The welder is fairly new, only used 1 1/2 tanks of gas through it so far. I will watch the angle thing, may be what it is. It is a slow process welding like this for sure. I do get a bit impatient and then I screw up. Like trying to run a continues bead. This almost always makes a mess by burning through the steel. Got to remember tack, tack and more tacks.
Love the knowledge on this site.
I got one side done to a point that I am happy with. Ready for primer and bondo. Time to start the other side. Decided to build a stand to mount both fenders to. Traced the fender to get the shape you see.
Then mounted the finished fender to it. Cut the other fender flange the same way as the first side. Much shrinking and stretching later I am able to mount the other side to match the profile of the first side.
Then mate the other half of the fender to the flange using the fingers cut earlier. The stand made it a lot easier for sure as I can measure of the good fender to make a matching set. Onto making fillers and more welding. This fender must have had a bobo as there is a bunch of bondo on it. I will sand out what I can before priming and redoing it.
Second side almost done. More hammer and dolly work. Man is this steel tough. You need to be very patient with this work, Just tacking the steel is slow work but keeps the warping to a min. This is the back of the fender
View from the front
Just read through your thread and wanted to say thanks for sharing. Turned out really well with the box and fenders. Very ambitious but you've done a great job
Got the fenders mounted to the box. Really happy with the result of this. Would like to get a pic of the whole rear end but will have to wait until spring or warmer weather to push the truck outside.
Excellent work Marten, thank you for sharing all the details. This gets me thinking about what I am going to do for the bed on my 54, when I get there.
Glad I could help you some way. Did this for the experience. Hoping that showing it will inspire others to try something new, risk it as such. I have never touched a welder or worked in steel in my life. I get better every time I pick up my welder now. Still just learning.
