Post by tachout on May 31, 2009 19:58:48 GMT -7
Well it has be like forever since I did any welding. I mean a long time. I decided that practice was in order long before the welder got near the vette so I am working on a small project. I am going to build a base to go under each of my jack stands with 4 casters on each. I saw this on an episode of some 4x4 show on Speed one Saturday morning. Put a piece of angle on each side, and weld a piece of round bar to the end of each so the jack stand can be taken in and out of the frame you built. Then weld on the casters.
Went to Lehi Metal Mart and got the steel for the project. If I screw it up no big deal, just make another right? If I screw up welding on my back half or cage.... OUCH! so I thought this was the way to get back in practice. Well the first one, I cut out the angle and cut out the round bar, and made the first connection. UGLY Very ugly, and had to work on the setting up of the machine for what I was welding. By the time I got to the 4th connection the welds looked ok, but it is still trash. Machine is now set, and I am going to lay out the next one I cut so it will be square and I can make the welds. I am going to prep all 4 of them, and I am going to square them up real good. I am going to clean the metal around the connections real good, and I am going to take pictures along the way. Then I am going to weld them all at once by tacking the 4 pieces together, and doing a little weld on each corner to make sure it is square and the heat does not warp anything. From there I am going to make a couple of small welds in 4 places around the round bar to make sure it is tight. Then weld each joint once it cools. By the time I get the 4th one done, and the 4 casters welded to each of them, I should be ready to start fitting my parts in place on the car. I am still going to take my time, and going to test fit each and every part several times. Then I plan on makeing most of the welds out of the car. I am going to put as much of the cage together as I can outside of the car, and then going to put the majority of it in the car in one piece. Then weld it in, and weld in what is left in the car as I go. Idea is to make sure it all stays square, and that each joint is perfect.
Thought I would share
Went to Lehi Metal Mart and got the steel for the project. If I screw it up no big deal, just make another right? If I screw up welding on my back half or cage.... OUCH! so I thought this was the way to get back in practice. Well the first one, I cut out the angle and cut out the round bar, and made the first connection. UGLY Very ugly, and had to work on the setting up of the machine for what I was welding. By the time I got to the 4th connection the welds looked ok, but it is still trash. Machine is now set, and I am going to lay out the next one I cut so it will be square and I can make the welds. I am going to prep all 4 of them, and I am going to square them up real good. I am going to clean the metal around the connections real good, and I am going to take pictures along the way. Then I am going to weld them all at once by tacking the 4 pieces together, and doing a little weld on each corner to make sure it is square and the heat does not warp anything. From there I am going to make a couple of small welds in 4 places around the round bar to make sure it is tight. Then weld each joint once it cools. By the time I get the 4th one done, and the 4 casters welded to each of them, I should be ready to start fitting my parts in place on the car. I am still going to take my time, and going to test fit each and every part several times. Then I plan on makeing most of the welds out of the car. I am going to put as much of the cage together as I can outside of the car, and then going to put the majority of it in the car in one piece. Then weld it in, and weld in what is left in the car as I go. Idea is to make sure it all stays square, and that each joint is perfect.
Thought I would share