Welding (frame)

jay79cj7

jay79cj7

New member
Well, my frame is in terrible shape. So is the tub. I have decided to do a rebuild once the cold weather sets in. I found a cheap used frame with no rust and its now sitting in my garage. The problem is the previous guy cut the body mounts off, so I need some put back on. Quadratrac sells em, but obviously they need to be welded on. I am considering buying a welder, maybe going 50/50 with my buddy, because between the 2 of us we will use it.

So, this may be a stupid question, I don't know... Is this something that we can teach ourselves with a little reading and some scrap metal, or is this something that I need to find someone to do for me? I am in no hurry, and we would really like to learn to weld. If so, is a mig welder the way to go for this gauge steel? Does anybody know where to find a good deal on one (besides ebay)?

Thanks guys and gals in advance.

j
 

welding can be self taught - tho lots of trial/error/practice involved and read read read!!!! - stick welding is strong and sloppy (good for thick stuff), mig is good for an all around wire feed but tig is good for strong, clean cold (cooler) welding - for the frame stuff i'd go for a stick welder or really boss up on a mig welder - either way... make sure youre compitent (sp?) b/4 you go welding on your frame (i'm still not confident enuff for something like that...) i ask a friend to help all the time! (sorry to say!)
 
I've got a 175amp and a 130amp Lincoln mig. Either will do fine with the thickness metal you will be dealing with on a chassis. I'd recommend the gas setup instead of messing with the cheaper flux core wire. You'll have to do better weld prep and really work the 130amp rig to do much 1/4", but it will do it and you can plug that one into a regular wall outlet. The 130amp machine was about $420 dollars with the gas hookup and regulator.
There are several welding handbooks out there that can be a good help with theory and method, but practice is the only way you'll get good at it.
 
Hi. I do this kinda stuff for a living and the only recommended type of welding for steel frames is mig. This is not to say that tig or another process is not suitable for what you want to do. ASE and I-CAR are the regulating bodies that set the standards that I speak of. I think that mig welding is the best way for you to do this job but make sure that you use a 25/75 gas mix of argon/carbondioxide and not the flux core wire. the end result will be much better and the ease of the weld will be appearent. A 130 amp welder is a good place to start and if you have a TSC store look there. Check the local paper for a used one. of you go with a miller or lincoln or hobart you can get parts without much hassel. Clean metal is easier to weld and it should sound like baccon frying in the pan on sunday morning. Good luck!
 

i'm doing some welding in various parts of my frame... i use a mig... if you are welding cracks, you should first grind the crack out and weld along that... and if you need plating.. then clean the frame well... and use a football shaped plate... you want the most weld area as possible
 
Thanks guys! I am glad I am getting encouragement and not advice against it, although that is what I expected from this do-it-yourself group. This "new" frame has no visible rust, and no cracks that I have found. I gambled on an ebay purchase and really got something good. I am just going to have to weld on the body mounts.
I have been looking at some of these welders online, and it looks like they draw 20-some amps, and I think the circuit for my garage is on a 15 amp breaker. Another hurdle to clear...
 
ya, even my little 110 amp mig 115v will trip a 15a breaker.
Now is the time to run some scu out there.
Soon enough your garage will be making a nice dent in your electric bill.
 

ya, even my little 110 amp mig 115v will trip a 15a breaker.
Click to expand...

you should not run a welder on an extension cord if you are doing so... you want good wire running all the way, and the welder plugged direct into the recep... if you do use an extension cord... make sure it is a beefy guy
 
Yeah i agree with snitty. i run my Miller 220 stick off of a 200 foot extension cord to the dryer outlet which has a 30 amp breaker and i have yet to trip it!...however this cord is gauge 8 or 10 wire and is VERY heavy. one of the frist things i ever welded was my spring perches and shock mounts my my axles...just make sure you get lots of practise on scrap pecies of metal first :lol:
 

Practice does not make perfect, perfect practice makes perfect. You can't stress enough to practice. I thought I had done enough, but when it came time to do my bumer, well, lets just say I have and extra craptacular bumper if anyone wants one.
 
So a 130 amp will do the job? I want to make sure I have enough power, without going overboard. They say they will do 5/16" steel using flux core. Will it do the same thickness with gas, if that is what I should use?

Thanks for all the advice, as usual!
 
130 should do the trick.... you DO want to use gas.. that thickness works fine... 3/16" works fine
 

I don't know that I would trust a 130amp machine to weld 5/16" plate, definitely not if that 5/16" is part of a stressed member. 1/4" max, and NOT with flux core wire.
 
I am not repairing the frame, I am welding the body mounts on. I don't know what the frame steel thickness is... Does anybody know that?

Snitty/Junkpile-
Will a 130 amp work to do what I am trying to do?
 

Firing Order

go with 3/16" either way... i don't see why 130 wouldn't work.. especially if your surface is good and clean, and you can preheat the metal to accept the heat better too
 
Yes.

Like snitty, I don't like to weld anything thicker than 3/16" to a frame. You can make some really strong brackets from 3/16" by triangulating mounting points, bracing, and boxing.
 
OK, thanks guys. Do you know what a stock frame is built out of? Body mounts? I was going to just buy a set from quadratec, but maybe that's foolish.
 
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