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Tips for welding frame stiffeners? *I searched*

Muddy Beast

Muddy Beast

NAXJA Forum User
Location
WA
I have a HF 90amp flux core welder, built my rear bumper over a couple months time and had pretty good luck. Got a lot of experience from that, and my weld held (it was the sole recovery point after I rolled we used). But I'm not sure what the technique is to weld the holes in the frame stiffeners?

I'm aware you have to clean, and prep is most of the work...but what about the actual welding? Does it matter much, other then not burning through the sheet metal? Do I take a swoop of "C" type welds around the circle, let it cool, and add more wire on top of that.

Thanks in advance! (oh, and I have a rig to practice on the "frames" with too)

~Scott
 
Muddy Beast said:
I have a HF 90amp flux core welder, built my rear bumper over a couple months time and had pretty good luck. Got a lot of experience from that, and my weld held (it was the sole recovery point after I rolled we used). But I'm not sure what the technique is to weld the holes in the frame stiffeners?

I'm aware you have to clean, and prep is most of the work...but what about the actual welding? Does it matter much, other then not burning through the sheet metal? Do I take a swoop of "C" type welds around the circle, let it cool, and add more wire on top of that.

Thanks in advance! (oh, and I have a rig to practice on the "frames" with too)

~Scott
Click to expand...

you may have the right idea. with FCAW you will want to use a drag, either all the way around then fill, or do one side and then the other of the plug welds, with cleaning in between. you will want to be careful, because FCAW does have a higher current density and will result in deep penetration, leading to burn through. you also might want to practice on some scrap first to get it down... sheet metal is a PITA, and ideally you would use GMAW(mig) with a .030 wire or something. here is my writeup on the stiffeners, i know you didnt ask, but might help out others too.

http://naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?p=244352510#post244352510

G
 
Last edited:
Scott, Seems your a little hesitent..

Why dont we try welding them up to my rig first ;-)
 
Do you still have your old rolled rig around? I'd grab some sheetmetal stock of approximately the same gauge as the stiffeners you have, chop it up, and practice welding it to the unibody rails on that rig before it goes to the junkyard... I seem to recall you're stripping it and putting all the good stuff on a new rig (this one?) and then junking the old one? Or something like that?

Good luck!
 
kastein said:
Do you still have your old rolled rig around? I'd grab some sheetmetal stock of approximately the same gauge as the stiffeners you have, chop it up, and practice welding it to the unibody rails on that rig before it goes to the junkyard... I seem to recall you're stripping it and putting all the good stuff on a new rig (this one?) and then junking the old one? Or something like that?

Good luck!
Click to expand...

Yes I can practice on my other rig. It's in the process of being stripped now infact.

http://www.pnwjeep.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=18811

~Scott
 
Start your arc in the center of the area to be plug welded (unibody),
once arc is established and a puddle forms, roll the weld out to the
stiffener material and complete the plug or rosset weld.

Hope that helps.
 
I found it much easier to start the arc on the thicker material, and once i got a pool to pull it to the thin stuff, that way it lessens the chance you will blow through it.
granted this is my motor mounts, but still same concept.
DSCF0602.jpg
 
I'm not any kind of welder at all but whenever I've had to do it on the unibody I've built the pool on the thicker plating and then dragged the tip onto the sheetmetal. For rosettes I would probably just try to keep the tip over the plate and hope that the passive heat would be enough for the weld to bind with the sheetmetal.
 
ehall said:
and hope that the passive heat would be enough for the weld to bind with the sheetmetal.
Click to expand...

As a 'welder', I could see where some may think this way.
I'll just say, as a 'welder, if I was being paid to apply the product.......the arc and initial penetration would be focused on the structure (unibody) inwhich the product was being applied to, then apply the arc to the product. Heat control of the arc is something learned over time. As someone who does 'alot' of plug or rosset welds weekly, I stand by my intial comment.
 
Detour said:
As a 'welder', I could see where some may think this way.
I'll just say, as a 'welder, if I was being paid to apply the product.......the arc and initial penetration would be focused on the structure (unibody) inwhich the product was being applied to, then apply the arc to the product. Heat control of the arc is something learned over time. As someone who does 'alot' of plug or rosset welds weekly, I stand by my intial comment.
Click to expand...

i agree, you need complete fusion on both surfaces... this would be harder with fcaw than gmaw... i know i wouldnt want to do it that way.
 
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