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NW Welders! Truss help

B

BlueHeap

NAXJA Forum User
Location
portland oregon
So i'm new to jeeps and wheelin in general, just pulled a d30 with 4.10s got a ruff stuff diff cover and artec truss. Problem is i cant weld worth a damn and even if i had the balls to attempt to weld something to the diff i don't have a welder up to the job. Was hopin either someone could recomend a decent local shop (decent means cheap but wont warp the axles and the welds will hold) or can do it themselves and if so how much would that cost me. And yes i posted this in my local chapter first with no response yet. Im still waiting on artec to ship the thing so will probably be in a few weeks
 
The only place I know of that used to be up for that type of work, and KNEW what they were doing was Dutchman axles. Portland and Oregon both taxed them to Idaho awhile back so they are gone now. Try calling six states or Parents drivetrain. Those are the only two reputable shops I know of. A lot say they will do diff work but I would be cautious. If you find one please post up so I don't have to buy all the jigs for narrowing myself.
 
Yeah called six states about regearin my d30, they wanted 1200 bucks. Waaay to rich for my blood. I know they do good work but im all about not spending a dime more than i need to. Lol my brother in law has a 220 mig, might say f it and give it a go depending on shop prices. Would hate to f it up just cuz im cheap/broke but my wallet is definitely dictating this build.
 
Its a truss, not a cage on something i might roll with the family goin gee i hope my welds hold. I can weld to the axle tube just not comfortable with the diff. Housing. Mounts go to truss truss goes to tubes and diff. Lots of welds on tube=no1 dies. Just would rather not have to go pull another axle and then pay someone to try to fix my mistake. Oh and the whole ppl dying, leprechauns going blind and the extinction of unicorns would probably weigh pretty heavy on my mind as well.
 
A truss is pretty important piece to have welded correctly. Say what you want, you already admitted you can't weld worth a damn. It's not just you or your family that is put at risk, have respect for other people on the road.
 
We have a machinist at work that used to do roundy round racing. They used to slightly change the toe and camber of solid rear axles by just striking a Tig arc on the tube, not even welding a short bead. That's how easy they deflect when heated. They should be jigged solid. We play with steel a bit at work and it doesn't take much heat to bend even 1/2" steel. I'd at least measure to make sure your tubes are straight before and after. If they are not straight to the carrier you will destroy diffs, bearings, and probably axles.
 
Thanks for the heads up cherokee, if and its a biig if, i were to do it myself id try to find a solid pipe that fits snug in there grab some old stands i got with some chain and or straps and try to make something to hold it all in place. Take 30 thousand measurements and go slow with tons of breaks (which im real good at) and see what happens. I understand the truss is pretty important just hate when ppl do the one liner doomsday stuff. Plz feel free to tell me your opinion and maybe just maybe offer advice as to how to do the job safely, not just "people die" IF i do it ill be sure to post pics on what i come up with for a jig and see if anyone has any thoughts as to how to improve on my "jig" design.
 
Get some 1/4" scrap and practice practice practice. I wouldn't run under 20volts and prolly around 350 wire speed with .035 assuming you'll be mig welding it. The pumpkin is cast steel no real special procedure for welding. A little preheat 3-500 degrees will never hurt. And possibly a little post heat to let everything cool together. I would also turn the settings a little hotter when doing the pumpkin weld. Other than that just skip around.
 
I've never welded to the cast steel, if that's what it is and not iron. Cast iron requires special alloys, either nickel rod/wire or there are some other cast electrodes available but they tend to not be machineable, not that that's an issue. I would probably not use the standard er70s6 MIG wire on it though. I'd find one with more silicon to help with flex and prevent cracking. I think it might be s2 or s3 but I don't have my book with me. Look on Lincoln or Hobart's website. I was going to use a couple lengths of railroad tracks and make brackets to bolt the tubes ends to and the diff cover bolts then make sure the mandrel fits square in the axle end openings and make a couple pucks to bolt in the caps. A company called Team Tube can supply the hydraulic cylinder rod of your choosing if you go that route, regular bar will just bend with the axle if you get it to hot and it's not usually that straight. Cylinder rod is real straight. What I'm thinking is probably way overkill but I'm kinda OCD and a perfectionist on my stuff.
 
Wow thanks for all the info everyone. Working my second job today (the one that pays for parts) so haven't had time to call around and get quotes but im putting the finishing touches on this remodel today then a few brake job and oil changes tomorrow and my weekends should finally be free to figure this out. I appreciate all the help and great info and will update as soon as soon as possible with pics or pricing.
 
Got a quote from a "jeep shop" 350. Asked if it would be cheaper to have it out of vehicle, stripped and prepped they said nope it doesnt matter to them. ??? What are they gonna do weld it with axle shafts, amd carrier still in it with control arms and coils still mounted? I called a local welder who is now retired and does it from home. He said 50-100 bucks but he would have to see it to give a more accurate quote. He said cast steel is no problem for him he will just use nickel rod and go slow. Then he went on and listed about a billion different cast steel things he has welded. Sounded way more legit than the "jeep shop" i talked to. Ill post up some pics whenever artec decides to actually ship the truss.
 
What's the "Jeep shops" name or location? There's one out in Clackamas somewhere that seems popular on Facebook, goes by jeeps then a w word. If he's just doing it in the vehicle I would suspect he doesn't care about weld quality unless he's gonna clean it up underneath the vehicle. I could just burn one on but I'd worry about warping and weld cracking without preheating the cast, which you don't do without disassembling. Maybe that welder can just build you a truss? The artec truss doesn't look all that great to me but I'm no engineer. I was gonna do tube bent over the diff and plate on each side welded to axle tube/housing and the tube bent over the diff.
 
Jeep west, i have heard really mixed reviews on em. They are out in sandy. I seen that design before somewhere on one of these jeep forums. Seems pretty solid and ppl really like it. Yeah not sure about the artec truss. Dont know anyone who has used one but the reviews seemed pretty good. I doubt i would even really need a truss for what i plan on doing but i figured i might as well do it since im gonna have the axle apart when i do the seals and swap to a solid axle and get rid of that cad system. I emailed artec asking to cancel my order since its been a week and they still havent shipped it doubt they will but maybe they will move a little faster.
 
That's probably what got them to ship it. Some companies like to play games that way and only care about the customer long enough to get the $$$ and when you threaten to take said $$$ away they get their act together.
 
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