NW Welders! Truss help

[IslanderOffRoad]

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.

I'd find someone else.

Having just done a TNT truss I wouldn't want to attempt it in the jeep.

 

[BlueHeap]

Yup, didnt care either way wether it was shipped or cancelled just wanted em to figure it out. Ruffstuff was a great company to work with when i ordered my diff cover. They emailed me saying they didnt have it available then emailed me almost daily letting me know the progress. Yeah it sucked not getting it shipped right away but good customer service more than made up for it for me. My cad delete kit should be here today so as soon as i get the truss ill be ready to get it all together.

 

[go1lum]

You should be able to to sling a chain threw the tubes and apply some preload to the axle with a bottle jack. Also the truss itself acts as a good strong back to help prevent distortion.

 

[chris420]

I have welded to cast just preheated the cast. I would be careful not to overheat the tube or cast center section if you do you could melt the seals and wrap the tubes. If you have access to a 220 you can get some practice by making a jig that will keep the axle strait while you weld in the truss. If you have access to all the tools do it yourself take your time you will feel better about it.

 

[cherokeefan_1]

I wonder how many people have used a magnifying glass to inspect the cast section after welding it? I bet there are tons of trussed housing that are significantly cracked. Proper preheat/post heat is crucial to welding cast. Cast steel is a little more forgiving though.

 

[93bluebeast]

Well truss will be here tomorrow, hopefully i can talk that guy into welding it up for me for about 50. Got a new winch yesterday as well. Gonna get dirt bounds winch bumper in a couple weeks when i get paid for my side job/s. Should be able to post some pics this weekend on how it all turned out. I have to replace the axle seals and ball joints on it so i will be pulling shafts and carrier to do that, any thing else i need to do before getting this thing welded up? Besides cleaning and grinding?

 

[dan1977p]

If you have a welder on call, you should really look at the DIY bumpers from the various vendors. You'll save about half on most of them vs their prebuilt counterparts.

 

[go1lum]

Well truss will be here tomorrow, hopefully i can talk that guy into welding it up for me for about 50. Got a new winch yesterday as well. Gonna get dirt bounds winch bumper in a couple weeks when i get paid for my side job/s. Should be able to post some pics this weekend on how it all turned out. I have to replace the axle seals and ball joints on it so i will be pulling shafts and carrier to do that, any thing else i need to do before getting this thing welded up? Besides cleaning and grinding?

I'd be leary of a $50 dollar weld job unless it was a great friend. That's at least a $150-300 job all day.

 

[93bluebeast]

The guy is retired and told me 50-100 without seeing it or knowing whats involved. He welded up a friends cj frame and told him he was a idiot but he would do it. Lol not sure what the final price will be till i get the truss and take it over. I doubt it will be 50, might of left him under the impression that it was just a brace that goes over the axle, quick and easy... lol will find out this weekend when i bring it over to him and explain what i need done. Also i should of gave a little more info on the bumper. Its the diy dirtbound bumper. Will do my own hoops and maybe a skid depending on who i know that has what tools. Know a cpl people that are into the prostreet thing and my brother in law has a 68 dart he is building for it so i am pretty sure i can get my hands on a tube bender at the least

 

[cherokeefan_1]

The one positive, at least, is he knows to use nickel rod on the cast. So he knows about welding it at least little bit. Yes it can be welded with regular wire or stick electrodes but that's not how it should be welded to do the job correctly. I've got a bunch of stick electrodes at work designed for cast specifically and it's not nickel. Nickel can be machined after, this stuff cannot. I'm not sure how well it holds together on the disimilar metals. That's why nickel is used due to flex differences and expansion/contraction of the two different metals.

 

[Hypoid]

The guy is retired and told me 50-100 without seeing it or knowing whats involved. He welded up a friends cj frame and told him he was a idiot but he would do it. Lol not sure what the final price will be till i get the truss and take it over. I doubt it will be 50, might of left him under the impression that it was just a brace that goes over the axle, quick and easy... lol will find out this weekend when i bring it over to him and explain what i need done.

Take the instructions to him first!

There is a lot of fit-up, and a lot of weld. Unless Artec makes a truss for the CAD axle, there is a lot more fit-up to make this product with the CAD axle.

P.S. When you talk to the guy, don't claim "poverty." You just dumped a lot of money on parts you can't install...

 

[93bluebeast]

Definitely will take your advice. Ill be going over and showing him everything and ironing out the details as soon as i can get a day off work. Might truss the 8.8 if i ever get a chance to pull one or at the least weld the tubes and i know some ppl that need welding done so hopefully he will work with me on the price. I am cheap to a point but i know ya get what ya pay for so i honestly figured it would cost me 100 to 150 if work is slow for him. I just dont want to pay 350 to a shop who doesnt care about how well they do and says in vehicle or out prepped or not its all the same to them.

 

[cherokeefan_1]

Just remember, if he uses nickel rod on the cast, that stuff is expensive. Not sure how many rods to a lbs or how many are needed but 1 lbs is not cheap.

 

[93bluebeast]

Truss should be here in a few hrs but ill be workin. (Swing shift) hopefully ill be able to get the axle ready and taken over to him in the next few days. Gotta do a fuel pump tomorrow b4 work and brakes the next day but hopefully i can find some time somewhere. Anything special i should do or is it pretty much just pull carrier and make sure not to lose anything? Just dont want to mess up my gears or shims or anything. Whole point of pullin the axle was so i didnt have to pay to regear.

 

[cherokeefan_1]

Label where shims go, do not mix up the bearing caps, it doesn't hurt to check patterns and rolling torqued and match them when assembling. I'd put in new bearings while I'm there and reset the gears. Then you should be good. Check for putting on the gears and if you are using the stock carrier check for cracks and the cross for grooving.

 

[93bluebeast]

Alright fellas thanks for all the help/info/support. Got the truss today finally, checked it out and looks like everything is a go for sunday. Hopefully ill be posting some pics of it all together and maybe even on the vehicle (driveline disconnected). Going over to my brother in laws tonight to get the truss welded together and fitting tight for when i drop it off. Hopefully i wont have to do to much grinding for it to fit with the cad plate.

 

[cherokeefan_1]

Do you have a way to slow the cooling process after welding? I've got a bunch of harbor freight welding blankets that I plan to cook in the oven to heat and wrap mine in when I do it. Anything to slow the cooling process to prevent cracking, do not help it cool at any point as that will promote cracking or warping. Ideally enough hot sand to bury the axle in for a night.

 

[chris420]

Don't need to worry about cool down just go slow do a little at a time moving from one side of the axle to the other and let it cool as you go.

 

[cherokeefan_1]

The cool down is critical on the cast section as the two different metals contract at a different rate and will crack at the weld. Cast iron is extremely critical, cast steel not as much, but still important, since the metal properties are closer to the steel. Weld some steel to cast and let it cool without slowing it and if you take a magnifying glass to the welded area I bet you will find cracks. This is common knowledge of metallurgist's and professional welders that are in the know.

 

[Francesco]

All you gotta do is wrap it in a fiberglass blanket...just a few bucks from HF