1964 FJ45 LB “RB1” Project
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Got any welding advice you would care to share? I'm just learning to weld at the moment, and sheet metal is certainly a challenge. i'd be interested to know what gas mix you use, what heat setting and feed speed, and anything else you would care to share. I've gosome of those butt-welding clamps too, and am worried about burning through when trying to weld across a 1/16" gap like that....
Awesome work! Very inspiring!
Awesome work! Very inspiring!
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- #83
That might be possible. I can make the front box panel in stock width. It would not include the top "Z" bar, side/corner "U" channels, or the 2 panel supports. Basically, just the sheetmetal in 18ga. I was considering trying to make the "Z" and "U" replacements for mine as well but stock thicknes on these, from memory, is about .090" and I would have to test the capacity of my press to see if it could handle this thickness and length especially for the top “Z” bar. Also, getting the raw material for these pieces might add substantial cost since .090" is not generally available in Bar Stock (at least I’ve not seen it locally) it would probably have to be purchased as plate and sheared to size before being formed.
This tool has an averall length capacity of 73" which is not long enough for a stock long bed which I think, from memory again, is about 82" long. It is wide enough for the width of a stock front box panel.
For enough money, time and space, one (I’m not yet volunteering) could build a similar machine with capacity to handle longer pieces to match the stock box length The frame would need additional strength to accomplish this if you wanted near stock thickness or even thicker than stock materials. The other issue with a stock replacement floor panel is the shrinkage of the material on one end vs. the other. Notice I didn’t make the raised ribs end to the flat sheet like a stock bed. I experimented with this but could not prevent uneven shrinkage. It might require a shrinker tool or a way to clamp the material and force more stretching of material rather than forming more by bending like this tool is doing.
PM if you want to discuss further.
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- #84
Got any welding advice you would care to share? I'm just learning to weld at the moment, and sheet metal is certainly a challenge. i'd be interested to know what gas mix you use, what heat setting and feed speed, and anything else you would care to share. I've gosome of those butt-welding clamps too, and am worried about burning through when trying to weld across a 1/16" gap like that....
Awesome work! Very inspiring!
I've found that welding thinner materials is less forgiving to inconsistencies, incorrect weldor settings, or incorrect techniques. Having said that, I'm not a professional welder and in fact I've never even taken a single welding class. I have read several books on teh subject as well as a number of web articles. I've also spend a lot of time doing trial and error welding. I've found that welding thinner materials is not any harder than welding thicker materials, it is just less forgiving to inconsistancies or marginal welding setups or techniques. I've found these things to be important:
- Cleanliness is important.
- Material fit is important.
- Welder and material selection/settings are important.
- Technique is important. Be comfortable when welding. Don't put yourself in an awkard position. Whatever technique you find works, be smooth and consistent.
Do one wrong and well, the others don't really matter because its a poor job.
I can't provide your welder settings because every welding machine is different. My MIG welder has 4 heat ranges 1=low and 4=high. I will use range 1 or 2 for autobody thickness sheet metal and I set wire speed to match the heat range and vary it slightly for the speed at which I want to weld. Gas type and flow can also affect penetration and I use a 75/25 blend of Argon/CO2. For the autobody stuff, I also use .023 diameter wire. Filling gaps is easy and the gap is necessary in the fit of a butt weld so that it gets filled with the weld puddle. If the joint is not filled and the puddle is more on top of the weld seam then you will end up grinding most of it off when you clean up the weld leaving a weak joint. One other option is to make a lap joint instead of a butt joint.
If you are burning through then you need to turn down the heat selection or use a different technique. Its also important to go slow to prevent warpage. By going slow I mean to make a bunch of small welds rather than large continuous welds. Let the metal cool between welds and alternate welding locations to help prevent warpage and heat buildup. Then practice until you have some confidence in your machine, settings and technique.
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- Joined
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Do you use the anti-splatter spray-on stuff to keep things clean? What do you do to ensure cleanliness of the weld zone?
Thanks for your well-considered responses. Your comment about needing to allow space for the weld puddle makes sense in light of some of my recent attempts to weld butts that were tight together.
I'm lucky to have use of a friend's Miller welding machine, a small 230v unit that happens to have 6 heat settings. I'm using 0.23 wire, heat setting 2, and wire feed of 25~30. Still experimenting, with mixed results so far.
Thanks for your well-considered responses. Your comment about needing to allow space for the weld puddle makes sense in light of some of my recent attempts to weld butts that were tight together.
I'm lucky to have use of a friend's Miller welding machine, a small 230v unit that happens to have 6 heat settings. I'm using 0.23 wire, heat setting 2, and wire feed of 25~30. Still experimenting, with mixed results so far.
- Thread starter
- #86
I use an anti-splatter spray product on the MIG gun tip parts. I don't use it on the material I'm welding.
For cleaning the metal I'm welding, I use an autobody degreaser solvent to clean up any oils or manufacturing residues. I don't think what you use is important as long as you get the metal free of oil and grease. If you use something like this, just make sure it has all evaporated before welding or it will contaminate the weld and cause as much of a problem as the oil or grease you are trying to remove.
One other thing to consider with gas shielding is wind or drafts. I've found that it doesn't take much of a breeze to disturb it enough to cause problems. So, I don't generally weld outside unless its very calm.
Your settings sound similar to mine. I'm also using a 230v Miller. Mine is about 10 years old and again, only has 4 heat settings.
Keep trying different combinations until you like the results and then try to reproduce them. One thing that I've done to learn was to make small adjustment to the extreme to understand what the effects would be. For instance, on your welder, weld at setting 2 and increase the wire speed from 30 to 35 to 40, etc until you start to get kick back of the wire. Now you know what too fast a wire speed will cause. Now start slowing down the speed a little at a time and see what happens. BTW, the adjustments should be made when not actually welding. Make adjustments between welds. Doing this kind of experimentation has helped me to understand the limitations of my equipment and me, and as well, helped me to recognise what is causing certain problems I encounter when welding.
For cleaning the metal I'm welding, I use an autobody degreaser solvent to clean up any oils or manufacturing residues. I don't think what you use is important as long as you get the metal free of oil and grease. If you use something like this, just make sure it has all evaporated before welding or it will contaminate the weld and cause as much of a problem as the oil or grease you are trying to remove.
One other thing to consider with gas shielding is wind or drafts. I've found that it doesn't take much of a breeze to disturb it enough to cause problems. So, I don't generally weld outside unless its very calm.
Your settings sound similar to mine. I'm also using a 230v Miller. Mine is about 10 years old and again, only has 4 heat settings.
Keep trying different combinations until you like the results and then try to reproduce them. One thing that I've done to learn was to make small adjustment to the extreme to understand what the effects would be. For instance, on your welder, weld at setting 2 and increase the wire speed from 30 to 35 to 40, etc until you start to get kick back of the wire. Now you know what too fast a wire speed will cause. Now start slowing down the speed a little at a time and see what happens. BTW, the adjustments should be made when not actually welding. Make adjustments between welds. Doing this kind of experimentation has helped me to understand the limitations of my equipment and me, and as well, helped me to recognise what is causing certain problems I encounter when welding.
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That's some good advice, thanks!
buckroseau
May I have another!!!
That is an absolutely awesome tool you built there.
Would you mind taking a few more pics of the die itself that is making the rib? Maybe specific dimensions of the die?
Thanks, Matt
Would you mind taking a few more pics of the die itself that is making the rib? Maybe specific dimensions of the die?
Thanks, Matt
Wow, thats awesome work!
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- #91
That is an absolutely awesome tool you built there.
Would you mind taking a few more pics of the die itself that is making the rib? Maybe specific dimensions of the die?
Thanks, Matt
Thanks Matt. Means a lot coming from the master.
Here's a couple pics of the dies. Kind of hard to see but here's the bottom part:
- Thread starter
- #92
And here is the top bar. I made it so this piece bolts in place with flat head bolts. I bolted this piece so I could interchange different sizes of bar to vary the shape of what I was making. I can also remove the bottom "tray" and install a different tray.
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- #93
Hard to tell sizes from those pics so this should help:
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- #94
Make a new die to fabricate some wheel wells:
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- #95
Ended up with this for the inner bed wheel wells. Still need to weld it together and build the other side:
yzftaco
Goofy-Goober
Jebus....
Hi Mike,
I've been following this thread for a while now, and all I can say is Damn! You do some incredible work!! That jig is impressive to say the least.
I will say one thing that following this thread sure makes me feel like I purchased the 40 from the right Person
Here's a recent pic of it... trying out the ARB's I had just installed.. Oh, and the new name for RB2
Hi Mike,
I've been following this thread for a while now, and all I can say is Damn! You do some incredible work!! That jig is impressive to say the least.
I will say one thing that following this thread sure makes me feel like I purchased the 40 from the right Person
Here's a recent pic of it... trying out the ARB's I had just installed.. Oh, and the new name for RB2
That is awesome!
- Thread starter
- #98
Hi Mike,
I've been following this thread for a while now, and all I can say is Damn! You do some incredible work!! That jig is impressive to say the least.
I will say one thing that following this thread sure makes me feel like I purchased the 40 from the right Person
Here's a recent pic of it... trying out the ARB's I had just installed.. Oh, and the new name for RB2
Hey Mark, I was wondering if you saw this thread and the RB2 pics in the beginning.
Your 40 is looking awesome! I'm really glad it went to a good home. I think you will really like ARBs, a bit more $$ than other lockers, but well worth it in my opinion.
Looking forward to hooking up this year on at least one run.
And my shop (garage) is always open if you need a hand with anything.
I really enjoy viewing a build thread posted by someone who knows what they are doing! Very inspirational, keep up the good work!!!
- Thread starter
- #100
Its been awhile since I posted anything on this project. Been very busy with work and family. Also made a few 4x4 trips this summer. Rubithon was a great time.
Over the past few weeks I've had a fews days to clean up the garage and begin to work on the 45. I've got the center bed floor welded to the supports and I'm finishing up the inner wheel wells. Once I've got the wheel wells finished I'll finish the 4 smaller corner floor pieces. Here's a few pics.
Floor welded:
Over the past few weeks I've had a fews days to clean up the garage and begin to work on the 45. I've got the center bed floor welded to the supports and I'm finishing up the inner wheel wells. Once I've got the wheel wells finished I'll finish the 4 smaller corner floor pieces. Here's a few pics.
Floor welded:
