Builds 68' M715, AKA "Smokey" (Can I post this Jeep on MUD?) (3 Viewers)

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Looks really really good. Maybe I missed it, what type of tig machine are you running?
Thanks, it's a Miller Multimatic 215 which actually failed this week oddly enough. It welds great but this is the 2nd time it's been in under warranty. The 1st time it burnt up one of the pins for the foot pedal lead. This time who knows? It was welding fine, full pedal at 80 amps and I stopped to re-position. After that it refused to light up and arc. Acted basically like the ground lead had come undone. So yeah.....
 
My guess is that you're running right on the ragged edge of what that machine is capable of doing. Running it like that for long periods is surely wearing things out prematurely. Those multipurpose machines are wonderful for the occasional user but with as much bead as you're running at a time it might be time to trade that one in for a larger machine.
 
You may have a good point. There's a temp readout on the front but I've never seen it get hot. The internal fan WILL run quite a bit though. Problem is they ain't cheap :yuck:
 
You may have a good point. There's a temp readout on the front but I've never seen it get hot. The internal fan WILL run quite a bit though. Problem is they ain't cheap :yuck:
Oh how i know. If you prefer to Tig over mig, then a good used dedicated machine (200 amp or larger) will take you where you want to go and make things much easier. I picked up my Thermal Arc fabricator (setup with dual outputs, Mig and spool gun) for 900 from my local welding supply as a trade in. My miller synchowave tig was purchased new but it has been one of the best investments I have ever made.
 
Rear bumper plate

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SWAG circle cutter for plasma. Pretty slick
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And a machine upgrade. Water cooled torch and probably not going to burn this one up. I got a call from Miller, they claim the pedal is no good on the Multimatic. It's the now the 2nd pedal that the machine has burnt up and it was supposed to be good for 1 million cycles. I plan to only use that Multimatic 215 for MIG now, fairly disappointing
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Filling in all the frame holes......because the frame is riddled with them. Along with mounting holes where the rivets went on the old brackets.

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Used silicon bronze in the smaller mounting holes (since none of this is structural) and pre-fabbed tube caps on the larger ones
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And 4 new wheels......almost too nice to mount a tire to :)

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It's a great machine, I like it. Having a water cooled torch is a HUGE bonus as the air cooled stuff can get so hot that your fingers get scorched. The high frequency start also makes getting going much easier and the arc while welding is very stable. Older machine but many good features. I've yet to try aluminum but it'll do it no problem. These are transformer machine (not newer inverter style) so on AC the frequency is about 60hz I think and that is not adjustable. Also larger and heavier but the price is FAR less.
 
It's a great machine, I like it. Having a water cooled torch is a HUGE bonus as the air cooled stuff can get so hot that your fingers get scorched. The high frequency start also makes getting going much easier and the arc while welding is very stable. Older machine but many good features. I've yet to try aluminum but it'll do it no problem. These are transformer machine (not newer inverter style) so on AC the frequency is about 60hz I think and that is not adjustable. Also larger and heavier but the price is FAR less.
...and it will fuse 1/2" plate without filler if you want to do it! That's a great machine. You'll not overwork it and kill parts, good purchase. I have the same machine and I have never had an issue other than one regulator leaking. I'll make one more suggestion. If it doesn't already have one, add a separate torch setup with a finger control. It will make all that inside outside welding smooth as silk over the foot control. I hated it when I first changed over but the ability to get into tighter spaces without the foot control is invaluable. Save the foot control for when you can pull out the roller seat and get comfortable or welding out on the bench.
 
This was a long time coming. Spent a full 7 hours in the shop today welding out the rear axle truss and the link brackets. Slow, but likely worth it. The Syncrowave can sure lay down an awesome weld

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So at least that is done. It’ll still need a few other brackets but those can come later. Truss is a mix of 3/8” and 1/4” plate. Max amperage was 175 and the water cooled torch was such an improvement over air cooled for this much welding

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Burned through a TON of filler rod
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Holy crap dude. Beautiful work. What filler rod are you using? I picked up my first tig machine this week... can’t wait to get some hood time!
 
agreed... beautiful welds.... work of art. Shame to paint over it. Clearcoat?
 
agreed... beautiful welds.... work of art. Shame to paint over it. Clearcoat?
Hahaha, thanks gents! The powder coat is unfortunately going to cover it :(
 
agreed... beautiful welds.... work of art. Shame to paint over it. Clearcoat?
Pretty standard stuff, ER70S2, #7 cup, 20CFH on the argon
 
I had previously seen trusses welded out through the center section as well, not just the tubes. Are you not yet finished, or are you not welding the center section to the truss?

If not, are you welding the center section to the tubes at least?
 
I had previously seen trusses welded out through the center section as well, not just the tubes. Are you not yet finished, or are you not welding the center section to the truss?

If not, are you welding the center section to the tubes at least?
I haven't seen one of the artec trusses welded to the center section. A lot of people will have a diff cover that bolts to the truss, but there's no practical reason for the truss to be welded to the center section (and the cast center is a nightmare to weld). It'd probably be a good idea to drill out the factory plug welds, reweld those and weld some short sections of where the center meets tube.
 
I had previously seen trusses welded out through the center section as well, not just the tubes. Are you not yet finished, or are you not welding the center section to the truss?

If not, are you welding the center section to the tubes at least?
It's done being welded at this point. There's a lot of debate on it but the metallurgy is pretty weird regarding welding the mild steel tubes to the cast steel housing. There are some very strong recommendations against doing it so I'm going to leave it as is. The Artec brace also doesn't have much contact on the cast steel housing so I don't think they really designed or intended it to be welded. At this point, I'm sure it's addition has stiffened the whole axle and it of course provides the mounts for the upper links.
 

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