What are you working on?

[JeepinPete]

I've never found simple green to be all that. I wonder if one of the industrial degreasers would be more effective, ie Purple Power or the like.

I'd avoid using something flammible like gasoline in a heated ultrasonic bath. The added heat is going to make much more fumes. Would not want them to find the wrong place...

 

[jamarquardt22]

This is a 30 Liter (~8 gallon) unit.

seeing how the oil polls at the top, I may try to skim off the oil with a paper towel. Not sure if that will work or not.

You could use one of the gravy measuring cups and pour it off.

 

[surfishjoe]

Update to firewall tub. Passenger side is finished.
You can see how much sheet metal was used for that patch.

 

[surfishjoe]

Started the bumper chop as well as cutting the hole for the drivers side.

 

[brian]

some math that says the recent work to the '75 is getting me almost 16mpg.

 

[Stevesnj]

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Started forming up the flares. They were really easy to get 90% of the way there and a real pain to get the last 10%.

Tacked then down at 3am when I couldn’t sleep.

Then spent half the day today trying to figure out how I managed to bend or warp the backing plate during fit-up and figuring out how to un-warp it.

Through copious use of clamps and 2x4’s to “pull” the bowed section, I think I have it almost back to flat. Might fool around with it a bit more but it’s probably good enough. Particularly since I’ll invariably warp it again when I finish weld it.

 

[jamarquardt22]

Started forming up the flares. They were really easy to get 90% of the way there and a real pain to get the last 10%.

View attachment 2355422

Tacked then down at 3am when I couldn’t sleep.

View attachment 2355424

View attachment 2355423

Then spent half the day today trying to figure out how I managed to bend or warp the backing plate during fit-up and figuring out how to un-warp it.

Through copious use of clamps and 2x4’s to “pull” the bowed section, I think I have it almost back to flat. Might fool around with it a bit more but it’s probably good enough. Particularly since I’ll invariably warp it again when I finish weld it.

Rick, I would suggest tack welding, clamping or bolting the flares back to back for welding. Then weld a small amount at a time on both sides jumping around in a thought out way. Take your time keep it cool drink lots of beer. @brian additional thoughts?

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

Rick, I would suggest tack welding, clamping or bolting the flares back to back for welding. Then weld a small amount at a time on both sides jumping around in a thought out way. Take your time keep it cool drink lots of beer. @brian additional thoughts?

Never thought about clamping them back to back. I’ve been clamping them to the table but I can totally see how that would work.

I can’t imagine I warped them tack welding. Honestly it took me way too many attempts to get the vends right and I’m guessing I probably warped something while trying to bent the two sides to match.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

@jamarquardt22 and @brian (and everyone else who is better at welding than I am) I seem to constantly fall into this trap welding - my beads either seem TOO cool (ie: moving too vast) or the penetration looks good but things warp even if I jump around.

Further it seems like no matter how many clamps I use to hold it down, when I remove them, the piece potato chips.

For example, right now I can still “clamp away” the warpage and have it lay flat, but even if I welded it in that position, when I remove the clamps it will try to move back to the warped position. Maybe it’s just not tacked enough yet to hold it flat?

It may just be a practice thing, but any tips?

Once this flare is fully welded it’s going to be much stronger than the sheet metal I’m bolting it to, so it needs to be as flat as I can get it so I don’t bend up the tub installing.

 

[brian]

kinda late to the party, but you're not going to be able to get them where you want them after you weld them, if they are not where you want them before you even start welding. the welding is by far the easiest part of fabrication work, the bulk of the work is in the fit up. even if if means breaking every tack and starting over, you need to get the formed pieces laying flat, or at least nearly flat first.
the shrinking of the weld beads is going to wreck havoc on them anyway.....but it will be much easy to get them back to where you started, vs where you want them.
as far as weld heat goes, its a very fine edge between too hot and hot enough....with mig it's far better to err on the side of too hot rather then not hot enough....with mig you can lay a cold bead that okish, but has the strength of a cold turd.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

kinda late to the party, but you're not going to be able to get them where you want them after you weld them, if they are not where you want them before you even start welding. the welding is by far the easiest part of fabrication work, the bulk of the work is in the fit up. even if if means breaking every tack and starting over, you need to get the formed pieces laying flat, or at least nearly flat first.
the shrinking of the weld beads is going to wreck havoc on them anyway.....but it will be much easy to get them back to where you started, vs where you want them.
as far as weld heat goes, its a very fine edge between too hot and hot enough....with mig it's far better to err on the side of too hot rather then not hot enough....with mig you can lay a cold bead that okish, but has the strength of a cold turd.

Thanks Brian, very helpful. I think I’ve ALMOST got It flat again (had to break like 3-4 tacs). I’m going to pull a flare off the 40 and clamp it up to see how good/bad it is before I go any farther. It’s out around 1/8” in places but I’m also going to have a rubber backing that will absorb a bit of that.

Question is, if I re-tac it in the same places I had to cut them to get it flattened, I’m guessing it will be prone to pull the twist right back into it. On something like this is there a rule of thumb as to where to start or finish - ie “work from the middle out” or “weld the inner braces before welding along the top where the two pieces meet.” Or do I just tac everything into position where I need it to be and then start jumping around to avoid overheating a given area?

 

[jamarquardt22]

Thanks Brian, very helpful. I think I’ve ALMOST got It flat again (had to break like 3-4 tacs). I’m going to pull a flare off the 40 and clamp it up to see how good/bad it is before I go any farther. It’s out around 1/8” in places but I’m also going to have a rubber backing that will absorb a bit of that.

Question is, if I re-tac it in the same places I had to cut them to get it flattened, I’m guessing it will be prone to pull the twist right back into it. On something like this is there a rule of thumb as to where to start or finish - ie “work from the middle out” or “weld the inner braces before welding along the top where the two pieces meet.” Or do I just tac everything into position where I need it to be and then start jumping around to avoid overheating a given area?

You have a welding table right? How flat is it? Tack the flange piece to the table then fit up the flare.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

You have a welding table right? How flat is it? Tack the flange piece to the table then fit up the flare.

I do - I had it clamped in like 5 places the first time. Everything looked fine/flat until I unclamped it. It had me confused and checking the table for flatness (all good).

 

[jamarquardt22]

I do - I had it clamped in like 5 places the first time. Everything looked fine/flat until I unclamped it. It had me confused and checking the table for flatness (all good).

If it's not thick enough it will take the shape of the flare not the other way around.

 

[brian]

i would bolt the two sides together, and maybe even throw a few stitches on the flanges between the bolts, both inside and outside.
match each bead on the opposite half, use the back step technique on the longer runs.
let them bolted together till completely air cooled, do not apply water to quench welds....that comes later. doesn't matter if you do two joints a day, or all of them in an afternoon, they will all pull the same...there almost certainly will be some flame straightening to do once they are separated.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

If it's not thick enough it will take the shape of the flare not the other way around.

It’s all 3/16 - so not especially “thin” metal - that said the flare is much wider than the back, and bent into position. I think the mistake I made was to clamp the flare into position over the backing plates then tack. I’m guessing there was enough tension in the clamped bends to potato chip it when I unclamped it from the table.

 

[jamarquardt22]

It’s all 3/16 - so not especially “thin” metal - that said the flare is much wider than the back, and bent into position. I think the mistake I made was to clamp the flare into position over the backing plates then tack. I’m guessing there was enough tension in the clamped bends to potato chip it when I unclamped it from the table.

It dosen't take much to pull 3/16. Tables at work are 3/8". I wish mine was 1" thick then it would be flat. It's a pita to build on a table that's not flat.

 

[RWBeringer4x4]

It dosen't take much to pull 3/16. Tables at work are 3/8". I wish mine was 1" thick then it would be flat. It's a pita to build on a table that's not flat.

I put 3/8 or 1/2” plates on the top of my cart (can’t remember but fairly sure it’s 1/2). Even at 1/2” it’s not fully “flat” so I made it adjustable so I can get it as close as possible. Even at 1/2” I could see it flexing slightly when I was trying to pull the warp out. Total amateur at all this but the properties of metal are...confusing...

 

[brian]

Total amateur at all this but the properties of metal are...confusing...

Heat expands it
Cold contracts it