Stitch welding.....all or nothing?

Good looking stuff carl,
what wire? Doing any extensive 1/8 I'd get a 2lbs spool of 035.

How you doing otherwise, you sell the car?
Get signed up for going back to college?

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

.030 wire. The little welder was cranked all the way up, would thicker wire help with penetration at all? 1/8th seems about the limit of what it can do.
We're gonna get some thinner stuff for other bracketry. This was the first welding I've done with our new welder, my uncle upgraded his welder and gave us his old one on a "permanent loan" basis.

Heres the brackets before being welded with the diff in place, the frame is upside down right now so the top is actually the bottom of the car.


And a close up of some bead action


The rally car is still covered in mud from LSPR 07. I think I'm gonna buy another gti parts car for a couple hundred and then clean mine up and sell them together to sweeten the deal.

I got a year of school under my belt from last year, but this next year I'm going to take off so that my wife can quit her job and go full time to finish off her degree.

Plus we've got one of these now, so we're pretty busy


The car seat is a tight squeeze in my scirocco




Edited 3 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2008 11:24PM by Carl S.

Carl S Wrote:
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> .030 wire. The little welder was cranked all the
> way up, would thicker wire help with penetration
> at all? 1/8th seems about the limit of what it
> can do.

Going up in wire size won't make it run any hotter. The only other thing you can do for more penetration in reduce the Argon content of the gas i.e. if that was with 75-25 gas (75% CO2 25%Argon) it will be a little hotter with 100% CO2. You will get more weld spatter and the arc will be sharper.

Tim

nice welds! ....next month I pick up those DMS's and a welder....I will be asking for some advice/help.

---

Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/29/2008 03:22PM by Jon Burke.

pikespeakgtx Wrote:
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> These aren't rally cars but this applies to all
> unibody cars. This is an excellent build from a
> fabricator in Japan who owns Opera Performance.
> Very Impressive. Notice the areas where he "lapps"
> panels to increase strength of the unibody. These
> are the critical areas. The articles are ok but
> the "related photo" gallery speaks volumes.
>
>

Not really a good example. The welds are crap and what they are calling seam welding is actually just a bunch of tack welds. It would be better to do proper stitch welding (inch long weld, inch or two space, inch long weld, etc.) The tacks can tear out too easily. I don't understand all the extensive double skinning. I don't know if it adds much to the torsional rigidity. Certainly if you're adding a cage it would be superfluous, just extra weight. Then again, what they are calling cages aren't really even cages at all, just roll bars tied into the shell in weird ways.

Dazed_Driver Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>>
>
> Yes... WAY to much work. I like the glue idea
>

Glue won't do shit.

Doivi Clarkinen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Dazed_Driver Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> >>
> >
> > Yes... WAY to much work. I like the glue
> idea
> >
>
> Glue won't do shit.
damn Dave you're always so negative.

(hey didya get hold of Foster to get your head?)

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Nothing is as bad as buying to small a welder ..Get the biggest (to a point) you have the money for..Bigger is better when it comes to welders... I got a Miller 185 used but could pass as new for $600.00 with the bottle...Allmost the same as a Miller 250 just not constant duty like the 250.. I've at times got it to shut down do to useing it to long ...But thats rare...Theres some good buys used if you look around.. Got a smaller 110V Craftman with bottle its made by Miller ..Its older payed $100 on it ..$70 on the part to fix it ..I keep the small one at home to weld my art with.. "I" would buy a used Miller over a new cheap over sea's welder...You can fix the Miller with parts in town reel EZ...

john vanlandingham Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Doivi Clarkinen Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Dazed_Driver Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > >>
> > >
> > > Yes... WAY to much work. I like the
> glue
> > idea
> > >
> >
> > Glue won't do shit.
> damn Dave you're always so negative.

No, I'm a realist. Wait, that sounded negative too. Let's try again. Yes, I'm a realist. Wait, that's not right, either. Clever JVL, you got me caught in a conundrum!

>
> (hey didya get hold of Foster to get your head?)

No, been too busy. (Damn, there I am being negative again. Shit!)

Doivi Clarkinen Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> john vanlandingham Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > Doivi Clarkinen Wrote:
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> > -----
> > > Dazed_Driver Wrote:
> > >
> >
> --------------------------------------------------
>
> >
> > > -----
> > > >>
> > > >
> > > > Yes... WAY to much work. I like
> the
> > glue
> > > idea
> > > >
> > >
> > > Glue won't do shit.
> > damn Dave you're always so negative.
>
> No, I'm a realist. Wait, that sounded negative
> too. Let's try again. Yes, I'm a realist. Wait,
> that's not right, either. Clever JVL, you got me
> caught in a conundrum!
>
> >
> > (hey didya get hold of Foster to get your
> head?)
>
> No, been too busy. (Damn, there I am being
> negative again. Shit!)


Well I'd report you to a Moderator if you weren't already a Mega-moderator, and I think we onle have God-like Moderators now and then.
Gotta get some Sooooper Star Moderators!
>

---

John Vanlandingham
Sleezattle, WA, USA

Vive le Prole-le-ralliat

www.rallyrace.net/jvab
CALL +1 206 431-9696
Remember! Pacific Standard Time
is 3 hours behind Eastern Standard Time.

Thanks Dave for your input...

I'm taking what I've heard and read and now I know it's a lot of BS.

So the Urethane on the seams won't strengthen anything?

---

Michael LeCompte

pikespeakgtx Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Thanks Dave for your input...
>
> I'm taking what I've heard and read and now I know
> it's a lot of BS.
>
> So the Urethane on the seams won't strengthen
> anything?
>
> Michael LeCompte


The structural adhesives are cool in their proper applications, parts of the Lotus Elise Chassis are glued together for example. But, like any technology it needs to be applied properly to function best. You need joint's designed to maximize surface area, limit the "peel" portion of force and the metal has to be properly etched to get a good bond. Even if you could fully inject it into the skinny seams of a welded unibody shell it wouldn't be at it's most functional.

OTOH, 3M VHB tape is the shiz for attaching things like exterior trim, roof vent scoops and (combined with rivets) mudflaps.

Cheers, Ted

---

Pure mathematics is the enemy of every truly creative man -- Sir Alec

Welding is not boring to me. I usually think about other things while welding. Next thing I know. I'm done. JV knows and has seen some of my welding done on other forums. I do alot of structural welding. Not bridges but close. Maybe i will post a few pictures if desired by the masses. JV is right about the stitch welding. Anything that increases the shells ridgitity is a good thing.

been teaching myself to weld over the past 2 holiday dayz....picked it up pretty quick, and its definitely fun.

but I've hit a hurdle I can't seem to get over...how the FUCK do you weld upsidedown???? errrgh....its pissing me off.

I've gotten my welds to look pretty clean...strong...good penetration....and my welds look good too

but this inverted thing has me in a quandry.

---

Jon Burke - KI6LSW
Blog: http://psgrallywrx.blogspot.com/

Dont, lol. Actually, I have no good tips for you. I try to avoid it as much as possible and tilt whatever I'm welding. I'm no good at upside MIG or TIG... You could always try jacking one side of your car up higher then the other, or go for the ghetto tried and true flip-the-car-on-its-side-on-old-tires.... but i wouldnt suggest that.

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Welcome to the cult of JVL drink the koolaid or be banned.