I know not a big deal to a lot of you, but this is my first one. I think it came out looking pretty good(patting self on back). Tell me what you think. I welded them in with flux cored wire(for better penetration). based on the crummy pics do the welds look good? Lemme have it. Happy new year. Woody
If all you have is fluxcore you should have put a flathead in it. $25,000 invested will still only get you 300hp.
Woody---Ya did good son. I hope you have a big enough welder in terms of amperage that you got good penetration on the welds. This is not the place to use a candy ass 120 volt mig. I always weld in motor mounts with my old 180 Amp Lincoln stickwelder set on about 130 Amps burning 1/8" 6013 rod. You will know if you got good enough penetration the first time you really get on the motor, with a hot day, sticky asphalt and big tires.
Ok... I like the tassles on your shoes. Looks pretty good, but it's hard to tell from photos. I guess you'll find out the hard way if it's not good enough... It's a very nice start to a cool looking project! Ben
I use flux core all the way, as does a friend of mine...he has done body swaps with it, uses it for rears (swapping perches etc) and all the motor/trans installs he does...the last being a ripping SBC into a 58 Plym Christine clone that should be around the low 13s, hasnt broken the mounts yet! Looks nice, and I dig the shoes!
Woody---just for interests sake, what size welder did you use for this welding??? You seem to infer that flux core wire makes for a stronger weld. All that the flux does is create an inert gas envelope around the weld puddle to prevent free carbon from carbon dioxide in the surrounding air from contaminating the weld. It does not make the weld any stronger. Migs that use a gas bottle and solid core wire are using the inert gas from the gas bottle to do the same thing. Bodyshops prefer the gas mig with solid core wire because there is no flux slag to clean up after the weld is made.
Brian, I used a Lincoln weld-pak 100. I'm aware of how the flux does the job of the gas and shields the weld. Now I am new to this and can always use some advice, and every one has a different helpful angle. I appreciate it. The reason I went with the flux core instead of switching over to gas is that the welder it self says that you can weld thicker materials with the flux cored wire. I would like to have welded it with shielding gas because it is a much cleaner weld. Thanks again. Woody
just a suggestion with that small of a welder, i would grind the welds down all the way and reweld using slow wire speed and use the full amps.
Bones35, Thanks. I have a friend that is a professional welder. Would it be wise to have him come over and tig it? Or is that not really practical since it's already been mig'd fully? Or I may just do as you said. Woody
Kind of messy TIGing over flux......but don't let that stop you. Sounds like you have the right people helping you, go for it.
Then again, I had a real world/no Tulsa Welding school theory Model A on Model A frame rails (boxed) with flux core welded motor mounts and a flux core welded Z in the frame that was able to deal with about 400 hp, gobs of Pontiac torque and a 3.50 ratio spooled rear end...and a complete moron bent on destroying everything driving. You'll be alright I suspect. Looks cool, and gimme those power pack heads.
My first welder was a Weld Pack 100 and I used it to install some Mustang II crossmembers among other stuff. They are still holding up to this day. A trick I use.... I bought an extra welding hood for my wife to use. She uses the torch and goes in front of where I'm welding to preheat the metal. It makes the welder act bigger than it really is, because it doesn't have to do all the work of heating the metal to molten point with the electricity and wire. It's dirty and a hack way of doing it, but it does work.
It doesn't matter. All you have to do is make the metal hotter than room temperature and you're doing some good. I used a Bernz-o-matic for years till I could afford to spring for an oxy/acetylene setup.
Looks pretty good guy. I guess I'd go back over it with a TIG if I were you...You always want to overkill shit like this...then you can safely say "That's really done" and you can forget about it....Keep up the good work!
You know, another (possibly problematic) option, might be to finish the build, then _GENTLY_ drive it to a welding shop to have it finish welded. If you have a buddy that can come out and weld it great! I think most folks would agree even using a stick welder on higher amperage would beat the 110v wirefeed. It just doesn't look as pretty as TIG. Just my $.02 Ben
I used a 110 amp. mig to tack weld my mounts in. I was suprised that the tacks held the flattie. I did that till i got the frame done to stick weld every thing in at a friends garage. But if i was you I think i'd get them welded in with a stck or a bigger mig. That way when your driving down the road you don't have to worry if it's strong enough.
I have never used a tig in my life----I don't have one, and i've never needed one. (I don't deny that probably they're great, but I am only a hobby rodder, and can't justify the expence). For body metal I use my 110V mig, for anything as heavy as a frame I use my 110V Lincoln buzz box, and for cutting, trimming, and bending I use oxy acetylene. -----Regarding your motor mounts---they will probably be alright---but you must have known before you put them in that your 110V mig is too light for that kind of work!!! Then you post on here, wanting other rodders too tell you that what you done is O.K. ----Now you have doubts about what you've done. If you don't get some heavier weld on those mounts now (you can stick weld right over your mig welds using 7018 high penetration reverse polarity rod (if your friend had a D.C. welder) or with 6011 high penetration rod if using an A.C. buzz box.), you will worry about those welds every time you drive the car. ---I broke a motor mount once under hard acceleration, and it aint pretty. The motor will counter rotate away from the torque side, tearing up the rear transmission mount rubber on the same side as the broken motor mount---then the top of the tranny will hit the floorboards under your feet and tear them up. If your running a fan, the fan will carve into the rad, and if the motor and tranny raise up high enough during the initial tear-up, the front yoke of the driveshaft will pull out of the rear of the transmission, fall down, catch the pavement and pole-vault the back half of the car upwards and sideways at the same time. ---Think about it!!!!!
You might want to make some gussets from the mount to the bottom of the frame. I pushed the mount into the frame and it was tiged !!!
Woody, I`m new to the board but spent years building power plants. There is no need to TIG over your welds. To do that, you`ll have grind them clear out. But you might consider running another pass over the welds you have. Pre-heat with a torch. Run the verticle downhand (meaning start at the top). You can carry more metal that way and tie in the mount to the frame across the root pass. You can also run more heat. Try it on scrap metal first. Just my 2 cents. Nice start to a rod. Stretch
Uh.... Thanks Flip. Pics of your car make me wet myself. Can we see some more? Gang I'm definitely going to have the engine mounts inspected and welded by a pro. I'll disasemble the chassis and bring it to his house. He uses other methods besides tig. I'm sure we'll get it right. Thanks to all who have given imput. Woody
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