Orverhead Arc Welding

As I stood under the light of my shielded metal arc last night, practicing my overhead welding, and catching sparks in my elbows I thought to myself;

Will I ever use this skill on a hot rod?

Just out of curiosity has anyone everhad to weld overhead while building a car? I'm glad I know how to do it, I could see it being the difference between welding upside down or taking the car apart.

 

Yes---no matter how well I plan, there is always that last 2 week thrash to get a car finished when I find myself flat on the garage floor like a beached porpoise, car up on cement blocks and safety jacks. Trying to turn my head like that damn girl in the exorcist to see what I'm doing, welding helmet crashing on the exhaust pipes, sparks trying to fall into my ears, and slag trying to drip down the sleeves of my coveralls and set my elbows on fire. Maybe in the world of people like Boyd who can afford their own private car hoist it isn't such a big deal, but for poor schmucks like me, with a floor jack and a cherry picker engine hoist, you always end up doing this.

 

i think we all had to one time or another,,always time to do it right ..the second time

 

Well I'll keep practicing then! I can run a pretty good bead at this point, good speed, good arc length, but I'm all over the place.

I could probabably do something like a T, Lap, or bevel joint in the overhead, but I would need alot more practice to do a butt joint in the overhead position, I'm also practicing on a plate tacked about a foot above my head, It's nice because you dont have to get right under it, but It's alot harder to keep steady with your arms stretched out.

 

ive had to do it a bunch of times, enough that im happy that i learned how

when your building a frame on a mostly stripped car, yuo can usualy manage to avoid it, but when your fixing / modifyig somethin on an assembeled car, it can be hard to avoid

ive put subframe connectors in cars, fixed rusted rear frames, welding in trailor hitches, and each time i was doing overhead welds. its never as easy aswelding upright, but its a handy skill to have because usualy when u need the skill you dont have the time to practice on the spot

 

You should actualy practice on your back with the car less than 2 feet off the ground.

 

i was doing the subframes and the rear frame rails with the car 6" higher then normal .... one 15x7 rim under each tire ... thats it... nothin like having juuust enough room for your helmet on your head while your laying on your back

 

I was thinkin just yesterday how I need to buy some welding leathers....

 

2nd Best 60 Dollars I ever spent.

 

I love being under the car welding and hearing the sizzle in your ear as the sparks fly around your head

 

A co-worker got a hot one in one of his ears a few years ago; burned a hole in his eardrum and he had to have surgery to repair it. Now I always wear earplugs or a hardhat liner when welding overhead.

And yes, you will find yourself welding overhead on a car. I can actually do pretty well overhead, its the vertical welding that gives me fits...

 

I hate welding overhead. I've been modifying my daily up on the lift at the shop for the past few nights, welding overhead earlier tonight and my shoulders and elbows are burnt to hell, oh well!

 

yow ... not good

it hurt bad enough when i had one of the larger balls of slag go in my boot .. one of the ones thats big enough to "explode" when it hits the ground

it wound up sitting behind the laces on the tounge of my boot, burnt right thru and started sinking into my foot. nothing like having red hot metal eating into your foot and having to spit on it to cool it, then dig it out with a knife

 

That's usually how I end up doing my overhead welding. It sucks, but often thats the only way to do it.

 

I very rarely or never get sparks falling or burns when I overhead weld... I like welding on my back, sometimes I take a nap lying there......LUKESTER

 

I don't get to much shit dripping down, I was using 6011 AC at about 80 amps, I know dome guys like to use 7018 because it gives a nicer bead, but in my opinion just can't see why some consider it to be a good out of position rod, you've got to whip like crazy to keep it from dripping.

 

I haven't yet on my hot rod, but on other things I have... plus in a past life working at a railroad car repair shop, the guys who could overhead weld made about $8/hour more than I did... good skill to have, even if it's just for the job possibilities!

Ben

 

The 7018 is a higher tensile strength rod than 6011...better suited for use when the part you are welding is going to be subjected to abuse. Fine tuning the heat setting and self compensate the whip speed will stop the ice-cream drip. Like the ladies all say...it's all about penetration.

By the way in the earlier pic w/the welding sleeves...those tennies down below ain't gonna do much good protecting the toe jam when doing some serious overhead stuff.

 

I was a Union Ironworker out of Local #21 for 11 1/2 years (before going into the hole), and I remember this one time when I was doing some overhead welding about 90 feet in the air and there was this guy down below me welding on some pipe and a big old red hot chunk of stuff came flying off my stinger...

 

I had just put the jacket on to take the picture, when welding I wear steel toe boots with a home made leather bootlace protector flap.

 

Good to hear it, Rock...safety first and play later.