Tubing TECH put to work DRAG LINK ECT ECT

I posted a question a while back about tubing!! And got alot of help from HAMBERS. I really want the little sized shot bag for the tech week prize!!! So I put the already added to the tech file question into action!! So if Ryan can add this to my previous post in the tech section it will complete it.first off my lathe was to small for the DOM tubing sizes given in tubing ? post so i got some larger thin wall crome moly tubing from a sprint car legend an made bungs cause they fit in my lathe so i cut my lengths to size

 

then I drilled them with the 1/2 inch drill bit

 

then i tapped them with left hand and right hand taps 11/16

 

I measured my large tubing and cut it to size the bungs are a little over sized then the pipe opening

 

so i carved them down to fit tight

 

now they look clean

 

first i tack the bungs so i can make sure they are true

 

then weld it fully

 

I want them to look home made so I just lightly clean up the welds

 

put on my rod ends and jam nuts

 

and there you have it a drag link this same process can be used with any sized tubing to make ladder bars ect ect

 

If you just welded it on at the edge and then grind it down... that's an accident waiting to happen.
You are basically relying on a weld that has been reduced in size and also one that you just ground stress risers into.

The proper way to weld it would be to use rosette welds and a weld at the end. To do this, just drill three or four staggered/evenly spaced holes in the outer tube. Then slide the threaded bung in flush with the end and "plug" weld the holes up. You can then weld the end up for a little added strength.

Things like ladder bars and steering components need to be OVER engineered. My advice is to buy "tap tube" which is .065 seamless tubing and just tap the ends. There is no welding involved... just cut to length and tap the ends... you do not even need to drill the ends out. You can buy it from lefhander.com and it is CHEAP.

Sam.

 

Sam...

how bout the right link???

www.lefthander.com don't have tap tube...

 

there was actualy a little gap in there when I welded it I will definatly drill some holes and do some rosettes there is plenty of material to do that thanks for the input Sam

 

Sam...I agree on direct tapping tube but would think .065" wall a bit thin after you cut threads inside. I've used .120", .148" and .156" in various diameters for drag links, tie-rods, etc.

Check with local suppliers for DOM (drawn over mandrel) tube.

Just my thoughts.

 

I had always been told that chromoly needed to be TIGed???

 

.156 wall DOM is the tubing I bought. It will not fit thru the tube in my small lathe I may drill out the tube on the lathe to acept the .156 tubing as it would ony take out less than a 1/6.The thinner tube I got from the sprint car legend is seamless. And is what he uses for his race cars he uses the .156 as bungs too I told him I was using a mig and he said it would be fine. I drilled the out side as sugested by Sam and rosette welded them they are secure I only surface ground the welds there is lots of weld left trust me the DOM tubing is not cheap $8 a foot but I found some at the scap yard for 50cents a pound I got lucky as far as cost??? This is alot cheaper than useing the solid DOM and much lighter. But not nearly as strong but defantly strong enough

 

worked at sierra racing for three years, we used to cut the threaded "BUNG" into three pieces around inch and a quarter long, we then tapped it into the tubing leaving three eights of an inch exposed. then start your weld on the "BUNG" and then carry your puddle onto the tubing. you can have a friend rotate it for you, or make two p***es to go all the way around. we never used any rosette welds and never had any problems, but on the street it might be wourth the effort. we cut them down so that we had more, at the price you pay for the stuff we salvaged it as much as possible. great tech. post SLAZZEN,i hope you get the shot bag.

 

did anybody see monster garage,(rock crawler ford bronco)?he read this tech post and made all of the front and rear link suspention using the SLAZZEN single weld method.

 

Sam brings up good points. But your bungs will work. But, you will get more strength by chamfering the joint between the bung and the tube. Weld around this "V" groove and just knock the tops off the weld or leave it if your beads rock! I also add the rosettes like Sam mentioned, just for peace of mind. And Sam, I have welded up more wishbones and links than just on my T Clear? heheheheheh

 

if you are inserting a bung into the tubing would the technicle description be "INSERT it into the BUNG hole"?

 

the pics dont show it well but I left a little less than a 1/6 gap before welding which in effect is like the champer T man is talking about I need a new sheild bad my welds were actualy better than they look in the photo I did get a little sideways on that one and I just litely cleaned them up I really like the thick tube look especialy out front I am really glad i had to do it this way the result was just right

 

Slaz, I know about pics not looking right on here but a 1/16th gap is not enough with a wire feed. I taper the edges at about 45 degrees. This makes the "trough" that the bead sets in about 1/4 to 3/8ths wide at the widest point.

 

And if all this talk is making you second guess your welds dude, I have been there. Just take a thin cutoff wheel and cut out your tube/bung area so you can get a good weld to bite. No shame in this, I have ground welds to thin as well. Rather weld it a couple times than to see it let go at 75MPH!

 

after rosetteing these babys are solid as hell I am just glad this is turning out to be such a great tech discussion I have sure learned alot from all of this

 

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I had always been told that chromoly needed to be TIGed???

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nope... i work for a go-kart manufacturer and, while we TIG the kart ch***is, there's no reason they can't be MIG'd, and many kart manufacturers do just that, especially those that use robots, which use a "pulsed" welding sequence. it's a MIG that essentially tack welds its way around, just really quickly!

 

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And Sam, I have welded up more wishbones and links than just on my T Clear? heheheheheh

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Ok, Mr. Car Builder/ fabricator with year(s) of experience.

Anyway, Lefthander can be found at www.lefthanderch***is.com

They sell tap tube for 1" O.D./ 3/4" thread ends for just $3.25 a foot... that's bottom of the barrel cheap in my opinion.

Their phone number is 1.815.389.9999 the part number is 001-2433-2 you gotta buy it in 6' or 12' lengths the stuff that is 7/8" diameter for use with 5/8" rods is only $2.50 per foot.

As far as using the method you described goes... I've only seen it done in track bars that ch***is shops sell where the customer has to cut it to length... but very cool post SLAZZEN... your technique can be applied to other things too like clutch linkages and such.

Sam.

 

i wonder if you would get a stronger weld if you heated the area prior to weldind, since the materials are so dense? then your weld bead would penetrate better and you wouldnt need to grind.

 

i think the reason for doing it this way instead of buying it premaid is for the fun and experiance of it, that is what custom is all about. (hand made)

 

this is really turning out to be a great post along with the other one that is already in the techomatic!! I would really like to know about other tube sizes for other applications for us hobbiest that dont know alot about ordering steel???