Heres a couple of pics of the 26-7 (?? how do I tell) roadster the kids in my jr. high shop cl*** are working on. They seem pretty stoked. A question about welding. I tacked the frame together with a 110 mig (finish weld will be done by a pro) and the tacks are very "pourous", they look like a little lava rock (the pic is not very good). Somtimes the machine lays down a beautiful bead and sometimes they are total ****. Is this the machine, the settings, operator error, what???
it looks like your shielding gas is not flowing right ,are you using co2 or argon co2 mix it could be as simple as a fan or a light breze blowing the gas away . scott
Are you using flux core wire or a shielding gas. The weld looks like a gas shielded weld that didn't have the gas turned on. You can't weld solid wire without a shield. If you do it looks like your weld, the oxygen get in the weld and makes it look like lava. Frank
Hey that looks like my old Middle School woddshop... I taught Woodshop for 10 years at the MS I am now the AP of... and brought car stuff in all the time! I bet the kids love to see the progress! Sam.
I am using shielding gas, I think its argon/co2 but I'll have to check. What tests, checks can I use to ensure the gas is flowing??
With the power on and the gas turned on pull the trigger and hold the end of the torch up near your ear. You'll hear it if the gas is flowing.
the kids seem to really enjoy it, every day they asking what they can do. we are doing drafting right now so in between working on the car they are drafting up plans of the frame...
You should be able to feel slight gas pressure from the gun with your hand over the nozzle. The picture is really blurry but it may also be a polarity issue. Incorrect polarity can give a weld like that. Also try turning down your heat. I have seen welder set too high give a weld thats similar also. Be sure you dont have a fan blowing your shield away.
Not only does the gas need to be flowing, but it needs to be flowing enough to cover the weld area - and displace the air. Also, contamination can cause porosity in the weld. Stuff like oil or other organic deposits will offgas when heated and cause bubbles in your weld. So make sure your shielding gas pressure is high enough, and your surface is clean. I vote for the former.
Is there a fan on in the room, open window with a breeze? Those 2 things will blow enough gas away from the tip to cause that type of weld.
You can tell an early '26 from a late '26 by the base of the windshield post. I dont' think there's a way to tell a late '26 from a '27, though. I can't see the post good enough in the photo to tell you which it is.
The frame rails were cleaned pretty thouroughly with solvent before any welding so I think they were clean... Maybe the pressure was too low? what pressure do you guys recommend? Maybe the heat was too high? what tricks do you guys use to select the heat? I usually crank the heat up (thinking it gives better penetration??) and then on a test piece I'll move the wire speed back and forth while welding till I get the right "sound"?? I'm pretty sure I've got the polarity set for solid core/gas as sometimes like I said the machine will lay down a real nice bead, but I will sure double check that. Welding was done in a closed shop with no draft, so I dont think the shielding gas was blown away - so I'm thinking its a psi / heat issue?? Is their any clues to whether this is a 26-7? Is there any difference?? thanks-
You really just have to **** with the pressure until it's right. It depends on a lot of variables. I usually weld arund 10-15 psi, but that's TIG w/ helium.
Dan, with the separate zinc step plate, I would consider your roadster a '26; for '27 the rocker panel under the door and sill plate were all one piece made of steel (with the Ford script stamped into it). There is also a difference in the seam near the door hinge post (next to the dash) but I can't remember which is '26 and '27. I could look in Bruce McCalley's book if you want but it is buried in the closet right now. There were also three different styles of doors over those two years.
I dont' think that's right. At least not on the touring cars. I have a '26 that my great-grandfather bought brand new. It was built during the '26 model year, but rather late in the year. It has the one-piece style rocker panel/sill. I'm pretty sure that this was just a difference from body supplier to body supplier, rather than a model year difference. I have 5 and 1/2 open car bodies (26/27) and out of the bunch, only 2 are the same. Some have minor differences, and others have MAJOR differences in construction. I even have one set of doors that won't fit any of the bodies. There are at least three different sill plate types on those bodies. The reveal line (and the accompanying windshield post difference) on the cowl is said to be indicative of an early '26. If you have the front fenders from this car, there is also a difference in those from early '26 to late '26/27. Early '26 fenders (and the accompanying fender supports) have an indentation for the pedestal mount headlamps.
Okay, I went and looked it up in McCalley's book (Model T Ford- The Car that Changed the World) and he says that the separate sill plate was in "early production cars" and was discontinued in later production cars. The stepped area in the door jamb is in the earlier '26s and was smoothed out in later production. There was no well-defined point where this occurred; it was apparently a running change. I have always seen the difference described as an early '26/rest of production break; just like the changes in the frame, windshield stanchions, and headlights. But as you point out, with Ford there is never any definite answer to many questions of this type.
All of what they are saying is true. Also, make sure there is a good ground and not too far away from whee you are welding. and make sure you replace your tips and clean the shield or surround on your tip. Either can build up slag while welding and if the welding tip is worn out, you need to replace it.
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