I am used to welding uniframes and things that a mig is perfect for. To weld in a new crossmember and mounts on the frame of my 54- which type do you guys suggest? I have a stick and mig welders... Would a mig give the stability and provide strong enough welds?
Sure. If done by a qualified welder on a good machine of adequate amperage with the correct wire and procedures, it's as good as any other weld. Bob
I currently have .30 and .35 wire and can handle the welder just fine. Haven't used the stick in a number of years. Just wondering which would be best in this case. Also aside from the MII I am putting in I plan on going with Gambino's taildragger kit. Is mig alright for suspension side for the weight of a 54' chevy?
I've done several MII front suspension swaps on several different cars, some H.A.M.B. friendly, some not, used a mig welder on all of them, never had a problem with any of them (I've even done many repairs on farm, and construction equipment using a mig with no problems). Mig welding is plenty strong enough. Where are you in Texas?
Lots of cars have MIG suspension welds from the factory. Get the amperage right and do a sound weld and don't worry about it. TIG welding is great, but it is comparatively slow, so not much production work is done that way. That's the beauty of MIG process.
Mig would be the best way to go, you could use a stick as long as its a clean surface. I wouldnt use a tig unless i was doing body work.
I would think TIG or stick would be the easiest to make sure you had good penetration. I've seen some good looking MIG welds that you could chip off with a hammer because of no penetration at all. But I'm not a pro. That's why I get someone that is to do welding on my frame and suspension stuff. Larry T
Stick welding is more forgiving of not have a real clean weld area. Mig likes clean , first ten rules of TIG welding CLEAN """"""""" CLEAN. As in any welding you need to know proper settings,technics and you will end up with a good weld.
MIG is fine if the welder is big enough. I'm sure that there are a bunch of 110volt MIGs gettin' used beyond their meens. Smokey
Beaumont Kenneth... Thanks guys for the comments. I prefer mig to stick but I haven't welded on this type of frame project before. Just needed to ask you guys who have done this before. Thanks, Spaz
If you're not used to weldin' the heavier metal get some scaps and do some practice welds. ****s, corners, overlaps etc. Make some straight p***es and some weavin' back and forth. Do some weak welds and pull them apart so you know what not to do. Practice on the bench not on your car. Smokey
??????? You are going to have to explain this statement and it had better be good or the ******** flag will fly high. It wasn't that many years ago that almost every hotrod frame was welded with a stick as other systems were only something that the exotic shops used. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
sorry, I don't think skull or jesse is a stick welder. If you can handle 6011 stick it is great for frames and doesnt have to be as clean a surface as for MIG or TIG.
i hope you aren't expecting a reasonable answer, lol in the context of haveing the choice of the 3, i just wouldnt use the stick. reflex i guess from working on too many newer cars with hsla steel unibodys...........for our cars here, there are no strength concerns with a stick. i still think the tig, and mig welds look better, even on older metal. but you guys are right, if you wanna use a stick and know what you are doing, i see no problems skull
they use stick welders on structural steel in buildings bridges Etc. and ships everyday but not on a car?
Stick weld at min has a strength of 60,000 per inch when welded properly and can go up to 80,000 per inch with the right wire. The ships that won ww2 were all stick welded.
Like's been said allready...they're all fine if you know what you're doing and have the right equipment. My only concern would be that you felt it necessary to ask.
you're right, i havent used a stick in a long time. i almost always use the mig. for stuff that im real concerned about i usually have it tig'd by some one who is real good at it. in school we used sticks, but its been so long I have to admit im not sure i could. im sure alot of you guys could out do my mig welding with a stick, i just dont find the need to use one anymore i guess. skull
My uncle uses a stick welder exclusively. Mind you, his welds look like poop but they sure are bulletproof. Anything he's welded hasn't come apart yet and he's welded motor mounts, body mounts, subframes etc.
On a hotrod frame I'd say use what you are best with as long as it is up to the task. I think it was in the late 80's early 90's before I saw anyone who was not a professional welder with a mig in his shop. Not to say that guys didn't have them but the guys I ran around with didn't. <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">
For what it is worth, i have a mig a tig and a stick welder,i agree with the guy with a coupe stick welding is fine if done right. 6011 rod is adeep penetration rod 60,000 tensile strength, pipeline and commercial buildings use stick. That is what we used in the 60's when most of us could only afford a lincoln 225 cracker box, tig needs to be especially clean and mig is more forgiving.tig welds look the best. But are no stronger than stick or mig ***uming they are all done properly jmo
If you decide to use a mig and are concerned about penetration or have a small unit that may not push the amps, using flux core wire will give better penetration and is less of a concern with dirty metal. That being said, I personally would fillet my joints, preheat and just go to town with it. That and I will have a lot less slag to clean up later.
Well I got decent at stick years ago- my welds werent the best looking but were strong. I am more comfortable with the mig is why I ask. I have done plenty of welding on ricers, this is my first cl***ic project. I just want to do it right. If you guys suggest I break out some 6011 and s**** and get it back for a stronger weld then I will take this advice. I have an old Licoln Industrial that I keep running, just havent used it in a couple of years. I see from most comments that all would be sufficient enough if done right. As I am trying to keep it traditional I will work on my stick welding. If it turns out horrible I can always clean up with mig or try to find someone to help out. Thanks for all the comments and suggestions!
My mig box is a 220v unit. It has the capability or argon for a cleaner weld... just never used it yet. I may in the chance I need to use it in the end. I plan on getting to bare before I start welding on it. I always try and go for cleanest weld I can.
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