Welding advice

[xmob]

I'm repairing the front end of Thora at the moment and have found a bit that I think is going to cause me trouble.

There's a nasty hole on the underside of the chassis, hidden behind the bump stops.  Now, my welding is getting better (as it would, owning a Series Landie  ), but upside down arc welding might be pushing my skills a bit.  I can see three options:

Practice practice practice upside down welding

Get a mobile welder to come and do it for me

Strip the body off the chassis, and weld with the chassis on it's side.  While the chassis is bare I can also weld anything else that looks like it might need doing in the future.

Anybody got any thoughts?

[Dangermouse]

Turn it over      
Easy







DM  :D

[karloss]

Practice practice practice upside down welding

Anybody got any thoughts?

Nowt to it. No more difficult than welding flat or vertical. Just make sure your not laying directly under the weld area.

[hobbit]

Wear thick, tight clothing and don't smile when welding

 :lol:  :lol:

No seriously, as has been said, just be careful, if you can use a mig welder preferably the gas type all the better

Kev

[Wanderer]

Ear plugs might be nice.

No! Not for the noise.

To stop the "sparks" getting into your ears.
What a row and the smell of burning ear wax.
Then earache for a week.

NO matter how tight the clothing the beggars still manage to get inside your boots and run round your foot burning your socks :lol:

Ed

[xmob]

It's the being in the path of flying (white hot) slag that bothers me.  Maybe it'll be worth investing in some kinky leather gear.   :D

So, from what I've learnt so far, welding upside down is no different technically, it's just the staying out of the way that matters.  Would that be a correct assumption?

I have access to a gasless mig, but I could never get the hang of that.  Which would be better then?  The arc or the mig?

[karloss]

I have access to a gasless mig, but I could never get the hang of that.  Which would be better then?  The arc or the mig?

Depends on your preference really. Me personaly it's the mig every time. The problem with the gasless migs isn't particularly the lack of gas. It's more the power supply. They are all single phase which leads to an unstable arc. This is seen as a crackle/spitting and general reluctance whilst welding. Small "hobby" migs (with gas) do the same. Single phase arc welders don't suffer half as badly so you get a much more consistant arc. The ideal is a 3 phase mig, not easy at home obviously. Another point is that the smaller migs always but always run better on full power. On the chassis you should be all right to weld on full power even if you can only do short runs at a time. The down side is if it's a cheaper set then the duty cycle will be much lower on full power. Thus you may have to keep stopping to let it cool down in between runs. Good excuse for  more cuppas. :lol:

[datalas]

I don't want to have to play the part of the bad guy in this peice (well actually I do as I happen to look rather fetching in black...)  however, if you're unsure of your welding abilities the Chassis isn't really a good place to learn (I should know)

Whilst whatever you weld onto there may well be structurally sound it may also look ugly as anything, which believe it or not will then catch the eye of MOT examiners etc.

Perhaps a little practice with upside down welding before you start (and regardless of what is said it is different to normal welding as bits don't drop upwards :) )

[karloss]

it is different to normal welding as bits don't drop upwards :) )

 Smarty pants. :lol:

Valid point about the mot man tho' Try to make it look pretty afterwards. Grinding down big lumps and bumps helps but don't get carried away and take the strength out of the weld. And remember, underseal hides a multitude of sins. But don't rely on it to keep your chassis off the deck. 8)

[xmob]

I think I'll probably end up paying a mobile welder to do it.  My welding is ok (I used to own a Mini  :D ), but upside down welding is new to me.  I'll be the first person to say, "If you're not sure, don't do it".

I know exactly what people are saying about appearance.  The angle grinder and Waxoyl are a home mechanics best friend.  :D  Fortunately, I have quite a good relationship with my local MoT tester.  All my family give me their cars when it's MoT time, for some reason they seem to think I have a magic MoT touch.  This just means that when they fail, I have to fix it!

Thanks to everyone for the help/suggestions.

[LOFTY]

Well i have done some welding in my time, having an engineering company an all, and i couldnt agree more with the comment about welding the chassis if you are not 100% confident of your ability.
There is nothing more frustrating than having your Comp Safari racer fail inspection because a brake light dont work, when the car that just passed, has a home made roll cage welded using the gardening method.
Yes dirty great slugs layed across the pipe joints, with about as much penetration as a marshmellow bullet.
 :?