We have a thread for incredible welds, how about one for bad welds. I was at that auction site and saw an ad for Reds Premium headers to fit a Y Block. They look like they were welded by a semi blind high school shop class kid http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD...tZVintageQ5fCarQ5fTruckQ5fPartsQ5fAccessories
reds sent me the wrong headers and didnt know what ones they sent ,so i took my plasma cutter wrote him a note on his crappy headers sent them back , and maid my own from scratch.mine turned out way better.
I didn't buy them and we should not be so sure they were made in China. Lots of people right near home try to weld but do it poorly. Just looks bad on a product offered for sale.
Unfortunately some Chinese made products are getting much better at good looking welds, so can't determine they're Chinese just by weld looks.
I had to fix a set of Red's for 292 Y. They were leaking out of 3 of the welds. Pure garbage. In response to the thread, the majority of bad welding I see comes from DIYers. Cheap equipment, poor conditions, or just lack of skill I'm sure.
I can weld anything from the crack of dawn to a broken heart. Just kidding. A boilermaker told me that once. I think it was Elmer Dean.
When Red sold the company and retired, the weld quality went in the toilet. I have a set like those pictured for sale now, repaired and reworked so they will fit on the motor.
These look like MIG welds, but I can't see enough detail in the pics to comment. I am a decent welder, have welded a lot, my welds don't fail, and I know my limits. Beyond that I know and have worked with some absolutely amazing welders. But something to consider; although not all ugly welds are good, I have seen plenty of cases where ugly welds proved stronger and/or more durable than pretty ones. Getting full penetration on headers can result in unwanted bumps and obstructions on the inside of the tube. Avoiding that means either a fairly petite and expertly done weld, or welding a little cold as these parts seem to have been done.
Waaaaay back ,when I was a teen, the crustiest most vile old man at a junkyard ,told me he could...." weld a fart to a paper knapkin .." just by his appearance alone ,I did not question the fact, but the visual image has stuck with me.!!!
The way it wast told to me, "I can weld anything, the crack of dawn, a hole in a doughnut, and a broken marriage."
Maybe it was the break of day. Elmer Dean was a superintendent for Babcocks and Wilcox. B and W is a big power plant boiler supplier. Elmer was also known as a one eyed trouser snake. He would not have as teamster on his job. He would haul everything in an old truck and use a crane to move the truck. I had a job in CA about 15 years later with a crew of boiler makers. I asked them if they knew Elmer. They did. They told me I was trained by one of the best.
Ordered a set of flathead headers from Reds about a year and a half ago and the welds were so bad it was rediculous. Clearly whoever put them together had no idea what they were doing. Sent them back and built my own.
Like another poster said, it's hard to see them but even so they look MUCH better, and smaller than these.......ugh!!!
The beauty of a weld does not necessarily indicate its strength. Those are not very pretty but I have also seen beautiful welds with no penetration that didn't hold.
i think the "ultimate welding" thread is people comenting on thier own welds... this should be a "bash red's headers" thread, or i would think "this is what inspired hot rodding" looking at the crap on the market and saying my car or motorcyle deserves better so i'm gonna make it. if you don't like someone elses welds, make your own. if you can't make it better don't bitch about those that are doing it.
Thats all well and good, but we are talking about cars here, you know those things that drive on the road with you. It would be a different story if a shit weld would only cost the shitty welder, as it is that shity welder could ruin your day as well. I dont give high fives for failure.
Click on the post reply and wait for page to load, amongst all the little icons above the box where you type there is a little movie reel, click that. A pair of brackets with YT in them will appear, copy everything past to the right of the = sign in the url from your vid into the the center of the YT brackets. hit the post button.
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