Caterham 7 chassis were all brazed up until a couple of years ago, when it was changed to MIG for cost reasons. This makes it impossible to repair crash damage in these multi-tube chassis. Previously you just heated the joints of the damaged tubes with a torch, pulled out the damaged section and inserted a new one. Now almost any chassis damage requires a new chassis. Good for the company but not so good for weekend racers where prangs are a regular occurence.
I don't see how, he says that filler metal is important then goes on to say that any old thing like a coat hanger will work. Which clearly it will not If I were to give my welding students a test question, what would be the right answer ? Is the filler rod you choose for a GTAW (TIG) weld important? a) Yes it is an essential variable to the quality of the weld b) It should closely match the properties of the base metal c) No any filler metal even a coat hanger will work d) answers a & b Would c be the right answer ? No it would not ! d would be the right answer
On a side note, as a joke, I made a coat hanger out of 1/8" ER70-S6 TIG rod, for my shop coat. Only a few get the joke.
You're taking Tommy's comments completely out of context for the sake of arguing. He is saying proper filler is more important than if you use stick, MIG, or TIG. When he says you can use a coat hanger as filler with TIG, he's pointing out that just because you use TIG doesn't guarantee a good weld when compared to the other welding methods. He is NOT saying coat hangers are just as good as proper filler when using TIG. (unless you get your coat hangers from Gimpy)
I didn't take anything out of context, I didn't add to it and try to read between the lines or guess what he was trying to get across like you did. I simply went with what he wrote and took it for face value. If he was saying what you imagine he was then he should have written it that way. I don't agree, it can't be used. Not to make a quality weld to be sure.
When I first did this job my first thought was to purchase hole saws in progressive sizes. My friend owns a Bridgeport mill and offered to do it for me. They came out much nicer than I would have done with hole saws, the progression of hole size was perfect! I didn't fill the holes with tubing but left them open. Towards the front of the wishbone, near where they attached to the axle I drilled a 1/4" hole on the bottom, for water to drain out. Had them plated and painted the inside red.
Thanks for the helpful replies guys it was just as i expected to be honest im a qualified welder so fine for my self to do the job, i wasnt really looking to starts some huge debate/argument though to be honest! Charlie
He said it would be possible to tig weld it with coat hanger, and just because the process was tig it would not make it good. He was stressing that you need to use the proper filler whatever process you use. You sir did twist the meaning.
The way I read it: you can use coat hanger wire to TIG weld. Will it result in a good weld? No. Therefore, the quality of the weld is dependent upon the filler material more than the process used. That said, when someone said to TIG weld them, I assume they meant to properly TIG weld them.
In the end what is important is a properly done job. It can and has been done many different ways. What is right for each guy will be up to preference as has been shown. Some guys have drilled them and left them open, others have sleeved them. I would prefer to have them sleeved and properly welded myself as I did for the front and rear bones I fabbed from scratch for my RPU. To imply that I twisted something is really reaching and actually quite funny.
I'm sorry I just don't care for the elitist idea that only TIG welding is good enough for a hotrod. For years the "hip roof Lincoln buzz box was state of the art for home hotrod builders. Now it's not strong enough unless it is tigged together. JMO No I never took the test to get certified.
Maybe in this case I am too traditional.I don't understand how on a traditional site,everything has to be TIG welded or it is not safe. I have been around for a while,and I know for a fact that thousands("maybe tens of thousands) of "stock cars",Hot Rods,dragsters,roadsters,modifieds etc.etc. were built using the old"tombstone" lincoln welder and an oxy-acetylene torch. I have been welding for many years,stick,MIG and some TIG. I am not certified,but have been trained.
There is nothing wrong with building with what you have available and using skills and equipment you have. As mentioned a great many jobs have been done with old buzz box stick welders and gas torches. There is also nothing wrong with using advanced materials, machines and skills if you have access to them. Even old traditional builders got help occasionally by a more skilled friend or a pro with better equipment. As a professional welder fabricator I use the best tools and skills I have access to. There isn't anything wrong with that really. It doesn't have to be Tig welded but if possible why not use a process that gives the best quality welds on any weldable material ?
I know that the s65/40-3 welded in accordance with page 3 will be stronger than the 3;(;-997 welded upside down in a non heated shop. Ive never seen either nor do I know what i am talking about but if i can fool some hambers my job here is done. Posted using the Full Custom H.A.M.B. App!
Some here have never been certified as a welder, but that doesn't prove their opinion is wrong. I have worked in and certified as a welder in nuclear power plants many times. They don't allow MIG any place I've worked at, only stick and TIG. They spend millions of dollars on paperwork to be able to prove to all the regulatory agencies that all of the construction work uses the best process that gives the best quality welds on all work under their roof. And yet all of their structural steel is stick welded. You don't need to read between the lines there. It's not as pretty and we have to clean up all the weld spatter because QC inspects every inch of weld, but if we TIG something that should have been stick welded, someone would be grinding it out and doing it right, and the guy that did it wrong would be gone.
Thats called working to a procedure, Codes and standards for structural steel and pressure vessels will not allow short circuit Mig. Tig and stick both have their places in the pressure vessel -piping and structural steel world. Depending on the code ASME or CSA- AWS and the procedure you are working to. Welding engineers specify and qualify different welding procedure specifications to suit the job.
Correct. And much of hot rod building, including split bones, are in the "structural steel world", wouldn't you agree? Shouldn't you use a procedure that suits the job? Yeah, we don't wipe our ass without a "procedure".
You can make chicken salad out of chicken $h!_. It just won't taste good. Now that there about says it all as he fell off his chair reading it....... <!-- / message --><!-- sig -->
I was going to quote some parts to a business building ultraiight aircraft. He mentioned that he was sending another batch of tubes down to the muffler shop for welding. I imagined bubba with a torch and coathanger. I ran as fast as I could.
Perhaps the ultralight company was looking for someone who could do a better job than Bubba and you missed an opportunity to steal that work from them. But I have been accused of reading more into things than what is actually there.
There is a whole lot of advice on welding but very little on your question. Yes, it is safe to drill your bones and preferably add tubes to strengthen the bones after drilling. Look at 117Harv for a professional job of drilling and tubing bones. Just Do It!
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