TheSamba.com :: View topic

Sun Nov 22, 2009 10:25 am

welding on that amount of galv isnt going to do anything. do it for 10 hours a day for 2 days or so without a respirator and then you might have some problems. anyway thats besides the point. nice low budget build. gotta love those. good luck with the tig welding. its a whole differnt ball game but when you get it down its awesome

Tue Nov 24, 2009 4:32 pm

OOK guys heres the update. Finished the second side member and put the three bottom crossmember on. Took about 3 hours in the shop. I was stupid and welded in one crossmember at a time and as a result had to push the two outer halves together to fit the subsequent crossmembers. Next time im going to rig something up so all three fit at once and i'll just tack em, then weld them. :roll: Oh well, this is how you learn. I put it on the roof (it was raining and dark so i dint spend a lot of time looking) and it almost fit. A little bending to counter what i warped and it would fit. But I think i'll just start over. Heres the pics.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:34 pm

Wow! Looks nice! If it doesn't hold any weight, its good for show anyhow 8)

Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:39 pm

we'll see what happens when i make the new one. I'll finish this one just for kicks and to get a little more practice before i start the new one. There are a few aspects im going to change.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 5:42 pm

I wonder how you could smooth out those two bends at like 1/4 and 3/4 down the top tube (looking at it from the side). That would make it much more pleasing to me, I think.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 6:16 pm

yea it would but i dont have fancy presses or stamps or even most of that. I use a pipe bender for all my bends. Its not the most beautiful but i think it gives it a different look which i like.

Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:16 pm

I did a quick stress test, and sitting the way it is now, it was able to hold me laying down across it with no parts of me touching the floor. I bounced a little to see what would happen and no bending occured, just flex which is good news :D BTW im 160 lbs

Tue Nov 24, 2009 7:17 pm

looking pretty good there jwagner. Never thought about building one but seeing yours really got the hampster wheel turning.. 8)

Wed Nov 25, 2009 7:43 am

Thanks. Its actually a lot of fun and isnt costing me more than the amount of gas it takes to drive to school and back. Getting the dimensions perfect is the tricky part. Everything else is cake

Fri Dec 04, 2009 12:56 pm

Not bad for a 17yr old kid! Things i learned how to use efficiently in this build: Acetylene Torch, Plasma Cutter, Gas MIG Welder, Pipe Bender

Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:31 pm

Dang! That's better than what my shop teacher taught me to use! Mostly he was more concerned with keeping us young idiots alive long enough to get out of his class. Mostly he wanted to keep us away from anything that might hurt us...which was basically everything in the room.

To this day I wish I could audit a shop course, esp for the welding. All of the programs I've seen locally are vocational cert related and cost big $$.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 1:34 pm

honestly, D cuts us loose in the shop. He knows the dumb kids will sit there and do nothing and the smart ones will ask for help if we need it, theres no in between really. Again honestly, if you buy a book on welding principles, its just as easy to teach yourself. I taught myself the welding and plasma cutting, D just taught me how to turn on the torch. Anything can be self taught.

Fri Dec 04, 2009 2:53 pm

Sounds like you have a great shop teacher. I think that most of the shops in schools are disappearing.
If you can weld with gas and stick you should be able to get the others ok, always something else to though.
Bob

Sat Dec 05, 2009 7:08 pm

Looks GREAT!
Once you get all your welds ground down and everything painted up, it will look really sharp!

I like the mounting clamp you rigged up. Might want to adjust the bolt length and go for an acorn nut for appearance?

I'm planning on taking one of those welding classes at the local vocational school next time it's offered. ('bout 650 bucks!)

Sat Dec 05, 2009 7:11 pm

Like i told the other guy, by the time you take the classes and buy the RIGHT equipment, your down the creek over a grand at least. Im primarily self taught and theres nothing you cant do on your own. Mig welding is really easy in concept, the only way to actually get good at it though is lots of practice with knowledge in hand.