Welding advice

Hi,

I need to replace a rear axle tie rod bracket on my 90, I ordered 6mm heavy duty replacements. Obviously they will come under some heavy stress so I am wondering if I am better off using a stick welder than MIG. I take it a good stick weld will be stronger but the last thing I want to do is blow a hole in the axle, I am not sure how thick the axle casing is at the point where the bracket is secured.

Any advice?

Thanks

They’re pretty substantial! I welded a bump stop plate on using mig but I’d agree and go arc for tie rod bracket. You’ll be putting an inner fillet on it - I very much doubt it will blow through!
@dieseldog69 will steer you right as he often welds thicker stuff

Either or really, penetration is the key.

Don't forget that the chassis os only 2mm thick and will end up being your new weakest link.

If you go for a stick then be warned that 2mm rods need heat and will burn through if not very careful and 1.6mm rods burn away before you really get a chance to lay a decent bead lol

I would just blaze them in with the hot snot gun, 0.8mm wire on about 95/100A and steady away, give yourself a 1mm gap and seam weld in from both sides will give strongest result.

Choice is yours ultimately and depends entirely on your most proficient practice, I'm good with either and would most likely blaze it on with the stick for the shééts an giggles

If you don’t want to blow a hole with arc welding, buy some decent rods, boc murex, bohlers( Fox ohv), eutectic or the like, and they will be much smoother, a good mig weld will also suffice ( Tis all about penetration without burning the metal).

Penetration..

Henry_b said:

Penetration..

Click to expand...

Thanks all, I think I will go with Arc, nothing like some good penetration with your rod

dieseldog69 said:

Either or really, penetration is the key.
Don't forget that the chassis os only 2mm thick and will end up being your new weakest link.

Click to expand...

I don't need to go near the chassis, the bracket just welds on to the axle, I am only replacing the axle end bracket...I am glad to say

Ironstrike said:

Thanks all, I think I will go with Arc, nothing like some good penetration with your rod


I don't need to go near the chassis, the bracket just welds on to the axle, I am only replacing the axle end bracket...I am glad to say

Click to expand...

Oops, misread that as the elephants ears lol

Oh in that case, stick welder with 2.5mm rods and a steady 75 to 80A and sizzle away

MIG all the way. Do you think when chassis’s are built originally they use stick ?? If you think the chassis is weak at the point of weld, plate it first.

meego said:

MIG all the way. Do you think when chassis’s are built originally they use stick ?? If you think the chassis is weak at the point of weld, plate it first.

Click to expand...

Its not the chassis, it is a bracket on to the axle. The bracket is 6mm and the axle casing, who knows. My mig set up would probably be at it's limit at 6mm so stick is probably best.

What’s the axle made of. Are they cast or pressed.

Bobsticle said:

What’s the axle made of. Are they cast or pressed.

Click to expand...

I am pretty sure they are pressed as the original brackets are mild steel and welded on.

Ironstrike said:

I am pretty sure they are pressed as the original brackets are mild steel and welded on.

Click to expand...

I’d go for stick then. Probably run a bead in to bulk up the steel then leaving to cool between going back over building the weld up. It’s amazing how much more heat each pass can suck up once a bead has been laid.

You could pop a 5mm drill bit through the casing close to the weld and use a depth gauge to measure its thickness. Just a case of catching it in the weld to seal it back up.
If your worried about blowing it with a similar size stick then reverse the polarity so the stick is negative. This puts more heat into the rod and less into the work.

Stick welding isn't stronger than mig welding, they are both equally comparable with mig being the more modern, cleaner and preferred practice. i.e a 4mm bead of mig weld is not any weaker or stronger than a 4mm bead of stick weld (if both applied competently) If you mig machine isn't up to it and your stick is then obviously chose stick but the choice should be made through the equipment you have and how good you are at using them not whether generically stick is better than mig or vice versa.

Interceptorxj said:

Stick welding isn't stronger than mig welding, they are both equally comparable with mig being the more modern, cleaner and preferred practice. i.e a 4mm bead of mig weld is not any weaker or stronger than a 4mm bead of stick weld (if both applied competently) If you mig machine isn't up to it and your stick is then obviously chose stick but the choice should be made through the equipment you have and how good you are at using them not whether generically stick is better than mig or vice versa.

Click to expand...

The axle is still on the vehicle and gaps are a bit tight at some points so stick makes more sense

Ironstrike said:

The axle is still on the vehicle and gaps are a bit tight at some points so stick makes more sense

Click to expand...

So does the fact your mig might struggle power wise.

If it were me and welder could cope it would be mig but I doubt if your doing with a hobby welder and a 13a feed you could do it? I can’t go over 3mm with mine and still chamfer plate down to make sure I get all way through

Ironstrike said:

The axle is still on the vehicle and gaps are a bit tight at some points so stick makes more sense

Click to expand...

In my experience, tight gaps and sticks do not go hand-in-hand (there’s an innuendo there somewhere). Are you hoping to do the weld in one pass, or will you be building it up with multiple beads? Just thinking about slag cleaning too.

bluedog333 said:

In my experience, tight gaps and sticks do not go hand-in-hand (there’s an innuendo there somewhere). Are you hoping to do the weld in one pass, or will you be building it up with multiple beads? Just thinking about slag cleaning too.

Click to expand...

Yes, I did think of that too, the more I think about it, the more of a pain in the arse this job becomes. The bracket is like a little piece of box steel welded to the underside of the axle which is still on the vehicle. I did some prep yesterday, when I say prep I mean I lay on the ground looking at it for 10 minutes, sprayed some WD40 on the nuts and walked away. I will hopefully be able to build up enough of a weld on the outside of the brackets. I might have to leave it as a single weld on the inside.



It is just one of those little bastard jobs, what point do I jack the axle from so I can still get in with a grinder and a welder, and not have the whole thing fall down on my head? (my driveway is on a slope). Once I have the brackets on how do I line the axle back up? ( it is way out of line at the moment).

With the axle off it would be a piece of ****. The longer I think about it the less motivated I am to do it

Ironstrike said:

Yes, I did think of that too, the more I think about it, the more of a pain in the arse this job becomes. The bracket is like a little piece of box steel welded to the underside of the axle which is still on the vehicle. I did some prep yesterday, when I say prep I mean I lay on the ground looking at it for 10 minutes, sprayed some WD40 on the nuts and walked away. I will hopefully be able to build up enough of a weld on the outside of the brackets. I might have to leave it as a single weld on the inside.

View attachment 191359

It is just one of those little bastard jobs, what point do I jack the axle from so I can still get in with a grinder and a welder, and not have the whole thing fall down on my head? (my driveway is on a slope). Once I have the brackets on how do I line the axle back up? ( it is way out of line at the moment).

With the axle off it would be a piece of ****. The longer I think about it the less motivated I am to do it

Click to expand...

Your over thinking this !! I used to do the same as you and over analyse everything and the result is you get less done. Just get on with it. If you can’t get in with a grinder, use a file. Or a Dremel or something. You have apparently decided to stick weld it. Obviously the cleaner the surface the better the weld, but stick welding can cope with some light rust.