C20 Upper Control Arm Shaft Studs

[crazy4offroad]

We always used 7018 rod on cattle guards because it would burn through the paint and rust no problem.

7018 is the low hydrogen rods you have to bake to get a good weld with, 70,000 psi tensile strength. 6011 might be a better rod for the dirty work. And make sure your welder is on AC not DC. Here's some welding info that may help...
http://www.hobartwelders.com/weldtalk/archive/index.php/t-2621.html

 

[HotRodPC]

Oh **** man, dont ever use brazing goggles (green) to weld with. Get your ass to Harbor Freight and get a cheap auto darkening hood!!!

Ahh hell. That's what I was using. Green Goggles. They seemed to work good. I have a good too, but I can see thru the damn thing. ****, I sure this sandy feeling don't get any worse. I have to drive tonight for the part time thing and living alone gonna suck if I have to cover my eyes for 2 days like I did last time.

 

[HotRodPC]

If there was some kind of cast iron involved I could see there being problems with the weld not sticking. I think mainly you'll need a better hood so you can really see what you're doing. You may wanna go put some visine in your eyes like right now, I had a buddy burn both his eye pretty bad using "Terminator" sun glasses to weld a bumper with, he had to wear patches for 2 weeks!

I was seeing just fine what I was doing. I could see the weld puddling and flowing and all. I was on target. The **** just don't hold. I even let it cool. Then put the wrench on the nut, turn it, and sure enough the stud spins and the weld falls off. Its just not sticking to the material. What are those studs made of? I am sure they are harened. I'm Fukd now though, cuz I gotta put the truck all together, clean up the mess, bring all the tools and go do the part time thing.

 

[89Suburban]

God damn it HR, be careful!

Is the weld holding to the stud or the frame or neither? Doesn't make sense.

 

[HotRodPC]

It doesn't appear to be holding to neither. I am begging to wonder if the weld isn't falling between the frame and the bracket and welding the damn bracket the frame. That will piss me the hell off, cuz I have ran about 4 welding rods now.

 

[89Suburban]

I wish I was there to help ya man!!

I hope your eyes are ok bud.

 

[crazy4offroad]

You may have to call in bubba, give your eyes a little more time to feel how much damage was done. You need to get an auto-darkening hood, theres nothing like it. You can have a drop light under there with you to help you get started, then when the arc strikes it gets dark like your other hood. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say the studs must be high-carbon steel, preventing the weld from holding well, or at all.

 

[HotRodPC]

Hopeully they are fine. Altogether and at spread times, I was probably only welding 10 minutes with the brazer goggles. I was using the light ones too. I had 2 sets and the set I could actually see with is what I used. I looked at the sun and seemed OK so I thought they'd be good to weld. The other ones were really dark and I couldn't see **** until I looked at the sun, even then it was dim. The reason I used them, laying under the truck, not enough room to wear my Friday the 13th Jason wellding hood.

 

[HotRodPC]

I made it thru my shift. But a good thing I didn't weld much. I feel the grainy **** in my eyes and vision is cloudy, so I am sure I got a touch of flash burn. Damn, did I luck out. But, I need to figure out why this weld isn't holding. Maybe the rod is to old.? Maybe I should try a 7014 rod??? I am sure my cheap HF wire feed won't work will it?? I bought that thing just for sheet metal and body work. I'm not much of a welder, so if anyone had any ideas. I'd sure like to hear them.

 

[89Suburban]

I made it thru my shift. But a good thing I didn't weld much. I feel the grainy **** in my eyes and vision is cloudy, so I am sure I got a touch of flash burn. Damn, did I luck out.

 

[Irishman999]

Since you own welders I suggest exactly what off road mentioned, the auto darkening hoods from Harbor freight. I got one a while ago and it works perfect.

Off road mentioned the 7018's have to be baked in an oven and I think he's right about that. At the same time, thats all we used at the county for all our structeral welding. We kept them in the tool box in our utility bed and they were always exposed to moisture.

We had a variety, 6011 rods never seemed to burn through the paint and rust like the 7018 would. From what I have seen the 7018 is some tough ****, if you can burn in just a pea size weld it will probably hold the stud so you can tighten it.

As far as letting it cool like you mentioned, its already hardened a split second after its not glowing orange.

 

[HotRodPC]

Since you own welders I suggest exactly what off road mentioned, the auto darkening hoods from Harbor freight. I got one a while ago and it works perfect.

Off road mentioned the 7018's have to be baked in an oven and I think he's right about that. At the same time, thats all we used at the county for all our structeral welding. We kept them in the tool box in our utility bed and they were always exposed to moisture.

We had a variety, 6011 rods never seemed to burn through the paint and rust like the 7018 would. From what I have seen the 7018 is some tough ****, if you can burn in just a pea size weld it will probably hold the stud so you can tighten it.

As far as letting it cool like you mentioned, its already hardened a split second after its not glowing orange.

I've got a hood, just that under the truck, I won't have room to wear it. Guess I'll have to jack it up. I'll so some research into another rod. Maybe my rods are just to old. I know they are at least 8 years old. Its a small plastic sealed pouch of like 12 rods and they are old. I weld very little. I just want this fixed. Today, I did put some shims in behind the shaft. Drives like a differant truck. But the first good dip I hit, the shims will fly out. I get this issue fixed, then I'll start working on the truck more and be more motivated to make it look better.

 

[Irishman999]

I've got a hood, just that under the truck, I won't have room to wear it. Guess I'll have to jack it up. I'll so some research into another rod. Maybe my rods are just to old. I know they are at least 8 years old. Its a small plastic sealed pouch of like 12 rods and they are old. I weld very little. I just want this fixed. Today, I did put some shims in behind the shaft. Drives like a differant truck. But the first good dip I hit, the shims will fly out. I get this issue fixed, then I'll start working on the truck more and be more motivated to make it look better.

That flux will absorb moisture and make it nearly impossibly to keep the electrode burning. That coating is supposed to just burn and create a small shielded atmosphere for the flux to be correct.

To be honest, You should not even use half a stick of 7018 for this task, if its 1/4 inch rod.

 

[oneluckypops]

I've got a hood, just that under the truck, I won't have room to wear it. Guess I'll have to jack it up. I'll so some research into another rod. Maybe my rods are just to old. I know they are at least 8 years old. Its a small plastic sealed pouch of like 12 rods and they are old. I weld very little. I just want this fixed. Today, I did put some shims in behind the shaft. Drives like a differant truck. But the first good dip I hit, the shims will fly out. I get this issue fixed, then I'll start working on the truck more and be more motivated to make it look better.

unless you can get bare metal i doubt the HF welder is gonna do much good. i am not big on the flux 110 welders anyhow.

 

[Irishman999]

unless you can get bare metal i doubt the HF welder is gonna do much good. i am not big on the flux 110 welders anyhow.

They are great for the exhaust repairs and spot welding sheet metal, as far as anything structural hell no, might as well use JB weld.