How Can I Fix This? Passanger Cross Member Broke
11-21-2007, 12:43 AM
#46
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Ya so that weld is a little on the sad side. Anyway it is in there now. Live with it and go forward if it breaks you know where not to take it.
11-21-2007, 12:18 PM
#47
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EverydayDiesel,
Do yourself favor and take your truck to a good welding shop and get it fixed right. Its not worth putting yourself and and one you meet on the road in danger because of a screwed up weld. Your friend is not a welder he's just a rod burner there's a big difference. Tell your friend not to weld on anything that does no belong to him, anything drives over the road including traliers and wagons, anything that carries or supports weight. This is what gives us professional welders a bad name. Are you will to risk your life on this work ? I am not so stay off the road until you get a proper fix.
Do yourself favor and take your truck to a good welding shop and get it fixed right. Its not worth putting yourself and and one you meet on the road in danger because of a screwed up weld. Your friend is not a welder he's just a rod burner there's a big difference. Tell your friend not to weld on anything that does no belong to him, anything drives over the road including traliers and wagons, anything that carries or supports weight. This is what gives us professional welders a bad name. Are you will to risk your life on this work ? I am not so stay off the road until you get a proper fix.
it looks like a wire feed weld which i would not have done
by the i am a retired boilermaker welder, i have welded tig, mig ,stick, on boilers( pressure welds) and support steel of all configurations ... all had to be certified asme code
Last edited by johnh; 11-21-2007 at 12:30 PM. Reason: add info
11-21-2007, 12:39 PM
#48
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I'd be leary of doing any welding on a frame aft of the front spring perch or forward of the rearmost rear spring perch. Especially on these frames. I'm not sure if this frame was hydroformed or not, but I do recall these frames at one time were very prone to cracking, and also very particular about what welding processes and materials were to be used. But really, the first part of my statement is the more important. The frame areas I said I would be leary of welding on (most of it) is what carries the load of the truck and its contents. Your life depends on it being right. But I am very cautious safety wise, and if I am not sure about something, I err on the side of caution. And somehow I still manage to hurt myself once in a while. 
11-21-2007, 07:06 PM
#49
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Funny,I've never had ANY weld that I've made,stick or mig fail,I guess that the welders that had tryed to weld it together before I got there just sucked REAL bad.
He'd have been better off getting a good weld with a mig,rather than trying to weld it with 7018....it needs to be **** clean for both 7018 and mig.
6011 is good stuff for that kinda welding,ugly,but it works.
I think the weld will hold,you were driving it without even knowing that it was broken,could not have been that bad.
(keep in mind I don't know much,I've only burned a couple hundred pounds of rod)
He'd have been better off getting a good weld with a mig,rather than trying to weld it with 7018....it needs to be **** clean for both 7018 and mig.
6011 is good stuff for that kinda welding,ugly,but it works.
I think the weld will hold,you were driving it without even knowing that it was broken,could not have been that bad.
(keep in mind I don't know much,I've only burned a couple hundred pounds of rod)
11-21-2007, 07:26 PM
#50
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I've burned a few pounds myself. I just didn't burn 'em on Dodge Ram frames. No lack of confidence in my welding or yours, just a lack of knowledge of the properties of the metal used in these frames. Do you know the material they're made of? I don't, but I would want to be sure I did before I bet my life on my work.
11-21-2007, 08:02 PM
#51
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I've burned a few pounds myself. I just didn't burn 'em on Dodge Ram frames. No lack of confidence in my welding or yours, just a lack of knowledge of the properties of the metal used in these frames. Do you know the material they're made of? I don't, but I would want to be sure I did before I bet my life on my work.
I don't know for sure,for all I know we should use bronze or something,but it looks "ok" I would bet,but not anyones life.
He was driving it broken,so I'm guessing that most likely as long as he looks every now and then for cracks he should be fine.
11-21-2007, 08:24 PM
#52
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I think you will be fine, just keep an eye on it.
FLEX , some metals can, some can't. I'm no expert but If I remember right they are nickel plated.
Whenever possible, you are better off to drill, plate and bolt on chassis. That area is a doozy to try that. I've been working on my chassis the last few days and if you notice, The crossmembers are held with drilled holes and rivets. The spring hargers are rivets not welds. There is even a section connected with rivets around the fuel tank that looks like they either used a short section for short wheel base and a longer section for long wheelbase.
Good luck.
FLEX , some metals can, some can't. I'm no expert but If I remember right they are nickel plated.
Whenever possible, you are better off to drill, plate and bolt on chassis. That area is a doozy to try that. I've been working on my chassis the last few days and if you notice, The crossmembers are held with drilled holes and rivets. The spring hargers are rivets not welds. There is even a section connected with rivets around the fuel tank that looks like they either used a short section for short wheel base and a longer section for long wheelbase.
Good luck.
11-21-2007, 10:16 PM
#53
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Funny,I've never had ANY weld that I've made,stick or mig fail,I guess that the welders that had tryed to weld it together before I got there just sucked REAL bad.
He'd have been better off getting a good weld with a mig,rather than trying to weld it with 7018....it needs to be **** clean for both 7018 and mig.
6011 is good stuff for that kinda welding,ugly,but it works.
I think the weld will hold,you were driving it without even knowing that it was broken,could not have been that bad.
(keep in mind I don't know much,I've only burned a couple hundred pounds of rod)
He'd have been better off getting a good weld with a mig,rather than trying to weld it with 7018....it needs to be **** clean for both 7018 and mig.
6011 is good stuff for that kinda welding,ugly,but it works.
I think the weld will hold,you were driving it without even knowing that it was broken,could not have been that bad.
(keep in mind I don't know much,I've only burned a couple hundred pounds of rod)
11-26-2007, 12:34 PM
#55
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That's 
Dad flew the '9 for Eastern for many years, when there was such a thing... I bet my brother and I were the only teenagers to take checkrides on the JFK-SRQ run!
Dad flew the '9 for Eastern for many years, when there was such a thing... I bet my brother and I were the only teenagers to take checkrides on the JFK-SRQ run!
11-26-2007, 01:27 PM
#56
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EverydayDiesel,
Do yourself favor and take your truck to a good welding shop and get it fixed right. Its not worth putting yourself and and one you meet on the road in danger because of a screwed up weld. Your friend is not a welder he's just a rod burner there's a big difference. Tell your friend not to weld on anything that does no belong to him, anything drives over the road including traliers and wagons, anything that carries or supports weight. This is what gives us professional welders a bad name. Are you will to risk your life on this work ? I am not so stay off the road until you get a proper fix.
Do yourself favor and take your truck to a good welding shop and get it fixed right. Its not worth putting yourself and and one you meet on the road in danger because of a screwed up weld. Your friend is not a welder he's just a rod burner there's a big difference. Tell your friend not to weld on anything that does no belong to him, anything drives over the road including traliers and wagons, anything that carries or supports weight. This is what gives us professional welders a bad name. Are you will to risk your life on this work ? I am not so stay off the road until you get a proper fix.
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