Lost Texan

Other than disconnecting both batteries, what do I need to know about when welding on our frames?

Thanx,

LT

Luvnacumns

Grind the paint off.. I installed a reese 5th Wheel hitch this saturday and we made darn sure we got the paint off so we were welding metal to metal.. Only problem is we couldn't get to one spot so I will have to drill the frame out and bolt one leg of the rail.

Shane

labreck

put the ground clamp as close to your weld as posible. if you move spots, move the clamp. electrical curint will flow to ground better, and not to what you dont want it to. also if there is a body ground around where your are welding, remove it, better be safe. electrisity is like water, direct the path of flow. and shane is rite grind the pant -clean clean clean- your weld. a clean weld is a happy weld

t-boe

Be carefull not to burn through. Little bit at a time so you don't cause warping.

Lost Texan

Thanx guys. Pictures to follow.

LT

FAY

All the related information I have read indicates there should be absolutely no additional welding done on a Dodge truck frame. Since there are changing road shock, load weight induced vibrations and twisting stresses continually working throughout the frame it makes surface areas close to weld beads prone to eventual cracking. Heating metal shrinks it somewhat; therefore, during the welding process it causes additional physical tension from warping stresses in the metal. Besides, heat changes the temper of the metal wherever it is in close proximity around the weld. Long continuous weld beads are more prone to cracking out all around the bead than intermittently spaced stitch welds. Place the ground clamp as near to the welding area as possible to prevent welding amperage from traveling through bearings or current being induced into wiring etc. Shield nearby material structures from welding splatter and heat.

My Una-Goose ball hitch cross member required no bolting into or welding onto the frame. The hitch clamps around the frame rails have built-in attachment bolt tighteners. Due to no clearance bellow the cross member and the top of the tail pipe's bend routed over the differential, it became necessary to drop the tail pipe one inch at the back hanger to provide adequate clearance of about one quarter inch. I choose to cut the vertical double hanger rod section attached to the pipe instead of just bending down the stub hanger rods attached onto the frame that hold the rubber mounting block. I cut the double rod section through with a thin air die grinder cutting disc. Then I blocked up the end of the tail pipe to provide a full one inch space at the cut in the hanger rod.

With a mig welder I tacked in a piece of flat bar 1/2 x 1/2 x a good 1 inch in length. I first lightly tacked in place the flat bar piece at the four bottom corners to provide a one quarter inch space and then at the top four corners to provide another 1/4 inch space for the top joint. By tacking in the bottom joint first I had welding conductivity next for tacking the top joint. To maintain the space before I tacked, I used a piece of 1/4" thick by 3/4" wide flat bar set in place to provide a temporary removable wedge to keep the spaces from closing up as the tacks cooled down. I initially made light tacks and after they cooled some I substantially made them heavier after removing the wedge. The mig machine ground clamp had been placed at the end of the tail pipe and I never did remove the battery clamps. The computer electronics still work fine as any welding current was isolated to the rear section of the tail pipe and isolated from the frame by the rubber mounting block. No conductive loop could be established via the engine to the frame.

To prevent the rubber mounting block from receiving too much heat and being set on fire, after tacking in the spacer I took the hanger rods out of the rubber mounting block. I welded the top space from one side and then I welded it from the other side. I let the joint cool some. Next, one side of the bottom space was welded and finally the other side of the bottom space. After cooling the welded joints I used the die grinder disc to smooth and shape up the joint. Then I spray painted it with silver paint. By looking at the tail pipe end you can not determine it was lowered any at all.

Lost Texan

I'm wanting to tack weld my front replacement bumper to the frame to reduce the amount of play the bumper has when i hit bumps. Where should I put the ground in this instance and are there any grounds that i need to disconnect?

chromegrill

FAY, you should never grind structural welds...

chromegrill

Lost, I weld on cars for a living, and have never had a problem in 12 years, and have never disconnected a ground. Unhook the batts, place the welder ground near where you are welding and burn it in...

Lost Texan

That's what I'm going to do. I was just a little hesitant as the last time I welded on my 04, I thought i fried the comp, but everything was ok. it was a result of my stupidity. Thanx everyone.

cquestad

I have welded to my frame and axles. Ground as close as possible...prep the surface and burn away. I have never had any issues. Use some common sense and you will not have a warpage problem.

To those who are leary of welding on the frame...ask your self how they made it the first time. LOL. The non welded portion of the frame do not know this day is different than the day the fam e was fabricated. They are NOT heat treated.

53 willys

those new thuren radius arms have weld to frame brackets..I don't think it will be a problem.

t-boe

Don knows what he's doing and wouldn't weld them if it would cause a problem. When I spoke to him he just said weld a small bit at a time and keep moving to different spots to keep heat from building up.