Small Welding Project

[ChevyEFI]

I have minimal welding experience, headers with very low miles, cracked AIR emission tubes and the HF 120v basic wire feed. The headers will be re- coated by Jet-Hot after.

I have seen it said a new roll of quality wire will give good results with this welder. For mild steel ****** headers, is there a safe type, or do I need to research the material further?

To keep the tube open and working, is running copper wire up the tube while welding a good way tp go? The inside doesn't have to be perfect, just open.

Weld shop that I am sure would give goid results has a min. of $60, maybe more now. Which is the other option, but "I am gonna get better at welding" has been said too long.

Thanks.
Edit:added pic

 

[bwringer]

Welding shop. This one's a no-brainer.


This really isn't the place to experiment. The consequences of failure are, at minimum, dicking around with removing and replacing the headers again. And when your weld fails, that makes it a little harder for the shop to repair it correctly.

If you want to get better at welding, then do a little research on ways to make the HF welder work better and practice, practice, practice on scrap. It may be less frustrating to invest in a better welder (or one of HF's newer, higher-quality units), but then again it's sort of fun to experiment with the HF welder.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Emailed ****** re:steel type.

Attached a pic.

They're SBC and my car is going LS, so the reinstall concern isn't one, to be honest.

However in the interest of finishing projects . . .

 

[Stooge]

so are these going back into the car for the interim until you do an LS swap?

 

[ChevyEFI]

Nope.

And the weld shop is on the wayntonthe salvage yards I am visiting today, so time to get it done.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Strike 1, not interested in small jobs due to business scale.

 

[Stooge]

Nope.

And the weld shop is on the wayntonthe salvage yards I am visiting today, so time to get it done.

What are they going in after you do the LS, I can see fixing them for a cheap project just for the sake of doing it, but I wouldn't spend money to have a shop fix them and coat them to go unused. used SBC headers aren't really a rarity that I would expect to recoup money from.

Have a go at it with your current welder, they're already damaged, you can only make them better. with them being on a header, I would expect to have them be a bit of a pain to fix though as I would think they are weakened/ will blow through, as evidenced by already cracking. Whats the other end of the tube/ fitting look like, is cutting them off flush at the header and welding in new ones an option?

 

[bdbecker]

It might be easier to take this to an exhaust shop instead of a weld shop.

If you do want to DIY it, buy a bunch of tube the same thickness and practice first so you can figure out your weld settings. Is this a flux core welder?

 

[welder4956]

Using a copper or brass wire or rod inside the tube to prevent melt-thru from blocking it is a really good idea. My choice would be TIG for something like this, but it could be done with MIG using small wire (0.023 or 0.030). If you lived near me I would even weld it for you as a fellow GJ member. Looks like an easy job.

 

[firebirdparts]

Looks like a good place to practice to me. Go for it.

 

[joe49]

I would gas weld them as a first choice and tig as second choice.

 

[Streetbu]

If you're not good at using not just any MIG, but that one in particular, don't start by trying it out on those headers. 16ga sheet metal that they are probably made out of is very easy to blow thru with a cheap welder and no experience.. Can it be done? Of course, but attempt that as your first project. Get proficient first then try to weld them...

 

[Danno1]

.



I had a cracked exhaust manifold on a slant 6 once. Took it to a friend who was a welder. He brazed it instead. I drilled a hole at each end first. Said a weld would crack again. The braze was more "flexible" (compared to cast iron).



.

 

[ChevyEFI]

Yeah, the thinwall makes me glad I dropped them off at a second shop.

They are a 50-state legal, super low mile set, will be recoated by Jet-Hot and sold to fund the LS.

Now, what are basic wires for this wire feed that I should pick up for fun and practice with steel? I am assuming, based onbhearsay, that the original wire is meh. I have played with attaching 1/8" plate together with it, blew through some fenders too. Just need to play for now.

 

[bdbecker]

As far as wire goes, stick to the name brands like ESAB, Lincoln, or Hobart in the sizes your machine can handle. They'll have different names, but will also list an AWS classification code. A good article that covers this can be found here:
https://www.thefabricator.com/artic...ith-the-basics-understanding-flux-cored-wires

If you just want to play around, there's a lot of YouTube videos out there that can get you going. However, if you really want to learn to weld, you're best bet is to take some classes at the local community college or through some sort of continuing education program. Trying to self-teach on a 120v flux core only machine is going to very frustrating.

 

[jtprettyman]

Now, what are basic wires for this wire feed that I should pick up for fun and practice with steel? I am assuming, based onbhearsay, that the original wire is meh. I have played with attaching 1/8" plate together with it, blew through some fenders too. Just need to play for now.

Go with the Lincoln NR-211MP wire, much better than the HF stuff. You can get it about anywhere (Lowes, Northern Tool....). I took one of those HF flux core welders and modified it with a bridge rectifier and capacitor bank to run DC electrode negative (actually an AC welder stock). You would be surprised what it is capable of, but if you are going to go to that much trouble you are better off starting with a true gas welder.

 

[MoonRise]

The 120V 90-amp HF

FLUX-CORE

welder, on thin sheet metal pieces?

Nope.

FCAW has its uses and places to be used.

Thin sheet metal is not really the place for that welder with that type wire. IMNSHO.

If you want to play/practice with that welder, RTFM as to the wire size.

The machine label in your pic says 0.030 inch diameter FCAW wire, so that is what you HAVE to use (most likely because, among other things, the drive rolls and contact tip in the machine are that size. ).

As mentioned, the 'usual' name-brand FCAW wire for 'small' machines is Lincoln NR211-MP wire. Available in 0.030" diameter, online or at several 'physical' stores (at least around here). Lowes, HomeDepot, Walmart, etc.

Get some pieces of 1/8" thick plain mild steel, and practice and run some beads.

Watch the puddle of molten metal as you are welding, not the bright light of the arc.

 

[619DioFan]

I have the same welder and use lincoln wire in it. get it at HD.

 

[TimeWarpF100]

I would have welded them @ no charge.


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[MarkG]

Well, I assume this job is done with by now! Hopefully TIG welded by an experienced TIG welder. Like others have said in so many words----there's a limit to how 'precise' you can get with MIG, and that's really pushing it, even for an experienced welder.