Dustin Songer

Well, i thaught i would try it. Now before everyone starts yelling at me cuz im not using 1.25 dom blah blah tubing and my welds suck and im only using factory mounts and "wheres the winch at?" I dont have the money, tools nor the skills to justify using the dom stuff. My welding sucks i know, noones ever taught me i just started doing it in my driveway one day. This is my first real "fab" as far as im concerned and i just wanted to see if i counld make something "mean looking with no real plan. and i like what i made so there haha.

this is what i started with...

then i made a second set of tabs and a second bar for the base


then i made this square thingy and welded it to the bars at almost the same angle as the maximum approach angle...



then i added another part above that stuff and back...



then i braced it to the front box thing...


then i bent a couple peices to go around the side



then i braced that from the bottom...





then the top...



and that was it for tonight


Tomorrow im going to finish welding all the back side stuff and paint it all, i might add some more cuz my girlfriend had a couple ideas of what i could add to the top but we'll see what it looks like painted and whatnot.

crolison

that does not look like it would hold up to much, no one said anything about DOM, all my stuff is HREW at it does good. and 1.25" is too small, 1.5" is where its at. At least you did all the work yourself, looks like you had a fun little project.

Elvota

A for effort.

We all have to start somewhere...

fillsrunner4

I think thats gonna be only able to hold lights and if you hit it your done.

DeathCougar

iTrader: (23)

Good start. Here are my pointers:

1. Use bigger tube. That tiny bar isn't going to hold up to anything. It cant hold a winch, and if you hit anything its going to fold like toothpicks.

2. Work on your welding. I know you are just starting...but those booger welds look like you were not getting any penetration

3. In reference to #1, when you go larger, don't use solid bar

dirtoyboy

im speechless




and a little scared

I would try to offer help but I dont even have the slightest idea where to start

Dustin Songer

haha i know its bad as far as strength and i should have used different stuff but i was bored and i get this stuff for free. Not to take blame away from my lack of real welding experience but the welder im using is horrible for this kinda stuff, it's shielding gas system doesnt work and it doesnt take flux core and it has no power whatsoever, my welds arent so bugerish when i have a "real" welder but this is all i have at my house. Im not expecting it to take much of a hit, i just kinda wanted to make something. Although i made some addons to my rear bumper with this stuff and me and a couple buddies picked the back end of the truck off the ground and moved it overf a couple feet with just that bar stuff. (at least my welds held)

Red_Chili

Without gas, and not using flux core, and without removing the mill scale from the steel, it's amazing you were able to weld at all.

A for effort. Won't hold up. You knew that.

Get the welder fixed and practice, practice, practice. Grind off the mill scale before trying to weld. You'll be amazed at the difference.

4Hummer

Your Welds suck and you need to use larger tube. Ha ha ha you ask for it


Practice your welds you are not getting any penetration,

Also clean the steel to shinny shinny metal when your welding, you will get
better results and a cleaner weld.

Another tip for welding, the trick is to get a puddle of hot molten steal by making C shaped passes, once the puddle forms you need to either push or pull the puddle with C passes

Heres a good resource: http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/learning-mig.htm

Good Video
http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/flash/c...aying-weld.swf

Red_Chili

That was almost a ditto...
+1 on the Cs.

customcruiser

turn that bitch up as hot as it will go, unless its a 220. if its a gas welder and you dont have any gas than you are wasting your time.

I would practice welding on that bumper, I bet if you drop it it will fall apart. metal needs to be bare.

hey atleast you didnt pay somebody $$$$ and get that, Ive been thru that, and you gotta start somewhere. I started just welding crap together and it turned into a sculpture.....

I use 1.75 x .120 DOM (Drawn Over Mandrel... no seam inside) or HREW (Hot Rolled Electric Welded.... seam on inside

dirtoyboy

I would recommend practicing on scrap or coupons...this is the first thing we ever welded...its a knight in shining armor....made from rebar and a ford taurus fender

customcruiser

The Wampus...... first thing we ever welded

zlathim

Well, you are practicing and that is good. You seem to know the limits of your craftsmanship, so that is good too.

No-one here was born knowing how to fabricate. Don't let them fool you into thinking that they were.

I like the idea of practicing on "artwork".

abj27

Are you welding without gloves here? That's... daring. I just find I don't like red hot bits of metal landing anywhere on bare skin while I weld. Just me though.

Dustin Songer

haha i was trying to avoid what kind of welder it is, but yeah its turned up all the way. Its deffinately not made for this kinda stuff but i did drop it and it didnt break so there hah, ( iwouldnt do it again though haha)

and about the little c's, thats what my buddy has been telling me and i try to do it but im not very good at it with this welder, it doesnt hold a hot blob thing for long but thanks for the tips guys. like i said having a real welder realy helps my work haha but thats an excuse and excuses suck

Dustin Songer

So heres what it looks like all painted up, i would appreciate your guys' thaughts on at least if it looks good not so much the build of it (i think we know its not strong enough for much) haha

hurley842002

You've definately got the right idea, some more practice and appropriate material and that same design could work very well. As for the strength, don't feel too bad, the stock bumpers wouldn't hold up to much either. Nice looking truck by the way.

dirtoyboy

Looks wise? It looks like absolute poop. I can't lie to you.... it is NOT functional, adds weight, and is embarassing to other yota owners...

you DID ask..

zlathim

I have to agree. It looks pretty bad. Not the design so much, but the way it is put together is pretty ugly. Bars lapped over the top of each other with crumby welds takes away from the appeal right away.

I'm only saying this because you asked for opinions. You are learning, and as I said before, that is a good thing.

Other than that, if there is a bright spot in the whole thing, I thought that the bend you did to go around the corner fit well and looks good.

Buy the right material, get a cheap tubing notcher, and even that crumby welder will be able to make something that looks way better.