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Help!!! Replacing my rocker panel and dog leg
- Thread starter TravisC
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Hmmmmm, I don't know what to tell you.
I run my wire a bit faster, I vary between 15 and 25 depending on what and where I am welding.
Gas is 25 at flow. It is rather rare I have a blow out.
Yes it is most ideal to fully weld. Like Rookie said, take your time. Espically in a small area. Tempture control is crutial.
I run my wire a bit faster, I vary between 15 and 25 depending on what and where I am welding.
Gas is 25 at flow. It is rather rare I have a blow out.
Yes it is most ideal to fully weld. Like Rookie said, take your time. Espically in a small area. Tempture control is crutial.
JoshC
Only rolled it once honey
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I forgot to say that i also have a small flux core welder that wold work pretty good for this type of job. Since i'd be grinding down the welds and hercing it anyways, what do you think?
chris c
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trying to run a full bead across that is crazy!!! there is no need... besides, even if you don't burn through you will probably put so much heat into the metal that it will be all warped and wavy.
mine [the pics] is just spot welded. probably 1/2" to 3/4" apart in some spots too. then i just grinded the welds down and filled it in with fiberglass.
mine [the pics] is just spot welded. probably 1/2" to 3/4" apart in some spots too. then i just grinded the welds down and filled it in with fiberglass.
TheRookie
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I ran full beads. Took a while but came out great. Warping is due to over heating. GO SLOW and it wont happen. Mine look perfect but took about 6 hours a side total. It all depends on the quality you want in the end
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Yes, yes, yes there IS a need for a full weld.
It was solid metal when it rolled off the show room floor, it should be solid metal when you are done.
We are talkin' strength, intergity and safety.
Proper timing will minimise heat distortion.
Oh Josh, as I was welding on a Astro-van this morning I tried an experiment.
I turned the wire speed all the way down just like you said you do and I too blew holes.
The wire is not comming out fast enough to fill the area
you are heating.
Try raising the wire speed next time.
Never dealt with flux core.
It was solid metal when it rolled off the show room floor, it should be solid metal when you are done.
We are talkin' strength, intergity and safety.
Proper timing will minimise heat distortion.
Oh Josh, as I was welding on a Astro-van this morning I tried an experiment.
I turned the wire speed all the way down just like you said you do and I too blew holes.
The wire is not comming out fast enough to fill the area
you are heating.
Try raising the wire speed next time.
Never dealt with flux core.
JoshC
Only rolled it once honey
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Alright, i'll give that a try. So, is 24 guage pretty close to the same size as the body? I have some extra of it, plenty actually, i might try to weld some of that together.
chris c
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it's a non structural piece. it was spot welded from the factory. can't you see the spot welds when you open your door?
to say that we are compromising strength, intergity and safety by spot welding in a rocker is going a little overboard. espcially seeing the numbers of explorers on the road that no longer even have rockers!
mine has been welded in for quite some time, been exposed to heat, cold, people jumping in and out, the truck being flexed, etc. there is not even a little crack in the body filler over the repair. i'm confident in the the repair.
do what you what, but i would not spend the hours needed to fill a perfect bead on the rockers of a explorer. that time would be better spent on a higher end project.
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I have no intentions of arguing or debating.
Cut that dog leg out and tell me it is not structural.
Every insurance company I have ever dealt with REQUIRES a full weld on splices.
EVERY manufacture a full weld.
And it doesn't have to take hours. 30 min tops of weld time.
I have been doing this for over ten years man.
I would NEVER with a clear conscious tack a dog leg together and send it up the road
Cut that dog leg out and tell me it is not structural.
Every insurance company I have ever dealt with REQUIRES a full weld on splices.
EVERY manufacture a full weld.
And it doesn't have to take hours. 30 min tops of weld time.
I have been doing this for over ten years man.
I would NEVER with a clear conscious tack a dog leg together and send it up the road
TheRookie
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the only place my dog legs were spot welded was at the pinch weld and the leading edge. The rest was all solid. I ran a full bead on the leading edge cause I like the way its blended better now. Full weld beads are just a nicer end result. And YES it does have some structure to it. Cut one out and you will understand.
chris c
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i know the dog leg is one piece with the rear 1/4 but just as you stated the leading edge is just spot welded. it's spot welded to the rocker no less which is also spot welded.
i do not need to cut a dog leg out to understand. when i got my truck the dog leg was non existent. it was rotted right up to the weather stripping on the rear door sill. basically, all the gray primer in my pictures was nothing.
insurance companies need to cover their ass. period.
all manufacturers DO NOT run full beads. uni body construction has thousands of spot welds! i am sorry, but for someone who has been doing this for 10 years you should know that.
no doubt, if we cut out the dog leg and rocker and used some **VERY** sofisticated equipment we would find the body structure to be slightly less rigid. would i consider it a safey issue? not even close.
as stated before my truck is a 1991 explorer with 207k miles on it. the rockers look find and are very secure as are the dog legs. there are zero safety issues. as i stated before, it's a ####in explorer not a 67' chevelle frame off resto to be show car.
MONMIX, according to you every explorer with a rotted dog legs should be pulled off the road. ****, you should join the uhaul work force...
i do not need to cut a dog leg out to understand. when i got my truck the dog leg was non existent. it was rotted right up to the weather stripping on the rear door sill. basically, all the gray primer in my pictures was nothing.
insurance companies need to cover their ass. period.
all manufacturers DO NOT run full beads. uni body construction has thousands of spot welds! i am sorry, but for someone who has been doing this for 10 years you should know that.
no doubt, if we cut out the dog leg and rocker and used some **VERY** sofisticated equipment we would find the body structure to be slightly less rigid. would i consider it a safey issue? not even close.
as stated before my truck is a 1991 explorer with 207k miles on it. the rockers look find and are very secure as are the dog legs. there are zero safety issues. as i stated before, it's a ####in explorer not a 67' chevelle frame off resto to be show car.
MONMIX, according to you every explorer with a rotted dog legs should be pulled off the road. ****, you should join the uhaul work force...
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you will notice I said when splicing.
Key word SPLICE.
The seams you spot weld, stagger, what ever.
Splices get a full weld where the two meet. Manufactures require it for a reson.
"insurance companies need to cover their ass. period "
If it is so safe to just tack a seam why would they need to cover their *****? They require it for a reason.
"MONMIX, according to you every explorer with a rotted dog legs should be pulled off the road. "
Yeah that is exactally what I said.
I am done with this thread
Key word SPLICE.
The seams you spot weld, stagger, what ever.
Splices get a full weld where the two meet. Manufactures require it for a reson.
"insurance companies need to cover their ass. period "
If it is so safe to just tack a seam why would they need to cover their *****? They require it for a reason.
"MONMIX, according to you every explorer with a rotted dog legs should be pulled off the road. "
Yeah that is exactally what I said.
I am done with this thread
TravisC
My bro, JoshC in Iraq
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Well my brother has went off for his training before he goes overseas. We're not going to be able to get to this for quite some time. He's going to be gone for 2 weeks then back for 10 days then off to Iraq. So I'm not sure when he's going to be able to reply back about this but thanks for all the help and I'm sure when he gets back we'll get started on this and I'm sure we'll have some more questions.
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