'99 Silverado 4.3 to 5.3 Swap with 4L80e bonus

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stutaeng

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I got bored waiting for my bearing kit, so I decided to try to learn how to weld the axle tubes to the pumpkin. The pumpkin is (nodular?) cast iron and the tubes are steel, so not as straightforward. I ordered a temperature-changing crayon and some special rods for C.I. Got some fiberglass insulation laying around for post-heating temp. control and a map gas torch for preheat.

I started doing some grinding. May have to get the die grinder with those carbide bur bits to get in there better.

Question: what motion do I use for those welding electrodes? Straight drag, weave, wip-n-pause? What tool should I use for peening?
 

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0xDEADBEEF

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Not a welder, but I think a needle scaler is what you want.

Are you just trying to keep the tubes from twisting? I think all you need is a couple of big tacks per side. If you weld all the way around you have to be mindful of warping it and let it cool slowly. Again, not a welder ...
 

stutaeng

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Not a welder, but I think a needle scaler is what you want.

Are you just trying to keep the tubes from twisting? I think all you need is a couple of big tacks per side. If you weld all the way around you have to be mindful of warping it and let it cool slowly. Again, not a welder ...
Yes, the plug welds ( you can see them in that picture) can fail under extreme use. This is a stock build, so it's obviously an overkill. Mainly just trying to learn the procedure since I'm here, LOL.

I'll post a link that I had found of a detailed procedure on the F-body forums. But they used TIG.

I do have a needle scaler...
 

stutaeng

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@RichLo had his axle fail at those plug welds on his snow plow truck, but he was doing some insane crazy task. I think he used 7018 IIRC?
 
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kennythewelder

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Follow the directions in this link. You can ping the weld with a chipping hammer, but a needle scaler does a better job. If you look at the weld, it was run up hill, with a whip or weave or lace action. IMO, if you can stand the axel up, and do a flat weld, that is your best bet, doing a flat drag weld. I hate stick welding cast iron. It welds like garbage. TIG does a lot better job than anything else though. Being cast iron stick rods, use some scrap steel to practice on first, so you can get a feel as to how the rods weld. As for cleaning the axel before welding, what you have in your pics, looks good. The preheat will burn out continuation.
 

RichLo

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@RichLo had his axle fail at those plug welds on his snow plow truck, but he was doing some insane crazy task. I think he used 7018 IIRC?
Yes, See the thread below, it documents everything from twisting the 10-bolt to welding the tubes on a 14bFF and installing it on my plow truck.

I used 1/8" 7018 with the welder maxed out at 125amps. This was before I got my TIG welder and I was using a AC/DC lincoln transformer big red buzz box. Just use a standard back and forth (or up and down depends on how you look at it) weld. Preheat the future weld area as hot as possible with propane torches/heat guns/whatever you have. The lay down 1 full 7018 rod and keep the heat on it as it cools down. Wait 10 mins between rods to avoid cracking. A needle scaler would be perfect but I just used the slag hammer to ping it and I didnt have any cracking and I welded around the full axle tube. I think it took 4 or 5 rods per side.


 

stutaeng

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Well, that took way longer than I thought, as usual. I ran those rods around 120A DCEP on my Lincoln Ideal arc. First side looked like crap, I had a lot of sticking so I had increase the amperage. The second side I ran longer runs...looked better, but still kinda bad, LOL. I read you get a lot of porosity, but I saw very little. Didn't help I decided to do this outside and it was way windy. Doh!

A little grinding and paint make what the weldor I ain't.

I also was able to remove the pinion bearing, so time to get serious.
 

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RichLo

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That should be plenty fine to hold it in place but you have plenty of meat left on there to weld a 2nd pass without grinding at max amperage if you want to add some extra strength and make it look better. It looks like you were going a bit too fast and cold on that first picture. 7018 likes to run hot and flow on a horizontal surface, dont try and run uphill or overhead with those, lol.
 

stutaeng

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I think I had posted about that top for a TV console that I cleared with concrete sealer. I finally also painted the metal frame. Made out of scrap metal I had left over from a handrail job on our house addition. I still have to build the cabinet that will go inside.

Wife already is asking for coffee table to match, LOL.

I liked it so much, I'm going to build me a small version as a workbench!
 

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