This is my first time posting pics, and my first real welding project/fabrication. Basically, I wanted the strut brace to mount actually to the strut mounts and also allow for full alignment movement of the struts and be able to remove it easily if need be. It's not the prettyist , but the welds are strong and it was good practice at fabrication for me. I used what little scrap metal I had, along with cutting up a factory strut mount off of a 90's Buick or something that I bought at the u pull it junk yard for 11 dollars. Iv'e been painting stuff light grey because eventually I want the engine bay to be all grey, reminiscent of the old trans am camaro's. Although it's not the best for showing detail on camera. Also, I don't know how to re-size pics, or if I even need to, so please give me info on that if anyone has time. Thanks, hope you like it.

Looks pretty damn good to me. I've welded a handful of times in my life and I'm getting ready to start fab'ing some stuff for the camaro and I hope my welds look that good (if not..that's what they make grinders for I guess)

Thanks. yeah, as I get better I'm going to aim at using the grinder less and less. It took me a while complete it start to finish, and the bummer is you start laying the best beads when your almost done. I know that for me, welding is something that I'll get better at if I don't let big periods of time go by without welding, otherwise it's more like going back to the beginning, rather than moving onto the next skill while still retaining what I figured out before.

You'll get better at it by getting some material and practicing, rather than learning on stuff you're trying to make.

Get scraps of metal similar in thickness and metal to what you are welding, practice on them and get your settings right, then apply what you end up with to your actual fabrication.

This. Welding isn't rocket science or magic like so many people on here make it seem like. Most of the time it's just getting a feel for different metals and how they react to different rods & amps and so forth. Trial and error, with experience and patience in the mix

Not trying to be critical, but take a look at your welds on the metal. You should have a slight mound shape coming outward from the weld points, and (in your case) you're actually inverting the metal apart from where you want it.

Try it on some scraps like suggested. Start with just doing beads on a flat surface. After that, try welding two pieces in a right angle and actually getting the welds flush. Once you've got that, try a few varying angles at different degrees. When you're doing with that - try cylindrical objects (arguably the hardest ones to do nicely/properly in my opinion; especially on projects).

Make small "circle" motions with your wrist while drawing a bead so you keep the hot metal moving in YOUR specified direction. If you just go in a straight line like MIG welding it will want to splotch and pool in any which direction it can escape (like seen in your welds). If you move in a circular motion with your wrist you're actually giving the metal a path to go towards. It's a lot easier to control that way, anyways. Work WITH the iron "pool" so you can push it in the direction you want and not all over the place. You also want to make sure you stay even/not pointing at a massive angle so your welds look like ))))))) and not like >>>>>> . Remember, the whole point of the weld is strength.


Here's what I'm talking about:







A GOOD weld (see below):


I like what you've got, though. It sounds like I'm nitpicking, but I'm really just offering tips. There's some good tutorials on youtube so you can see what I'm talking about. Your best bet is just practicing, honestly. It's a lot like drawing, really - you just need to get a feel for it. Once you do, you're golden.

^^^ To be fair, that last pic is an aluminum TIG weld, not MIG on mild steel. Which isn't to say that you can't get that look with a MIG though

Really though, welding is an art, and not a lot of people have ever truly mastered it. The fitup, prep/cleaning and settings are most of the battle, after that it just takes practice. Learn to see more to the puddle than just the arc, watch how the edges all wet out, watch the penetration ahead of the arc. You can make adjustments to your travel angle, travel speed and stickout as you weld to control your bead width, penetration, and shape. Be sure to stay close to the leading edge of the puddle

Thanks for the tips/info. I'm not sure what you mean about "inverting the metal apart from where you want it" ? I'm thinking mabye you mean the weld is inverted like on the wrong side or upside down? Thanks for posting the pics/diagram also.

Again, thanks for the tips/info. to "watch how the edges all wet out", and also adjusting the "stickout" - as well as the other stuff are good tips.

Thats not too bad! What kind of welder are you using? Flux or gas?

If you arent using gas, do yourself a favor and try to get a gas set up. People will say you can get good welds with flux wire...and you can. But its MUCH easier to get started with gas in my opinoin. And not that looks are at the top of the list when welding, it'll help keep the spatter down.

A STB is a great part to cut your teeth on. Because its not a high stress part, you dont have to take anything else apart to remove/tweak/rebuild, and it gives you a chance to be creative. Dont be afraid to take the grinder to your welds at first. Those pictures above are from guys that have been welding for a long time and it doesnt happen over night. Ive spent many a grinding discs making my visible welds look better haha. Grinding is an art in itself so look at it as another chance to gain another skill!

What others have said about scrap metal is 100% good advice too. And it goes back to what you said about "you lay your best beads when youre almost done". If Ive gone a month or more without welding, I grab some scrap metal, and spend a few minutes messing around to get "warmed up". This will help you get your welder dialed in, and get to your good beads sooner when you start on your piece. I dont thow any scrap metal away. If Im welding on something thick, I grab thick scrap and blast away on it for a while.

Good start and I dig your design there actually! It kind of reminds me of the bar they put on from the factory on some cars...like the Buicks and Bonnevilles and such. Keep at it! Make a wonder bar next!

J.

It looks like Moses parted the sea on your weld, haha. That's what I meant. All the metal is slagged at the sides with very little in the middle (the heart of the weld) to keep things strong and together. I think you'll be fine in your case, but don't stress about it. You can always redo the welds at a later point in time if you need to.

I also agree with Ghetto.. I like gas setups. They are great at consistancy and really just make things easy in general.. and actually, that's a great idea. Make the wonderbar your next project. That should be some easy and good practice.

If you have to grind it to pretty it up, the weld probably isnt worth a crap.

It's a gas 110 mig. I got the worst splatter when I was welding into the 90 degree corner - if that makes sense.

I havn't thought about a wonder bar for my next thing - that's a good idea.

Again, thanks guys for the advise.

If you've got a gas welder and you have welds looking like that, you really need to do a lot of practicing on scrap before making more "next things"

I think we already established that, haha.

No, there are things like this here terribly confusing people:

I cant stress enough how untrue that is, dont cover up poor welding with a grinder, its only going to break later, how catastrophic it is depends on the part, no matter what it makes no sense to just go off trying to fab parts with poor welds, rather than practicing, getting things nailed down a bit, then start making things.

What welder do you have exactly? Now that we know you have a 110 volt MIG, I'm just going to make a few suggestions...

-I'm going to assume you're using the smallest filler wire diameter, if you aren't already make the switch from .030" to .023". It will make a noticeable difference on a small machine like this.

-Make sure that you clean any mill scale or rust off anything you're welding, it'll weld better. Also get the best ground you can

-Your welds do look cold (Meaning there is less "fusion" than there should be). Some welds look like you were moving too fast as well, like in your second picture

-On a machine of this size, you need all the heat you can get to weld steel that thick. Your volts should be at the hottest setting, and the contact tip should be very close to the weld (you can use a short nozzle, with the tip extending past the nozzle to help visibility of the weld). I wouldn't use more than 15-20 degrees of a push angle, more angle will reduce your penetration. Using a drag angle can theoretically increase penetration, but it takes different technique too

If you're really interested in improving your welding, watch some of Jody's videos at weldingtipsandtricks.com, there's some really good stuff on there. Have fun!

Never said to cover up bad welds with grinding really... However, you can have good welds that dont look pretty. The look pretty part comes with practice, but you can still have strong welds. Good weld comes first..pretty second. But pretty was the point of what you highlighted. Guess I should have watched my wording...

I didnt re-iterate what others said, because they provided information about penetration and other technical aspects. No need to repeat it. And I dont think anyone that has the mindset to learn welding was confused by it.

I was simply saying, for a part like a STB, that isnt crucial to safety really, and that is the FIRST thing people see when you pop the hood, dressing the welds isnt a bad thing. Sounds like he knows where he stands, and isnt about to build a k-member tomorrow.

Yes its better to not have to grind them. Of course it is... If you have good penetration, but got some globs along the way, they can be cleaned up. He's not welding on incredibly thick material, and maybe I should have prefaced what I said with something about penetration. Guess I assumed too much. Couldnt really see the pics in great detail or wack the thing with a hammer to test it.

J.

Well, first of all, i guess I'll let you guys know that it's not like I literally opened the box my welder came in, hooked a tank up to it and said, "Now I shall IMMEDIATELY build a strut tower brace! Like most guys (I would assume) I read various articles in magazines/the web, spent a long time deciding which welder to get, and then when I did hook it up, I did practice. I didn't spend a lot of time with scrap metal just practicing because basically, that's what I was doing by making the strut tower brace. I was most interested in making my welds strong, with good penetration, before worrying about them looking perfect. I decided to dive in and make the STB, because, why not kill two birds with one stone? I proceeded with the "process" of teaching myself how to weld, and made something at the same time. Besides, if it didn't turn out, or if the welds didn't have good penetration, and the bar wasn't structurally sound...I wouldn't use it, or I would start over. I realize that good looking welds are in and of them self indicators of quality/strong/correct welds, but I I know that my welds do have good penetration and are strong enough for the application, so I decided to mount it.

I think next time Ill try to post a pick before grinding and painting, so the welding will be easier seen, and maybe avoid some of the confusion. To be honest, I thought more people would chime in on the design of the bar, rather than the construction. I think ghettocruiser and I are more "on the same page", but I also appreciate what others have said, and Primetime91, and DeltaElite121 continue to give good info.

Honestly, I salute you for saving $140 and actually building one yourself. Most people here aren't professional welders (me included, I just have a lot of experience under my belt but I definitely don't do it for a living).

Try powdercoating your next piece; I'd like to see that if you could. I always feel that's a nice touch for a project of this size

Thanks. Powdercoating's a good idea. It's something I've always wondered about, but have not tried myself, or brought it somewhere to have it done. Someday I'd like to get an old oven and try one of those do-it-yourself kits, but that's probly years and years away. I did see an add for a new company advertising that they do powdercoating in the cities here, if they're reasonably priced I would like to try it.

Ive actually had great results with POR 15. If you brush that stuff on nice, it self levels REALLY well, fills in and smoothes imperfections and will be really glossy/wet looking when dry. I used it on lots of parts that dont see UV light, and the finish holds up great. Most of my parts are under the car though haha. You can spray it too if you want/can.

Powdercoating is nice if you have a bunch of stuff to do. Im not sure what prices are like these days but the more you have the cheaper it'll be usually. Like getting something chromed. Unless you get an old oven and DIY, then youre only limited to the size of the parts you can do.

Tho...Im not sure if you can get POR in anything other than black or grey... I think they make top coats, but Ive only ever wanted black parts so I just used the normal stuff.

J.

POR 15 is a great product all around, they do sell a few other colors now and they have an engine enamel now which can be used for many things besides engines and comes in a decent amount of colors.

I personally love the stuff for spraying. Comes out great when you get it mixed right. I usually use something like a 1.7 or 2.0 spray nozzle, although I've used as small as a 1.5 when I did the floor pans on my dad's 86 monte. There marine clean is also nice to have around for prepping something to paint.

I really like the stb design. The welds don't look too bad from what I can see but is hard to tell on my phone. Gave me a few ideas for what I want to do when I build one for my 88 iroc.

if you can strike an arc the rest is just practice whether it be mig, stick, or heliarc it all takes practice. here is a heliarc root in a boiler tube and one capped out with 7018 in a 6g, i took these last year and with more practice have improved a ton

6G does not look like fun.

Here is one of my more recent with the tig, .065 tubing, mild steel.




And my least favorite to do (because of the heat involved) an external wastegate flange to factory cast manifold:

yeah cast is a pain to weld, only time i did it it was super hot and we welded it with stick and stress releived it with a slag pick, idk if it ever broke again but i wouldnt be surprised

This is one of the better looking MIG weld I have done that I actually have a picture of. Its possible to get a tig look with mig. This one isnt perfect, it could be a little tighter/slower and with 100% argon instead of c25 for the cleaner look.