Welding tips or suggestions

[snakeoil24]

Is wire size a factor? I'm running .030 solid. any advantage to flux core?

Use .023 and solid core with 75/25 gas blend

 

[ckessel]

Thanks everyone for the great information!! Always learn from this site.
So what I ended up doing was cutting a section of floor to gain access to the inside of the frame rail. I then bent up some sheet metal to follow the top edge of the frame rail. Basically, I created a new flange on the inside of the rail. Then plug welded the frame rail and the floor to the new flange. I'm really happy with the results and think I have negated any loss of strength.
So basically, I'm saying I came here for advice then just did it my way anyway LOL

I did the same along with following the instructions provided, from USCT, then needing to deviate when they were not quite right for me.

 

[Green72]

So just to follow up on how my method worked out. After i created the flange on the inside of the frame rail I was able to massage the edges of the floor along with the frame rail and end up with very little gap. I was then able to weld the floor to the frame rail and honestly at my skill level I couldn't be happier. May have been the long road but nobody's paying me buy the hour!!

 

[ckessel]

Looks fine to me. Many times you have to change methods/tactics to get what's needed.

 

[gkent]

Not all advice is good advice !! Sometimes you have to look at what others have done and adjust your actions based on that. Looks good to me !!

 

[Moparfever65]

On my 65, along with the mini tubs, I moved the springs in. Used the USCT stuff for both. I cut/ground the rail flanges flush where needed for the tubs. The floor did pop up in some areas due to losing the spot welded to the rail areas. On the popped up areas, I pulled the floor down to the rails with C-Clamps, did some tack welds, move the clamps, repeat until I didn't need the clamps. From there, did many short welds to get the two portions attached to each other. Once the tubs got fitted and welded to the rails, I bent some 90* pieces to weld between the tub and trunk floor area, in the trunk area, to give some additional attachment from the floor to the tubs. Plug welded them too. My Mig is a Lincoln Power Mig 215. I used .030 solid wire with the 80/20 Argon/CO2 mix. As mentioned above, practice some on some scrap. The rail material, 14ga I think on mine, isn't bad to weld. The fun stuff is the floor. Its 20ga.

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Curious how you reinforced the trunk lid hinge support. Looks like you did things right.

 

[gkent]

US Car Tool sell pieces to go from the tubs to the hinge brackets.

 

[ckessel]

I used the pieces that came with the USCT package. But...I needed to cut/trim/rebend some to get the fit better. The torsion springs were easy. Hot wrench in a couple of places to remove tension, then cut them apart. Going gas cylinder when its time.

 

[gkent]

Hot wrench in a couple of places to remove tension, then cut them apart.

Don't know why you had to cut them, they fit just fine stock length.

 

[Moparfever65]

I used the pieces that came with the USCT package. But...I needed to cut/trim/rebend some to get the fit better. The torsion springs were easy. Hot wrench in a couple of places to remove tension, then cut them apart. Going gas cylinder when its time.

Thanks. Never saw their site before. Lots of Gen3 Hemi stuff. When I did mine I used a full tub kit. Expanding the existing tub looks a lot stronger.