jeffs55
04-26-2008, 07:02 PM
I took off a half-day Thursday and all of Friday to work on the 55 and I actually got some more done.
The pockets were finish welded and the springs fitted.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1135/4322794/19468981/314885573.jpg
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1135/4322794/19468981/314885572.jpg
And I got the rear cut-outs cut and welded.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1135/4322794/19468981/314885570.jpg
With the reversed rear eyes, I was concerned about clearance at the front of the cut-out. After measuring a few times I determined the cut out could move forward and still be fine. So, I moved it forward about an inch and a quarter and welded them in.
Still some grinding to do and I've got the upper mounts ready to weld in. I'll do that tomorrow.
I had a lot of trouble holding the MIG gun steady while lying down, or sitting, scrunched over trying to reach the weld areas.
I found that I could use a long rod (or a long screwdriver) wedged anywhere I could to steady my hand. It worked a lot better.
I also had some trouble with the MIG welder itself. I noticed, sometimes it would "zip" right along just like it's supposed to and sometimes it would pop and blob, like the wire was not running out smoothly.
After checking everything else, I noticed the ground clamp seemed to be getting unusually hot.
I took the cable off and found the face that bolts to the clamp to be pretty tarnished.
I cleaned it up good and reattached. I haven't tried it out yet, but I think I wasn't getting a good ground.
The pockets were finish welded and the springs fitted.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1135/4322794/19468981/314885573.jpg
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1135/4322794/19468981/314885572.jpg
And I got the rear cut-outs cut and welded.
http://pic1.picturetrail.com/VOL1135/4322794/19468981/314885570.jpg
With the reversed rear eyes, I was concerned about clearance at the front of the cut-out. After measuring a few times I determined the cut out could move forward and still be fine. So, I moved it forward about an inch and a quarter and welded them in.
Still some grinding to do and I've got the upper mounts ready to weld in. I'll do that tomorrow.
I had a lot of trouble holding the MIG gun steady while lying down, or sitting, scrunched over trying to reach the weld areas.
I found that I could use a long rod (or a long screwdriver) wedged anywhere I could to steady my hand. It worked a lot better.
I also had some trouble with the MIG welder itself. I noticed, sometimes it would "zip" right along just like it's supposed to and sometimes it would pop and blob, like the wire was not running out smoothly.
After checking everything else, I noticed the ground clamp seemed to be getting unusually hot.
I took the cable off and found the face that bolts to the clamp to be pretty tarnished.
I cleaned it up good and reattached. I haven't tried it out yet, but I think I wasn't getting a good ground.