Reinforcing Thuren Fab's trackbar.

[Mikeg1005]

Before you start reading this I just want everyone to know I'm not bashing his stuff or should you by any means take this post and from it consider Don's stuff as being bad... He still makes damn good products and everyone on this site can back him up.

I managed to tweak my trackbar brace haha.





Normally the brace is perfectly flat.

I actually contacted Don to inform him that this is a possible bug in his design and he actually told me he was consider reinforcing it a little but never acutally though it would happen. So he said hes going to look into it to make it stronger for future customers.

He recommended I make myself another brace and weld it from the other side of the drop bracket to the same place on the frame. I might do this in the future, but for now I just reinforced the original brace with 2 piece of steel to pervent it from farther bowing/tweaking.









Here are some welds to compensate for my extremely ugly looking ones on my axle gusseting haha...

Finished product.



Just something that you Thuren fab trackbar owners might want to consider. I'm actually curious.. did anyone ever have theirs bend on them? Or am I the only one?


MIke.

[shooterfpga]

wow, that looks a little too frightening like flux core. as such, that would make sense as to why there is a lot of trapped slag in your weld. what wire are you using, if its an innershield, which it looks like, that flux has not completely gone to the surface of the weld, trapping slag inside and under it, once that weld comes under any type or pressure or force it will snap.

[Mikeg1005]

Quote:On 2007-03-11 21:13, shooterfpga wrote:
wow, that looks a little too frightening like flux core. as such, that would make sense as to why there is a lot of trapped slag in your weld. what wire are you using, if its an innershield, which it looks like, that flux has not completely gone to the surface of the weld, trapping slag inside and under it, once that weld comes under any type or pressure or force it will snap.

Umm... I have welded my rock rails and everything like this and they hold no problem what so ever, I have sat the truck down on them and everything... It get perfect penetration, it just doesn't look pretty.

MIke.

[shooterfpga]

i weld with FCAW-SS NR-232/E71T-8 all day, so i know how it should and shouldnt look. i'm not trying to bash you, i just know how the smallest piece of slag from flux-core can literally snap a piece under load. i wouldnt tell you anything if you did this with another process with no flux as it really wouldnt matter, even with the ugliest welds in the world. i was offering just a precautionary note. the pix are a little blurry, but it looks like you have incorrect wire speed as well, which is what causes that sandpaper like slag to still be attached to the weld, if you tell me what wire you are using i can help tell you what parameters you should be around. the slag should peel like a banana, it will literally curl up on itself.

[Mikeg1005]

MIke.

[Mikeg1005]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/di...mber=42913




MIke.

[shooterfpga]

as this wire E71T-GS does not conform to any specification, i can not give you the ipm/volt parameters, i can however suggest that you use a drag motion in direction of travel with a 45*, also go much slower than you are and allow the puddle to turn into an almost "v" shaped puddle with the crest facing your direction of travel. i can't tell if you have chicken tracks or any other discernable artifacts, other than the dust type slag instead of a shell. that could however be from the characteristics of the wire, like i said the gs can be any combination of alloys the manufacturer decides to use. i would try messing with your wire speed and volts and see if it clears up for you. good luck

[Glenshadow]

That and try a can of that anti-spatter stuff maybe ?

I have never had a weld come out like that.. so hard to give any advice.

Anyhow.. on the bracket, wow.. I would think that brace was (should be) thicker than that ! 3/8" or 1/4" plate is what I would use. And trussed....

Still this is the first one I have ever seen tweaked.

[Mikeg1005]

what is this anti-splatter stuff I hear about.. how does it work...


MIke.

[bentrocker]

It comes in a spray can and you spray it on the tip of your gun. It stops spatter from sticking to the cup on the end of your gun and your tip.