Long Bed To Short Bed Question

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by slotard

I'd be more worried about lengthening than shortening, as even with the same load the bending moment increases when you lengthen the frame. Then again, for all I know different van lengths all use the same frame height/width/thickness so it may not be an issue.

I agree that, done right, there's nothing wrong with shortening. That said, it does need to be done right. It shouldn't be your first welding project, and you shouldn't try to do it with a 110V MIG. It's a life safety issue, so it needs to be done by a competent welder with the right equipment.

A good 110v mig can do 1/4 just has to be done properly. If that is all you have then just plate and bolt the joints when you are done.

[Fatherof3]

Found this headed "How do you weld a submarine"

[slotard]

Originally Posted by enaberif

A good 110v mig can do 1/4 just has to be done properly. If that is all you have then just plate and bolt the joints when you are done.

I sure wouldn't want to trust a 110v MIG to get good penetration on 1/4" when it comes to life safety things. I agree that, in that case, bolting is a better option.

[enaberif]

Originally Posted by slotard

I sure wouldn't want to trust a 110v MIG to get good penetration on 1/4" when it comes to life safety things. I agree that, in that case, bolting is a better option.

You can watch a ton of videos on youtube that show people using 110v welders to weld 1/4" material with zero issues.

I honestly wouldn't cut a frame without bolting it together just add extra measure regardless.

[Chevy_mud_truck]

The welder being 110 doesn't matter as much as what amp it's capable of producing being able to get to both sides to weld both sides should need to v it frames are not thick enough to need it if your weld both sides

[Fatherof3]

Following the beveled method diagrammed above gives good results with 110v. A Z cut with a fish plate and you're golden.

[85/Silverado]

If you are shortening the truck just for looks than Ok. If you need to use your truck leave it alone. It looks great as it is.

[slotard]

Originally Posted by Chevy_mud_truck

The welder being 110 doesn't matter as much as what amp it's capable of producing being able to get to both sides to weld both sides should need to v it frames are not thick enough to need it if your weld both sides

There's only so much power you can pull out of a 110 outlet. If there was a 40A 110 outlet I'd see nothing wrong with using a welder intended to take advantage of it on thicker material.

My old roommate (who won significant competitions, then taught welding at the local CC, and now works on prototypes for a major car company) wanted a rated output of at least 1A per .001" thickness, so he was iffy about using the Lincoln 175HD I have on 3/16 even. Using the right FCAW wires can increase capacity. Lincoln seems to agree with him, for solid wire they only rate it for .135" steel. When building something that isn't safety critical, I see nothing wrong with working outside that range but I personally wouldn't on a frame. Using FCAW you can do significantly thicker - the chart goes up to 5/16" for that. When it comes to something that can kill you, I'll listen to him and Lincoln. http://www.lincolnelectric.com/asset...ln3/imt825.pdf page 30 is the chart from Lincoln.

I strongly prefer a bevel (or double bevel depending on how you're doing the weld) on anything important. They'll allow full penetration with less of a root gap, and therefore less distortion. Fish plates help a lot, and might let you get away with a weld that isn't otherwise adequate.

[Chevy_mud_truck]

How thick do think the frame are on the 73-87 trucks and if where going to get technical on it its 120 and 240 is the voltage for most standard homes in the us and yes i do agree on the 1 amp per thousand what I was referring to was to use a welder close to the being able to put out the amps needed for the job and most of the ratings listed on the welder are in a single pass and perfect conditions would I weld a frame with a 110 welder yes and not bat a eye as long as it wasn't a cheap no name welder with 3 or 4 setting and I know I could trust the amp output rating listed on the welder