Project: Bad Bagged '68.5

[N2TRUX]

Thanks. I bought a set from Spectre Performance that look similar. I am not pleased with the weld appearance. Probably do just fine but I wanted stacked dimes not bag of marbles welds.

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by N2TRUX

Thanks. I bought a set from Spectre Performance that look similar. I am not pleased with the weld appearance. Probably do just fine but I wanted stacked dimes not bag of marbles welds.

Haha, that's funny. I actually just got a tig welder. I love it. It's actually fun...not just point and shoot like the mig. I made a welding cart for a practice project. I'll post some pics soon.

[jlaird]

Here is little side project. I got a tig welder and to save some floor space in the garage, decide to make a cart for both welders and the chop saw. Best part is all materials except the rear wheels were left over for previous projects. The wood is cherry and was extra from a bathroom renovation.

All the hooks are for mig gun, tig torch, ground clamps and power cords. Painted to match the welder cases.



Everything neat and tidy!



other side...less clutter.



Two bottles of juice.



Closeups





And here is my favorite part. I made compartments for different sized filler rods in the tubing on both sides. This is before I painted it.



And capped off.

[Draggin A$$]

Nice! I'm digging the build! I love the welding cart.

[SCOTI]

Nice cart.

[jlaird]

I receive a couple PM's asking about what Tig I bought so I will just post here. It's the Hobart EZ Tig 165i. It's geared towards the hobbyist, and they(Hobart) did a good job achieving that. I'll explain below. This machine is very similar to the Miller Diversion series.

A couple of things attracted me to this particular unit. The main thing was simplicity. As someone whose never tig welded before, I'll admit it seemed a little intimidating. On most tig welders, there are a ton of knobs! As a self-learner, I didn't want to get overwhelmed with adjustments. I wanted to concentrate on actually welding. With this machine, I can do that since there is one adjustment knob that controls amperage. Everything else is automatically set. This decision though was total personal preference. I know myself...I'm not good with options. The fewer the better. Having said that, I was fine with upgrading to another unit if I ever felt I was missing out on something. But so far, I'm not even close to feeling that way.

Other selling points was its a 220 unit (which is what my mig is) and it's made in the US. The salesman at my local store actually tried to get me into a Chinese unit. Could of been a completely fine piece, but...no thanks.

One of the biggest selling points was price. There are cheaper machines, and there are certainly more expensive ones. I felt this was a good compromise. I purchased it at cyberweld.com

Lastly, I read good reviews on it even from veteran tig weldors. Good reviews are a must.

Before striking an arc, I watched a whole bunch of YouTube videos. Besides watching for technique, I had to learn about tungsten size and type, filler rod size and type, gas flow, how to properly sharpen the tungsten, what size torch cup to use, etc. In the process, I ordered a gas lens which goes on the end of the torch and gives better gas coverage, allows you to turn down gas flow(thus saving gas), and allows you to have more tungsten stick out in situations where you can't get the torch close to the material you are welding. (Like where two pieces of tube come together at a shallow angle)

It's much easier to tig than I thought and it's damn fun! So far, I've only worked on mild steel. I want to get the hang of that before graduating to stainless or aluminum. I've mostly worked on 1/8 material. Thinner stuff is definitely harder and will take some practice.

Hope that answers some questions. If you have anymore, just let me know.

[Moe's C10]

Bro this build is nasty!!! I cannot believe you're self taught, I would have guested by the beads you lay down you were trained professionally. I've been on the market for a new welder and I have been looking at the same Hobart you have. Your post definitely helped me decide on throwing down the loot on it. Totally subscribed to this build.

[sduckworth13]

Wow Josh, your truck is looking great. Thank you also for posting the information about the tig welder. The cart looks great. It's nice too see you kept the mig welder too.

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by Moe's C10

Bro this build is nasty!!! I cannot believe you're self taught, I would have guested by the beads you lay down you were trained professionally. I've been on the market for a new welder and I have been looking at the same Hobart you have. Your post definitely helped me decide on throwing down the loot on it. Totally subscribed to this build.

Originally Posted by sduckworth13

Wow Josh, your truck is looking great. Thank you also for posting the information about the tig welder. The cart looks great. It's nice too see you kept the mig welder too.

Wow guys, thanks for the compliments! Its was my pleasure to post that info on the welder. Anything I can do to give back to this community is a positive in my book.

[mcbassin]

Love that welding cart!

[68 Four on the Floor]

Does that unit have a high frequency start? I didn't see a pedal or does it have the controls on torch?

[mcbassin]

It's much easier to tig than I thought and it's damn fun! So far, I've only worked on mild steel. I want to get the hang of that before graduating to stainless or aluminum. I've mostly worked on 1/8 material. Thinner stuff is definitely harder and will take some practice.

Believe it or not, I've found it's easier to weld stainless and aluminum. Mild steel is very difficult to keep clean. I have experienced much more porosity with mild steel. If you have nice clean steel, it's better. Your welds look really good. Looks like you're ready to move on to Stainless and Aluminum any time to me.

Does that unit have a high frequency start? I didn't see a pedal or does it have the controls on torch?

I didn't see a foot control box either. I wondered how you were controlling current?

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by 68 Four on the Floor

Does that unit have a high frequency start? I didn't see a pedal or does it have the controls on torch?

Originally Posted by mcbassin

Believe it or not, I've found it's easier to weld stainless and aluminum. Mild steel is very difficult to keep clean. I have experienced much more porosity with mild steel. If you have nice clean steel, it's better. Your welds look really good. Looks like you're ready to move on to Stainless and Aluminum any time to me.


I didn't see a foot control box either. I wondered how you were controlling current?

Yup, its got a foot control, just not in the pictures.

[79azc10]

Trucks looks great , its definitely going to be a dime when done

[jlaird]

It's been a while since I've updated my build thread and just wanted to tell you why. All my free time has been dedicated to creating a line of parts for our trucks. This is something that I have been thinking about for a LONG time. Take a look at my post about the first part here.

Let me know what you guys think about the mirror housings. If you want a little more info, check out my site. I have some more pictures there.

I hope to get back on the truck very soon. I need to finish that bed! I have some cool ideas for it that can't wait to show.

If you have any questions on anything, I'm happy to help.

[mcbassin]

The mirror housing looks pretty cool. Hope to see you have some good success with your endeavor.

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by mcbassin

The mirror housing looks pretty cool. Hope to see you have some good success with your endeavor.

Thanks man, I really appreciate that.

[808_67C10]

Sign me up... Just saw ur post in the artistic thread and had to check out your site... Totally relate to your bio and vision bro!

[knomadd]

Wow, I must say you do some impressive work. I just came across your thread from another build I've been following. I love the welding cart, especially the filler rod holder. Very nice! And I must agree with some of the guys, thanks for sharing your opinion/experience with the TIG welder. I've been skeptical about stepping into that type of welding. From what I've read on your thread, I might start looking at a TIG welder as my next big tool purchase.

Your mirrors look fantastic by the way! And I'll be following along on your build. I'm looking forward to some updates. Keep up the good work!

[jlaird]

Originally Posted by 808_67C10

Sign me up... Just saw ur post in the artistic thread and had to check out your site... Totally relate to your bio and vision bro!

You mean somebody actually read that bio? Haha, thanks. That means a lot.

Originally Posted by knomadd

Wow, I must say you do some impressive work. I just came across your thread from another build I've been following. I love the welding cart, especially the filler rod holder. Very nice! And I must agree with some of the guys, thanks for sharing your opinion/experience with the TIG welder. I've been skeptical about stepping into that type of welding. From what I've read on your thread, I might start looking at a TIG welder as my next big tool purchase.

Your mirrors look fantastic by the way! And I'll be following along on your build. I'm looking forward to some updates. Keep up the good work!

Cool, glad to help another person with the TIG post. I need to fire that thing up again asap! Thanks for the encouragement.

[jlaird]

Got some time to work on the truck this past weekend. First I made mounting tabs for the wheel tubs. I relocated all the mounting holes on the tubs so there would be now clearance issues. That was a hoot. Thank God Harbor Frieght had a square file!





Then I put these four corner braces in.

[808_67C10]

I like what you did with the rear tubs. I am trying so hard not to raise my bed floor but yours looks awesome so far... giving me great ideas.

[jlaird]

I've got a couple more tricks up my sleeve for that bed!

[joey8383]

Beautiful work! Love this project

[mcbassin]

Very nice work as always.