What's the easiest/best way of welding the inner edge of the V? Only problem is getting into the V with the torch of my mig.
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Basically you can't !
But it will not hurt if you leave the inside.
If you are really paranoid, then weld some triangle plates across the web.

So putting a beed of weld across/down the gap as close as poss to the V isn't really worth the hassle?

you can get a little in from the sides. Trying to fill it from afar isnt ideal as it gets too hot and blobs everywhere. Ive left many parts of my car unwelded, to no ill effect. Even the bottom of my engine mounts arent welded in. However, if its a crucial part, its well worth cutting a piece of similar box into a triangle to fill the hole.

It's one of two Y braces for the enigne bay, as per cymtrik's plans. There are a few other bits like this due to extra triangulation. Or will be when I put them in.

Turn up your gas, wire feed and power. It also helps if you can weld on the horizontal ie the bit your are welding is flat with gravity helping the weld go into the corner. Then weld from the sides and middle. You will find you can weld into very tight corners which are 25 to 30mm from the torch.

I would personally weld every joint and corner and it is always possible to get some sort of weld. As mentioned befoe put a gusset or piece in if required.

John

Hi there

With that amount of weld area / contact patch there should be good strenth without the need to wild the inner V

Cheers

Ian

Must be doing something right. The last time I posted a pic of my welding it was frowned upon! Although I'd be the first to admit it wasn't the best/neatest. That weld is now what I consider good, but not my best. Am I being hard on myself, or just doing what's right for the sva man?
Ps cheers NS Dev for your advice.

I also would suggest putting the gas higher and the rest accordig to speed..

(the gas alse it would spatter allot!!)

If you don't fill all the gaps, your chasis in the english climate won't last long..
(i mean to say it could caught water)

Bcause it still is mild steel what we are using...

At least kit/silicone the places where you arent able to weld.....

i recommend the gas up trick, every weld is one and will deffo be better as none....

on the other half i say to that the tubes have the moest strenght on the planes
(like in the pic above) sow welding in the non backedup side can cause deforming
altough mig/mag is a very "cold" way of welding...

Just my opinion..

also i think we should look at the manufactures what do they do??

Tks

p.s.
every hole i drilled, before putting something in, i always hat the silicone by hand, every panel has his own silicone gasket...(just let it dry for 3hours..)

i cant sleep well noing/thinking that after a wet day perhaps my chasis tubes have water in them...

I'm planning on putting so many coats of paint on it that any little holes I miss get filled up with zinc primer. Or just cover them in something else waterproof.

If you run your top and bottom weld a bit further over the V and then weld into the V downwards welding to one side of the tube then again welding to the other side you will fill the join with a third run down joining the two together. I keep a shortened squashed shroud for those bits.

Another little tip is to buy anti-splatter spray and spray the joints before you weld them. The splatter can just be wiped off. Alternatively, knock the splatter off with a file. Not by banging it as the file would break, but by sliding it so that the edge of the file, hit the splatter.
Most will knock of this way.

'v' ing a shroud and owning an arc welder can help

I used both methods on mine , I tend to use 1.5mm arc rods for tight gaps.
Paul.

quote:

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Originally posted by Mr G
'v' ing a shroud and owning an arc welder can help

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Don't know if you already have one, but if you get the cone nozzel for your mig, that helps. Using the standard straight one makes it harder to reach into the tight spots. atb Ray.

Many thanks for the help gents. I think I'll try the flattened shroud thing. Sounds the easiest way for me to do it.

Definately get a spare shroud and flatten it, helpd greatly. Also the gasless wire (if your MIG supports it) is good for getting into tight corners as you don't need to wind up gas supply.

Mine's just a bog standard jobbie. If it were to support gasless wire, would it be worth buyin a reel just for tight corners? Seems a bit excessive. Unless you use it often. Is it any different in use? Apart from the obvious lack of gas.

You could cut a wedge and then weld all round.

Paul G

p.s.
sorry about the crap drawing
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Could do, but to make it easier to get at and worth the effort, it'll have to be damn long. Seems a bit excessive for a little weld. Might look untidy too, since the rails are visible under the bonnet.

it looks very professional if done neatly. I did that on my trailer several times, but that was in 2" section so easier.

That's partly what I mean, for 1" box, is it really worth the effort involved? I'm sure it can look very nice and tidy, but is it the easiest way?

I'd try to weld it. But if you don't, you could put flexible sealant in to prevent rust.

i dont think it will significantly affect the strength if you miss it, so yes, sealant is fine. Obviously if you were a manufacturer trying to demonstrate workshop talent it would be a different matter! I wouldnt waste any time thinking about it, just crack on!

It is OK to leave the inside of a tight angle unwelded from a strength perspective, and your weld quality looks good from the pic. What ever you do don't try too hard to weld inside it by turning up current etc.. Unless you are using something like T45 standard steel tube then every weld will put the metal thru' a heat cycle that will drop its mechanical performance due to loss of annealing properties. Bottom line is unless the weld will give you a guarenteed good quality result for minimum heat induced don't bother, as you may do more harm (strength-wise) than good.

Agreed - what I did was to get in from either side as best I could, but don't go much further than that. The first time, I turned up the arc/gas/wire speed, and burned a hole through the tubing in about the most inaccessible place on the frame, inside the vee. THAT, I had to fix. I've looked at several other frames, some didn't even bother with the inside angles, others just got in from either side as best they could.

You'll find with a slightly squashed shroud, a few more amps, touch more gas and a practice run on some scrap set to the same angle so you can predict where the wire will go (as it never goes in a straight line on hobby welders!) you'll weld it as-is with no problems.

There's no right or wrong solution, but that one will work and I'd rather weld all round, and would never go near a weld with sealant.