The welded arm would be a horizontal bar with a vertical bar welded on at the end.
quote:
hmm, weird
depends on your welds though, a bit of blending (the old flapper wheel), a bit of paint, who'd know...
[Edited on 12/12/07 by Mr Whippy]
phelpsa - 12/12/07 at 10:57 AMI was going to say.... weld it properly (properly properly!) and grind it back and who could judge?
smart51 - 12/12/07 at 11:01 AMI was thinking something like this
Rescued attachment complex suspension arm.JPG
smart51 - 12/12/07 at 11:02 AMor perhaps this
Rescued attachment square suspension arm.JPG
jollygreengiant - 12/12/07 at 11:38 AMVery grey area as regards MOT. The criteria for failure would be that it is obviuos that an item on the suspension or steering has been subjected to 'EXCESSIVE' heat.
You cannot test with hindsight or prior knowledge therefore the theory is that you could fail, say, a steering arm for being bent.
If you are the only technician as well as the mot tester, then you might be tempted to use the 'HOT' spanner to straighten said arm. Being conscientious you might paint the arm once cooled. You then retest the vehicle and it passes. You have done nothing illegal however it would not be 'right'.
Oh and a good MOT tester would do it the 'right' way. The above was one of the moral issues that we used to debate.
omega 24 v6 - 12/12/07 at 12:25 PMIn an ideal world it'd be made from a forging and then machined as it keeps the grain stucture flowing and makes it stronger. Also it' would be heat treated to stress relieve it before machining. If it were me i'd make it from a solid block of steel BUT get rid of all the sharp corners and radius them for better strength.
indykid - 12/12/07 at 02:38 PMraceleda arms are welded.
i know they get a fair bit of negative press for being so, but i've not heard of them failing sva, nor have i heard of them failing on the road.
i'd personally be happier bending them from 15mm strip, or machining from solid.
what's it for?
tom
smart51 - 12/12/07 at 02:46 PMI'm building a cabin scooter / micro car / bubble car. and am using mini front hubs and wheels. 10" rims are tiny and there's no room for anything underneath them, including steering arms of more suitable geometry than the originals.
I'd love to have them machined out of solid. If anyone has the machinary to do it and charges reasonable prices, you're hired.
Howlor - 12/12/07 at 05:08 PMNot wanting to sound too killjoy but I suppose all these sort of things are generally ok until there is a problem.
Like the selby train crash guy, 999 times out of a 1000 falling asleep at the wheel would of ended up with a bent car and a possible ticking off. If the arm was to break and you end up on a railway then your welding is going to be called into question. The chance is very slim but like everything it does happen from time to time.
Steve
Wingnut - 14/12/07 at 01:37 PMquote:
Originally posted by indykid
raceleda arms are welded.
FWIW I looked at a raceleda steering arm from a crashed fury.
The car had gone into the tyres at Mallory pk hairpin after a 'late braking' incident.
The front n/s wheel took most of the impact. the steering arm had bent quite badly but didn't break.
NS Dev - 14/12/07 at 03:15 PMas usual its up to the designer.
if one was to weld it at home with a 130 amp sip mig then one could expect to be in the 5hit if it broke and caused an accident.
Done properly and designed properly,
a) it won't break
b) if it did, it would be part of an accident which could have broken any steering arm subject to the same force and there is no case against you.
JB - 16/12/07 at 05:23 PM"If your brakes fail, you can pick which tree you hit or wall you go through" "If your steering fails............"
I would never compromise on any aspect of steering. Therefore if you weld steering arms (something I would be very wary of doing) make sure you really know what you are doing.
