62 Falcon - $5k challenge, how will it rise from the ranger's ashes?

[SuperBuickGuy]

get thicker tunsten, you need to be a bit hotter. The weld should be blue/silver (like your second picture) not shiney.

of course, I'm laughing at myself while I type this - last night I was welding cast aluminum so I could use my lawnmower and using about equal parts tungsten and aluminum rod

[milner351]

Depression over lack of shop time has once again led to spending money.

2" spring width, 3" diameter axle tube leaf spring perches

head bolt spacer/washers

stock replacement roller lifters

Summit didn't have leaf spring bushings - so I may end up ordering those from www.thesuspensionking.com
or maybe I won't order from the suspension king - I may be frugal - but I just can't wrap my head around $22 in shipping for $38 worth of bushings - especially since they're coming out of PA, not CA.


My wife has made garden expansion and play set assembly plans for the weekend - so falcon progress will be haulted for probably most of the next 48 hours.


SBG - keeping the tungsten out of the weld puddle sure isn't easy in some situations - welding cast aluminum mower parts.... yea - I'm sure that stuff wasn't real clean.... did you remember to ball up the tungsten with some copper?

[SuperBuickGuy]

no balling, simply use A/C. Even if I balled the tip, it wouldn't solve the issue - that it was carrying far more current than the little 1/16" tungsten wire could handle. Fortunately I could do tack, cool, tack, cool and it worked pretty well all things considered. The biggest issue with cast aluminum is the porosity, it traps crap and oxygen - both of which are not good for pretty welds. Ah well, though, it worked and my lawn won't have to be baled before the new parts get here (which was the point of welding a $16.44 part)

[milner351]

Nice work! I have not welded much cast AL at all - I'm a bit apprehensive to start on injector bungs and the like...

[SuperBuickGuy]

don't let it scare you, it's not terribly hard. About the only real differences between it and steel welding (other then welder settings) is you: remove the oxidation from where you're going to weld, push the torch, and feed the rod into torch as you're pushing along. Imagine the rod and the torch are dancing a basic back/forward waltz.... weird analogy, I know, but it's what I was told and it works for me.

[milner351]

Got the front spring pockets mostly welded in last night. I think I drilled the bolt holes too large in the spring pockets, I think they are now the OD of the leaf spring front bushing sleeve, not the ID - so I may have to find some bushings or weld on washers or something.... I don't have new from bushings yet and the old ones are already scrapped.

The HF heat gun wouldn't work at all last night - so apparently they have about a 5 hour life span..... I think that's the second one that died quickly on me - the first one didn't even get all the stickers off one side of the mach1. oh well.

Baby steps.

The 2" wide 3" diameter tube spring perches came in - but I'm still not completely sure how to get them set up right on the axle yet - so I'm waiting until I can mock up the springs in the new location in the car.

[SuperBuickGuy]

bolt the axle in place without welding the pads, measure, measure, measure, put on the ground (or at least support the entire weight of the car on the axle - meaning put the jackstands under points that correspond with the tires), check the angles, tack, pull apart, weld up solid.

HF - yep, still hit n miss on quality.

still, it is progress - keep it up

[pintoboy77]

You sure make up for lost weekends great job keep up the good work.

[milner351]

Got some more welding done last night. Front leaf spring mounts are all welded in - ugly, but welded. Passenger floor got some more attention, and drivers floor is closer to welding in the new piece.

Before - frame rail cut out


After - 1/8" plate front spring mount welded in - ugly - but welded.

[SuperBuickGuy]

looks quite serviceable... keep up the good work