So I have a Jeep Wrangler, a welder, some scrap metal, and limited monitary backing. This all came together in me next project, I'll call it "Scrappy Sliders". I've had the welder for a little while and only used it for small repairs and projects. Until I happened to come across a large pile of old hand rails near a construction site. The rails are a combinations of round and square tubing. Since I don't have a tube notcher, the square is the focus here.
STEP 1:
I started with the reciprocating saw and hacked out all the square tube. At this point the biggest pain in the ass is the paint. It catches fire, melts, and flakes everywhere. Probably going to be the only drawback of the whole project.
STEP 2:
As you can see from the picture I already have the passenger side completed and most of the problems work out. Using it as a template I cut the peices needed for the primary structure. The long peice in the back is 47" long, however the tubing is only about 36" long. That means I had to weld two peices together, I hope it's going to be strong enough. I'll get to that later, when I get to adding it the support mounts.
STEP 3: Weld all the pieces from 'Step 2' together. Get spun up in putting up xmas lights and let sit on garage floor one month. Wait for better weather...
TOOLS: No fancy fabrication tools is my garage, just the basics. I'll start left to right. Mechanics gloves, tape measure, speed square, wire brush, reciprocating saw w/ 24 TPI (tooth per inch) metal blade, angle grinder w/ various wheels, and a good hammer. Not in this picture is the welder, it's a Lincoln Electric Weld-pak 100 wire fed core flux 110 volt welder. The angle grinder is the most important in my book. Without it you can't make the clean cuts you need to get the pieces together or smooth down the welds for a sharp looking project. I've used a grinding disc, flapper disc, cut-off wheel, and wire wheel. Sure the welder brings it all together and nothings cooler than melting metal with electricity, but without a good grinder you're just sticking obscure metal bits to one another. Tools are cool.
STEP 4: After my holiday break and waiting out some snow and ice the weather broke and I started back to a little work. Here I'm adding in the center bracing. I cut them so that they fit tight for easy welding. Also making sure that I removed the paint and surface rust with the wire wheel on my grinder. Welding over or near paint will contaminate your welds and make them brittle. So preping the areas are important. In the pictures they are only just tack welded in place. The finish welds were laid in later.
STEP 1:I started with the reciprocating saw and hacked out all the square tube. At this point the biggest pain in the ass is the paint. It catches fire, melts, and flakes everywhere. Probably going to be the only drawback of the whole project.
STEP 2:
As you can see from the picture I already have the passenger side completed and most of the problems work out. Using it as a template I cut the peices needed for the primary structure. The long peice in the back is 47" long, however the tubing is only about 36" long. That means I had to weld two peices together, I hope it's going to be strong enough. I'll get to that later, when I get to adding it the support mounts.
STEP 3: Weld all the pieces from 'Step 2' together. Get spun up in putting up xmas lights and let sit on garage floor one month. Wait for better weather...TOOLS: No fancy fabrication tools is my garage, just the basics. I'll start left to right. Mechanics gloves, tape measure, speed square, wire brush, reciprocating saw w/ 24 TPI (tooth per inch) metal blade, angle grinder w/ various wheels, and a good hammer. Not in this picture is the welder, it's a Lincoln Electric Weld-pak 100 wire fed core flux 110 volt welder. The angle grinder is the most important in my book. Without it you can't make the clean cuts you need to get the pieces together or smooth down the welds for a sharp looking project. I've used a grinding disc, flapper disc, cut-off wheel, and wire wheel. Sure the welder brings it all together and nothings cooler than melting metal with electricity, but without a good grinder you're just sticking obscure metal bits to one another. Tools are cool.STEP 4: After my holiday break and waiting out some snow and ice the weather broke and I started back to a little work. Here I'm adding in the center bracing. I cut them so that they fit tight for easy welding. Also making sure that I removed the paint and surface rust with the wire wheel on my grinder. Welding over or near paint will contaminate your welds and make them brittle. So preping the areas are important. In the pictures they are only just tack welded in place. The finish welds were laid in later.
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