Welding Is Fun And Can make You Money!

[ttrousdell]

Due to popular demand I've decided to fab up some e30 m30 motor mounts and document the process. The fabrication of mounts requires the use of several welding techniques which ill try to elaborate on the best I can.




Oxy acetylene is a crucial tool in making the mounts. Basically it uses the combination of two gases, oxygen and acetylene to burn through ferrous metal. Oxygen is marked with blue while acetylene is red.




The gauges may look confusing to someone who has never seen them but they are very simple. The gauge on the left reads tank pressure while the right reads line pressure. To set line pressure, first open the tank valve. The left gauge should now be at tank pressure. Next start to turn the valve in between the gauges to the left. As you turn the valve you will notice the pressure in the right gauge will start to increase. In most situations the oxygen should be set to 40psi and the acetylene will be set at 8psi. Different torch tips might call for different values.




An acetylene fitting. These are reverse thread to prevent then from accidentally being screwed onto the oxygen fittings. You can also tell by the notches in the hex part.




The torch head. This is what is on the other side of the line. Like the tanks the red valve is for acetylene and the blue controls oxygen. Open the oxygen at the base of the torch then crack the acetylene. Light off the torch with a striker and you should have a dirty red flame. Open the acetylene more until you get a large red flame like the picture below. Finally open up the blue valve by the head and the flame should start to turn blue. Open it up until the blue flame is a half inch long. The torch is now set. If this sounds like Chinese, I'm sure there are tons of youtube videos that can elaborate more on this.






Here are the mounts that I received with my swap. Time to make a copy.



Started mock up the pieces.





Cut out the pieces you mocked up with the torch and grind it clean.






Time to drill the holes that the bolts will go through.



Use plenty of oil when you are drilling. You don't want to overheat.



Grinding




I start by making the ends where the bolts go through.






Using the old mounts I mock up where the bolt holes should be and put the two ends in the right places. The position of the ends is a crucial part and if not done right the mounts wont bolt up. Ideally it would help to have the car to check before you weld it fully.



Tacked together.



How to cut a strait edge



Now that you know the position of the two ends it time to make the middle section.







Red hot!!




Getting there



Once you finish making the center and it all fits well it time to weld it up. I used a 1/8" 7018 rod @53 amps.



Welding it up.







Chip the slag of and revile your welds.



Had to go topside for a break. NYC way off in the distance.



Started to make the driver side mount. Mock up and cut out the pieces.
















Mostly done. I still have to grind the excess slag and crap then paint. Ive been welding on and off for about two years and it does take time to get good. Hopefully this has inspired you to learn.



And because its r3v.....a picture of my e30 as it looks now.

[MattAvino]

nice. Why use the torch to cut and not a cut off wheel?

[ttrousdell]

torch is 100X faster and cutting wheel can only go in a strait line.

[toointoxicated60]

my guess is dude to the thickness of the material used.

Too late and wrong lol.

[GunMetalGrey]

Not to be rude, but the whole thing looks, sloppy and messy.

[ttrousdell]

There still have to be cleaned up and painted. Ill post pics after that tomorrow.

[browntown]

You welded with rod but didn't mention the process. Did you weld it with the oxy/acety setup too, or did you arc weld it? Honestly I think the original pieces were probably plasma cut and mig welded. I like the effort and it'll probably work, but not nearly as refined as the originals.

[mdlimy]

props for stick welding them but damn, would have been much cleaner if you would have finished grinding and cleaning each piece of the mount then just mig'ed them all together.

[ttrousdell]

You welded with rod but didn't mention the process. Did you weld it with the oxy/acety setup too, or did you arc weld it? Honestly I think the original pieces were probably plasma cut and mig welded. I like the effort and it'll probably work, but not nearly as refined as the originals.

I was working on a metal table so I attached the ground to the table this way the current could for right through the work, through the table and metal deck and back to the welder. Arc welder is easy to set. Just turn it on and select the current thats right for the rod you are using and thickness of work. I didn't do any oxyacetylene welding. I think your right that the originals were mig welded. I could have gone that route but im a lot better at stick welding. Definitely not OEM.

[F34R]

Awesome, glad you made those! But a cutoff is not slow one bit, it is all about the disk you are using. I dislike the torch because of clean up.

And LOVING the style 5s =) So glad I gave those to a good home!

[kingston]

That was a cool write-up! I was just talking to some peeps yeterday about wanting to get a welder and my desire to learn to do this. Most timely!

And your E30 is stunning!

[weaksauce]

a stick weld will have better penetration than a mig weld though. f looks, if it's strong then thats all that matters.

put some goggles and gloves on next time you are going to grind them clean though. you only have 10 fingers and 2 eyes and they don't grow back.

nice work writing all this up.

[ttrousdell]

Awesome, glad you made those! But a cutoff is not slow one bit, it is all about the disk you are using. I dislike the torch because of clean up.

And LOVING the style 5s =) So glad I gave those to a good home!

I love the cutting wheel but I find that steel that think if better cut with the torch. I don't know any other disks for steel besides cutting and grinding. The torch can be clean if you have it on the right settings and move it at the right speed. strait cuts can easily be made using the method where you drag it against the angle iron (shown above). I also had an attachment that screws onto the torch and has a nail hanging down. You can rest the nail on the work and your torch doesn't shake as much.
Yes im so pleased with the style 5s. Thanks again for doing the trade.

That was a cool write-up! I was just talking to some peeps yeterday about wanting to get a welder and my desire to learn to do this. Most timely!

And your E30 is stunning!

Yes it is an awesome skill to know. Definitely get one. I recently bought a lincoln mig 110v w/ gas for $350. great welder for doing rust repair on cars.

a stick weld will have better penetration than a mig weld though. f looks, if it's strong then thats all that matters.

put some goggles and gloves on next time you are going to grind them clean though. you only have 10 fingers and 2 eyes and they don't grow back.

nice work writing all this up.

I know how to get good penetration with the stick welder. Beveling the edges of the steel you are about to weld and choosing 7018 over 6011/6013 helped with strength. To a certain degree you can choose where you want to throw the sparks when grinding but safety is important and I normally wear those things.

[mdlimy]

a stick weld will have better penetration than a mig weld though. f looks, if it's strong then thats all that matters.

put some goggles and gloves on next time you are going to grind them clean though. you only have 10 fingers and 2 eyes and they don't grow back.

nice work writing all this up.

but even a 110v gas mig welder wouldnt have even struggled with laying down a good weld and penetrating that metal...what is it, 3/16, 1/4?
you need a plasma cutter ;)

[Vtec?lol]

Looks good man keep it up!