Dan Wheeler's Radius Arm Build Thread

[lars]

It's really up to you weather 2 more passes or not.

If you choose to do one more then I would flatten the first pass a little with a grinder and then weld it moving slowly, half as fast as your first pass, making sure your puddle developes completely side to side.

Two passes would be my choice. First off to one side about 1/2 to 2/3 covering the first weld , then the last on the other side.

Just looking at your pics, maybe one pass on top of the first where the tube is close to the beam, if you can fill the groove flush with one pass. It's hard to tell how deep the groove is in the pics. Then two passes near the end cap where the beams spread apart, since you already have a thick weld there.

Wire speed varies with machine and welding position. Your welds look fine. Keep doin' what you're doin'.

...What he said. Especially around the fishmount joint where the tube contacts the back of the radius arm curvature. That's where the highest bending stress occurs.

 

[needabronco]

I do mine in 3 passes. The first is fastest and really just fills in the deepest part of the valley. By the 3rd I go slowest and widest to fill everything in completely. I weld directly over the top of each weld, but go a little wider every time.

Your work looks top notch. I wish my first set of arms turned out that nice...

 

[DanWheeler]

thanks for the info, guys. I think I'm going to do another single pass along the length of the arm then double or triple up around the fishmouth.

Should have some more pictures tonight. I was a little aprehensive about welding my own radius arms since they are so important and having them break on the highway could be a real distaster but after laying down a few welds I'm no longer the least bit worried about these things.

 

[DanWheeler]

i mean i'm going to do 2 or 3 additional passes around the fishmouth

 

[DanWheeler]

quick question - when welding in threaded inserts should I weld them with the joint threaded in all the way? After welding on the threaded insert I had a really hard time screwing in the joint. I had to put the arm in a vice and use a long piece of 1/2" rod to get enough leverage to spin the joint on. Maybe it was just because the insert was still hot when I was trying to thread on the joint?

 

[trailpsycho]

quick question - when welding in threaded inserts should I weld them with the joint threaded in all the way? After welding on the threaded insert I had a really hard time screwing in the joint. I had to put the arm in a vice and use a long piece of 1/2" rod to get enough leverage to spin the joint on. Maybe it was just because the insert was still hot when I was trying to thread on the joint?

Very likely, metal tends to expand when hot...I know its hard to resist sometimes...

Looking forward to new pics.

 

[needabronco]

I weld the inserts without the joints in them. On my first set I screwed up a weld and ground out/then re-welded them back together, the heat seemed to screw up threads a little bit, they are awfully tight. The others have been fine. And yes let them cool down before you put the joint in, and don't forget the anti seize when you finally install the arms...

 

[Tito]

I weld mine with just a bolt with the same threads on it, didnt want to damage the teflon liner in the joints.

 

[DanWheeler]

Well I have had it up to here with these stupid arms. I've been working in the garage every night for 5 days now trying to get these things done. If I could go back in time I would have went with the cage or duff arms and be done with it. I'm spending a ton of time and my final product wont be as good as the cage/duff arms.

oh well. here's latest pictures:

My welds look like hell but I think they are strong

If you can guess what I did wrong here I'll fess up to it.

it will be the second time I get to grind off my shock mount. The first time I caught the mistake early and only had to grind off spot welds. This time I got it all welded in before I realized what I did.

Besides my mistake, I'm diggin the shock mounts. Having them on the outside corrects for my F250 extended shock mounts which puts them away from the frame an inch or more than stock. I checked clearance with the caliper at full lock and I think it should be OK.

GGRRRRRRRRrrrrrr! what a pain.

 

[Dan74Bronc]

Lemme guess, they're on the wrong side or upside down. That's what usually happens to me.

If I could make a suggestion. Once you get your shock mounts corrected, might I suggest welding them on the inside too, 100% welded. Not only is it stronger that way (not that you need it stronger) but it prevents moisture and dirt from getting behind it and rusting.

Looking good.

 

[DanWheeler]

Lemme guess, they're on the wrong side or upside down. That's what usually happens to me.

If I could make a suggestion. Once you get your shock mounts corrected, might I suggest welding them on the inside too, 100% welded. Not only is it stronger that way (not that you need it stronger) but it prevents moisture and dirt from getting behind it and rusting.

Looking good.

Yep, upside down AND on the wrong side.

Great idea on welding both sides to prevent rust. I was going to weld the inside then I thought to myself, "what if I ever need to take these off?" and decided not to but once I'm sure i've got it right I will do the inside.

to make things worse, I used up the last of my square tube so I'm going to have to be really careful grinding that shock mount off so I can re-use it.

 

[garberz]

....Besides my mistake, I'm diggin the shock mounts. Having them on the outside corrects for my F250 extended shock mounts which puts them away from the frame an inch or more than stock. I checked clearance with the caliper at full lock and I think it should be OK.

GGRRRRRRRRrrrrrr! what a pain.

When you get to flex the front, aren't the tires going to rub on the shocks with them mounted so far out??:?
Mark

 

[DanWheeler]

i'm 99% sure they wont. The 35" tires are too big (and I have wheel spacers) and the shock mounts are too close to the axle for them to be introduced to each other. I dont even hit my existing radius arms with the tires as it is. My only concern are the calipers which are below the mounts with no flex so no problem there but they may get close when the wheel is stuffed in the wheel well. Pretty sure it will be OK though.

 

[garberz]

I was curious, I just did the F-250 mounts on mine. I did lay them back a bit. Good luck. Your new arms look good, plus they're built not bought. You should be proud.

 

[u10072]

Dan,
First off now that I see your arms I do stand corrected-- I am still more of a fan of slotting the tube but I think your arms will work just great. Personally, I thought that the single high heat pass was more than ample with a MIG-- if it was a TIG then yes the tripple pass would have been needed. I guess the look of the single pass to me just looks so much cleaner and many of the desert trucks that incorporate stock parts and modify them are typically a single pass when MIG'd.

Matt

 

[DanWheeler]

Dan,
First off now that I see your arms I do stand corrected-- I am still more of a fan of slotting the tube but I think your arms will work just great. Personally, I thought that the single high heat pass was more than ample with a MIG-- if it was a TIG then yes the tripple pass would have been needed. I guess the look of the single pass to me just looks so much cleaner and many of the desert trucks that incorporate stock parts and modify them are typically a single pass when MIG'd.

Matt

yeah, i wish I could know for sure if single pass would have been sufficient. It would have saved a lot of time and made them much cleaner looking rather than the mess of metal I have now. but... better safe than pretty.

 

[DanWheeler]

I'm finally free!

Well i still have to actually install them but hopefully the hardwork is over. I dont know why it took so long to make these. They look simple.

Thanks for everyone's help so far. Now all I gotta do is weld the mounts to the frame, cut off the old mounts install the new arms and hope for the best.

 

[ncsubronc]

nice work!

 

[67ster]

Fine job Dan !! The only thing I see that could cause a problem is the shock mount being mounted off center as it could cause a twisting moment in the arm itself.

 

[Tito]

They look real good Dan, I like that shock mount idea.