I had a friend weld my spring perches on my 14bolt FF.
He used a small mig with flux cored wire. The edges of the perches were beveled.

They just don't look very strong. How can I tell and what can I do to test them
before I put the axle under the truck.

And what might happen if one broke while under the truck? Would the ubolt help hold it on to get to a repair shop?

Just concerned.

test with a big fucking hammer

then cut them off and weld new ones on

if they break on the freeway, you are certain to die in a large firey explosion exactly like the ones on A team reruns.




*pics would help

It is a spring perch, so you will have u-bolts still holding the axle to the springs. The worst that can happen is the axle will spin around, breaking your driveshaft, ripping off your brake lines.
Nothing wrong with a flux core welder, if the weld is good the perch will hold. Post pics of the welds and someone will let you know if you need to redo it.

It is a spring perch, so you will have u-bolts still holding the axle to the springs. The worst that can happen is the axle will spin around, breaking your driveshaft, ripping off your brake lines.
Nothing wrong with a flux core welder, if the weld is good the perch will hold. Post pics of the welds and someone will let you know if you need to redo it.

yeah who needs driveshafts or even better, brake lines :flipoff2:

yeah who needs driveshafts or even better, brake lines :flipoff2:

:bawling::bawling::bawling::flipoff2:

I have seen the exact same thing break before. A 110v mig does not get hot enough to get decent penetration on 1/2 inch axles tubes.

I personally would not run it until I found someone or paid someone with decent welding skills and a 220v welder to do it right.

One of my friends welding his perches to a Dana 30 (with 3/8ths axle tube) with his 110v mig, broke next trip out. On the highway too.

you are certain to die in a large firey explosion exactly like the ones on A team reruns.


But no one ever died in an A-Team explosion :homer: they just flew in the air and layed on the ground until MR-T grabed them :flipoff2:

If it was a 110 welder I woulden't trust it. They just don't have the power you need to get penatration and be reliable. If nothing else grab a stick welder and go over it again...

put it this way, if you have to question if its strong enough, thats throwing a red flag in the air right there to me. how much do you value your safety if it comes apart?

YouTube - florida4x4 trying v-notch (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5u61G0lxgzM)

Excellent example of 110V mig welds.

When I was 17 I made some "bitchin sweet" kustom spring perches for my 14 bolt swap in my 91 suburban. I have a Millermatic 210 and all the other essential tools, but what I didnt have was a fucking clue what I was doing. They were all kinds of ghetto and shitty and my welds were even worse. While accelerating from a light in traffic one evening, I heard a dull clunk and then some funky vibration. I stopped and my pinion was pointing up at the floor, but the driveshaft was intact. When I took it appart, one had ripped completely off the tube and the other was crushed but otherwise intact. I used pre-made ones after that and turned the heat WAY up and have been rockin em for the last 6 years.

Pics of said welds?

It depends Which 110v welder youre using.

I welded these with my snap on 110v muscle mig
(which is nearly 100 percent duty cycle)

those welds aughta be good enough for about 120mph:flipoff2:

Ok. So there are some good and some very ignorant statements in this thread. I'm going to play the devil's advocate here. 110 welders are fine for almost anything you could want to weld on a car/truck/suv. I'm not one to weld on a D8 with the touch start, tool sale, flux core, crap. But that being said, it's more the welder (person) than the welder (machine). If the welds look like crap. Chances are, they're crap. Cut them off and have someone that knows what they're doing weld it right. This requires PREP and experience. The way you PREP things will dictate how the finished product will come out. Every truck I've ever built including my own was done with a 110 machine with gas. A Lincoln 135 Plus in fact and (Knock on wood) I've never had a weld failure. So now that I've rambled on way, way too long I'll get off my soap box. Lets see a PIC.

Well I will agree that the weldor is the key to making a 110v welder work. You can back off the wire feed a bit and get spray transfer and that will help put more heat into the part. Still you can't get as good penetration as a 220v will do.

A lot of the problem can be in a worn out or low duty cycle mig (in the case above it was both). These days, my MiG is about worn out. It overheats after about 10 inches of weld on the highest setting. Junk. So I reach for the 7018 when I'm working with anything thicker than 1/8. No worries.

Odin K30, What model is the snap on? that's a helluva duty cycle for a 110. never heard of that!!

Lincoln, Miller, ESAB are all decent 110 welders that will do the job only if you know what you are doing, Minus the Fluxcore. I would never use Fluxcore unless its a must repair on the trail, then i would grind it off and redo with gas asap back in shop. Harbor Freight Welder, "Hell No!" I dont think power tools like harbor freights actually put out what they say they do. If your worried about the penetration on thicker material, you can preheat it with a propane Torch lightly to get the temp up before welding. Also, your electrical supply is important. Is it a good powered outlet and or how long is your extension cord? On a 110 I would have to use a big size extension cord or better yet none at all. Just my 2 cents.

Fluxcore on the street, hope you have good insurance for you and the people you might kill. Its just to brittle.

Well I will agree that the weldor is the key to making a 110v welder work. You can back off the wire feed a bit and get spray transfer and that will help put more heat into the part. Still you can't get as good penetration as a 220v will do.

A lot of the problem can be in a worn out or low duty cycle mig (in the case above it was both). These days, my MiG is about worn out. It overheats after about 10 inches of weld on the highest setting. Junk. So I reach for the 7018 when I'm working with anything thicker than 1/8. No worries.

Odin K30, What model is the snap on? that's a helluva duty cycle for a 110. never heard of that!!

good luck on spray transfer with a 110 mig. if you have spray transfer you have no worries on your spring pad falling off. if your friend is compotent then the FCAW with a 110 should be ok. but as it was said, welds that look like crap are often crap

Lincoln, Miller, ESAB are all decent 110 welders that will do the job only if you know what you are doing, Minus the Fluxcore. I would never use Fluxcore unless its a must repair on the trail, then i would grind it off and redo with gas asap back in shop. Harbor Freight Welder, "Hell No!" I dont think power tools like harbor freights actually put out what they say they do. If your worried about the penetration on thicker material, you can preheat it with a propane Torch lightly to get the temp up before welding. Also, your electrical supply is important. Is it a good powered outlet and or how long is your extension cord? On a 110 I would have to use a big size extension cord or better yet none at all. Just my 2 cents.

Fluxcore on the street, hope you have good insurance for you and the people you might kill. Its just to brittle.

:confused: why wouldn't you use flux core especially with a small machine

Odin K30, What model is the snap on? that's a helluva duty cycle for a 110. never heard of that!!

This thing is impressive...
http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item.asp?P65=&tool=all&item_ID=12617&group_ID=1736&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

Thanks for all the advice and input.
Your advice has been taken.
I have ordered new spring perches and will be cutting the current ones off today. I will have a proffesional welder do it.

Thanks again.

That Snapon machine rocks but for that kinda money you can have a nice Miller and spool gun. What's the reasoning behind it? No 220v available? :D

:confused: why wouldn't you use flux core especially with a small machine

When I changed my Hobart135 over to MIG my welds lost a lot of power due to the polarity change. Even with pre heating I just don't trust them to weld to anything over 3/16". The welds can look beautifull but just don't penatrate into thicker material. You can see as you weld my ESAB 220v machine burns in much better.

Odin K30, What model is the snap on? that's a helluva duty cycle for a 110. never heard of that!!

My father-n-law has an older snapon 110 mig and it works amazingly well for a 110v. No idea what model it is... I think it only says snapon on the side of it...

That Snapon machine rocks but for that kinda money you can have a nice Miller and spool gun. What's the reasoning behind it? No 220v available? :D

Two reasons.
1) I got a killer deal from the Snap On guy. (Trade show speciall)
2) The "shop" I rent doesnt have 220v

Odin, I understand the killer deal lol.


... The welds can look beautifull but just don't penatrate into thicker material. ...

Herein lies the crux of the matter. I've laid some beautiful beads with 110 on 3/16 but the penetration really sucked. It takes more power when you're burning with suck a small electrode.

Don't get to carried away hatin on the flux core. As much as I dislike welding with it, I've been required to weld with it at all the structural steel jobs I've worked on. All of which were inspected and given the thumbs up by inspectors
that told me that Gas MIG welds would not be strong enough. Obviously none of this is 110v but rather 220v or engine driven. Point being, not everyone that welds on there rig with flux core is gonna die in a ball of fire on the highway...

I have a 110v hobart with flux core wire and welded the perches on my eaton. They welded up really nice, not quite as nice as odins but real nice.

My dad has a miller 110v with gas and I cant get it to penetrate anything over 1/8". FLUX CORE all the way.

My 110v is wore out then :/

My favorite welder was a 400amp MIG that burned 1/16 fluxcore wire and ran shielding gas. Used it on a production line welding 2" steel for pivot yokes on a small pull behind backhoe. Hit the trigger on that bitch and the lights dimmed in the shop. Had to wear heat reflective gloves over my leathers to avoid burning up. at least a #15 lens in the hood to keep from going blind. that thing was something like three phase 480... dunno but it was cool and the beads were beautiful after you knocked the slag off.

I've never used flux core on my 110 but I've thought I'd like to try it sometime. with gas to see if it would even come close to the industrial machine... lol.

if they break on the freeway, you are certain to die in a large firey explosion exactly like the ones on A team reruns.

Whats the story with the axle welds?

I have done alot of work with a Lincoln Pro Mig 135 and flux cored wire, my toyota was built with it actually. To date, it has flopped a few times and totaled a ford ranger in a high speed collision. Picture a cookie cutter toyota truck flexing on the cab of a ranger, only it has torn/ripped the rear bumper and bed off in the process.

If we hit their gas tank, I am sure we would have died in a fiery explosion:flipoff2::nuke::idea::laughing:

EDIT: I have currently built some sliders for my work truck, 89 k1500 and am working on a sas. I am not sure of the 14 bolt I have for it needs to have the perches moved but if it does, I will be welding it with the 110.

Don't get to carried away hatin on the flux core. As much as I dislike welding with it, I've been required to weld with it at all the structural steel jobs I've worked on. All of which were inspected and given the thumbs up by inspectors
that told me that Gas MIG welds would not be strong enough. Obviously none of this is 110v but rather 220v or engine driven. Point being, not everyone that welds on there rig with flux core is gonna die in a ball of fire on the highway...

The reason you where welding with fluxcore and not 75/25 gas was because open air welding with a shield gas is inefective and often times results in poor weld quality..has nothing to do with inner-shield (flux core) being stronger than MIG just more outdoor friendly.

Open air welding? Is there anything but? I don't know what you would consider a controlled environment weld... I've heard once that welding Ti requires a controlled area such as a cabinet with the required gas injected (Though I have no justification). Anyway, every inspector I've met has reassured me that core wire on this scale is a stronger welding process. I've asked as many times as possible in an attempt to justify welding with hard wire. After 4 or 5 different people's opinions I've yet to win. And we never run 75/25... My boss is too cheap. We only run 100% CO2.

been to many a weld class, core wire is stronger bottom line like it or not.

I don't know why people are so scared of good 110 welders. Not harbor fright shit, there only good to weld on the mower. I did my SAS with my 110. the spring perches on my rear axle were welded with 110, but it was a Lincoln. i also like to make more than one pass. I have had no issues what so ever, My step brother bowered the hand held UT unit from his job, Said it would have passed at his job so I'm OK with that. Like said earlier the key is the welder person but also the name on the side as well as the prop work. I don't care what you are welding with if your prep is shit your weld will be shit.

PS for me flux core is king for a 110, but that is just me