Welding 1/2 Inch Steel

Heat the steel up before welding.

 

SO beveling when done correctly basically just takes multiple beads to accomplish the same thing an industrial welder could do in one pass?



Then I'll need oxy a torch that is.
Already bought a Chinese plasma cutter (Confucius 250) for gaining access to boxed part of frame near the lower CATs.

Ok i think i understand bevel now but i just have i think 220v for washer or maybe the dryer.


One of the things that cleans my clothes is 220v I think.

 

Lol ok there's a bit to unpack here bud.

First off, I'm going to recommend you do not weld a portion of your frame together because you simply think "the idiots" didn't do their job. Believe me, if Toyota could spend less money by selling you a single piece of metal in your frame instead of two pieces, they would have.

Second, it sounds like you're describing a butt weld (single square groove in the chart above). You typically need to access both sides of the joint to do this properly. Do you actually have enough access to run a bead on both sides?

Third, weld metal is usually quite a bit stronger than the metal pieces being welded together. So much so that it can cause cracking and deformation of the pieces being welded together once the bead cools off and shrinks a bit. Also, there's a good chance Toyota designed that joint to be flexible for a lot of reasons - which means you should leave it alone.

If you absolutely want this thing welded, you'd probably save a bunch of money by just having an actual welder take a look at it and run a quick bead on it instead of buying or even renting a machine to do this work.

Once again, don't weld your frame together bud. It was designed to be that way and you may cause more problems by scabbing some weld between those two pieces.

 

This is actually a good point, is your frame broken or rusted out in some way, or do just feel that the spot isn't strong enough? Cause there's that say "If it is not broken there is not any need to repair it"

 

Back off topic, there is also an excellent documentary about this insane event called “Tread” on Netflix. No instructions on welding though.

 

I'm with the other guy, take it to a shop. From reading your responses this is beyond your experience level and the cost of the equipment will exceed the cost of paying a professional.

You're going to end up warping or damaging your frame.

Not trying to bash but being honest. If you don't understand a basic bevel then cutting into and welding a thick plate of steel to a structural member is not what you want do start with.

 

I watched this on the news as it happened. Reminded me of the guy that stole an m60 tank in San Diego. I'll need to watch the documentary.

 

So that's what that was about. I kept seeing the ads pop up and what not and seemed it looked silly, now it's got my interest and I may need to watch it.

 

Full of winning!

 

Were there any instructions on concrete forming?

 

A welder is incredibly liberating. If you desire a new skill, get one. Get a good brand. They have good warranties and are robust.

Flux core wire, needs no gas shielding. This is what you referred to as MIG without gas. Also, the polarity is opposite of that for MIG.

Get some scrap of the size you plan to weld. Make your bevel reliefs. Practice. Practice until you are confident for the real job. Whatever that may be.

Watch plenty of videos on YouTube. Practice more with their techniques. If still not enough, take classes.

 

Yup. I think Toyota engineers are a lot smarter than people on here usually give them credit for

 

This ^

& This ^

BUT if you just want to learn to weld, definitely do a lot more research and/or take a class. There is a lot more to welding than just buying a cheap welder & pulling a trigger.

 

Rough instructions on concrete demolition

 

seems to be better moved to open discussion area than 2nd gen

 

Welcome to Tacoma World. Let me be your guide

 

Anybody know if frames Toyota installed as part of recall were different in design from the ones that rusted prematurely or were they just new but same multi piece junk design?

 

That's not half inch thick