"welding is welding"

Turns out the welder I was considering to put on my rock sliders has never put sliders on a truck. He seemed not the least concerned about that - "welding is welding".

Since I have absolutely no experience in this field I thought I'd ask: Is that true? There are some cables and hoses attached to the driver side frame that would have to be removed for the welding. I have no idea if there is anything critical to keep in mind there.

He seems to be a very experienced welder other than that. Should I trust him or keep looking for an off-roading shop that routinely welds rock sliders?

 

Does he weld for a living or he has some guy with a welder in his shed?

 

Welds for a living, has been in business for 20+ years. Mostly structural steel, it appears.

 

Experience is irrelevant, doing a job wrong for decades doesn't make you a good welder. Being good is what you want.

Things he should be asking you, what are the base metals.

What you should be asking: what method - mig, tig, stick. What filler. Pre weld prep, post weld treatment. What certificates does he hold. Can he do a test weld on scrap similar metals in similar configuration for your inspection.

 

Obviously you know something about welding - I don't. I can't ask questions that are meaningless to me and I have no idea what to look for in a test weld.

I'd say it's generally hard to stay in business for 20 years if you suck at what you do. You'd have to be one hell of a self promoter.

 

My most favorite question is; "Does he have a sign that lights up at night, in the front of his shop?" LMAO. I weld, fabricate and he's correct, welding is welding, melting steel into......well steel...ahahahahahaha...
Then there is the guy that welds and ask's a thousand questions, like "Have you ever had a knee injury, and what knee was it?"
Some welders suck, and some don't. If you don't feel comfortable with him, move on.
Zim

 

"I've been doing this for forty five years".....and you've been doing it wrong for forty five years!....LMAO
Zim

 

If he can’t walk the cup then walk away

 

A good welder considers the materials he's welding and what considerations need to be made. I'm sure he has the common sense to understand heat transfer to critical components.

I would ask him how he intends to weld them however, MIG, TIG, Stick, etc

 

If he can MIG weld mild steel he's more than qualified to put Rock sliders on. It's mild steel to mild steel neither particularly thick or thin no pretreatment or post-treatment necessary. A good welder knows not to put too much heat in one area and that's pretty much the only thing you have to concern yourself with with putting on Rock sliders. Welding is welding

 

I can tell you from experience that sometimes “welding isn’t always welding”. A lot of people can melt two pieces of metal together but if you want it to be structural, then experience goes a long way. You say he has experience in structural steel then I’m more inclined to trust him. If anything I’d ask to see some of his previous work. That’ll give you an idea of exactly what kind of “experience“ he has. (As others mentioned, doing a job wrong for 25 years doesn’t make you an expert.)
You never know what kind of jobs you could have for him in the future if he becomes your go-to welder. I remember the first time I did a CMC on a truck or even the first set of sliders I built and I can’t thank the guys enough for giving me a chance and having faith in my ability. I knew how to weld but just hadn’t performed that particular job before so i know it takes some trust in the person doing the work. Now I do both of those jobs regularly and have never questioned the integrity of my builds.

 

Sliders can be MIG welded with no problem. Most people will not want to pay to have them TIG welded and it is unnecessary. If this guy has been welding structural steel for 20 years, he probably knows what he's doing. Rock sliders are not rocket science. As others have said, he will do a fine job and you will likely never have an issue with them.

 

Who says you can’t walk the cup with MIG the guys trapping glass. It just won’t have that cool cat paw look like you get with TIG but your right it’s just sliders burn them on.

 

I do it at work when I get bored. Not great for production jobs, but a fun way to get out of the mindset of bead after bead as fast as possible...

 

Alright, I think I am going to look for somebody who has experience working with sliders.

None of that was the case. He's got his own shop and employees and was recommended to me. I just feel too uneasy that he's never worked on trucks; don't want mine to be the first.

Thanks for the input, folks.

 

I’d be worried if the guy has only been ARC welding I-beams for 20 years and thinks that welding your truck frame would be the same. You don’t want to have your trucks electronics fried or have holes blown in your frame/sliders because he’s got his welder cranked up to 90 all the time.

That said, I wouldn’t be afraid to use a structural welder for a vehicle, but i’d be asking him what his previous experience with vehicles was before pulling the trigger.....

 

That I did, and it was zilch.

 

@In4aride howabout some true hands on insight?

 

If you made the scab plate so it was a diamond instead of a square, you won’t have to lift the cab.