Building custom rack

My dad had one of those construction racks on the Tacoma so I cut it up and am trying to make a custom rack. It's my first weld project so some of my welds are atrocious but I will clean it up before I paint it. Still only about have done. Gonna make a more detailed roof rack part and put some bars on the passenger side bed triangle part opposite the mesh. I used my dads old rack as a base for the roof rack part and built on that

 

Cool design. Looks like you need to run hotter or at least slow down / increase wire feed speed a bit. You can grind those welds down and do another couple passes if that’s all your welder can do, too.

 

I actually had to turn the voltage down because it was melting the pipe but I definitely need to slow down. I did alot of welding little metal coupons but I'm sitting down on my stool with both my hands stable and for alot of these I was holding my hands up at weird angles I am def going to grind it down and clean them up now that I have it off and in my garage. Thanks for the tips this is my first ever "fab" project.

 

What wall thickness are those tubes? What settings did you have?

 

I was on 20v since I was welding 1/8 steel coupons but when I tried that on the tube it went right through so I used 16v and welding the perforated metal the length of the pipe and it seemed like that was the preferred setting for that material. I got the pipe from industrial metal supply so when I go back this week I will have to verify the thickness. I tried to buy some solid looking tube in the middle of the section they had.

 

Nice design. I can't fault your welds, though. I am just learning how to MIG weld, and it is hard to do!

BTW- are you an Army aviator? I was a UH-60 crew chief during the Persian Gulf war. Finished out my career with the AF Reserve.

 

omg, flip your pics!

Curious, though, what's the reasoning behind the pivot at the rear?