Welding a Headache Rack DIY

So I ran across this here video and I'm going to do this on my '14 AC Taco.

I have a HarborFreight 220v 250amp stick welder and I suck. I will need some serious practice before tackling this project. Spoke to a metal shop nearby and they were nice enough to tell me that I could pick up whatever scrap they had to practice on. I'll be using 2" square tube, 1/8" thick, and I will make an angle bracket that sits on the bedrail and then attaches to the stock rail system inside the bed with some leftover T-nuts I saved from the tonneau cover that came with my truck.

I haul wood in the truck so I don't use a cover and I want to protect the glass. I was also tinkering with the idea of mounting some KC Hilites but damn those bastards are expensive ($400 for a pair of 6" led and I would need 4 lights total methinks). So that may be a future project.......

I bought the welder because the fuel tank on my '12 Sienna snapped and I refused to pay the dealer $800 to fix it. Instead I got all the PPE, the welder, a bunch of 6013 and 7018, a trolley, and the outlet which I wired up myself.

I won't be making it exactly like the video. I think the 45 looks amazing but I'll probably just do it straight....and I want the extruded mesh to go all the way across. I'll have my backup camera and I need protection of all the glass. Haven't designed it as of yet but the shape will be similar.

Stay tuned........

 

You've got the right idea. Only way to get better is practice. There are a lot of decent how to videos on You Tube. Looking forward to seeing the final product.

 

Stick welding will leave quite a bit of slag and spatter. However, if that’s what you have then that’s what you have, so to speak. Good idea to practice on some scrap. Clean the weld area very well and tight joints are key. I found a sand disc to be easier to control on a grinder vs a flap disc. Grinding wheel makes a lot of heat, so I would stay away from that. Tack it in place first and then weld ‘er up.

 

Thanks guys. Yeah, I will definitely be buying extra material in case of a serious mishap as well as practicing for quite a while to get a nice bead going. Just got to put in the time and get used to it. My main problem at the moment is the welding table I got from HF is a bit too low for my liking (I'm 6') so it kind of hurts my back to stoop so low. I have less than 30 minutes of welding time total so let's see what happens after a few hours of practicing.

 

I found this today at my local mechanic's scrap pile. It was sitting right on top of the full bed of a pickup....PERFECT practice piece.

Needless to say I have practiced a little but not enough. I went to the local metal supply place and they wanted to charge me $45 for a flat bar stock that was about 1 x 3 and only 1/8" thick. I said thanks but no thanks.

I can cut this up and practice making right angle welds and also just practice making straight beads. Woo hoo.