Very nicely done. And my compliments to your jig maker. That's a great jig. Also, kudos to the videographer -- some of the best TIG arc shots I've ever seen. Wonderful video.
Would it make a difference if you cherry/quench a spot in the inside of the arm versus the outside like you depicted? Do you cherry different spots or is it the same every time?
+StreetMachine18 Great question. Because of the area that is welded, the pull created from welding is usually pretty constant against the cross-shaft bushing. So the stress relieving heat is usually applied in the same area. Let us know if you have any further questions. Thank you.
I have a question , being a machinist not a welder( im learning to tig) why not weld everything leaving .100th then using a jig true up the critical dimensions? I never really understood that . Like I received a set of long tube headers a while back, the welder distorted the crap out the flanges , I had to re machine the header flanges anyways . We know heat distorts so why not machine after?
+Mark Rich It is actually better to weld and then machine when possible. However, many times this is not the case and therefore it's recommended to machine the bulk of the part and leave the extra material for truing up the part after welding. Please let us know if you have any further questions.
After he totally welded it he grabbed the mount cross bar easily twisted it. No binding. With a end result like that machining after welding it not necessary. Oh, by the way I am also a machinist and I too thought it should have been machined afterwards until I seem him twist the mount bar to show there was no binding. The tig process and the fitup of the mount bar and the solid jig took care of it. Now, I will build them the same way, I got a bunch of long travel buggy suspension to build.
+Sabarno Majumdar Thanks for the question. You'll find that the type of racing typically dictates the material thickness. For example, a drag car will use .065" 4130 material for upper control arms but an off-road truck may use .095" or thicker. Most upper control arms on stock cars use the .083" to .095" thickness in mild steel and as light as .065" in Chrome-Moly. Also, your upper and lower suspension would be different. The lower control arms are typically thicker with most stock car styles using .120" thick material. Hope this helps. Let us know if you have any further questions.
