Can someone point me toward some good welding resources or how tos. Also, what are some good entry level welding devices.

I also need some info on plasma cutting. I can probably do what i need to do w/o the plasma cutter but it just sounds cool.

 

What do you need to repair/fabricate? That kinda determines the weld processs to be used. Try looking @ the mfg's websites for general information. You can learn alot by reading the catalogs. Miller and Lincoln are the big 2. That and the local library would be a good place to start.

 

i sheared off part of a bolt that was integrated into an object so I am going to dremel off the remaining part of the bolt, drill through the remaining area and then drop in a replacement and tack/weld it in. I already found a bolt with the same thread pattern, I just need to to be fixed in place permanently.

 

If you are going to drill it out then I would suggest that you save ALOT of time and money and get a good tap and tap the hole to thread in a new stud.

 

that may work and i just bought a tap and die set a few weeks ago, however, i have to cut out some metal to get to where i could tap the hole and i think i would want to weld that back in place.

 

hondatech has a fabrication section and good resources for welding and cutting. they also tell you what book would be best.

http://www.honda-tech.com/zeroforum?id=53

 

Here are several options, in order of how I would handle the problem, based on what I think you have:

Avoid welding unless you know exactly the materials, and the as-welded materials are still sound.

If no corrosion and the threaded hole is in good shape, spray with penetrating oil overnight. Drill hole in stud and use E-Z-out to retract the stud. Degrease hole and (one drop) Locktite a replacement stud in place.

Sinker EDM the stud from the hole. Cost is about $150 at local machine shop.

 

Uh, oh... what happened? That's a vague enough description to lead me to believe the broken something, is an expensive something.

Can you post a pic up of the object in question. Welding might not be the best option.

 

yeah, but as soon as i post the pic I become a serious jackass. I wanted to fix it before posting. Anyway, it is one of the bolts that the rear shock goes into above the wheel well. when i was referencing torque specs, i accidently set my torque rench to ftlbs instead of the corresponding newton meters for the bolt so i sheared one about half way off. In any case, there is a little empty compartment above the wheel well where the flex motor sits. I can cut off the broken stud and drill up into the cavity. From inside the car, i can make a cutout that lets me access the cavity, drop my bolt in, weld, then weld the cutout back in place, sand, and prime.

so that is my bone head situation.

ok here is the pic before the break.

just imagine the bolt on the right side of the screen half sheared off.

thanks again for all the help

 

You may not need to weld the bolt into place. If the stud is spot-welded, the purpose of the weld is just to hold the bolt in place during the mfg process. A bolt just by itself should hold the the shock sufficiantly. Once you get access to the top, take a pic. I should be able to tell wether a weld is needed.

Damn USA and Burma, need to jump on the metric bandwagon. Last 2 worldwide holdouts. Prevent these problems from happening. lol

 

i am going to work on it this weekend. I will send pics.

 

+1

 

+2,

as long as you can get a wrench on the bolt head to torque.

 

Get a chance to work on the car yet?

 

yes, i did. I could not find my camera but I will give the brief rundown. I used the dremel to cutoff the excess bolt. I then drilled up into the cavity through the remains of the factory stud and dropped my bolt through the hole. I used the dremel again to cut into the cavity from the rear of the cabin and set a wrench on the bolt. I had to rig it up to stay on the bolt since i was working by myself. This is where it may have been helpful to tack the bolt in but i was able to get a wrench wedged on the top to hold the bolt and tighten it from the bottom.
So i did something bonehead by reading newton meters as foot pounds and shearing off a bolt but i was able to recover thanks to some help from the forum and a little elbow grease.
I am continually growing more confident working on the car. I would like to install my turbo kit but I better not shear off any manifold bolts. So i guess it is best to learn the lesson now. thanks again, everyone, for the advice. I am once again in action.