Chromolly sway bars

[TubularFab]

I just finished fabricating a pair of swaybars for a race shop out of 3/16" wall chromolly tubing. I bent the arms first, notched the cross tubes, and then welded it all up. They will not be getting any post weld heat treatment, so my customer supplied me with Eutectic brand Tig-tectic 680 filler rod, which is meant for exactly this application. At first I was planning on using the old ER80S filler, but not after I found out the tensile strength difference by going with the 680. According to Eutectic this 680 filler has a 120,000psi tensile strength in comparison to 80,000 for the ER80S... It welded nice, flowed like a stainless filler.

Here is the complete bar:


Here are the ends - and with the bends you couldn't use a positioner very easily (not that I have one - yet!):




And here are the joints - not as consistent as the ends, though:






And for the settings:
DCEN tig
Amps maxxing at 200, probably averaging 190
1/16" Tig-tectic 680 filler
moved very slowly...

[Mark...]

hey, those are some pretty nice welds.

[David R]

I got a handfull of that same filler today at my LWS. I always used the stick 680 and it worked great. Nice welds. Last picture, inside corner vertical up?

Beautiful work.

David

[TubularFab]

The last picture was vertical up - actually all of the tube to tube joints were done vertical up. But, the bar in the last picture was rotated up 90 degrees to get better light for the picture as well. I basically started at 9:00 and welded to 12:00 on each joint breaking it into 4 vertcal up welds. Not suer if that makes any sense, but anyway...

David - how much did they sock you for the 680? I was quoted $41.00 a pound with an 11lb minimum by my LWS...

[David R]

He gave me a handfull. Maybe 20 pieces. No charge AND a pund of NI55. I have never used the TIG version. I used the stick to weld sockets and things. I also use it to weld a nuts to a broken bolts. Even if the bolt is down in the hole, I can weld a tit onto it with 680 so I can weld it to a nut. I have had the bolt break before the 680 does.


They treat me well.
David

[zapster]

Nice job..

You get all the fun jobs..

...zap!

[smokeshow]

Those are some seriously nice welds... very close to computer aided IMO...

[Twisted Minis]

Nice work! I was under the impression you needed to use spring steel for sway bars? Is Chromoly acceptable? Or is ti stiffer for race use? What is the size of the tubing you used? I am trying to find a way to put a sway bar on my truck. Stock units, and the universal kits don't do much for me. And a larger diameter (stiffer) would be nice.

[welderShane]

very nice work

[badassb5.5]

Those have tobe some of the prettiest welds I have ever seen. Very Very Nice.