Welding help please,,,,

walkyluvva, Jan 28, 10:27am
Im widening some wheel guards ( trailer style guards ), whats the best welding method to use ! I got to cut the guards in half then widen, adding about 100mm to the overall width. Butt welds or Double lap welds ! Cheers
mrfxit, Jan 28, 10:31am
I like tidy butts
But hard to beat double laps
mrfxit, Jan 28, 10:34am
Horse's for courses

A tidy butt weld can be clean & tidy with minimal rust problems on the joint but not as strong as an overlap panel weld.
Problem with an overlap panel weld is the air gap between the sheets rusting tho is stronger in most cases
walkyluvva, Jan 28, 10:43am
Thanks. What sort of overlap is recommended, or is it dependant on what you're doing ! The guards were ( are ) 300mm wide, I need them 400mm wide. I could section out a wider part ( basically utilising the rolled edges only & lay a larger piece over the top & lap weld, or, add the exact 100mm & butt. I'll have to have a think abut it. Cheers
jrlaw, Jan 28, 10:47am
May be new guards would be cheaper, after cutting and welding it could be quite dear. Maybe cut off, one cut and make a wider piece with one weld.
mechnificent, Jan 28, 12:58pm
Butt weld will be neater and not prone to rust.
Strength should hardly be an issue given the half round/arched shape.
smac, Jan 28, 1:16pm
Might be worth a quick call to see what TWL have on the shelf.
lookoutas, Jan 28, 4:04pm
What gauge steel!
Are they rounded of flat!
Do you want them to look perfect, or don't care!
franc123, Jan 28, 7:25pm
+1, it's not like they are expensive to buy new.
bigfatmat1, Jan 28, 8:11pm
The widest I could get from twl were 270mm for my 235's they were ok but 400 wide is huge what are ya doing. actually that was in round gaurds not flat
walkyluvva, Jan 29, 6:39am
I dropped in there the other day. The guy said they couldnt help me, the guards were either too small or too big.
biddy6, Jan 29, 6:52am
If you are starting from scratch, go to a local sheetmetal shop, and ask them to bend up what you want.
walkyluvva, Jan 29, 6:53am
Yeah that would save on time too, one weld. cheers
walkyluvva, Jan 29, 6:58am
True, they dont cost huge ammounts of $$, but, its hard to find a guard with the right width & arc too. Plus, Im on a budget ( of sorts ), where I can save on one thing, it can be spent on another. I looked at fibreglass too, but decided to stick with steel as its easier for me to work with.
robbo36, Jan 29, 7:03am
Rolled guards would be the only type to fit to your trike to make them look the part. Suggest like others have, depending on budget, to get a sheetmetal worker to make some up. Get them powder coated black and they will look fantastic. Don't use ali as it will crack with vibration over time.
i-n-horz, Jan 29, 7:05am
Moons ago back in the day we used the old wash'n machine tubs for guards ;)
walkyluvva, Jan 29, 7:23am
Haha, Ive seen 44 gallon drum guards.
walkyluvva, Jan 29, 7:28am
Cool, I'll look into that. Yeah, Black's the colour scheme I had in mind too. Its a bit 'rattish', Honda V-twin, Falcon diff, '37 Chev handbrake,,,, hopefully it looks the part when finished ( if I ever get around to that, haha ). Cheers
i-n-horz, Jan 29, 8:50am
The old tubs looked pretty swish too with the edge/lip of the tub already rolled and they were solid as,,,had them on the rear of a 100E Prefect with super fat feet run'n a MK3 Zeph,,,,use to pop lil wheelies down Queen St.lol.I was the side kick and me mate had the steering wheel to hold on to when he launched I always fell off the beer crate.
lookoutas, Jan 29, 9:48am
It's not a silly idea!
net_oz, Jan 29, 11:26am
LOSTfrom Waitakerie City. One garden ornament. Retro washing machine bowl with Iceberg standard rose in it. Had a mass display of marigolds around the base. 84 year old pensioner really misses it and would like it back in one piece. Possibly been used as trailer guards. Phone Gladys 9483776.
lookoutas, Feb 17, 5:47am
The main problem would be finding 2 the same to pinch.