fabrication beginning!

[Headhunter_5.9]

alright,

some of you may have heard the rumblings before on our headache rack stack combo fabrication idea! the fabrication is beginning this weekend! we won't have it done for a couple of weeks, having some minor difficulties finding some of the materials! the 'ole boy that was to do the fabrication jacked me around and danced around on the $$$$$ so I decided to eliminiate the middle man & safe QUITE A BIT OF $$$$ and just build it myself with the help of some gluttons for punishment. Friends I call them!

I'll be sure to keep ya'll posted on the progress! and pics will soon follow!

any insight would be gladly accepted! No matter how good the design and plan it will change 6 times after we get started! and ya'll may have some great ideas that we didn't think of!

thanks ya'll....

JP

 

[Whit]

Headhunter,

I am assuming you will be using alot of square tubing for this project?

I have done alot of fabrication using tubing and have come to the conclusion with some issues with this method.

After salvaging an older project from 15 years ago it was to my suprise from what I found on the inside of the tubing.........alot of rust with major deterioration, I couldnt believe my eyes to see that the tubing had lost aprox 50% of its wall thickness, I contribute this to the fact of trapped oxygen inside the sealwelded tubing........this all from condensate during cold winter weather and the cool down heat up cycling that occures on a daily basis.

I have a solution though, when you fab up all the tubing make sure to have a hole connecting all tubing joints and when you get everything done and how you want it simply do a nitrogen purge on the project to expell all the oxygen, you may have to have more than one exit hole, then when purged put a piece of duct tape on the holes then one by one weld them closed.

My findings...........hope this helps

 

[Headhunter_5.9]

Whitmore,

thanks for the insight with the square tubing, we had actually talked about that on friday when two of us got together, but had no idea how to solve said problem. but knowing what I know now I won't have to worry about deterioration from the inside out!

now I've just got to do some figuring on weather I want to use flat/strap iron for the 'air luvers' or if I want to go with, like 1/2 to 3/4 pipe. I saw western hauler on friday that had their headache rack with pipe in the luvers and it looked pretty good! all in good time, we'll get 'er figured out. it's not like it has to be done tomorrow. we're gunna take our time and make it right. since the one for my truck is the first one newly founded fabrication corporation. I'll have to make sure it's a good pattern!

at any rate. thanks for all the insight on the tubing issue, I may have to have you give me some more detailed instructions on doing this when the time comes.

until next time!!!!

JP