welding floor patches

[x79camaroz28x]

i was wondering if it would be ok to wel in the floor patches without the shielding gas hooked up?

[archemedes]

do you have flux core wire? if not the weld will be very bad, little penetration and alot of slag

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[spoonLT1355]

flux core wire must be used, like archmedes said. I did my floors whis way and they came out really good, but not as pretty as with gas. I figured they would not be seen, so what the heck.

Anything that will be seen should be done with gas.

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[x79camaroz28x]

its going to be covered with carpet so ill just go ahead and weld it without shielding gas

[75 400 4 Speed]

I wouldn't worry too much about the appearance but the penetration and quality of the weld is important. Te floors are an intregal part of the support structure of the Camaro.

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69 SS 350 4 Speed
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[mark wagner]

flux core wire is only $9.95 at Lowes(1 lb.).Dont weld with non flux core if you have no gas,it may not hold.as was stated above the floors are part of the "structure"and the way camaros twist you'll probably pop them off sooner or later.

[PaulyZ]

If you are running a solid core wire, you MUST run a shielding gas. Its not a question of looks, its proper welding practice.

Your other option is to run flux core wire which does not require a back-up gas (in most cases)

If the molten pool is not protected (by an inert gas or flux) poor welds will result.
Oxygen causes porosity and there is a chance you will not see it from a visual inspection. Since the floor is a stressed member, porosity in welds is a great stress riser which can lead to premature failure.

You are better off using solid wire w/ a gas backup because;

- when comparing the same diameter wire, it takes more heat input to burn the flux core wire. More heat input means more distortion and higher chances of burn-thru w/ thinner sections

- the chance of poor welds increases with flux core when there is a start/stop, and/or multi-pass welds involved. The flux core leaves slag behind which needs to be chipped off. If proper precautions are not taken, slag inclusions can result. These are voids in the weld and can also act as a starting point for failure.

[spoonLT1355]

I should aslo note that I am putting a rear frame, subframe connectors and 10 point cage in my car, so the structure of the floors are not quit as important to me.

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starting to build pro/street 78Z
car needs everything!
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[archemedes]

keep in mind if that floor comes apart, it's going somewhere, and so are your feet, if your not concerned with strength why not use some sheet metal screws and silicone

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[spoonLT1355]

Trust me, they are SECURELY welded, I'm just saying that if I did not intend to install all the frame work and cage, I would have used the Gas welding method.
I only used the flux core to see the difference, as I have never used it before.

Everything else is being gas welded.

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starting to build pro/street 78Z
car needs everything!
Let the fun begin!!!
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[archemedes]

sorry I lost track of who I was talking to, thought it was the original poster....doh

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