First part in the 3part Ford Transit Tipper series!
A few welding repairs on the rear end of a Ford Transit tipper so it can pass the MOT retest.
Not necessarily the best way to do it but there's a limited time scale and budget (as per usual!) and it'll be more than acceptable to pass the MOT.
I presume the left frame rail was cracked on the inside and underneath from some kind of towing incident.
Bodywork (0.81.2mm/1821gauge) I normally use around 85A with 0.6mm (0.023") wire... creates smaller tacks = less grinding, plus hotter faster tacks = less distortion.
Chassis stuff 23mm (14g 1/8") I use 120140 with either 0.6mm or 0.8mm (0.030") wire, preferrably the latter.
Hard to nail down a specific number as different style joints and fit up gaps are a deciding factor, I rarely stick to the same power throughout a job, even on the same thickness bodywork, fresh 18gauge I can go up to 110A, but when I'm sticking it to old 0.8mm/21gauge sheet, I can go as low as 65A.
I used higher amps for the inside corner edge joint than the 3 butt welded edges, as that frame rail wall is 23 times as thick as the sheet panel I'm filling the hole in, which is 1mm (or less), the patch I made is 1.2mm/18 Gauge.