In my Missing Link Part 1, I was still in welding class, and was mocking up the bracket I needed to add to the axle. I was pretty nervous about it, and making and rechecking measurements many times. Well, some time ago, I finally welded it up.

Here are my tacks, spaced widely apart:

And here are the welds. I decided not to ‘stack dimes’, but instead use what we call stringers. These are just straight beads, with no manipulation. According to the pros, and my textbook, stringers don’t look as nice, but they have better penetration and are stronger and more likely to pass various tests of weld strength and X-ray inspection. When I was done, I invited my welding instructor over to take a look, and she said “Hey, man, those welds aren’t going ANYWHERE”, meaning this bracket is solidly welded.

I then removed the center section, and sent the axle out for sand blasting and powder coating. Here is the result:

In my next installment, I will show the finished frame. Getting ready to put this all back together now…