first functional welding project with 225lx

hey all, been away for a bit. it's snowmobiling season here in the northeast so I try to make use of it when I can. I have been practicing my tig skills up until now on flat stock steel and aluminum scrap. I build hot rods as a hobby and had a fellow hot rodder break a driveshaft on his 1931 ford coupe. I volunteered to oversee the repair as I work in an aerospace machine shop. unfortunately by the time he got me the driveshaft our welder had decided he would rather teach at a local high school. This left the repair to ME. My skills are FAR from what I would consider good but I practiced a bit on similar material and gave it a go.

not the greatest pictures, as they are from my phone but I am very interested in what you guys think. criticism is welcome!

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/7668/imag0129r.jpg
http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/5638/imag0131ex.jpg

I think you should be applauded RevKev6 for diving right in and tackling the job. Good on ya! As to the welds themselves coming from a novice:
1.The welds themselves look pretty good. (maybe a little more consistent torch/ filler manipulation?)
2. The Tie ins could maybe be refined some. Maybe a tad more practice?
3. Maybe a hot pass on the spots to fill them in level?!
You probably have more experience than I so take this with a salt mine, uh I mean a grain of..

I was reluctant to do it as the parts I welded together are over 75 years old and pretty hard to find. I won't find out how well it works until spring but it seems to be much stronger than the setup that broke to begin with. I have a similar drive shaft for my car that I will be welding up as well. the pieces for my drive shaft have been tacked together for quite some time and have some surface rust on them, anyone have a good method of removing it?? I'm thinking a wire brush won't get it clean enough??

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Originally Posted by revkev6

I was reluctant to do it as the parts I welded together are over 75 years old and pretty hard to find. I won't find out how well it works until spring but it seems to be much stronger than the setup that broke to begin with. I have a similar drive shaft for my car that I will be welding up as well. the pieces for my drive shaft have been tacked together for quite some time and have some surface rust on them, anyone have a good method of removing it?? I'm thinking a wire brush won't get it clean enough??

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maybe a quick blast with a sand or media blaster?
harbor frieght sells a cheap handheld unit that works ok for little stuff.

nice work I hope to get there someday
Is the owner going to have the shaft balanced? With the plug welds I would think it is needed.
Just my 2 cents

Yes balance is definitely an issue as is runout. It should be checked with a dial indicator. Any more than a few thousandths will give a noticeable vibration. Depending on length and rpm. Good work though.

I think it took lot of courage to tackle this job and your confidence produced a very nice product for someone with little experience. I bet it saved the owner some good money and hope it gets balanced ok. Post how it works out and keep on tiging.

Watch you puddle ends...you need to fill the craters with a couple extra dabs, or you will either crack or get a weak spot.

Hello revkev6,

How about using some Navel Jelly on it and give it some time, I have used it on several rusted oil pans prior to repairing them and it attacked the rust very well and did not hurt the material cleaned up with some acetone and was very impressed.

Little update on this project. I helped my buddy get the rearend put back together and in the car but he never finished installing it!

I'm not worried about vibrations as I've seen several of these driveshafts done (although not exactly like this one) and none have been balanced or had vibration issues. It runs perfect true, I made the tube a press fit over the splined coupler and took my time tacking, plug welding then doing the full weld. It was probably 20 degrees in my garage when I welded it, I had a heat gun on it for before and after to make sure it didn't have any temp related issues.