engine mounts ??

[B1N9S]

Honest opinions please....like I need to ask !!!

What do you guys think of these welds ? They are engine mounts, using 3mm mild steel. Thoughts ?

Welder was a Clarke 130TE, DIY job. Gas - 5% argon mix.

 

[123hotchef]

Welds look cold and may be lacking in penetration. Why is it only welded in spots on the inside

 

[Arclikeharrypotter]

The weld is poor. It's pretty much just a run of a few tacks. As for it's use as an engine mount I can't comment.

Didn't mean to sound so horrible there.
You need to do a nice continuous run, no weaving no wiggling. Fire it straight into the root.

 

[frank horton]

personally they should have been made from least 5mm thick for that little 4 cylinder.......
these will def fracture.........sorry.......

 

[8ob]

All of the above and I would have taken the triangulated pieces further up the bracket so they were a lot closer to the top mounting bolts.

Bob



You can go thicker on material and add lightness with holes as demonstrated with CAD ( cardboard aided design ) Triangles and holes are where the strength is

 

[pedrobedro]

You can go thicker on material and add lightness with holes

You can't add lightness, you can only subtract weight (You're not Colin Chapman) I wouldn't try to save weight on something critical like an engine mount by weakening it with great big holes. The metal in the first picture does not look like it is 3mm, I made some for a 2.0 Pinto engine using 40mm RHS with 3mm wall and 3mm end plates. It would be better welded in one run than tacks one after the other.

 

[Wallace]

0.6mm wire at a high feed rate with the welder on maximum? The left hand mount looks like the weld has started off cold and as the part heated up penetration has improved. Is this an engine swap in the 1602?

 

[130]

personally they should have been made from least 5mm thick for that little 4 cylinder.......
these will def fracture.........sorry.......

Heavy (for a 4 cylinder ) all cast cam in head Opel engines use 2-3mm and no thicker for the 6 cyl which was same but 2 more cylinders / near 50% heavier

I did a couple 4 cylinder to 6 conversions with 3mm and at least one rumbled around for most of a decade before the car rotted out

 

[500e]

What's the crack in bottom left, as said plate not thick enough, triangulation to low you need to feed the stress into them from the top, weld both in & outsides, lightening holes as @8ob says will help, i would not make them quite as big but that is a balance between thickness of bracket & hole size,
made a lot over the years, all with (CAD) never lost a motor yet in 50 years built cars for the forest, hill climbing, autocross, never done a circuit racer though, looking at some they appear to be made of tissue paper.

 

[130]

The steel the OP is using appears thicker or the same as the "original" steel the rubber block is mounted onto the crossmember with. You can make a mount as big as you want but if something else becomes the weakest link, no point doing so.

 

[brightspark]

not the prettiest of welds but its not going anywhere so wouldn't worry about it

 

[grim_d]

 

[colnerov]

View attachment 149999

That's laziness, they can't be bothered to go and get the right size spanner.

 

[brightspark]

well at least there adjustable = {universal ) or were

 

[Westfield-builder]

well at least there adjustable = {universal ) or were

probably one of the best uses for a Cinasuim adjustable spanner I have ever seen .
Won't be rounding off any more bolt or nuts

 

[Farside]

View attachment 149999

Brilliance.
Saves all that messing around measuring - the self setting engine mount.

 

[B1N9S]

Thanks for all the replies and I appreciate the honesty.

I don't really have access to anything capable of bending 4mm steel and as pointed out, I thought I'd go with 3mm, as it was the same as the original mounts on the 1602 engine, which is about 40Kg heavier than this M44.

I agree on making the triangular bit longer (I had intended to do that, but got carried away and forgot ! ) .

A couple of comments about the actual welds, saying they look "cold" and not continuous. I can practice the continuous bit, but what do you mean by "COLD" ?? Does that mean I have moved the gun too quickly ? Would a slower movement create a better stronger 'hotter' weld ?

Thanks guys.

 

[Bladevane]

When you have settled on the final plate thickness I suggest you fit bolts that are the correct length rather than making up space with nuts. Also use decent spring washers.

 

[PhillipM]

Slower movement, more ponies.

 

[Arclikeharrypotter]

Being cold means you need to crank your welders output up. Probably to pretty much full whack with 130A to play with.

Going to slow is counterproductive, yes you'll add more heat but you'll just end up putty down a big bead that hasn't really fused. A nice straight run at the proper settings is all that's needed.