Hello , new here and pretty new to welding fabricating ,I am trying to replicate this part and wonder what tig welder I would need ,most of the part is made up of 2mm formed steel ,but the centre part where I the wheel bearing bolts on is about 16mm steel plate,the part itself is a rear trailing arm from my race car , I know it’s not going to be easy , any tips welcome
Unless you can ensure each piece is formed perfectly and you can then weld it without distortion then I would just buy the finished product. Not getting it right will create geometry and handling problems that you may not be able to adjust for when finished.
A DC TIG welder will do the job, you'd only need 160 amps tops. ...you'll also need a lathe, a mill, some metal forming equipment, and a whole load of skill/experience to go along with it all
In plan on forming the 2mm metal curved pieces first then if that goes well , I’ll make a Jig to ensure everything goes we’re it should,hopefully he says
Not being funny, but if you are asking what welder would be suitable are you confident enough in your skills to do it in the first place? Trailing arm for a race car isn't exactly a non-critical part, and what if the weld fails? Sky, track, sky, track, front of another car, gravel trap, tree etc etc. Surely you'd be better mig welding it? Unless of course it's aluminium?
Not meaning this to sound rude but I would say you don't have even minute chance of being able to replicate that at home with any great success unless you have some serious fabricating know-how. There's no possible way everything will end up where it's supposed to be if you just cobble it together, it looks to be a very complex part. Why can you not just buy one?
As said that’s really not a beginners project. When you weld you will get heat distortion even 1 piece of that out of place will knock your geometry out. Is it not a part you can buy off the shelf as that would be by far the best option
Yes you can still buy it at around £6000 new , you don’t get second hand units come up for sale, plus That’s not the only part I need to get my car rolling so , I thought how ever long it takes me in the end I could do with learning how to do stuff like this myself.
I keep looking at part and it has been pressed over a form from as few a pieces as possible with the contours of the angles needed created in the pressing. Unless you have a lot of money to invest in recreating these forms and a big press to create the piece, then what welder you need is the least of your concerns. You’re also going to need to machine the plate and other parts. Again a lot of money for the equipment to do so and the skill required to operate it. You may want to be realistic on what you can accomplish. A braced tubular arm be more realistic to create if it is within your rule book
£6k??!! I can see why you're wanting to have a go but it really isn't a project for a beginner. There's very little we try and talk people out of on here, we try to encourage people to have a go at things themselves but in all honesty I think you are on a hiding to nothing by even attempting to fabricate such a complex and crucial part.
Ive started to make a form to create the bent piece’s not sure if it will work yet but I will give it ago ,if I concentrate on making one piece at a time then like you say the welder is something to worry about at the end .
I know a guy who welds these sort of things up for BTCC and other race cars. Don't even go there. More hassle than its worth. You’ll be in for hours and Nothing but money getting the right material, working out your fixturing, getting the tolerances right. would happily put you in contact, I’m sure he could do it for a fraction of £6k but still won’t be cheap.
6k for a trailing arm what kind of track car is it from As someone said a lot of the metal is pressed to shape. You could make something that did the same job but not an exact replica. A tubular trailing arm would be easier to reproduce but you would still need lathe/milling and your tolerances would have to be spot on
I know several people who would have a stab at replicating that part in easier-to-make format, since its the metal forming that is the real headache. A darn sight cheaper than £6k, but still expensive. You have no idea how complicated a process is to make those sorts of things to the right dimensions... the welding is the easiest and simplest part!
It’s from a bmw z4 gt3 motorsport car, I brought the chassis a few years ago now and unfortunately the road car rear trailing arms don’t marry up to the chassis, so I managed to get hold of one right rear trailing arm a while back and after much thought have decided to take the plunge and try and make a few copies from the one I have, I also need to make some front wheel carriers and a few other bits to try and get the thing rolling.
