I remember reading in the book "The Long Way Around" how one of the guys fried the ignition on his BMW when he let someone arc weld on the sub frame.
I need to do some welding on my 72 cb450, will I be OK just disconnecting the negative battery terminal or is there something more I should be aware of? Thanks!
Thanks for the pointers. I wasn't thinking about the carbs. I should probably just pull those and the gas tank off to be safe, only takes a minute or two.
I once kicked over a motor while holding the spark plug and wire IN MY HAND to see if was getting any spark. That's not a lie, I wish it was. It hurt like hell.
I once kicked over a motor while holding the spark plug and wire IN MY HAND to see if was getting any spark. That's not a lie, I wish it was. It hurt like hell.
you are supposed to ground the plug to the head or the frame. I think everybody here has done that at least once. I did it about 5 times when I was 15 and trying to figure out why the snowblower wouldn't start. I must have shocked my brain because I couldn't figure out why the plug had no spark but my hand hurt, and I repeated the act 4 more times looking for spark.
Thanks Geeto, I don't feel so bad now. And for anyone else's future reference, the entire welding rod gets very hot, not just the tip. I found out the hard way. Sometimes I'm just an idiot, but only sometimes.
What's funny is to watch people work with MSD systems that don't know enough to be scared. I put a 6a box on one of my dad's tractors(long story). After I got it running pulled a plug wire off with my tongs to show him why he isn't to work on that tractor any more. Was actually scared it might put a 70 yr old down.
I'm lazy, just ground as close to the weld as possible, never burned anything up.
When I welded on my bike, I just covered up the carbs and gas tank with an old thick denim work jacket. My bike is still running and hasn't blown up. Yet.
Years ago I was talking to an old time mechanic/handyman and he told me that he would fill the gas tanks with water, and every once in a while while welding, he would just flash his torch over the fill hole to burn off the vapors, he did say it would make anyone around him jump!
I can't remember if this was for car gas tanks or in ground storage tanks. Can't say for sure if he was pulling my leg or not....
Years ago I was talking to an old time mechanic/handyman and he told me that he would fill the gas tanks with water, and every once in a while while welding, he would just flash his torch over the fill hole to burn off the vapors, he did say it would make anyone around him jump!
I can't remember if this was for car gas tanks or in ground storage tanks. Can't say for sure if he was pulling my leg or not....
Years ago I was talking to an old time mechanic/handyman and he told me that he would fill the gas tanks with water, and every once in a while while welding, he would just flash his torch over the fill hole to burn off the vapors, he did say it would make anyone around him jump!
I can't remember if this was for car gas tanks or in ground storage tanks. Can't say for sure if he was pulling my leg or not....
I had to fix a dent in a harley tank not too long ago at work, I used a stud welder to pull the dent out, what I did was drain all of the gas out of the tank, and fill it with water to the top, worked perfectly.
Years ago I was talking to an old time mechanic/handyman and he told me that he would fill the gas tanks with water, and every once in a while while welding, he would just flash his torch over the fill hole to burn off the vapors, he did say it would make anyone around him jump!
I can't remember if this was for car gas tanks or in ground storage tanks. Can't say for sure if he was pulling my leg or not....
I had to fix a dent in a harley tank not too long ago at work, I used a stud welder to pull the dent out, what I did was drain all of the gas out of the tank, and fill it with water to the top, worked perfectly.
Depending on what kind of welding on your bike, it may also be smart to only weld small sections at a time. The longer you work on a single area the hotter it gets, and you could melt or warp other pieces near the area you are welding (i.e. electrical wires!!!). Also remember to clean the bike and the surrounding area, just splatter from the weld can light oil or gas on areas you are not even welding on. Good luck.
Depending on what kind of welding on your bike, it may also be smart to only weld small sections at a time. The longer you work on a single area the hotter it gets, and you could melt or warp other pieces near the area you are welding (i.e. electrical wires!!!). Also remember to clean the bike and the surrounding area, just splatter from the weld can light oil or gas on areas you are not even welding on. Good luck.
Finished up welding last night, my home brewed rear sets are finally on the bike. She still runs and nothing burned down or blew up. Thanks for the all the help!
-mark
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Cafe Racer Forum
418.3K posts
20.3K members
Since 2002
A forum community dedicated to Cafe Racer style race bikes owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, performance, racing, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!