The “TIG” in TIG welding stands for Tungsten Inert Gas. But before it was named so, it was called “Heliarc” because of the helium that was dominantly used when the process was invented. But then someone discovered that argon worked better and so it was called “TIG” because inert gas could refer to either helium or argon.

Later, it was again discovered that small additions of hydrogen worked well for some metals. The word “inert” then no longer held true and so it was renamed. So nowadays, the technical term for what used to be called “TIG” and “Hiliarc” is Gas Tungsten Arc Welding or “GTAW”.

Compare to other arc welding processes, TIG welding is more difficult to use though. Just like gas welding, one is required to use both hands with the torch held in one hand and the filter rod in the other. Oftentimes, a foot pedal amperage control is also used which makes it more inconvenient.

The TIG torch can either be water or air cooled. It is designed also to give shielding gas and welding current through a tungsten electrode. A ceramic nozzle leads the shielding gas to the weld puddle and internal copper parts like the collet and the body holds the electrode in place. The tungsten electrode is sharpened for applications where the arc need to be pinpointed and for very low amperage.

The arc that is made between the tungsten electrode and workpiece creates the heat that melts the metal and makes the weld puddle. The arc is shielded by argon, or helium or the mixture of both. Sometimes for certain alloys, hydrogen is added in small percentage to improve the flow of puddle. The arc is very smooth, quiet and clean when DC current is used. However, when the TIG welding machine is set on Alternating current, it is slightly noisier but still clean and smooth.

Here is a list of some popular metals that can be welded using the TIG welding process: Carbon and low alloy steels like 1010 carbon and 4130 chromoly steels; 301, 321 and 17-7ph stainless steels; inconel 718 Nickel alloy and X Hastelloy; Aluminim alloy like 6061 and 5052; az31b Magnesium alloys; 6a14v Titanium alloys and those that are commercially pure; Stellite 6b and 1605 Cobalt alloys; copper alloys like Nibral bronze and pure copper and a whole lot more.

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At minimum you will require the following items:
a) 77-79 power steering box and mounting bolts/nuts
b) 77-79 pitman arm
c) 77-79 power steering lines- one each of fluid pressure and fluid return
d) 77-79 draglink or 2 tie rod ends and an adjuster (max 16" in length should be enough)
e) 1 piece of 1/4" steel plate approx 5 1/4" x 8"
f) 2 pieces of 1/4" wall 2 1/2" square steel tubing approx 7 1/2" long each
g) 1 litre of ATF fluid type Dexron III/ Mercon, as suggested by the local Ford Dealer
h) a welder capable of handling 1/4" steel
i) ball joint removeal fork
j) assorted wrenches, a right angle grinder and/or cutting torch, wire brush, drill, etc etc etc
k) a machine shop to shorten your old steering shaft

Extra stuff
a) 77-79 power steering pump, the old power assist pump should work if you want to reuse it.
b) new power steering belt
c) grease gun for ball joints
d) cotter pins for ball joint nuts
e) rust paint to cover welds
f) at least a dozen beer per day
g) a few days of "free time" and a place to work on your truck
h) a friend to help and/or heckle you as mine did :)

This is the procedure as I remember it. It might not be the best way but it is the way I did it. Feel free to adjust the "instructions" as you see fit. Oh yeah I am not liable for any damages to anything or anyone caused by this conversion. Mine works hope yours does also :) :) :)

1. Find a donor vehicle, it must be an F250 with the same axle as your truck, mine has a straight front axle with leaf springs so if yours isnt this swap might not work. Remove the required parts and take a good look at the system as it is setup on the donor truck, this is how yours will look when you are done, hopefully :) The donor draglink can be used, but I find it to be a little short. I plan on getting 2 tie rod ends and an adjuster to make a new adjustable draglink in the near future. The only problem I found was that I can turn harder to the left than the right with the temporary draglink.

2. Place your truck on jack stands of course, and remove the drivers wheel. Then remove the rubber/plastic inner fender, if you have one. Next remove all the power assist stuff. The steering shaft, steering box,pitman arm, draglink, power cylinder, power steering pump, bracket and all associated hoses etc. Place all this stuff carefully in a box, except the pump and bracket if you intend on reusing them, and seal the box. Then find a dumpster or better yet a cliff to throw it over :) You will need a balljoint removeal tool to split the draglink at the drivers wheel, of course you also needed one to get the stuff off the donor truck too.

3. Separate the new steering box from everything, I left the pitman arm installed to check clearances during installation. Empty all the fluid out of the steering box, invert it over a container and cycle the pitman arm back and forth. This will result in less mess when you install the box. I found out the hard way :^ (

4. On top of the frame where the new steering box will sit, on my truck anyway, the frame isnt flat it kind of bent upwards. Cut that part off so the frame is flat on top, I used a cutting wheel. Then clean the inside of the frame up remove all the dirt/grease. Cut two pieces of 2.5" square 1/4" steel tubing to fit inside the frame between the crossmember and the rad support, I used pieces 7.5" long. You will have to "adjust them with a few cuts and grinds to fit, they go one on top of the other to make a flat surface to mount the new box to.

5. Tac-weld the square tubing in place temporarily then fit the steering box in. This is where you might have to notch the crossmember and rad support and the metal inner fender a little to get the box to fit flat and straight against the frame. You will also have to remove your rad fan shroud, if you have one I didnt. You want to get the box installed in relatively the same position as it was installed in the donor truck.

6. After the box is fitting nicely in place, this took me a few hours of cutting and adjusting as I didnt want to cut off too much :), Clamp the box in place, I used a big "C' clamp, and mark the mounting holes on to the square tubing, you may have to adjust the tubing up and down a little to get the holes to hit on the tubing only and not on the joint between them. I got lucky and it worked the first time. Cycle the pitman arm back and forth to ensure there is adequate clearance between it and the frame and the leaf spring. It should also travel in a fairly straight line or (as I remember from High School the same geometric plane).

7. Remove the box and then the square tubing, of course remembering which one is the top and which one is the bottom. You can leave them installed to drill the mount holes but I used a drill press to get the holes straight. Drill the mount holes for the bolts, mine were 9/16", in the square tubing.Then place the tubing back in the place and mark the frame where the bolts will pass through. It is real important to get the tubing back in the exact place where it was tac-welded before or the pitman arm might hit on the frame or the leaf spring. Remove the tubing and drill the holes through the frame. These frame holes dont have to be neat or a real tight fit as you will be welding a support plate over them.

8. Manufacture a flat backing plate out of 1/4" steel to go on the outside of the frame. This will cover the old box's mounting holes, give the frame some added strength and serve as an anchor point for the steering box bolts. You will have to measure carefully to get the holes through the plate in the correct position. Oh yeah the plate is approx 5 1/4" x 8" , but use what fits of course.

9. Re-install the tubing, and bolt it through the frame to the backing plate, make sure it is straight and tight as possible against the frame, the plate will probably bend to the contour of the frame this is good. Again ensure that the tubing is in the original position.

10. Weld the tubing in place every where they touch the frame or each other. Then weld the backing plate securly to the frame. Remove the bolts and grind the weld smooth so it wont interfere with the steering box sitting flat, unless you are a better welder than I am and you dont have to grind :) Install the steering box and mounting bolts and nuts for the last time.

11. Measure the distance from the steering box to the steering shaft out of the firewall. Cut your old steering shaft to fit ( I had to cut off 4 1/4" inches). You will have to disassemble the joint on the steering box end. Then press out the "guide pin". Drill a new hole for it the proper distance and press it back in.. Install the shortened shaft in place. Good time to make sure your steering wheel is centred, looks better that way :) Also be sure and measure the hole right. Measure from centre of old hole to the desired centre of the new hole.

12. Install the "new" draglink. As I said before I used this one temporarily it wasnt quite the right length, a little short, but it works fine. I just cant make as tight right turns as I can left. You could always get the 2 tie rods and an adjuster when you are gathering parts, that way you wouldnt have to buy the 77-79 draglink at the scrapper.

13. Install your power steering pump, bracket and lines. I used the new pump but the old one should work also. Install the power steering belt and tighten it. Fill the pump with fluid.

14. With the front wheels still off the ground, as truck is still on jackstands, turn the steering wheel from stop to stop to bleed all the air out of the system check the fluid level often and top up as required. It helps to have the truck running :)

15. Replace the inner fender, if you had one to take off :), and replace the drivers wheel. Once again turn the wheel from stop to stop to ensure nothing is rubbing. Reinstall your rad fan shroud if you had one to remove.

16. Lower the truck to the ground and enjoy the "new steering feeling".

I hope these "insructions "are fairly clear. I am sure you will understand as you are doing the conversion what I mean. You will probably even see a better way to complete it

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CRITERIA FOR SELECTION AND DESCRIPTION

As many of you know I installed a vehicle lift in my pole barn. After much research I settled on one made by Rotary, 9000# capacity, in-ground, fully enclosed and high pressure rather than air over oil for EPA reasons and ease of installation. Of all the inground lifts I looked at it was the easiest to install and also has a higher pay load than most air over oil types for standard garage use.

I had several criteria for my lift when I started the research and from the beginning wanted an in gound type but was beginning to lean toward the above ground types due to the complexity of installation and potential EPA and code restrictions untill I found this one which is fully contained in a polypropylene or ethylene tub and which has 2" conduit fully sealed all the way to the power supply assy. so it eliminated most of the potential complaints of the building inspector and township. To further pacify them I'm documenting the installation with pictures as I go so they can see everything was done according to the Mfg's instructions.

The criteria for my lift selecton were these:

1..Must have the capacity to work on any truck I might decide to buy including 4x4's, at least 6k - 9k pounds.

2..Must leave the under carriage unobstructed which eliminated the single post types.

3..Must work from the frame rather than the axles since I plan to be able to remove axles while using it which eliminated the two post, axle types.

4..Must not obstruct the sides of the vehicle so I can do body work and painting with no interferance which eliminated most (virtually all) of the above ground systems.

5..Must be easily bunkered to prevent oil seepage into the ground to satisfy the neighbors and the township which essentially eliminated most of the in-ground hoists. Some others offered fiberglass coatings but this did not fully contain the unit so seepage was still possible on the ones I asked about.

6..Had to be something I can install myself

7..Had to be in my budget range.

On this last point I was looking at above ground setups for $2600 up to $4500 which had the capacity but the best ones of them still had large posts very close to the vehicle doors so that the sides were badly obstructed for painting or body work etc.. My plan was to pay cash originally but when I stumbled on to the Rotary hoist at $5060.00 plus tax and installation which brought it up to about $6000 (I installed it myself) I decided that it perfectly satisfied every criteria but the price and then determined I could deal with the price to have EXACTLY what I wanted so here I am telling you about it.

DETAILS OF INSTALLATION

First I prepared the barn floor so that it was relatively flat and at the grade needed to pour the floor. I cleared out the area I thought he would need to run his backhoe but had no clue how dang big the thing was!@#@# so I was Ill prepared when he got there. The dealer delivered the hoist (included in the price) and agreed to position it on the floor exactly where I asked him to and I marked the spots and labeled them with flourescent orange marking paint so the driver couldn't miss it but he did so the sales man sent him back to fix it. The mixup was partly my fault but they still came back and fixed it. I had them put it next to the location of the hole lying flat on it's pallet with the lift eyes facing the hole so the backhoe could hook on with chains and lift it right over the hole without moving anything but back far enough to be out of the way to dig the hole and lay a piece of plywood on the ground as a protecive work platform to keep from knocking dirt back in the hole while trying to set the hoist. I placed one on each side of the hole, long ways and positioned them with stakes to keep them lined up to use as a guide for squaring the lift in the hole while setting it. Of course the stakes were in the way and had to be removed so when it was set and hanging from the front bucket of the backhoe I repositioned them to square with the wall for a referance (again) and let the lift down and installed the threaded rods (1/2" X 18") with nuts and washers and blocks under the ends of the 6x6 posts so it could hang over the hole and use the threaded rods to adjust the level etc..

Here's what I learned from the experience:

Mistake #1:

I cleared out what I thought was sufficient room for the tractor to operate but not being a back hoe operator didn't take certain things into account which required me to move a lot of stuff out of his way after he got there. (heavy stuff too :-()

20/20 Hind Sight #1:

Make sure the barn is EMPTY so the tractor has room to manouver.

Mistake #2:

Don't assume anything is correct! I had two pedestrian doors installed and a bathroom slab poured all with referance to the 4 corners which miraculously were dead on level but the centers of the 48' length walls were way off for some reason. I plumed the lift to the center of the closest wall ASSUMING the skirting was straight and level as it was when I checked it last year during the construction process. The point I chose was 1.5" high!@#$%$#$@# When I ran a string across to the other wall to get a level it seemed to want to go about 2" above the skirt line I was using on the other wall so I made a compromise (fortunately) and lowered the first side slightly just in case. I measured to the top of the lift from the joists and got my 12' right on the nose so went ahead with it.

20/20 Hind Sight #2

ALWAYS USE ANY UNCHANGEABLE REFERANCES FOR YOUR REFERANCE! In my case the slab I poured for the bathroom was the right choice but I didn't recognize it till it was too late :-( Fortunately I also made some mistakes in grading the floor so when the contractor set up his transit (level) the top of the floor wound up within 1/4" of the lift and is now history and quite acceptable though far from perfect.

Mistake #3

Pea stone can be compressed by tamping but it puts tremendous pressure on things sufficient to lift an 1800# hoist! I wanted to make sure there were no voids under it so I tamped it pretty agressively to get the stone all the way under the tub and compress any loose dirt in the bottom of the hole and didn't realize till too late that I had actually taken the weight off the beams so I spent the next few hours rocking it back and forth hoping the tub didn't crack from the weight to get it back to the level I wanted. Each time I tried to adjust it some stone got under it and made things worse so I finally gave up once I had it level and started back filling.

20/20 Hind Sight #3

Tamp lightly even on the bottom but start with the lift about an inch below grade so you have some lee way while leveling it. As you tamp it shifts the bottom of the hoist around and upsets the level so you have to constantly check it as you go so as not to get too far out to fix. DO NOT TAMP BEYOND THE VERY BOTTOM OF THE HOLE EVEN WITH THE BOTTOM OF THE HOIST or you will crush the plastic tub and interfere with proper lift operation! When you back fill, the weight of the stone and it's slippery nature will fill the voids without any tamping except to keep it level. Keep the stone even all the way around as you go and it won't upset the level as much. Buy good quality pea stone, well washed and dry for best results.

Once you have about half the back fill in you can bring the lift up to grade with the threaded rods it hangs from and fininsh the back fill while watching the level.

LEVELING

The book calls for a machist level referancing off the top of the posts which are machined surfaces but I discovered that the ends of the posts are coated with a plastic paint which is uneven enough to throw the level off. Added to that was the fact that the posts were not exactly parallel since it is a weldment and with a span of some 5 feet and posts some 8' long and controlled by bushings which have some clearance (not very dang much but some) in them to allow the posts to move, there are discrepancies.

Solution:

I roughed in the location and level of the hoist and backfilled about a foot from the bottom to hold it in place and then hooked up the hydraulic, conduit and air lines and wired the power supply so I could raise the posts. I then used a mason's 4' level to double check my machinist level readings and found the discrepancies mentioned above. Fortunately the posts were very close but angled in slightly so that I took the average of the two width wise and leveled each one separately on the other direction. When I was satisfied I had the best average level for the unit I finished back filling, all the while keeping an eye on the level till it was within 18" of the top of the hoist frame. (where the book called for me to stop and use concrete)

CONCLUSIONS

The rest of the process was very easy and straight forward as was the hook up of the air and hydraulic lines and conduit. The rubber gasket fitting for the conduit is very tight so I used vaseline to lube it and it popped right in, a very nice fit. The hydraulic line was custom made for me by a farm supply with lots of margin for safety at 4k psi and cost about $40 as I recall.

A very small compressor is all that's needed to operate the safety lock, the lift is operated by a hydraulic pump motor at 2500 psi and the lock ratchets under spring pressure automatically as the lift goes up and must be released by air pressure through a small valve on the power supply conveniently located next to the down lever. It uses a push button switch to turn the motor on and raise the lift.

Access to the workings is through a large cover plate which comes with a rubber gasket and is held in place with 10 or so 1/2" bolts. The entire mechanism can be pulled with an engine hoist of sufficient capacity for major repairs as the whole assembly hangs from the frame which is rodded into the concrete very securely.

I plan to open it up occasionally and shop vac the water and oil out of the bottom to keep it nice and clean. The top plates are sealed at the factory but the center access plate has a gasket you put in once it's been opened. The other two plates never need to come off so should stay sealed. (remember the bottom is 9' below grade......:-))

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