Welding Spherical Rod End on Shaft

[Don52]

My customer is in the process of restoring a vintage Karmann Ghia. He required a push rod for the master cylinder. He couldn’t purchase the correct part, so he bought one that was too long. He cut off the end of the shaft to make it the correct length and requested that I weld a ball back onto the end of the shaft. The top view in the following shows a Xerox of the correct shaft. The bottom view shows the shaft that was too long, which had been shortened. He wanted me to weld a ball on the end of the shaft that looks like the Xerox picture.

1. Shaft that requires a spherical rod end


2. Me welding a ball on the end of the shaft


3. Ball as welded


4. Grinding a rod end


5. Rod end all done


-Don

[MAC702]

Would it have been easier if he cut a chunk out of the middle of the one that was too long and then had it welded back together instead of welding just a ball back on the end? At first I thought so, and now I don't know if it would make much difference. You'd have a much better idea.

[ryanjones2150]

Might have been just as easy to machine a new one from bar stock, eh Don? You would’ve had to grind the living daylights out of some HSS too!

[Don52]

Would it have been easier if he cut a chunk out of the middle of the one that was too long and then had it welded back together instead of welding just a ball back on the end? At first I thought so, and now I don't know if it would make much difference. You'd have a much better idea.

I’m not sure exact what the customer did, because there is evidence of welding in the middle of the shaft. My repair was actually pretty easy, I just built up the end of the shaft with weld. I used enough heat to keep the weld bead spherical in shape.

-Don

[Don52]

Might have been just as easy to machine a new one from bar stock, eh Don? You would’ve had to grind the living daylights out of some HSS too!

I could have machined it from a solid bar. I do have carbide radius cutter bits for the lathe.

-Don