NEW MIG GUNS FOR CUSTOM JOBS

Tregaskiss MIG guns meet demands of light- to heavy-duty applications

• Options available for light- to heavy-duty applications
• Complimentary value-added feature
• 180- to 650-amp models available
• Air-cooled and water-cooled versions

WINDSOR, Ontario. May 20, 2010—To meet the demands of welding applications ranging from light- to heavy-duty, Tregaskiss offers two brands: TOUGH GUN^™ MIG Guns and TGX^™ MIG Guns.

Both MIG guns feature Tregaskiss’ exclusive TOUGH LOCK^™ Retaining Heads with Dual Taper Technology, a tapered design that locks the contact tip securely in place and keeps it centered to provide consistent weld quality.

TOUGH GUN MIG Guns are designed specifically for welding on heavy-duty applications, including those with extended arc-on times and ones in harsh or abusive environments.

These MIG guns have value-added features such as: a unique Double-Life MIG Gun System, which can cut annual MIG gun replacement in half and a lifetime warranty on handles and triggers.

TOUGH GUN MIG Guns can also be customized with goosenecks, accessories, special triggers and consumables. Tregaskiss offers the MIG guns in 350 amp, 450 amp, 550 amp and 650 amp air-cooled models, and 400 amp and 600 amp water-cooled models.

They are available in cable lengths ranging from 10 to 25 feet or in custom lengths. Customers can use the new Tregaskiss’ TOUGH GUN Configurator: www.tregaskiss.com/configurator, to customize their MIG gun.

For light- to medium-duty welding applications, Tregaskiss designed its TGX MIG Guns, which are available in 180, 260, 300 and 400 amp models.

The TGX Guns work well for welding thinner materials and on applications with short arc times, including hobby applications or repair and maintenance jobs requiring tacking or shorter length welds.

For light- to medium-duty welding applications, Tregaskiss designed its TGX MIG Guns, which are available in 180, 260, 300 and 400 amp models.

These MIG guns have a standard duty gooseneck insulator and nozzle along with a polymer-armored gooseneck. The guns are available in 10, 12 and 15 feet cable lengths.

For more information on Tregaskiss Products, call 1-877-737-3111 or fax 1-877-737-2111 in Canada & USA, write Tregaskiss, 2570 North Talbot Road, Windsor, Ontario, Canada, N0R 1L0, email info@tregaskiss.com or visit Tregaskiss.com. Internationally, call +1-519-737-3000 or fax +1-519-737-2111.

Tregaskiss is an industry leader in the development and manufacturing of MIG welding guns and peripherals, and offers its products worldwide. Its brands include TOUGH GUN^™ Manual, Robotic MIG Guns and Peripherals, TGX^™ MIG Guns and TOUGH GARD^™ Anti-Spatter.

Tregaskiss is a wholly owned subsidiary of Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW), Glenview, Ill. ITW is a diversified multinational manufacturer of highly engineered components, assemblies and systems.

Custom KW Door Window Trim

Give your Kenworth’s cab the chopped look by adding upper window trim panels

A popular customizing trend  among KW owners is adding a painted trim piece to the top of the door window frame to give  the cab a chopped look.

The trim fits along the door lip at the top of window without interrupting the window operation and there are a number of aftermarket stainless offerings available. (Prices range from $90-$120 pair.)

But if you are the do-it-yourself type, you might like to give a shot at making them yourself. The painted version makes the top look chopped, whereas the polished stainless variety provides more shine than slam.

The way customizers at Car Craft Truck Works, Elizabeth Truck Center’s customizing arm, build ‘em is to make a cardboard template of the side window trim. The template extends from the top of the inner door frame lip at the top of the window opening down to an imaginary line even with the front visor and rear roof split.

That template is then transferred to 3/32″ aluminum. The aluminum is cut and a 1/2″ lip is rolled along the bottom edge to 1) give the side visor rigidity and 2) a smooth, almost invisible custom edge.

The aluminum is then sanded, primered and painted to match the color of the truck. The window visor is installed using automotive/industrial double-sided sticky tape along the upper door lip to hold it in place. — Bruce W. Smith

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By Bruce W. Smith

Ten years and a million miles do a wear-and-tear number on just about anything in a working rig. Just look down by your feet. The floor covering, which was once pristine, probably looks as if half those miles were driven over it.

Even if you’re diligent keeping the cab floor clean, years of exposure to extreme temperatures and climate conditions take their toll, as does moisture from wet boots, spilled drinks, dropped burgers and other hazards of everyday use. A less-than-spotless-looking floor is perfectly acceptable in a regular working rig. But in a working-class show truck, never.

One solution for a cab floor for both work and show is diamond-plate aluminum. Diamond-plate withstands the rigors of hard use, wears well, is relatively easy to install and requires very little work to maintain. Also, installing a new floor cover is usually the first of many interior upgrades to follow.

We put a new covering in a ’98 379 Pete, replacing a once-beautiful laminate wood floor that had succumbed to the working elements. The truck was being given a second life, so a little more show and less go was the order of the day. A pre-cut, two-piece diamond-pate aluminum floor kit ($575) from the Chrome Shop Mafia was the perfect place to begin the truck’s refurbishing process.

Replacing a floor cover with diamond-plate is easy. But beware: It’s an all-day project. Everything north of the original factory metal cab floor has to be removed and the floor itself cleaned.

The good news is that the time spent is rewarding in the long run. The photos below show the step-by-step involved. (Click on an image to see it full-size.) – CR

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HEADLIGHT LOW DOWN

I saw a 379 Pete [“Kwitcherbitchin,” March ’08] with the headlights mounted in the bumper. How were the holes laid out, cut, and the lights mounted? The low-mount headlights look like they’d be great in fog and rain driving instead of mounting fog/driving lights. —Ed Smith, Eugene, Oregon

Ed, what we do in our shop is, once the customer decides on what style headlights they want mounted in the bumper, to make a paper template of the lights. Then we position each template on the bumper face and trace the outline. We then use a plasma cutter and follow the pattern, smooth up any rough edges with a small grinder, drill the mounting holes from the chrome side of the bumper and bolt ’em in. Now a word of caution: There are federal laws regarding how low headlights can be mounted. We understand there must be a minimum of 24 inches from headlight center to pavement. – Bryan Martin, Chrome Shop Mafia/4 State Trucks

Ed, there are a number of ways to put lights in the bumper, but none are easy! The least expensive way is to go to your local salvage yard and look for headlight guts that hold the headlights in the headlight assembly. Next you have to fabricate brackets to hold the headlight guts to your truck’s frame. After the headlights are mounted to the frame, measure out where they fall in relation to the bumper and transfer those precise measurements to the bumper. The openings in the bumper will then need to be cut out and the openings finished out. If you need help call; we would love to give you a hand. —Adam Martin, Colorado Custom Chrome; (970) 284-6552