Another build thread? Yep, my track-style T

[J. Robinson]

Next step was to find the center of the round stock and tack weld the collar in place. Then I heated the round stock and formed it around the collar. After a couple more tack-welds on the collar to stabilize things, I heated a couple more spots a few inches from each end and shaped the arm so it would fit into the holes in the spindle. I installed the inner and outer nuts and tightened it in place.

The next step was to further massage the arm to achieve the desired shape. I did the heating and bending with the arm installed on the spindle so that the ends would stay in their necessary locations. After the arm was bent to my satisfaction and cooled enough I could work with it, I used a piece of poster board to make a pattern for the gusset plate. Then I transferred the pattern to a piece of 3/16" steel and, using a cut-off wheel and a couple of grinders, cut and shaped the gusset plate.

The next step was to weld the gusset plate in place. I did the initial welding with the arm bolted in place to eliminate warping. Then I took it off, welded the back side, finished the front, and then ground it to final shape.