So initially when i started using #Fusion360 i stuck to drawing basic things to help get me use to the program. you would keep getting to a point where you would get stuck and have to look up the help tutorials on youtube to work though the problem. As you did this more and more you became more fluent with the program.
I think the very first thing that i learnt to draw with Glen by my side coaching me though it was a link tab. once we mastered that we drew a link mount bracket.
As you can see very basic stuff. I kept working at it and doing some examples from the youtube tutorials and soon i was ready to give drawing my rear trailing arms a go.
Firstly i had a design in mind and a design which could be manufactured fairly easily.
The Arm was a plate and tube design however it also required some custom machined bushings which is where the socks bolt through and the bushings get welded into the arm and give the arm a lot of its strength.
The plate used is 0.120" thick chromolly, The The tube is a 1.75"x0.095" chromolly.
Because the materials used are chromolly the preferred method of welding is TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas) welding. The Gas used is 100% pure argon gas.
To confirm that i had my design correct and that the parts were all going to go together properly, i decided to cut a thin mild steel test version of one of the rear trailing arms.
Once i was happy with the outcome the final laser cutting files were sent off and the chromolly plate was cut.
These rear trailing arms have a huge amount of welding in them. Approximately 24 hours in each arm. I soon learned that my air cooled TIG torch wasn't really up to the task of all the welding so i upgraded it to a water cooled version. Now you can definitely do the job with a air cooled torch but its going to take you a lot longer as you will need to stop and let the torch cool from time to time, where as with the water cooled torch i can run at 300amps 100% and not get hot.