I just purchased a chrome swingarm and before chroming the welds were ground off. the swingarm looks bitchin. does grinding off the welds weaken the swingarm in any way. I know I shouldve asked before purchasing it but I got a killer deal on it.

 

Don't grind on any parts of the chassis. Just don't...

 

Who needs welds, they just hold all the pieces together.
But seriously grinding all the reinforcing material off could affect the strength of the welded joint.

 

Were the welds ground off or just smoothed up? A swing arm when welded from the factory is welded deep into the metal and is pretty strong. Most chrome shops just buff up and smooth the welds therefore not weakening the welds. However if someone was a little gun hoe on the grinder they could have weakened it to some degree. Post a picture or two to let us see.

 

A few pics. One of my friends has one like it and said he hasnt had any trouble

 

It looks like they've been ground down, and it's hard to say what effect it will have. It could stand up fine, or it could fail. Depends on the quality of the weld. It could be porous or have a hairline crack and you'd never know because of the plating.

All critical welds where I work are x-rayed or p.t'd for this reason.

 

Wish me the best cause its on. "RIDE IT TILL THE WHEELS FALL OFF". Damn! I never gave that saying so much thought... I will post some pics when I'm all done puting on the shiny stuff.

 

Most of the aftermarket chrome swingarms I have been involved with had the welds just dressed down a little bit so they weren't so noticeable and not one ever had an issue. Your pictures seem to show quite a bit more material removed than I have seen. But, the metal used in the swingarm is pretty thick and the odds are probably still in your favor. Looks nice on the bike too!

 

Your okay...

 

ye, I can't really tell much about the weld from the pictures but I would think they would'nt grind the weld completely off prior to plating, Keep a close eye on it. I noticed a chrome caliper, polished rotor and a few other mods along with the swing arm. Looks great.