2012.05.29 - UPDATE! - PAGING RENE!....
Major progress today!
I removed the axle truss and was able to get all of the welding done on the interior fillets. I used a rectangular tube as a spacer to help prevent warping and distortion as I worked. Here is a shot of the truss upside-down during the welding processes.
I used the welding sequence that I remember hearing Rene talk about previously. Basically, I welded only about 3" at a time (front edge first, then back edge on the same side of truss, then opposite side of truss front edge, then rear edge of truss on opposite side). This was my attempt to keep the heat evenly distributed across the part on each side, and I worked from the outside toward the middle.
Also, instead of always welding from the spots where I left off previously I would start 3" away in a fresh spot on the truss and then "back step" the weld until I reached the end of the previous weld (3" away). I believe this approach is a more uniform way to add heat to the part.... And based on the observed HAZ on the finished welds it appears to work well.
Once all the welding was complete, I refitted the truss and made a few small adjustments to get it back into it's original position.
I laid down some heavy tack welds in the extreme corners and in a few strategic places on the truss to lock-down the positioning, and then I marked out a symmetrical spacing pattern for the final welding of the truss to the axle housing itself...... This is where I got stuck and where I now need help.
There are a total of 20 segments marked-out across the axle truss (approximately 2.5" each)... The labeling starts on the far left at letter "A" and then continues to the letter "U" on the far right. (inexplicably I skipped over the letter "J" for some reason)
Here's a shot of the left side (passenger):
And here's the shot of the right side (driver):
So....what I need now from Rene (or any other welding experts who want to chime in) is the exact welding sequence that I need to follow to get this truss locked-down permanently with the smallest amount of distortion possible.
If I had to guess, my strategy would be to weld starting at "A" to the beginning of "B"..... Then go to the back side of the truss and do the exact same segment. Then...go over to section "U" and weld toward section "T".... Then move to the rear of the truss and weld that same segment in the same direction.
Then: go to section "C" and do the backstep welding to bring me back to the end of my previous weld that ended at "B".... Then do the rear section....skip over to section "S", backstep weld to "T"'... Do the rear segment, etc, etc. Following this process will have me finishing up at to top of the pumpkin on both the front and rear of the truss...
I'll be anchoring the entire axle as much as possible to preload the axle and prevent any dramatic shifts when I start pouring heat into the welds.
At this point, I'm reluctant to do this next step until I get some expert welding feedback.
-G
). I actually played around with a slightly slower wire speed briefly to get a flatter weld profile but as I messed around with my technique I was able to get the flat welds at the 330 setting after all. The slower speeds were giving me more of that "spitting" effect too... Where the wire was disappearing before it even got into the puddle. That was my clue that the speed was too slow and I should look elsewhere for the solution. I have a feeling that I weld slowly by professional standards.... I seem to be very methodical and slow, even though MIG is supposed to be a fast process. I'm sure that's part of the reason why my settings seem "off". I'll try the higher voltage and try to pick up my pace! 
