Quote: You still have issues of cold lap, limited penetration, etc,
LOL - were you referring to the factory welds or the ones the owners made? The 70 k-member I'm getting ready to weld has it all, poor penetration, porosity, missing welds, etc. Its amazing the thing survived all these years without coming apart, yet there's no cracks or failures anywhere.
I whole-heartedly agree with your points but with reasonable care, technique, & proper heat settings, I can only make it stronger as the factory welds were pretty crappy:)
The Factory K Frames are poorly welded together IMO, but did get the job done, from a bean counter stand point.
But, after xxxxx miles, and years, some are cracking apart on there own. Front torsion bar mounts being the primary failure, plus lower control arm cracking etc.
As far as welding the Stock K Frame, alot of home enthuisiests could only help it.
Now building and welding a new Tubular K Frame from scratch, No!! I think some are talking about two different dimensions here.
I didnt read all the posts, but welding on the stock K Frame isnt Rocket science. Its the worst Welded piece of contraption Ive ever seen.
The Factory K Frames are poorly welded together IMO, but did get the job done, from a bean counter stand point. 
