Repair or replace

[elacruze]

18 gauge, 90 amp lincoln MIG.

I have to add, that I'm not the body guy. I've done it, but not on anything I needed to turn out perfect; I don't have the patience for this much bodywork. If you want/need to do all your own work, I admire you for that. I had to admit that after owning the car for 30 years, I was never going to get to it. 

I'm digesting the strategy for the 'new' 440. I'm much more motivated by the part that makes noise. 

[green69rt]

Had the same problem at the rear window,  used small selfmade pieces to weld in. the only sheetmetal I bought was the front floor.
And yes, like stated before: lots of pics and save EVERYTHING.

Per

I agree, think about some small patches first.  This is a good place to perfect your talents at making patches.  There will be more in your future.  Remember that the grinder is the welders best friend.

[lexxman]

Hey,that welder should to fine ,I got a 140amp lincoln.I'm a welder by trade and if I had the power requirement in my garage I'd had a full size miller.But for welding sheet metal the 140amp works good.I'll be glad when I'm done remodeling my downstairs so I can get back to work on my charger.

[green69rt]

^^^

That's probably the route I will be taking. It was mentioned in some earlier post. What gauge sheet metal did you use? What type of welder did you use? (MIG,flux,etc.) I"ve been kinda researching a few mig/flux combo welders at Sears that are under 300 bucks. Any suggestions? I haven't welded anything since high school and even then I really just screwed around melting and burning stuff 
Should of paid more attention!

On the subject of welding, are you experienced?  if not your local highschool or Junior college may have a short course to get you started. 

I have a Hobart 140 and it has been great.  Got a good deal on it through Northern tools (I think).  Welder, cart, gas kit, self diming mask for about $550 with free shipping.  I learned to weld on big Lincolns and found it was harder to turn them down far enough to weld sheet metal.

The car is mostly 18 Ga with a litttle 20 ga and then some 10-14 ga for the frames and a small welder can handle all of those.  Don't try flux core unless yuou have to, smoke and splatter makes a mess, use shielding gas.

[mAdMoPaR]

No experience unfortunately. Have thought about taking some courses locally though. A buddy from work recommended a Hobart 125 I think. It does flux and mig and is kinda of newbie friendly.

[green69rt]

No experience unfortunately. Have thought about taking some courses locally though. A buddy from work recommended a Hobart 125 I think. It does flux and mig and is kinda of newbie friendly.

Does it have the gas option?  The smaller ones don't have the connections.  I advise not getting a welder without the gas option.   You'll get sick of flux welding really fast.

[mAdMoPaR]

No experience unfortunately. Have thought about taking some courses locally though. A buddy from work recommended a Hobart 125 I think. It does flux and mig and is kinda of newbie friendly.

Does it have the gas option?  The smaller ones don't have the connections.  I advise not getting a welder without the gas option.   You'll get sick of flux welding really fast.

Not sure. But I think I found the one he was talking about. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200127024_200127024

[green69rt]

Does it have the gas option?  The smaller ones don't have the connections.  I advise not getting a welder without the gas option.   You'll get sick of flux welding really fast.

Not sure. But I think I found the one he was talking about. http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_6970_200127024_200127024

That rig does not use gas unless you buy the adaptor kit ($90).  The description also says that it only uses 4 inch wire spools.  If you do much welding you'll run thru that spool pretty quick.  My 140 can hold a 10 inch spool.  I know it's more money but watch for a sale or look for a used one.  Spend some time and look around.

[lexxman]

A sheilding gas is a must for sheet metal and I would say try welding some scrap pieces together first to get a feel for it and to set the temp and wire speed.

[green69rt]

A sheilding gas is a must for sheet metal and I would say try welding some scrap pieces together first to get a feel for it and to set the temp and wire speed.

[roger01]

im with them get the gas

[Mike DC]

   
I agree, use shielding gas or forget it.


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And in terms of the ability to weld thick metal, all the welders tend to be advertised to be more capable than they are in the real world.
(For example I've used a couple of name-brand 120 volt MIGs that were advertised as being capable of doing 3/8" steel, but I wouldn't even trust them on 1/4" thick.)

Furthermore, it's easier to weld as a beginner if you err on the side of slightly smaller wire diameters and compensate with more voltage.  This is another reason not to try welding at the very edge of the machine's capabilities. 


 

[green69rt]

I agree, use shielding gas or forget it.
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And in terms of the ability to weld thick metal, all the welders tend to be advertised to be more capable than they are in the real world.
(For example I've used a couple of name-brand 120 volt MIGs that were advertised as being capable of doing 3/8" steel, but I wouldn't even trust them on 1/4" thick.)

Furthermore, it's easier to weld as a beginner if you err on the side of slightly smaller wire diameters and compensate with more voltage.  This is another reason not to try welding at the very edge of the machine's capabilities.  

Yeah, I use .025 wire and started at the lowest voltage setting to avoid burning thru the sheet metal.  As I got better I upped the voltage.  Practice and skill count!

[lexxman]

One thing to try as well,set the welder higher and do quick shot of the trigger in a row .You'll get good penetration and it won't heat the part as much.And if you're doing body panels don't weld to much in one spot at one time,because you may warp the panel.Keep a cold wet rag near by to cool the metal after welding.

[green69rt]

This is turning into an online welding course.

Welding takes getting a lot of things right, wire speed, voltage, gas flow, and travel speed of the gun and these things change depending on metal gauge and composition, welder brand (they're not all calibrated the same) time of day and phase of the moon.  This is why practice is so important.

[lexxman]

That's what I like about this site.you ask a question and most time's you get info over load.If you want it or not.

[mAdMoPaR]

It's all good to me!!

[mAdMoPaR]

Forgot all about this tread, I guess I'll continue using it for future updates and questions if its ok.
Finally done (somewhat) with the lower rear window corners. Just need a final skimming of filler.
Will post my results soon.
Moved on to the trunk floor. Removed old floor and center brace and cleaned it up a bit.
Have welded in the first half of a two piece kit and will hopefully have the second half in this weekend.
The floor came in bare metal and was wondering what's the best way to temporally protect it once its all welded in?
My car sits outside with no deck lid. Epoxy primer is planned for the future but not till I do some body work and find a spray gun that will spray the primer with crappy compressor.

[Dino]

It's epoxy primer that you need, you'll just waste time and money using anything else.  After stripping a car you need to get the epoxy on there.  Then you start the body work.  The first primer is sacrifical and is only there for temporary protection really.

Lose the crappy compressor and spend $50 - $100 on CL for a very nice used one.  Get the harbor freight gun, it's perfect for shooting primer and real cheap.

[mAdMoPaR]

I was afraid of that lol ok well I may have to push it up a bit.
I do happen to have a hb spray gun i got specifically for primer
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/industrial-paint-spray-gun-43760.html
Is this the one your referring to? I got it hoping that my compressor
Would be able to work with. It's a Campbell hausfeld 30 gallon 5.7 Cfm at 90 I think. Primer I'm thinking
of going with spi, seems to be the popular choice.

[Dino]

I was afraid of that lol ok well I may have to push it up a bit.
I do happen to have a hb spray gun i got specifically for primer
http://www.harborfreight.com/air-tools/paint/industrial-paint-spray-gun-43760.html
Is this the one your referring to? I got it hoping that my compressor
Would be able to work with. It's a Campbell hausfeld 30 gallon 5.7 Cfm at 90 I think. Primer I'm thinking
of going with spi, seems to be the popular choice.

Not the gun I had in mind but it's fine, nothing wrong with an old bottom feeder!  I'm not familiar with spi but if it's epoxy it'll be fine I'm sure.  Compressor is a bit weak but it will work for primer.  I wouldn't spray clear with it as you don't have the option to stop painting half way, waiting for the compressor to catch up.  You can do that with primer however.

Mix the primer and activator by the manufactureres recommendation.  Don't try to thin it more or experiment with it when it's not working right.  Either adjust the gun or compressor but don't mess with the paint itself or you're going to be kicking yourself for a very long time.

Good luck and keep us posted!

[b5blue]

Get the "HVLP" gravity feed gun from them. It uses less air and sprayed well for me. 

[lexxman]

Ya I picked one up a wile ago and painted my sons car and my motorcycle. Worked out nicely.

[mAdMoPaR]

Getting hot out!    so taking a break from trunk floor part two, got it all clamped up and ready to weld.
Base/clear is definitely out of the question. I never planned on doing that my self anyway. Way beyond me and don't exactly have ideal painting conditions in my little driveway lol. Once I have it all welded in I guess I can order the primer and look into the other guns. Thanks guys! 

[Patronus]

Some SS colors look better than B/C