Welder suggestions

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6dart9

6dart9

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So my Dart's trim is coming off and the holes will need to be welded shut. I have access to a good welder I just was wondering if I was going to go with a mig welder what specifications on the amperage and stuff should i look for. It would be elec not gas. Since it is just sheet metal it shouldn't need much but I don't want to find out it is not enough.

Thanks for the input

justin
 
You left it wide open as to what type of machine you have access to, not all electric welders are appropriate for welding sheet metal.

The most common welder for working on sheet metal is a MIG unit. For filling holes 0.023" wire is going to be the ideal size. The 120 volt units have plenty of capacity for most anything on a car, just use the machines recomendation for settings and practice on some scrap metal, you can fine tune the settings as you get used to working with the machine.

TIG is another process that works well on sheet metal but requires much more skill (practice) to become proficient. The gasless MIG welders are not a good choice since the flux core wire used with this type of machine tends to blow holes in thin sheet metal. And of course a stick welder is totally inappropriate.
 
I used a 120V mig but it does recomend a 20 Amp dedicated line to run it. I used a 15 Amp line and it triggered the fuse panel a few times. With the light welding you want to do, and the low setting it should be ok.
 
sorry i meant to say I have someone that can teach me how to weld since i have only done a little bit of mig. So dgc333 are you saying that it would best for me to use a gas mig?
 
I agree with dgc333, for sheet metal use a shielded gas. Flux will be very messy and possible damage the body.

I have a Lincoln Weld Pak 3200HD (120V) and it works great. You can get them at Lowes, Home Depot, welding supply stores, and Harbor Freight. Check Craigslist for them too. I got mine there for half the price...
 
Use the gas. Get a 75/25 argon/CO2 mix and as suggested run 023-.025 wire. Work with an infinite voltage machine if possible.

Get some scrap to practice on before tackling the side of you car. If you have an old door or some other panels laying around, drill holes in it the size that you are going to fill. Fill the holes using the welder and note the settings. Try to fill them in the horizontal position first. Then, stand the panel up to replicate the conditions when welding the car. The welder settings may require a slight tweak. Get comfortable welding in the vertical position, then go after the real car panels.

Try starting at the top of the hole and fill down, bottom and work/layer up, side, etc. Find the method that works best for you. I like bottom to top.

If you can get a piece of copper behind the holes to back it, it will help in reducing the chance for burn through. The cleaner you can make the initial weld, reduces body work required to get it straight.
 
Are those Chicago Electric Welders from Harbor Freight anygood?

I was thinking they may be the same thing just without the Lincoln name.
 
6dart9 said:
Are those Chicago Electric Welders from Harbor Freight anygood?

I was thinking they may be the same thing just without the Lincoln name.
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They are junk and when they break you can't get parts. My wife got me one as a gift. The thermal breaker would trip after about 2 minutes of use and would take another 2-3 minutes to cool down. The wire feed is very inconsistent. I really though my welding skills s%&*ed until I tried a good welder. I lent the unit to a friend of mine and after two rolls of wire the wire feed moter crapped out and he tried for months to get parts and couldn't.

My neighbor has a Clarke 120v MIG unit that works OK but no one seems to have parts for it either.

I would stay with Hobart, Lincoln or Miller pretty much any welding supply store will either have the parts or will be able to order them for you.

After the Chicago Electric experience I purchased a Lincoln unit and it has been great. Also, one of the best things I did was sign up for an adult education in welding. It is amazing how fast your skills will improve when you have some one standing over your shoulder that truely knows what they are doing teaching the right way.
 
Thats good to know because The Lincoln that superdart was talking about isn't too expensive and my father in law is an Ironworker and I plan to have him teach me since I don't have time right now to take on another class.

I found that 3200 Lincoln locally on craigslist so I will probably pick that up.
 
Nice thing about Lincoln is if you need tips/nozzles on the weekend, HD and Lowes tend to have parts. Miller you aren't so lucky.
 
The guy's are right. Go with a shielded gas unit if you can afford it. I have a Lincoln without gas and can weld sheet metal with it, but it took a lot of practice. Fluxcore wire is messy but not that hard to clean up. It was all I could afford at the time, so now I am stuck with it.

Jack
 
Thanks for all the input guys now i know what i need to buy
 
crackedback said:
Nice thing about Lincoln is if you need tips/nozzles on the weekend, HD and Lowes tend to have parts. Miller you aren't so lucky.
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Miller and Hobart are the same so their parts are interchangable. Most all of the tips are the same as well alot of the nozzles are the same. The inner sheilds are also very similar and usually come too long and need to be trimmed. If you are changing wire size then it will always be best to get the matching inner sheild as well. As for wire size, I use 035 because My welder (hobart 135 handler) seems to run too hot for the smaller stuff and I find I dont burn through as much if the gap isnt exactly right, plus if the wire isbigger then I find I can run a colder bead if need it. Now gas,,I have tried all 3 and find very subtle differences between them(tip time,,the welder says 20psi,,,10-12 is fine if it has airbubbles in the weld then give it a bit more gas).The gas willnot work outside if its windy and it works crappy if the sheet metal is dirty or rusty,,flux core does work better for these conditions.As for the actual welders, go with one of the big names and make sure the wire is not always hot, make sure it only gets hot when the trigger is pulled. Now a mask,,,if your doin sheet then buy a cheap (or expensive) auto darkening mask it will save you lots of time and grief. Thats all I can thinkof for now,,,gl
 
Im very happy with my 110 volt Lincoln mig pack 10. Older version of the mig pack 100,but essentially the same. I've had it for over 7 years and zero problems. I've used strictly flux core wire until now,but have been able to weld thin 20 ga sheet metal with minimal warpage by controlling the heat. I've also welded heavy truck frames with no issues.

I do have the available gas conversion kit. Plan on using it when I get a bottle of gas
 
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