Welder Recommendation

[Enlight]

I'm looking into welders for replacing chassis sheet metal at the underbody of the vehicle. Does anyone have recommendations on how weld I need to be able to weld and specific welders I should be considering? I'm interested in MIG as I have zero experience in any of this.

 

Alternatively, I hire travelling welding professional for a few hours.

[boxkita]

Hiring a professional will be far cheaper and higher quality

[Strawman914]

If you get a lot of satisfaction from doing things yourself, then spend the money to buy a good Lincoln, Miller or Hobart MIG. Any of their modern 120-volt units will work fine. And don't skimp on a flux-core unit; you'll want gas at some point anyway so get it up-front.

 

If you've never welded before and you've got a nearby community college that offers welding classes, do it. Otherwise, get lots of scrap metal and burn away -- just be sure the metal is clean... there's plenty of help on YouTube. I wouldn't attempt anything structural until you're proficient at setting the right heat range and getting proper burn-in, though.

 

I was introduced to welding in Metal Class in 7th grade, but it was eliminated when CA Proposition 13 eviscerated funding for public schools. So I bought a MIG 30 years later and used it to weld in panels on my Porsche 914. I now own an oxy-acetylene setup and recently bought a huge old Miller TIG machine to learn something new. Have fun!

[Enlight]

Thanks. I've since got a Lincoln Handy MIG and bought a box of metal to practice with from Lincoln's non-profit division. I'm running it with a argon/CO 2. I picked it all up (tank and decent helmet included) on craigslist for $300. I have a friend who's a former mechanic who taught me the ropes and we've been practicing since. Thanks for the encouragement, it's nice to hear it from other DIY'ers.

 

 

Here are the first two squares I learned to run beads on, working from top left to bottom right.

[Strawman914]

Cool, that is great to hear you’re jumping right in. Be sure to practice on some thinner metals before welding on a car. It’s pretty easy to burn through, especially when it is 16 gauge or thinner.

[Carlz0r]

Yep, practice practice practice. A useful skill for sheet metal repair is plug welding. It's essentially the MIG equivalent of a spot weld. When I took entry level collision repair training we would do tons of plug weld test coupons!

[JmP6889928]

If you can weld well, you can ALWAYS find a job, no matter what. It's a great skill and I use it a lot myself. Soldering is also a good thing to know. Practice until you understand how hot to run the welder based on metal thickness and the type of rod or wire you're using and once you've got it down, keep practicing.

[lockmedic]

I bought a used crappy Century 120v mig that had 4 heat settings. Used it for several years. Hated it, always thought I just couldn't weld. I was either burning holes in things or the wire wasn't fusing. Used it on 3 or 4 most of the time but seems like I always needed to be somewhere between them. Plus it was only 20% duty cycle rated so it would kick off and need to cool down after about 30 minutes of serious work. It was truly a shit welder.

 

4 or 5 years ago I bought a Millermatic 211 dual voltage unit (plug changes out so you can switch from 120 to 240 easy). Forget what I paid but it was in the $1200 range and for that I got a spool gun free (not that I'll be welding aluminum anytime soon).

 

it.is.the.best.thing.ever.

 

Infinite heat range adjustment is a game changer. Autoset is a game changer (just dial in the thickness of material you're working on and the machine does the rest). Being able to use it anywhere I have a normal household outlet is a game changer (up to 3/16").

 

Worth the money. Should have bought it years ago. Not saying it makes my welds look like the pros but I can definitely stick some metal to shit now.

 

Bottom line is a GOOD mig setup with bottle and regulator will set you back some coin. If you need 1 job done, you're better off hiring a pro. If you plan to tinker and use this skill for other life adventures, cry once now at the $$ leaving your wallet and be proud from here on.

 

All of that said, cutting out and replacing rusty metal on the BOTTOM of the car will suck royally. Cutting/grinding/welding overhead is nasty, gets worse when dealing with rust. It'll take a lot of prep to get a clean surface to weld to. You will hate it.

 

Better solution might be to do the cutout and prep yourself, then hire a pro to stick the shiny new unrusty metal back together for you.

Edited October 23, 2018 by lockmedic

[boxkita]

I took a welding class last summer. two evenings a week 5 hours each night. School equipment is industrial sized and unlimited supplies. I needed an industrial sized bottle of advil due to back pain from being hunched over.

 

It was great fun. Tried every technique. Really liked aluminum tig, however getting a good bead on thin sheets was a trial. However, I have a real appreciation for nice welds now. And i know what a crappy weld looks like too.

 

Paying an expert for important things is still my goto plan. But attempting it first is also the plan.

[Enlight]

I still regret removing that bolt from the carrier bushing with a breaker bar. If I remember correctly, it was actually moving a little when I was using the impact gun. This was so far in the beginning of my journey, I've learned to listen to how the metal speaks to you.

 

 

Cool, that is great to hear you’re jumping right in. Be sure to practice on some thinner metals before welding on a car. It’s pretty easy to burn through, especially when it is 16 gauge or thinner.

 

 

This is exactly what happened to me. The metal was so thin I kept blasting holes trying to weld in the new captive nut. Ultimately gave up on it and brought it to a shop to let them finish the job. There are still holes there today. It's strong enough that I can hang off of it - I'm 210 lbs.