Floor Pan Repair

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on the welding subject... are you dragging the wire towards you or pushing away from you...

if you drag it towards you then you will get penetration..

if you push it away from you u will get less...

angle the head of the whip over to 30degrees and push it away from you on a practice peice.. and dont move the puddle side to side just in a straight line... and watch your travel speed if you go to slow then you will burn thru...

hope this helps...

cheers
 
KY Longhunter said:
To everyone with tips / suggestions a big THANKS!

Im still nervous about trying this and considering taking it to local body shop...but Im even more nervous how much this will cost!
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Practice on some scrap and go for it, whats the worst that could happen.......
 
Gusb said:
I too, have just cleared the floor of my 78 for repair. Hoping to just prep and POR15 but I have developed other issues :hhmm:. Not to get off on the welding thing but - Coolerman (or anyone), do you have an opinion on a MIG/brand I can get at a reasonable cost that would be a bit better than the bottom end?

Is muriatic acid better than the blue Metal Ready the POR15 people sell?
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Hobart, Miller, and Lincoln all make good small welders. The Hobart 175 is a great welder. Friend of mine has one. It will weld thin sheet to 1/4" easily. My Craftsman is a 105 amp max welder but has infinitely adjustable voltage and wire speed. It's lucky to do 1/8"... but works great on thin sheet metal.

If your welder can be adapted, get the MiG conversion kit for it. It allows you to use shielding gas for much better looking welds and allows you to use non-flux wire in much smaller sizes.

I have no experience with POR products but have used the muriatic acid trick for years.
 
I'm afraid to say that the rust probably started in the seam and if you don't separate it and eliminate the rust it'll be back bubbling paint within a year or so.

Also, the advantage Metal Ready has over muriatic acid is the zinc salts which help forestall new rust.
 
for something like $595 and free freight shipping i got the 110v Lincoln 140C ... it has infinitely adjustable power and speed of wire - I've had great success using it on thicker metals.. i think it could even do up to 1/4 but you'd have to take it really slow/maybe make two passes.

for the amount it would cost for someone else to do it you could get yourself a good welder.. learn some more skillz and have the satisfaction of doing it yourself :)
 
hellbent40 said:
on the welding subject... are you dragging the wire towards you or pushing away from you...

if you drag it towards you then you will get penetration..

if you push it away from you u will get less...

angle the head of the whip over to 30degrees and push it away from you on a practice peice.. and dont move the puddle side to side just in a straight line... and watch your travel speed if you go to slow then you will burn thru...

hope this helps...

cheers
Click to expand...

You can go to millers website and read their mig pdf. Lots of good tips. The above is confusing. If the tip of the gun is pointing away from you and you are pushing/welding away from you the weld is not as wide but deeper(better penetration). Bad for thin material. If you pull towards you the weld is spread out more/wider and does not penetrate as deep. Many more variables such as travel speed, wire feed speed, actual motion of the gun, etc. Now I'm not a welder but I did stay at a comfort inn last night. :D
 
I have the hobart 175. My fj 45 project was a great training course for me. Same issues with floors. I used a pig tailgate inspection cover for the floors and sections of a large electrical panel for the sloping part. My welding was horrible at first, but improved through the winter. I eventually did some pretty heavy work with this hobart. The guys on mud gave me lots if really good tips. This hobart is the smallest 220 volt one they make. My friends that already know how to weld say it's an awesome machine, my .02
 
Found the following on Craigslist

Hobart Handler 140 Welder - $400 (Comes with gas/oxygen regulator, two spare welding tips, flux-core wire, and nozzle gel)

Miller 135 $550 (comes with an Argon/CO2 cylinder and regulator, and a rolling stand)

Miller 175 $400 (does not come with tig torch or leads)

What do you guys think?
 
I'd suggest a MiG setup for you. TiG is great, but it is harder to learn. I'd suggest any of the 110V Miller, Lincoln or Hobart setups. Just get one with the separate gas cylinder (and buy the CO2/Argon mix for it) and 0.023 wire.

Heck, I've got a Miller 210 and I've been thinking of buying a 135 or 140 sized MiG just for bodywork. I don't want to have to be taking the spool off every other day.

Dan
 
I'm in the process of sheet metal transplants on my 40 which has included fabbing and welding in new rockers, in and out, both sides, and replacing parts of the quarters along the wheel well seams and corners. I had a pro buddy weld in new pieces I fabbed under the roll bar mounts on the wheel wells including new underneath support brackets I bought from CCOT. I learned more watching my buddy for a couple of hours than I had in several years of DIY with a flux-core wire welder. The secret to not burning through thin sheet metal is to not run a continuous bead but to weld in short bursts or pulses of about 1 sec duration each, sort of a zit-zit-zit. I bought a 135 Amp Lincoln from a dealer who also sells on eBay for around $400 give or take a few bucks. I use 023 wire with a fairly high wire speed and a heat setting at 3 out of 4. I just finished up my first tank of stargon gas (my buddy recommended it) which is something like 85% Argon, 12% CO2, and 3% oxygen (I don't recall the exact breakdown).

Flux core wire is a waste of time on sheet metal, too much smoke, spatter, and slag to see what you're doing as far as I'm concerned. MIG is much, much better.

Pete
 
1 month later...bought a Lincoln 175HD with Gas

1 month later...bought a Lincoln 175HD with Gas

http://content.lincolnelectric.com/pdfs/products/literature/e7354.pdf

These are on sale at Home Depot for $471 Brand New.

$500 after tax + $100 welding cart/clamps/gloves (Harbour Frieght) + $200 Gas Cylinder with Argon/CO2 mix.

Now begins some practice before tackling the project.

Wish me luck.
 
its the low setting thats important, 25 amps is great for 18 - 20 guage
good luck
 
Practice Practice

Getting the hang of it. I know their ugly but hey I'm trying...
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Run with 10-20 CFH. It depends on your wire size. Smaller wire, smaller CFH...

Oh and search Google for MIG gas flow CFH to get all kinds of reading material on the subject...
 
Body Mount Repair

Ok so I bought a Lincoln 175HD with Gas and have been practicing my welding and finally started on some actual repairs.

After many hours studying the situation realized I had to repair my body mounts before tackling the floor pans. Below are some pics of my progress.

For a novice I'm pleased with my results. Still a lot more work ahead...
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