thetremendousti

never in my life. : - \ but i don't really have a whole lot of money and my friend is willing to let me borrow his equipment.

SpeciallySpiked

Now I really don't know but, can you weld stainless steel and normal steel like that??
I'm really just pointing this out in hopes that someone who knows will say:
Yes, it will be fine
or
No, don't use stainless steel

NismoPick

^^^ Yes, you can weld normal to stainless, but the two steels have diff melting points and the weld will still corrode unless you use a stainless steel wire. It's not recommended welding the two types together.

Thetremendousti... Body & sheet metal work isn't just something you can do w/o any knowledge. Would you want a doctor w/ no medical knowledge to operate on you? Why not? Because he's going to do more damage than good.

If you want to repair your car, the best way to learn is to take Auto Collision Repair classes. If that just isn't an option, read a bunch of good auto body books.

Lastly, rust repair IS NOT EASY. Cutting out the panels is usually the best way to go, but then you either need to get a replacement panel, or fab one up. And believe me (I did body work for years) that fabbing up a replacement panel will make you want to punch the wall until you really get the hang of it.

Long story short... Obtain LOTS of knowledge before doing body work. AND!!! do not start on your Z... get a beat up clunker to practice on, because you WILL screw up the first few times.

thetremendousti

Alright, A few questions.

Today I took to grinding the hatch area to get rid of the rust and paint and did so, mostly successfully (see pics).





Then I took up the carpet and found a bunch of panels that have the consistency of tar and they are "glued" or more plainly "stuck" to the panels, so I took a chisel and after like 2 hours got some of it off and ground to the bare metal. What is this stuff?!?!? (see pics)





Finally, I bought some 26 gauge sheet metal and this guy I know said he'll sell me his mig welder. It's an Easy Mig 100 and here are the specs
*90 amp flux wire
*120v/60HZ
*31V Adjustment Positions: 2 Steps Range of current 50-80amp Duty Cycle: 15%@80A; 20%@65A;
Rated duty cycle: 10%@90amps Insulation Class: F Welding wire size:.035" to 040"

Can i use .03" wire to weld the 26 gauge steel to the body? If not what gauge and wire should I use for the body?? I have a friend that welds and he usually uses an arc welder which he let me borrow but it pretty much burns through all my practice metal.

lww

That's what sound insulation consisted of back in the 70's! Dry ice is your friend.

I'd pass on the cheap welder. You'll spend more time fighting the welder and screwing up your welds than you can possibly imagine. Go to Harborfreight.com and pick up a Hobart.

.030 is a little thick for welding this kind of sheet metal. You want to use the thinnest wire you can so your welder doesn't have to use as much heat to melt the wire. If you have to "overheat" the wire to get it to melt, you're more likely to burn holes in your sheet metal.

Good luck.
LWW

mikeatrpi

Safety first, never put a grinder down face down like that. Just looking out for you bud...

26 gauge is too thin. Try 18 gauge. You can cut it easily with a thin blade on your grinder or a sawzall.

Flux core wire sucks. I mean, you can do it... but it burns a little hotter than a true MIG process and will give you trouble when learning. Hopefully your buddy's MIG you're borrowing is better.

3/16" stainless is much too thick, and stainless isn't the proper material here for the repair.

You should go to a junk yard or autobody shop and pick up some old fenders, door skins, and hoods that you can cut pieces out of. It will also give you plenty of material to practice with.

To make the repair you're showing in the pictures, you'd want to make two or more pieces. At least one for the sill plate, and one for the vertical tail light panel. You can use cereal box cardboard to make your templates. Trim with scissors till its right, then cut it out of steel.

Good luck, keep us posted, especially if you have more specific questions.

thetremendousti

Thanks for the tips on the insulatioN! I've almost got all of it out and in a few more hours i'll grind it to the floor pans and stuff. Unfortunately I found a few more spots to weld : \ but on a lighter subject I'm going to pick up a mig welder and some .023" wire down the street, and some 18 gauge steel to practice on. But what should I do about the insulation? Are there any recommended brands? I have been looking around and i guess it comes down to a few major brands secondskin and dynamat and fatmat. I'm thinking of putting secondskin's "damplifier" and then putting some of their "overkill" on top of that then finally the carpet.

dapper189

ok before i get yelled at, im asking this as an honest question..will a stick welder work? that thing out int he barn can weld anything from what i've seen

NismoPick

If you have absolutely insane welding skills, yeah...

Stick welding is for thicker metals (angle iron, bars, building structures). Use MIG / TIG for sheet metal & auto body repair.

dapper189

mig/tig it is then..even with the stick i make too many boogers

NismoPick

Sell that stick welder and w/ the $$$ you can buy a good MIG.

dapper189

well this next question is a 4 parter..flux core or not and what's the going opinion on gas? is it worth it?..does it make the welds all that much cleaner? I mean i used to use this flux core hobart at the shop and it did a good job for being a 115v welder but i wasn't doing body work, i was welding trailers..c channel to c channel and what not..nothing as fine as body sheet metal.

NismoPick

Read this thread: https://www.zdriver.com/forums/showt...ghlight=welder

dapper189

works for me..gas is good then, lets hope the weather is good enought his weekend to get things done!

thetremendousti

Hey I'm Using Flux core wire with a cheapie little easy mig 100 from miller welding it cost me like 125 for the machine and 2 feet of wire from sim's and it's working fantastically! Granted I've been practicing all day yesterday and since like 9 this morning but I'm getting the hang of it. I've been practicing on a hood I got down at the salvage yard and I finally got the setting. It's harder and there's definately alot more spatter and tons more sanding but it's working like a charm!

thetremendousti

Alright so i spent pretty much all of today fabricating these. What do you think of the joints for the two corner pieces? I practiced alot on a hood i picked up from the junkyard and then I just decided to use it. My hand is still vibrating from the grinder.

CWHammer

Loddie,

Now that my surgery is over and things have settled down a bit I can get those pics to you. How large of a file can you receive and can you open a zip file?

NismoPick

Lookin good tremendousti! You've surprised me w/ your metal skills.