use of a mig welder?

[Torinalth]

well, i am having a time of it finding a place around here that i trust to do any welding on my car. only real places i have found are damn import shops, and i really just dont trust them with subframes, let alone a torque arm. i am debating on buying a mig welder and doing the subframes and TA welding myself, getting an angle grinder for cleanup and site prep.

i have done light welding before with an arc welder back with an old company but nothing massivly in depth. just trying to figure if i'd be good dropping 500 on a welder and doing it myself (saving install money and actually knowing its done right) but after subframes and TA plus possibly a roll bar i am out of things to weld on the mustang. think i'd find uses for one? think its worth the expendature?

does anyone else have a welder and do their own, and what else have you used it for aside from the car? was tempted to make my own patio table off a picture i saw before that used welded bars as a frame to hold ceramic tiles for the table top.. looked really nice. and could use that "granite" spray paint to give it a nice look ya know? but after that i am kinda in the dark for uses, and if its a worthy investment... what do you guys think? think i'm an idiot for even wanting to do the welding on the car myself?

Torinalth

 

[DTNODYA]

My brother has a friend that lets us borrow his MIG and gas anytime we want. So basically we have perma-borrowed it ... Since we have had it, I made an entire exhaust system for my truck (well cat-back), made two MAF adapters (for air filters .. piece of sheet metal and short piece of pipe), a CAI for my truck, helped my Dad weld a disc bracket back on his bush-hog (yep, we be plowin'), did all the intercooler piping for my brothers 240sx, and we welded his roll cage together and into his car, just to name a few things we've used it for.

If you have the money, it is definitely worth it. When we got it, I hadn't welded since high school (like 5-6 years ago), so we bought a few sheets of sheet metal and whatever else we could find made of metal around the house to practice on. We had plenty of pieces of "abstract art" lol. Takes some practice to get your welds looking like stacks of pennies but we did. And like you alluded to, even if you booger it up you can still grind the welds down ...

Now I want a TIG (for welding Stainless) but now I just have a guy we know do my stainless stuff. I'm pretty sure you can weld stainless with a MIG but I can't.

 

[bigcat]

if you have not done much welding, overhead welds are the hardest. might be better off having an import guy weld them. overhead welds require much practice to get a GOOD penetrating weld. welder setup is critical in this weld.

having a welder is a good investment, IMO. you will be suprised at the things you will be doing, simply because you do have a welder. might not use it as often as some, but there will seem to always be something you need it for.

 

[Dusstbuster]

Now I want a TIG (for welding Stainless) but now I just have a guy we know do my stainless stuff. I'm pretty sure you can weld stainless with a MIG but I can't.

Stainless is easy compared to Aluminum. Aluminum SUCKS to weld until you get VERY good at welding. A classmate and I spent about 1 week trying to stick weld with aluminum and finally gave up pretty much because laying a bead and keeping it is such a PITA, and we were 2 of the best welders in the class.