Should I weld this stuff myself

darkness falls said:

Quarters, outer wheel house, 19" of front frame, little pieces here and there. and floors including extensions and torque boxes and outer firewall. I have done some welding in high school but that was 4 years ago. and a mig to rent for a week would be $200. not including the gas.

I might head down to this body shop I heard of and see if they can cut me a deal.

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Good luck with that quote. I dont think they will touch it for under $1000.

If you can weld, I would do it yourself if you are confident enough in your alignment of panels.

I agree^
mig welding isn't that hard especially since you've done it before. Just tack your panals and double/triple check its where ya want it and have at it.

I don't know much, but I would think that at $200 for a weekend rental, you should buy a welder instead. Everything I've read about welding and panel alignment tells me that the key is very slow, patient careful work. This isn't a job you want to rush to get done or try to pull an all-nighter on.

Plus, if you buy a welder you can practice for however long it takes until you are getting the results you want. My personal plan - when I get there, is to use the welder to fix some rust on my pickup first. That way if I mess up I just have an ugly pickup. I'm a car guy, so an ugly pickup I don't care about.

I agree with the decision to purchase a welder instead of renting. You can get all you need for uner $1000 and it will last you a lifetime. Anyone who thinks you can get ne tons cheaper is buying a junk welder, you need to get a good name brand one. Check at Tractor Supply, they were selling a really nice Hobart (Miller) all in one kit for about $6-700 and all you need then is a $1-150 bottle of gas.

I purchased mine about 8 years ago and it is the best purchase I have ever made. I bought a good Lincoln SP170-T with an expensive auto dimming helmet and a 120 cubic foot bottle and really nice Victor regulator and with all the goodies and accesories I still spent under $1200. You can get the Hobart and get all the goodies for under $1K.

Once you get a welder your whole outlook towards cars will change. You will make/fix things totally differently because you now have a tool that gives you infinite options. You will try new things you never dreamed of before and complete them like a professional. I can now do any type of body sheetmetal replacement.....I fear nothing, but as already mentioned this all takes time to get the alignment just right and many, many test fits so limiting yourself on time by renting a welder will be counterproductive and could lead to disaster.

Think of it this way...you will spend at least the same amount on a body shop doing the work as you will on the welder so why not buy the welder, learn how to do the work, and be able to say...."I did that!" Not only will you learn many new skills you will have the pride that comes from doing something yourself....plus, when your done you own the wleder!!! So why give that money to a body shop?

For the light welding that you're talking about doing, you can get a little 130 machine. They are 120V, easily portable, and if you look around, you can find one that is ready for gas too. I saw one at Home Depot (lincoln) for less than $400, and it'll weld up to 3/16 or 1/4" in a single pass I think. It comes with flux core wire, but get some solid wire and a gas cylinder (mix, CO2 and Argon for mig) Go to your local welding supply for this stuff. Smaller wire is easier to weld with.

Take some scrap (old crunched up fender and practice)

When welding that sheet metal, spot weld it intermittantly, then one below the last and another below that, etc, it'll warp on you if you're not careful.