welding equipment ideas

[kybronco]

Hey guys I'm looking to buy some welding equipment. What would be a great all around welder for body panel replacing and frame welding when I install suspension components. My father in law is a pipe fitter he likes old school stick welding but is there something better. An all around all purpose type

 

[Bully Bob]

I bought the (wirefeed) Lincoln Weld Pac 100 eons ago, & taught myself to use it.

Amazing what it does & if I can do it..., anybody can.

A friend, also a pipe-fitter, would come over (cheapskate) to use it.

HOWEVER.., I don't think it burns deep enough to do "important" projects on something like the "frame".

A "stick" would be the tool of choice there. >< <'>

 

[Skitter302]

Stick welding is great but its involves a lot of clean up work, i.e. the **** left behind. I'm going to point you twards the Wire Feed MIG (GMAW) welders. The welders they make now are real easy to set up and make for easy work especially if you buy a Miller welder with Auto-Set. Your power options are 120v for smaller items or if you want to weld on your frame your going to a 220v welder just for its penetrating power..

Now when you say,

An all around all purpose type

I think of TIG welders. These welders are made for Aluminum welding but if you buy a welder that has a DC feature you can also do steel. Just be warned that TIG welding is hard as all-get-up. I've been TIG welding for 2-years and still need to do a lot more practice.

Miller also sells this Multimatic™ 200 [LINK] Which will allow you to do Stick, MIG, and TIG.

However, if your main purpose for buying a welder is just for

... body panel replacing and frame welding when I install suspension components ...

Then I would just get a MIG welder just because of the ease of use. The Millermatic® 211 Auto-Set™ with MVP™ [LINK] would be a great option because it has both 120v and 220v inputs. Just my 2 cents to get ya started. btw, don't look at the prices in the links, you will be able to get the welder cheaper.

 

[miesk5]

yo, GREAT STUFF GUYS!

This is a vg question ky! often not mentioned in many body work articles.

This is what I have found;

MIG Welder, Lincoln Electric, Setting for Body Panels pic; "this is the perfect setting for sheet metal work---with 35 CFM of Ar/CO2; he shows slightly less than 2 and on E in the pic..."

Source: by mickaila

 

[Bully Bob]

YEP..!

There's some good equipment ot there. I've used Miller while work'n in a laminator mfg. shop.

My point was, for a couple hundred $$ the 'lil Lincoln will do 98% of what you need. The rest can be done at a muffler shop or the like.

UNLESS, you're building a custom roc-crawler or a monster truck...?

OR, you intend to weld more & more over the yrs. ahead.

 

[Seabronc]

Many body shops have gone to structural epoxy for body panels, like Fusor 108 or 112. The advantage is that it is as strong as a weld and doesn't run the risk of warping body panel metal. I used it extensively in my body rebuild, panels, floor board repair, 1/4 panel replacement, etc.

Also, welds are the place that most body rust starts.

There is still need for a welder but not for body panels. That takes a level of skill to do without warping the panels.

Good luck,

 

[mikeiam82]

Many body shops have gone to structural epoxy for body panels, like Fusor 108 or 112. The advantage is that it is as strong as a weld and doesn't run the risk of warping body panel metal. I used it extensively in my body rebuild, panels, floor board repair, 1/4 panel replacement, etc.

Also, welds are the place that most body rust starts.

There is still need for a welder but not for body panels. That takes a level of skill to do without warping the panels.

Good luck,

Im a 10 year bodyman and this is true if your trying to section out a panel like doing a butt weld or an overlap on say the 1/4 body line heat warping is a problem. When it comes to these old broncos drilling out spot welds and spot welding new panels back in will not warp the panels at all. This being said the rust issue still applies and this is where gluing is great for speed and saving rust but it is not as strong as spot welds. If your building a DD and not a rock crawler i say glue and if your building a crawler you better weld those panels in or youll leave them on the trail. all that twisting generated while crawling will break the seams apart. Bodyshops all around are switching to gluing panels on non structural panels but are still required to tack the corners with a mig. For example if i was to replace a roof skin on a car id have to tack the 4 corners because if that car had a head on crash the inertia created by the accident would pop the skin right off like a lid in the microwave.

Rules and regulations are different from state to state, province to province, country to country. I can say being a bodyman in BC, Canada we are not allowed to glue anything because we are required to fix the cars back to manufacturers specs or better. That means welding spot welds every 1.5 inches like the manufacturer.

as for what welder to get for everything body related a 110 welder would be more than enough, for frame repairs woull need a higher amperage. the lincoln 110 only has a maximun thickness rating of 1/4 inch. thats not quite enough power to get proper penetration when welding a frame. I wouldnt trust it id want a 220 for that.

 

[Seabronc]

Thanks for the additional input Mike. Good addition to what I said, I didn't make it clear i was only talking about my DD. There is definitely a need for a welder where strength is concerned as you described.

 

[miesk5]

yo,

Here is some info on body panel adhesives;

Body Repair Adhesives Guide

Source: by Ford Motorcraft® https://www.fcsdchemicalsandlubricants.com/main/quickref/AdhesiveGuide.pdf

Repair Procedures using Fusor Metal Adhesive

Source: by lord.com Automotive Repair Adhesives (Fusor)

Dispensing Guns & Accessories Metal Bonding

http://www.lord.com/products-and-solutions/adhesives.xml

I lost all the LINKs to Bronco panel repalcement using adhesives, but an able to grab a few from MS WORD notes;

Quarter Panel Replacement w/adhesive on an 86 by Sixlitre (Malcolm H, Eddie Bauer) http://www.supermotors.net/registry/4970/19605

Quarter Panel Replacement w/adhesive on 80-86 by Matt J at http://web.archive.org/web/20060222154730/http://www.thebronco.com/projects/pr0203.html