Found some bad news...

[Joe]

Originally Posted by 1974ChevymediC

alrght i'm kinda rethinking what i should do now. to weld or not to weld? isn't the rust just going to keep spreading if i don't cut it out?

cut the rusted areas out and weld in new panels.

[44gmcnewf]

Aren't patch panels pretty much a fact of life on 30+ year old trucks?
I wouldn't bother welding them. No matter how good of a welder you are, the WILL be SOME warpage. They have epoxies now that are so good that the steel will rip away before the glue lets go. No warping from the welding. Of course, there are other instances where welding is a must.

I disagree... if you do it right you ont get no warping. Tack it in place about a few inchs a part then then let it cool for a few minutes then weld weld from one tack to the other tack or few inchs then go do the samething on the other side and and random spots letting it cool for a min or so in between until its finished. Some ppl even use a cold wet cloth to keep there welds cold. The only warpage i ever seen was from ppl using there machine to hot and or having there passes to long. Either way you still have to grind down your wells and put a skim of filler all over it to get it right.

[GreaseDog]

i got a buddy that swears by a small 110 welder for sheetmetal.

[44gmcnewf]

sheet metal dont require alot of amps... higher the amps on thinner metal will only cuase it to burn through the metal... using a small machine less chances of f**King up on sheet metal. Nothing wrong with 110 machines there are some pretty good 110 machines out there.

[1974ChevymediC]

so i had a guy reply to a post i put on craigslist for someone to weld in new cab corners. he said he's got a lot of experience and since he's about an hour away he said he could carry a small wirefeed welder on his harley to come out and do the work for $180. what do u guys think about this?

[44gmcnewf]

I wouldnt pay 180 becuase i would do them my self...

[NovaMan]

Honestly, I'd be less concerned about cost than quality. If your sheetmetal is warped and wavy, you'll never think "hey, at least it didn't cost alot." You'll think "oh, if only I had paid a little more to have it done right!"

[ridered333]

i just did my first cab corner using a hobart 110 welder its not that bad just be patient and if you dont like the way it comes out just cut it back off and try again cab corners are cheap at least this way you have the satisfaction of doing it urself

this is how mine came out

[FordeatinZ71]

hey ridered, got any pics of the finished product? i'd like to see how that finished up. i'm trying to get around replacing my whole cab corners but i think i might end up having to.

[ridered333]

sry thats as far as ive gotten i moved on to other projects because my father needed his welder back haha but check out my build thread

[1974ChevymediC]

Originally Posted by 44gmcnewf

I wouldnt pay 180 becuase i would do them my self...

so now that the pointless posts are out of the way lets get serious. hey ridered, is that your first attempt at welding? like i said i have absoluteley no background in welding but if its something i can be coached with a little and buy a welder for the same price i can have it done for, then i might look into one. then i can use it for any other body work down the road.

[ridered333]

its not the first time ive welded i can weld enough to get me through i would still consider myself a beginner bye far though that was the first time i have ever welded a cab corner in my advise would be to get some scrap sheetmetal and just weld em together untill you can get ur settings right and get the hang of it mig welding is just point and shoot once you have the settings right and do like 44gmcnewf said above

[1974ChevymediC]

anyone have advice as to what to look for in a welder. i mean seriously, i don't know the differences of the welders (mig, tig, arc) and what to do with them at all. i'm' going to research everything i can about them but some suggestions and tips/tricks from you guys would help tremendously.

EDIT: ok i've researched the differences in the welding processes. i've read that SMAW with an arc welder is more suited for outdoor use, cheaper, slower, but prduces same quality welds as MIG depending on user experience, and is good for beginners. would this be a good learners welder and something to look into more?

[chevysnbuicks]

Originally Posted by 1974ChevymediC

anyone have advice as to what to look for in a welder. i mean seriously, i don't know the differences of the welders (mig, tig, arc) and what to do with them at all. i'm' going to research everything i can about them but some suggestions and tips/tricks from you guys would help tremendously.

From my research: MIG is going to be the easiest to learn, and it's kinda expensive. You probably aren't going to need a $2000 machine, so go to home depot or something and get a 240v unit that can do up to say, 5/16 inch, that way you can still use mig up to about 1/8th. If you don't have a 240 outlet, then just get a good 120v model. Expect to spend anywhere from $400 to $650 for a 120 model, and from $600 to $1000 for a lighter duty 240v model. (at least that's new... ebay and craigslist are your friend ) For sheet metal, you can easily get away with a 120v model, and some fab work you could use one with, but if you get into it pretty serious, you should probably look into a heavier duty welder.

There is MIG (Metal Inert Gas) and there is flux-core. MIG uses a seperate gas that shields the molten pool of metal from the air, so it won't oxidize and look horrible and be really weak. Flux core is the same idea but instead it melts the flux in the wire that produces a gas to protect the metal.

http://www.millerwelds.com/resources...ur-skills/mig/

Use that, it's really helpful and it helped me with getting a really basic grasp of what i need to do, and what i need to get. Go here and that will get you started with that anyway.

I wouldn't use stick, and TIG from what I hear is really hard to master, is really slow, but produces the cleanest welds if done properly.

hope that helps... people on here, correct me if I'm wrong about something, thanks.

[1974ChevymediC]

chevysnbuicks, thanks for that reply i just learned a lot.

[chevysnbuicks]

Glad i could help. I hate seeing these old trucks go to waste and rust away. Looking forward to seeing how everything turns out!

*EDIT* something I forgot to mention I think... most "wire feed welders" (MIG and flux-core) will do both MIG and flux-core welds, you just have to have different wire, and with MIG you have to have the gas. It gets pretty complicated, if you need anymore info, i can probably dig up some good links for you, just let me know.

[44gmcnewf]

Mig would be perefect for what your doing. Any one can lay beads with mig. All you need to know is how to set up and trouble shoot. Practice on scrap pieces on metal trying different heats and find something you can work with. Not everyone can use the same heat. Mig pliers would be needed and a few extra tips. I have seen alot of guys burn the wire in to the tips and then keep hitting the trigger...causing the inside to get all tangled up on the spool.
I would look for a machine thats can be used for flux core as well. Mig wire has flux on the out side of the wire and fluxcore has the flux on the inside of the wire.
When looking for a machine duty cycle is important factor. If the machine says 5%duty cycle that means you can go for 5 minutes on max setting before the machine will automacticly shut down due to getting hot. 20% duty means 20 means and so on. I havent seen a machine over 20%.
For gas i like to use a co2/argon mix for mix

Welding takes alot of practice ... the more you practice the better you get... check with you community college they may have a night time course for beginngers.


Jason

[chevysnbuicks]

Originally Posted by 44gmcnewf

When looking for a machine duty cycle is imporant factor. If the machine says 5%duty cycle that means you can go for 5 minutes on max setting before the machine will automacticly shut down due to getting hot. 20% duty means 20 means and so on. I havent seen a machine over 20%.
For gas i like to use a co2/argon mix for mix

You mean 50% duty cycle? 5% duty cycle would be 30 seconds on, 9 and a half minutes off...

It's percentage of 10 minutes basically. 60% would be 6 minutes on, 4 minutes rest.

Most welders have a curve chart that will tell you what amperage has what duty cycle. The lower the amperage, the longer the duty cycle. The higher quality the machine, the longer the duty cycle typically.

and yes, do not forget proper safety equipment, nothing like burned retinas.

[44gmcnewf]

my bad

[1974ChevymediC]

Originally Posted by 44gmcnewf

... check with you community college they may have a night time course for beginngers.


Jason

yeah i'm still thinking about that. so an arc welder (stick) wouldn't be a good choice for my application and skill level even being outside?