Welding

[supadupagt4 0]

Hi all..

I'm about to do some welding up of holes on my body panels(indicators, washer jets, aerial, boot lid)

If anyone has done some welding on panels before, and can comment on this, please reply with

1, What method of welding, ie: Tig, mig or stick

2, What settings on the rig?

Thanks in advance

tony.

[Moochalargo 0]

Tig or mig mate!

stick (arc) would prob be to sevear

[supadupagt4 0]

i tried tig yesterday, but it all went horribly wrong.. couyldn't get it to not blow a hole..

had my setting really low too.. just couldn't get it right..

Does anyone have any more ideas, i'd prefer if you had actually used any methods of welding to do panels.

tony.

[ingham 5]

mig is easyer , its all about practice and getting the settings right. its not as easy as it looks. if you not done much welding before just do small spot welds to start

[ingham 5]

also if you weld a big line you can warp the panel with the heat

[supadupagt4 0]

i work in welding..

[Phat VR6 3]

Mig on the lowest setting you can get away with, One tack at a time and cool with wet rag after each tack. space tacks as far away from each other as you can

How ever tempted you get don't do more than one tack. just keep working round till its all sealed

[supadupagt4 0]

cheers bodge.

thanks for the advice.

tony.

[Moochalargo 0]

Mig on the lowest setting you can get away with' date=' One tack at a time and cool with wet rag after each tack. space tacks as far away from each other as you can

How ever tempted you get don't do more than one tack. just keep working round till its all sealed

[/quote']

Take your time! my moto is you cant rush perfection!! lol

Ive done groung u restorations on 2 early beetles and a fiat 500 + meney other bits and bobs for mates on all aner of cars! power settings of your mig depend in what kit you use!!

[bungy 2]

I'll dig out a couple of photo's and do a description...

[bungy 2]

So with everything preperation is a major part so everything has to be cleaned back to clean bright and shiney metal. I've used the photo's below as a close representation of welding the kind of thing you need.

Here was a rust patch that needed removing but I had to keep the bracket and so projection lines were drawn to be able to reposition after the repair.

I then used the very thin plasma cutting discs as they are a lot more controllable and give a much nicer edge to work with. It is worth taking your time and stopping regularly to check your work.

When you have either removed your piece of metal or cleaned the area to be filled, you'll need to make a template to fill the void. This can be done with a clean piece of white paper and press it in the area to make a mark or use the piece you've removed as a template. Remember when cutting your replacement you'll loose the thickness of the blade. On 4 sides this will make your piece small enough to need cutting again.

Now that you have your piece to insert you can offer it up and make any adjustments. I'm not too bright ,so I always mark my positions for best fit.

The initial tacks to hold it in place are just that and should be small. You can weld over them or grind out later.

You can see at the bottom of this piece there are some holes. These were punched with a joggler so they can be filled "blind" to the metal behind.

Now we come to the nitty gritty of the welding and here (in my opinion) is the best way to make automotive panel repairs and is very forgiving.

The description I give it is "fade and go". Any where between 100-175 amps on a mig set and your shielding gas set low. Try out on a piece of scrap the same thickness as you are using. Working left to right and an initial pause, pull the trigger and you should here a distinct "frazzle". Do an inch or so and inspect your weld. It should be uniform and have penetrated the sheet steel. Weak sound or poor penetration then increase amps, weld sat on top of sheet and round then decrease speed. Trial and error for varying units is a must.

Now for the bit that will ensure no distortion and a complete controlled weld that can be ground back smooth for a perfect finish and it is very simple.

Your torch button should allow gas and then as you pull the trigger more start to feed wire and weld. This bit is important. Place the tip of the wire in position and pull trigger to start gas and then weld. You are only welding a "full stop" pause and release trigger but to the point of still letting gas out. Move the wire to the edge of the circle you just made and pull the trigger. Weld another "full stop" but you will notice the 2 circles overlap. Continue with gas and move point to the edge of the next circle and repeat. When you do each circle you will see the metal glow to red, release, gas, move, circle glow fades, repeat, glow, release, gas, move, repeat. You will with minimal practice end up with something like this with full penetration and no distortion.

You can now grind back but use a grinder with a sanding disc in.

Here you can see that it has been cleaned up and bracket replaced.

Ensure you use an etch primer and treat the reverse side as this is untreated bare steel which will rust quickly otherwise.

[vr6stormt 0]

Thats funny i had the plasmas out today and migged up my s/s exhaust but this is a perfect write up to follow if your not to sure what ya doing .....practice,practice...nice job there bungy....what no snots lol.

[bungy 2]

If you stop and look at any repair especially the more complicated looking ones, you can always break them down into simplified shapes. This one was a structural area supporting a rear sub frame. It was rotten right through.

When all the rot was cut back, there were 3 layers to build up and a complex shape to reproduce.

A few attempts with pieces of thin white paper and a template was formed.

A template can then be cut and use of holes for the area's were blind welding will need to be done.

The method for welding is exactly the same as described earlier but concentrate on lengthening the time the weld trigger is pulled to ensure true penetration, but still wait for the glow to fade between trigger pulls.

Once this is all done and cleaned up, the second layer can be added.

And when all finished ensure all prepped, primed and painted.

[J5KE F 0]

I can only look at the pictures in awe! Welding is a pure art and I'm first on the list at the bungys 2010 school of welding!

Did u manage to get ur doors sorted Barry?

[aminder 4]

I used a damaged mk2 wing for metal and Evo-stik Hard & Fast Metal Epoxy Putty from halfords.

[VR6Nat 9]

I can only look at the pictures in awe! Welding is a pure art and I'm first on the list at the bungys 2010 school of welding!

Did u manage to get ur doors sorted Barry?

I want to learn this from Mr Bungy himself too.. this is skilled work!! I want in!! :)