Bodywork/welding help please.

MiSJAH · 14 Feb 2019 at 22:29

Hi All,

I have a 1995 VW T4 with some very rusty arches, sills, and a bit around the windscreen.

I can buy replacement panels at a reasonable price.

Can someone recommend a low cost welder that would be up to the job? Max £150-200.

Advice and suggestions to assist is this job welcomed, as I've been told she will fail the next MOT due in April.

Many thanks.

bremen1874 · 14 Feb 2019 at 23:00

Do you know how to weld?

MiSJAH · 14 Feb 2019 at 23:04

bremen1874 said:
Do you know how to weld?

Not in the slightest.

But my options are so limited I will have to give it a go.

kindai · 15 Feb 2019 at 00:36

What type of panels, alu, steel, how thick, do you need to do heavy welds, are you willing to put the effort into learning how to tig weld correctly, do you have 3 phase power and sockets installed?

Dr Who · 15 Feb 2019 at 01:02

kindai said:
What type of panels, alu, steel, how thick, do you need to do heavy welds, are you willing to put the effort into learning how to tig weld correctly, do you have 3 phase power and sockets installed?

If it's rusty it's steel, it will probably be MIG not TIG, wtf does he need 3 phase power?

Watch Youtube videos and practice, definitely doable but don't get stuck in to your van until you have achieved satisfactory welds. Get a gas (not gasless as they leave crusty flux deposits) and have an angle grinder ready to grind of the excess welds.

Oh and get a decent automatic mask and use it, arc eye is NASTY!

bremen1874 · 15 Feb 2019 at 01:19

You wouldn't need 3 phase. You would need to be careful to pick a welder that'll run from a normal 13A socket and not need a dedicated supply.

I'd save the money you'd be spending on tools and pay to get the sills replaced properly (they are structural). You should be able to fix the other bits well enough to get through an MOT without any welding.

MiSJAH · 15 Feb 2019 at 05:48

Thanks for the info all. I'm currently looking at the SUNGOLDPOWER 200A ARC MMA IGBT. Is it worth going to a scrap yard and buying an old bonnet and cutting it up then welding it together for some practice?

Lopéz · 15 Feb 2019 at 12:54

You want a MIG welder not an Arc welder.

I've got a 150 amp welder running on a 13a plug, you just have to be sensible about what output it's going to give you.

Dr Who · 15 Feb 2019 at 13:30

Yeah agree with Lopez, you don't want to be stick welding.

Orionaut · 15 Feb 2019 at 13:49

MiSJAH said:
Can someone recommend a low cost welder that would be up to the job? Max £150-200.

MiSJAH said:
Not in the slightest.

But my options are so limited I will have to give it a go.

Then the answer to the first question is NO!

An experienced welder will be able to get a good result with a cheap machine.

However, a beginner needs the best machine he can afford.

The cheap welders typically do not go low enough on the welding current for a beginner to produce good welds (40 is a typical lowest setting on the cheap ones) Car body work is very thin and the low current ability is what counts.

You will want to have something that will be stable down to 20 and with a good quality wire feed controller, Think in terms of something like this...

https://migtigarc.co.uk/tecarc-prof-mig-181-compact-mig-welder-241-p.asp

You will also need to stump up for an Argoshield cylinder

See https://hobbyweld.co.uk/

Don't even think about using the little throw away CO2 gas canisters. They will be very expensive and produce crap welds. (Again, an experienced welder might be able to get away with it. But not a beginner!)

InvaderGIR · 15 Feb 2019 at 13:59

This can only end well.

Iron-man · 27 Feb 2019 at 12:53

I'm sorry to say but the worry with a T4 is that there will be more rust behind you don't see which is what I had happen with my T4 as they hold water behind and rot from the inside out.

Best of luck but I think for your budget your going to struggle to either get a welder to do it or buy a welder and learn yourself. A welder for you to do the job would probably set you back in region of £400 at least plus gas and wire. regards power wise you will only be welding really thin metal so it would be on a low setting or you will burn holes through the metal.

Good luck

MiSJAH · 27 Feb 2019 at 12:59

Iron-man said:
I'm sorry to say but the worry with a T4 is that there will be more rust behind you don't see which is what I had happen with my T4 as they hold water behind and rot from the inside out.

Best of luck but I think for your budget your going to struggle to either get a welder to do it or buy a welder and learn yourself. A welder for you to do the job would probably set you back in region of £400 at least plus gas and wire. regards power wise you will only be welding really thin metal so it would be on a low setting or you will burn holes through the metal.

Good luck

Thanks.

I'm looking at spot welding the arch in place then joining the spots with other spots along the join.

I'm not sure if this will work, but £150 electric only welder will be the lowest (cost) risk before I have to employ a pro.

(The T4 is on the way out, I'm fed of not being able to stand up to put my jeans on. Incoming will be a Crafter or Sprinter ELWB and highroof).

EssexBoy · 27 Feb 2019 at 13:03

You will make a right mess of it even with low power mig welder.Unless you know how to use one i would not even try to do the work yourself it's a lot more than point and shoot with the torch.

MiSJAH · 27 Feb 2019 at 13:07

Well this is getting exciting now.

Will post the results for the entertainment of all.

EssexBoy · 27 Feb 2019 at 13:10

Look forward to the pigeon poo lol good luck and best advice i can give is test on scrap metal same thickness and adjust voltage before using on the new panels.

MiSJAH · 27 Feb 2019 at 13:33

EssexBoy said:
Look forward to the pigeon poo lol good luck and best advice i can give is test on scrap metal same thickness and adjust voltage before using on the new panels.

Thanks.

InvaderGIR · 27 Feb 2019 at 14:57

EssexBoy said:
Look forward to the pigeon poo lol good luck and best advice i can give is test on scrap metal same thickness and adjust voltage before using on the new panels.

Probably won't be much poo, just more holes than anything....maybe some boogers that kind of hold metal to metal.

sovietspybob · 28 Feb 2019 at 09:34

I've got a 150amp Clarke mig and that's been really good for me to learn to weld with.

I've not done anything too thin yet though i've made a trailer using 5mm mild steel and welded up things like lawn mowers and the like. My dad has borrowed it a few times to do repairs to old buses he works on too.

But mine was about £300 i think, then you need a decent regulator, decent size gas bottle, gloves, decent auto dimming mask, various clamps and magnets so you'd need to spend around the £400-500 mark to get started with mig welding i'd think.

Main thing is just to practice lots on scrap bits before you do any real stuff, youtube is a brilliant resource for learning too.

Iron-man · 28 Feb 2019 at 12:15

If you have nothing to lose then give it a go as the worst case is you have to get someone in to do it which your going to do anyway if you don't have a go.

Advice is to make sure you don't weld too much is one go as you will warp the panel or burn holes in it. YouTube has a plethora of material which you can learn from and if you learn to practice on a piece of scrap similar to what your van is then you will be able to get the machine set up etc and practice.

Give it a go why not, It isn't rocket science and its not like you having a go at open heart surgery or something LOL.

A good app to look at is the miller welding calculator, for someone learning you can put in what your welding and thickness etc and will give you guidance on what to set you machine at although it will still need some fettling afterwards.

Bodywork/welding help please.

Sgarrista