Welding

[zman525]

Quick question for all of u out there... Im ordering a floor board kit for my 1972 datsun 240z. I am new to welding and etc. I was wondering what would be the smallest welder i could buy,welding materials i would need, and the process of welding. Seen it done many times before and i would like to do this job myself.

[webdawg1]

You might want to check out the following web sites for some general info before you make up your mind as to which you welder you want to go with:

http://www.lincolnelectric.com

http://store.cyberweld.com

webdawg1

[beandip]

zman , I had my floor welded by a certified welder and he had trouble with a MIG and ended up with his TIG welder. The sheet metal on the z is vary thin and not easy to weld because of that . If your serious about this I would take a welding class at the local Jr. Collage or a night school before you spend the cash on a welder. Then you will be able to make the correct decision on which to buy. My guy only charged me $300. to weld in the new floor on the passenger side , repair the driver side , 3 small patches. Repair the battery area where I drilled thrugh the inner fender with the spot weld cutter . When the new floor was welded in that included the center strut and the seat supports . I figure a decent MIG would be close to $250. mabey more . So for the difference . no way was it worth it . I am not wealthy by any streach , but if he was going to charge me $500. , to me it would still be worth it to pay that $250. difference. I know the welds are good and all is sound and done correctly. I have pictures if you would like . Send me a PM with your email address . Gary

[alg]

I agree with beandip!

My dad's a professional welder and even though I had watched him weld countless times, it still took alot of practice to do it well! I also took welding in college as part of the Aircraft Skin and Structural Repair program, and a welding course/program will teach you alot of what you need to know. Most important of all being safety!

Thin metal welding is very tricky, just like aluminium welding! Too much heat and you're burning big holes in your floors, not enough and your welds aren't strong. Many different factors to take into consideration.

Alex

[26th-Z]

Suffering from the same agony Zman seems to be having, a dear friend loaned me his metal working videos from Eastwood. Great inspiration and I learned a lot about repairing car bodies. I highly recommend them. They don't teach you how to weld but show you what procedure to use and where it is appropriate to use what technique. There is one on making metal shapes and one on repairing sheet metal. I think they are Covel videos. Look them up.

[hls30.com]

I have the Covell series, and the Metal Man Series too- bought it direct-excellent stuff. A websearch will turn up the direct route.

Will

[Ed]

I would have to agree with everyone's posts. I've been welding for 20 years (as a hobby) and I'm still learning. You can't just grab two pieces of metal put them together and start welding. There is a lot of preparation and fabrication. Choosing the correct welder for the job is also very important. Too strong and you will burn holes all day, to weak and your welds won't hold. And what does your finished product need to look like?

If you really feel the need to tackle this job yourself buy some extra pieces of 18 guage sheet metal or use the pieces that you cut out of your car and practice, practice, practice. Your not any good unless you burn yourself a couple of times.

[jmortensen]

I bought a MillerMatic 135 to use on various projects for my Z, the biggest one being stitch welding the whole chassis. I had very little welding experience before I bought it. So far I can say this with some confidence: Forget about flux core. You'll need a gas shielded Mig for sheet metal. The reason I bought the Miller is because it has infinite amp and wire speed adjustments, which is very handy when welding thin sheet metal, cheaper units don't have the infinite adjustability, so you have to compensate for a wire speed that is too fast or too slow. Buy a better gas regulator than the welder comes with. My friends had warned me about the cheap regulators. Mine leaked the first time I used it. I've used similar welders to mine with pretty bad results, and I feel like the regulator was the difference. With my small amount of experience I really think that my welds look surprisingly good, and I blame that on the welder and regulator more than anything else.

Only spend the money on the welder if you'll use it in the future on other projects. If you just want to install a floor pan take it to a shop and have them do it for you. I ended up spending about $900 on the welder, helmet, gloves, gas, regulator, misc other tools for the welder. But it was worth it for me as I've already sectioned my struts, stitch welded the back 1/2 of the car, fabbed up a rear toe adjuster mechanism, stitched the rear control arms, etc. I'm also going to stitch the front 1/2 of the car, install a roll bar, make a new fireplace screen for the house, fix my fence, etc.

[zman525]

Thank you all for your responses. MY problem is that i dont have enough money to buy the floor panels and pay a welder to do it all.. Im not made of money, and im not full of experience in the welding industry either. If u say its as hard as it is i better have a professional do it, but since i dont know to much about it i dont want to get ripped off. Anyways i plan on doin future welds and stuff like that but ill hold off and buy a nice welder later after i have learned more about it.

[MikeW]

Thank you all for your responses. MY problem is that i dont have enough money to buy the floor panels and pay a welder to do it all.. Im not made of money, and im not full of experience in the welding industry either. If u say its as hard as it is i better have a professional do it, but since i dont know to much about it i dont want to get ripped off. Anyways i plan on doin future welds and stuff like that but ill hold off and buy a nice welder later after i have learned more about it.

While I agree with everyone who's suggested finding an experienced welder to help - you might consider trying to rent the equipment instead of buying it outright. That would cost less and let you get a feel for whether or not welding is for you.

[beandip]

Thank you all for your responses. MY problem is that i dont have enough money to buy the floor panels and pay a welder to do it all.. Im not made of money, and im not full of experience in the welding industry either. If u say its as hard as it is i better have a professional do it, but since i dont know to much about it i dont want to get ripped off. Anyways i plan on doin future welds and stuff like that but ill hold off and buy a nice welder later after i have learned more about it.

ZMAN I wanted to mention one thing about my project. I saved a bunch of cash , and not on Gyco either , by doing all the prep work . I removed the old rusted floors and sand blasted the rust ,that was surface only, and did the installation of the new floors . I cleaned and preped the metal first . There was some bending and shapeing , not much but some . I screwed down the new floor with self-tapping sheet metal screws to close the gaps and hold it in place . This way all the welder needed to do is weld the seams and remove the screws and fill the holes. This saved hours of his time . I put the car on a trailer and took it to him also . Good luck with your project . Gary

[geezer]

I know this is an old thread, but thought I would use it to tack on my experiences with MIG welders (no pun intended). I have a few of them at my disposal, and they each serve their purpose. Moreso than any other restoration or project I've done, the need has arisen for a MIG welder that is better suited for working with the thin sheet metal of the Z.

Next stop...the local welding supply shop. The guys manning the counter are very knowledgable and totaly understood where I was coming from. There were two machines in particular that were recommended. One was the Lincoln 140C which is a 120V continuous voltage unit and the second machine was the Millermatic 140, also 120V continuous voltage. These machines both have precise adjustments for more delicate welding projects. The only drawback for me was the 20% duty cycle which I thought would slow me down, but am told that's not the case. I chose the Millermatic 140, only because of the years of trouble free, reliable service of previous Miller machines I've used. I was assured the Lincoln would perform just as well. My new Millermatic 140 won't take the place of my other welders but will be a welcome addition especially when working with thin metal.