welder question.

leadsled1953 · January 14th, 2006

i'm thinking about buying a lincoln wire feedwelder.i want it to patch some small holes in the floor of my 66 chrysler.i see a light duty lincoln [110 volts] 35-88 amps says up to 1/8 inch steel.any ideas.i've only done regular ac welding and some brazing.thanks

nearchoclatetown · January 14th, 2006

IMO, Get at least the 135 or 175 amp 220 volt job, with a bottle of CO2, you'll be much happier.

Bhigdog · January 15th, 2006

Yup, what Choclatetown says. Even if you get a somewhat lower amp than 175A a shielding gas set up is a must. At least, having used both, I think so. I have a Millermatic 135 110V unit and while adequate I sometimes wish I would have gone the next size bigger...Bob

South_paw · January 15th, 2006

Bonding is another way to do it. An adhesive bond is stronger than weld. There's a bunch of other advantages as well. When trying to weld floor boards there is always the concern of burning something(wires,fuel lines,etc).Since there is no spark of any kind,you don't have to worry about that. The bond also acts as a sealer. The only special too you need is a caulking gun. This technology is all DOT approved and there is a good chance that your daily driver was built with bonded panels on it. Sikaflex make a one part adhesive that works in a caulking gun. 3M make a two part Adhesive(3M#08115) that requires an applicator gun. Both are very good products and both are OEM approved. If you like to try it. Feel free to ask questions.. OH YEAH you get to save your welder money for other stuff

Albert · January 15th, 2006

I'am using the lincoln mig pack 100 with gas and found it does work realy well for body work, but i also have a 220v 225A arc welder for doing anything really heavy. I also find the 110v welder does not need and special outlets, kinda nice to only have to run one extension cord out to the driveway and I can also run the grinder off the same plug without the welder on. But the Gas is a must, the gasless wire leaves a real mess behind, almost like an arc welder. I also rent one 5ft argomix bottle and transfer it to a smaller bottles to make it easer to move around, or if i bring the welder over to a friends I have a CO2 18" high bottle for real portabilty

South_paw · January 15th, 2006

Here's a link to Sikaflex for more info CLICK HERE

ted sweet · January 16th, 2006

get a 220v lincoln mig

imported_Guffin · January 16th, 2006

Sikaflex is a fantastic material. I repaired one of my tires with elastic sikaflex (the cord was not damaged. I also repaired the rubber mounts for the gearshift stick on my 1982 Colt. The only problem is that an opened tube has to be used within a week or so. Don't buy bigger package than you need for the moment.
It seems that modern materials are not well accepted for repairing antique cars.

De Soto Frank · January 16th, 2006

It's "modern methods" that are not easily accepted by "antique " mechanics !

( I include myself in that description ! )

Since many of us believe in "tried and true" cars, we also tend to believe in "tried and true " methods.

A buddy told me about the 3-M adhesive when he was doing rust repair on his '90 Chevy pick-up last summer...he was quite happy with the results.

I am considering using panel adhesive to repair the lower outer skins on the rear doors of my De Soto...I'm not sure I'm ready to trust structural stuff like floor boards to glue yet...

novaman · January 16th, 2006

I know of a pickup truck locally that a lady had a wreck with and tore up the side panel on the bed. Had it repaired at a local shop where they used this stuff and glued a new panel on. It wasn't but a couple weeks and she was back......had a problem with that panel. She tore up that side again, but the panel stayed securely in place. If I remember correctly, the truck was t-boned in the bed both times.