Floor pans

[Nick]

Keep in mind that the MIG and TIG can also do stick welding.

That's heavily dependent on the brand.. *hint hint*

For floor pans, MIG is a winner. It'll let you jump around while building structure quickly without tricky starts (for the new).

If you, or a friend is a long time arc welder, do the smart thing. Drop the fuel tank, strip the interior, and just let them do it. In this genre, skill is almost always greater than process.

Also, so long as the welds are good, bedliner hides almost all sins.

[tigqk]

The best machine in my opinion is the resistance welder, but is not always the practical choice because you cannot get around to fuse both sides adequately, their were some resistance welders I have seen in body shops that allow you to place two handles on one side and try to fuse both sides but I never had success with it because the breaker would trip.Other than than this, the alternative is to match factory spot weld intervals, pop holes with sheet metal punch,grind then use spray on primer and spot weld with mig welder, normalize immediately by on-dollying spot weld to flatten crown. grind flush if seen.
For any fusing of panels or butt welds, tig weld with er70s-6 mig wire .035, or even fill your spot welds with tig.
You don't see much use of resistance welders in body shops because they are still veiwed as an expensive tool, it has only been recently that import resistance welders ca be found for about 200-250 dollars american on ebay, they used to be $1250 on up.

[Nick]

Do realize tig is talking about doing things just like factory, so you can roll it out on the 4th hole at Pebble Beach.

That, or he's making something a well paid drunk guy once told me seem quite a bit more complicated....

[arandall]

I vote for MIG for the floor pans. But remember - it's gotta be clean!!

[tigqk]

... mig it, don't tig, but sheetmetal can be difficult, if you take it slow, stress relief, use plugwelds to replicate factory their is no reason you cannot have a first rate job done by yourself. I am a bodyman, but this stuff is simple common sense work, don't get sloppy.

[Nick]

simple common sense work, don't get sloppy.

Tig, I ever get to that point, and I'll be flying out for a week long seminar on concourse level floor resto. Thanks for holding out and doing it right.

I'd just be happy to jump into a 40's-60's car, and NOT feel the "properly repaired" floorboard spring, and then fall out of the way.

Still can't stress enough, drop the tank, strip the interior, have a proper extinguisher and a bucket of sand on hand. Years of grease and oil leaks always seem to take a spark at the wrong moment.

[Gadget]

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