Welder for patch panel

[Sonny]

I need to patch my lower rear quarters below the style line. Mechanically inclined but never welded before. Will this simple welder do what I need to spot weld a few patches? Not getting into the welding business. Either this or panel adhesive.
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[BeepBeepRR]

It will work but if you can put a piece of copper behind the weld to soak up some heat. And move around dont try and weld 3 inches at at time. Move around and just do spot welds. Even the cheap Harbor freight welders will burn through the thin sheet metal. Just go slow and take your time. I used the same style welder on my 67 Belvedere and it worked ok. But if you are like me you probably need to be a great grinder to fix your crappy looking welds.

 

[Lionized]

If you've never welded before make sure you practice a bunch before trying out a patch panel. Keep a damp/wet cloth at hand to cool your spot welds as you go. This will minimize/eliminate panel warpage.
As mentioned above, spot welds only! do not run a continuous bead as this will certainly warp the panel.
There are probably plenty of YouTube tutorials to get you started. Good luck!

 

[gkent]

I would go with and inexpensive "gas" unit from Eastwood. I'm not keen on flux core for anything light. And if you do "spots" as suggested - and you should - the flux will be a bitch to clean off completely and will potentially contaminate the next spot.

 

[threewood]

I wouldn't use flux core on body panels. It isn't the best weld quality. Gas shielded is much better and cleaner.

 

[Nate S]

I’m doing the same. Went with the Eastwood DC TIG. Also needed to butt weld a plug into my air cleaner where the snorkel went had to be perfect for the chrome. I feel I have better control with TIG. Can also go back and re-flow the weld without adding more material.

 

[gkent]

Tig is not for a "first time" welder. An its not as versatile as a mig. You will weld in a patch today and the next projects will all be 1/8 wall square tubing. The mig will be the tool for that job, not a tig.

I do a LOT of welding. I have large mig for the heavy stuff, a smaller Eastwood mig for sheet metal and a beautiful tig with all the bells and whistles that I bought in 2014 - and have probably used less than 5 times.

 

[zyzzyx]

Gas shielding is the way to go. Flux core is dirty and unreliable unless you know what you're doing.
When "Tacking" your repair panel on, you want to move around to keep the heat down! Tig puts
too much heat in the part. MIG is Cool. Do it just like this with Cleco's and these panel clamps from
Harbor Freight. Oh, and use 0.020 wire! They work great!

 

[Nate S]

I’ll argue with the “TIG puts too much heat in”. It’s about the same as mig. Less at the lowest levels. It allows for more control but to a previous point, you need to know how to use that control. If you’ve never used either mig is an easier starting point.

 

[Dan64]

On my 64' Polara i had to do around the rear wheel arches. Butt welded with mig ( wouldn't use flux core) and did use 3m panel bond on joint of wheel house and quarter panel repair panel. Even with weld through primer i feel like welding creates rust between the panels , bonding won't.

 

[zyzzyx]

I’ll argue with the “TIG puts too much heat in”. It’s about the same as mig. Less at the lowest levels. It allows for more control but to a previous point, you need to know how to use that control. If you’ve never used either mig is an easier starting point.

The problem with TIG is that you have to start a puddle before you add the filler rod. That's way too much heat. MIG deposits the material instantly
without having to wait for the puddle. Yes, you have more control with TIG, but that's on parts with more mass. I've welded with many different
methods in heavy industry, and MIG is the magic bullet for sheet metal!

 

[BAFRAID]

I need to patch my lower rear quarters below the style line. Mechanically inclined but never welded before. Will this simple welder do what I need to spot weld a few patches? Not getting into the welding business. Either this or panel adhesive.
. View attachment 1006951

This welder works great! I had never welded before and this was my first welder. I would definitely practice on some scrap metal just to get the feel of the welder and how the heat works. If you’re not careful you can burn holes. Once you use it a couple times to practice however you’ll get the feeling and know exactly what you need to do.

 

[BAFRAID]

I need to patch my lower rear quarters below the style line. Mechanically inclined but never welded before. Will this simple welder do what I need to spot weld a few patches? Not getting into the welding business. Either this or panel adhesive.
. View attachment 1006951

If you do go with the harbor freight welder one thing to remember is toss the weld wire they give you. Go somewhere and get some decent or better name brand wire. I usually get Lincoln wire from Home Depot or go to a welding shop and get something they have. I’ve also heard, and I did this to mine, replace that ground clamp. Cut that thing off and buy one that you can bolt on. I heard once you do that the welding is much better and I have experienced this once I replaced mine

 

[gkent]

OP ... you live in a humid climate, when you're done welding and don't plan to use the welder within the next coulle day, remove the wire andd store it in a ziploc bag or something similar. One of the most common problems with hobbyists is they leave the wire in the machine and it rusts. The rust will clog the whip which will bind the flowmof wire as well as make poor contact and the rust will contaminate the weld.

 

[SassyPants]

Just my two cents. I bought the small Lincoln with gas shield. They make one that will go either 110 or 220, but I have the one that is 110. It does a better job than the welder guy can do. . I did get help from a Pro Welder on a few pieces of replacement panels and such and as it turned out, he had the same welder that I have. I think it is the Lincoln SP-135T. That is the 110V unit. I think the SP-140 is the 110 or 120?? My welder is set up with Gas, but it will handle the Flux Core, if needed/wanted. I have a farmer buddy that has one in his truck and he uses Flex Core out in the field because of wind. It is decent for small jobs like we have on our sheet metal on our cars. the 110 unit is NOT for heavy stuff. Best, B.

 

[Sonny]

I also have a small patch panel to fix in my floor. That sounds like it needs to be my “test subject” to learn on first!