Buying a welder for my Car

[blockaderunner]

Hi Everyone,

I bought a Range Rover Sport and have spent far too much on parts but one thing I havent dealt with is rust and I was looking to buy a welder and look at dealing with some issues with the sills before the MOT runs out.

What would be the best choice for a starter? Im looking at only repairing my own car.

Thank you in advance

Adam

 

[Wozzaaah]

Welcome to the forum. First off we need to know how much you’re willing to spend before we can offer any suggestions. For car work you don’t need anything too powerful but be careful not to buy anything that has a lowest setting of above 30 amps as they’re difficult to use on thin stuff.

 

[Wildefalcon]

You would be well served to buy a mig welder, gas type, second hand. Something like a Clarke. Then get a rent free argolight bottle from various suppliers, SGS are one, I think.

Take a look at the for sale section here.

Or. Buy a new gas type mig from our forum sponsor, that way, if it breaks we can all hit him with it....

Modern mig welders have great automatic stuff, apparently, that should take the guesswork out of wire speed and power. Don't know.

Don't buy an arc welder yet.

Budget for a decent automatic facemask as well, plus gloves, and possibly an air filter for breathing. That's optional, I suppose, but I prefer one, as my lungs aren't the best.

 

[bourbon]

First question should be, Have you any welding experience? Then we can work from their. And welcome to the forum.

 

[Bobupndown]

What age is the RRS? Hadn't heard they were prone to rust.

 

[tom2207]

What age is the RRS? Hadn't heard they were prone to rust.

Ive never welded a sport ,,, other than a sneaky method Ive just developed for taking the cat out of course
Ive seen a few very flaky chassis ,, but a dose of ACF50 would still sort them out , not like the rear jack points on the shark gill ones.

 

[blockaderunner]

thank you for all the great responses.. i have zero experience but Im very handy on most things, or a good student. (plastering and tiling aside)

Ive pretty much done everything on Cars myself, as far as engine replacements, spraying and wiring on range rovers over the years but welding has never been something i have tried.
I have almost replaced the whole car minus chassis so i have too much work and love in this old girl so want to keep her.

Im not sure on how much gas mig welders are so il go have a look.

if there are any people near to me in WN4 id love the chance to get help on what the best way to go about it.

 

[blockaderunner]

My RRS is 2006 TDV6

 

[blockaderunner]

as far as use goes.. it will get used for patching the chassis and welding on the occasional stuck bolt. the chassis only has surface rust so it wont need doing for a while. its just these pesky sills that the mot man wont like very much that i need to do fairly quickly.

 

[bricol]

Needing doing quickly, and needing to learn to weld aren't going to go well together - well, not neatly and tidily at first anyway. You will learn much more about grinding than welding. And where to get new torch tips from when you weld them up Or small drill bits

I did once rent a MIG welder from the local tool hire place to put a front back on my sister's Metro when I was 19 ish. Might be an idea to see if you can get a decent weld pretty quick? Rent one over a weekend and have a play with some scrap. And then when you think that doesn't look too bad, try it vertically, or above your head, as you might be under a car sill.

Might just highlight you need more time/pay someone to do it/take it off the road longer to do it properly after you learn a bit.

 

[blockaderunner]

Needing doing quickly, and needing to learn to weld aren't going to go well together - well, not neatly and tidily at first anyway. You will learn much more about grinding than welding. And where to get new torch tips from when you weld them up Or small drill bits

I did once rent a MIG welder from the local tool hire place to put a front back on my sister's Metro when I was 19 ish. Might be an idea to see if you can get a decent weld pretty quick? Rent one over a weekend and have a play with some scrap. And then when you think that doesn't look too bad, try it vertically, or above your head, as you might be under a car sill.

Might just highlight you need more time/pay someone to do it/take it off the road longer to do it properly after you learn a bit.

Thank you. good advice

i am considering buy a sill from a breakers and then cutting out the whole thing which would then only be a case of cutting and replacing with a few welds.. the other side just needs patching so i could get away with some untidy practice welds.

Ive seen the job application joke picture with 2 welds showing ones £15 per hour and anothers £30 per hour. does tidyness affect strength?

 

[bourbon]

Tidiness will affect strength to a certain extent, if it's tidy, It's likely to be more consistent as regarding penetration and will save you a lot in grinding discs. It will be more acceptable to the MOT tester as well. Buying a sill from a breakers will have the same rust pattern as the one you are trying to fix. Much better with fresh metal to start with.

 

[Rannsachair]

Perhaps not the right answer from a welding forum: if I had put a lot of time and money into a RangeRover that just needed new sills and I had never welded, I would pay someone to do it as quicker and will be better job than someone learning to weld.

If you want to weld, perhaps do a nightclass course to learm the basics. Then buy a MIG.

Sills are not the easiest first job, easy to set car on fire, welding upside down is harder and needs done to a good standard if for MOT. Cutting large chunks out of cars can result in distortion and difficult with panel fits eg doors.

Should add I have only welded sills on minis and old Escorts.

A welder is a handy tool, but takes some learning to be safe and capable.

 

[Bullet2012]

I think your car is very lucky. Will the welder be a Christmas present ? Will you also buy it the appropriate ppe ?

 

[RaceDiagnostics]

I bought a rusty MOT fail car a few years ago and then a cheap second hand welder on gumtree. It is a Clarke 105en. It's a bit crap with switches for the current but it is usable. Fine for thin material and up to 2mm so it will cover most you will find on your car. I use hobbyweld gas which has also been good for me. I had zero welding experience but joined to forum and got lots of help here. I had to weld lots of parts of the car, floors, wings, sills, jacking points etc.

Looked like this on all 4 corners when I started.

And this when I was done.

Do a bit of practice on box section to make a cart for the welder and gas then get stuck in.

 

[tom2207]

as far as use goes.. it will get used for patching the chassis and welding on the occasional stuck bolt. the chassis only has surface rust so it wont need doing for a while. its just these pesky sills that the mot man wont like very much that i need to do fairly quickly.

get the acf 50 out and get spraying ,, a compressor will do you more good than a welder ,,,
Ive never welded a range rover chassis for rust ,, a few accident repairs , but never rust , and Im at these a long time.

and if you do buy a welder aim at 180 min ,, a 105 will not do chassis in an efficient manor if Im putting a replacement rear x member in a 90 I find Im running a 180 at about 90% but I do put the main joints in hot , theres no room for lop in that kind of work.

 

[Keithmac]

I opted for Gasless as I weld outside mainly.

I have rebuilt my Golf quite extensively with this Welder and Lincoln Innershield NR211 flux core wire.

Couldn't be happier with how it welds, can do body panels (38amp 15v) without blowing holes everywhere.

The wire is as important as the Welder for Gasless, SIP wire wasn't much cop.

Does excellent plug welds and seam welds.

 

[blockaderunner]

I think your car is very lucky. Will the welder be a Christmas present ? Will you also buy it the appropriate ppe ?

she is the same as the wife.. i put too much money in her as well

 

[blockaderunner]

she is the same as the wife.. i put too much money in her as well

I bought a rusty MOT fail car a few years ago and then a cheap second hand welder on gumtree. It is a Clarke 105en. It's a bit crap with switches for the current but it is usable. Fine for thin material and up to 2mm so it will cover most you will find on your car. I use hobbyweld gas which has also been good for me. I had zero welding experience but joined to forum and got lots of help here. I had to weld lots of parts of the car, floors, wings, sills, jacking points etc.

Looked like this on all 4 corners when I started.

View attachment 377347

And this when I was done.

View attachment 377348

Do a bit of practice on box section to make a cart for the welder and gas then get stuck in.

what a stunner! beaut of a car, i would love one.
I m also in envy of the car lift lol

I know one of the sills isnt too bad so I will be patching that but the other is well gone and needs a replacement.

 

[blockaderunner]

I opted for Gasless as I weld outside mainly.

I have rebuilt my Golf quite extensively with this Welder and Lincoln Innershield NR211 flux core wire.

Couldn't be happier with how it welds, can do body panels (38amp 15v) without blowing holes everywhere.

The wire is as important as the Welder for Gasless, SIP wire wasn't much cop.

Does excellent plug welds and seam welds.

View attachment 377349

what is the downside of gassless? il be outside for everything as well