First project advice

[Hobby_Welder]

Hi having done a 6 week level 1 course at the local tech and purchased my first machine (Sealey Supermig 150) - a mate has asked me for help welding on his transit to get it through its mot. Im looking for some advice on what I have to do and if this is within my capability as a novice. It is a rusted piece of metal above the wheel arch and accessible from under the bonnet as well. Any advice would be really welcome thanks.

 

[Cobbler]

First thing, whip out the washer bottle & re-assess the situation, I think you will find the rot goes right back underneath. Cut out all the rot & make a cardboard template. You will also find welding rusty vehicles is far different to welding on the bench, at least access looks to be good, generally you are working upside down unable to see what you are doing with sparks going down your neck!

 

[gaz1]

Hi having done a 6 week level 1 course at the local tech and purchased my first machine (Sealey Supermig 150) - a mate has asked me for help welding on his transit to get it through its mot. Im looking for some advice on what I have to do and if this is within my capability as a novice. It is a rusted piece of metal above the wheel arch and accessible from under the bonnet as well. Any advice would be really welcome thanks.

look im telling you dont, take it on your not experienced enough

and your mate dosnt want to pay for it

you wont get any thanks for it either and you will get the blame

 

[500e]

Rust is a pitta, rust on a vehicle 5 steps worse, upside down add another whole level of misery.
People who do it for money hate it & it is always worse than initially thought.
Point out you feel it would be to big a job for a start
Leave well alone

 

[Windy Miller]

I'd leave that well alone if I were in your shoes!

I spent years doing this for a living, and that looks like a massive ball ache to me.

Run, Forrest Run!

 

[daedalusminos]

That's probably failed because it's close to a suspension mount...which means it's structural and the repair has to be structurally sound and to same spec as original. In your position I'd walk away.

 

[gt6s]

STEER CLEAR !

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Sound advice from the lads there ^^^, I've never done any vehicle welding but have read enough posts from those who have to know I wouldn't want to .

You'll find that the rust is much extensive than it looks and once you undertake it......
Sounds like a recipe for losing a friend.

Welcome to the forum btw.

 

[minimutly]

Btdt. Don't is my advice too.

 

[T5 TDI]

As above. I have just cut out/welded a salvage body cut to my Transporter and thin metal welding in an awkward place is really difficult without long experience. I can vouch for that. Gaz's welding above looks like art to me!

 

[chunkolini]

My advice is to explain that you are not coded to weld vehicles*; then slap him and run away .Never ever touch anybody's vehicle. Or for that matter repair anything for anybody
its always a pain in the **** and a six pack of lager is not a day's wages
* you do not need to be coded to do vehicles but is sounds better than most other responses

 

[Parm]

Don’t touch it if you value your friendship.

It will only end in tears and swearing

 

[angellonewolf]

if it was a bit of rot in a mini door or a 3 inch sill repair easy access etc id say get a bit of the same metal do quite a few runs get good at that then have a go

but as said by people that know there salts that looks a very hard job and lifes could be at risk if you take it on it will be bigger hole than you can see

most times if the hole is an inch in size work on 3 to 5 times the size to get to good metal that most lightly to be a very big job moving parts just to get to the problem \nd then start chasing

 

[AVI_8]

All of the above advise sounds like very good advise, practicing your new found talent on someone else’s vehicle doesn‘t sound like a good idea.
I had intended to look for a cheap mot failure to practice on, something with low miles and was mechanically sound but needed some welding.
Then my mother in law handed us back my wife’s old Rav 4 a few weeks ago, mechanically sound but has just failed it’s mot due to needing welding.

 

[Osu817]

I see a lot of horrific welding on vehicles I deal with. Some of it is there before I start... But seriously, looks like a pain, you can see the support below it is going as well, so not a lot to weld to there either. The person who eventually does it will probably slap a patch on it on the other side in the wheelarch, and leave all that mess behind it, maybe spray it with some paint to hide it a bit.

You won't lose anything from whipping the washer bottle out, and hitting it all with a wire wheel, and seeing where it goes. Whoever does the work afterwards will (should) do that anyway and it will be a learning experience for you, even without welding - 80% or more of welding time is actually prep, and on rusty things it can be even more, so knowing what you are dealing with is helpful.

Having said all this, as someone who has spent today under a rusty transit van trying to piece the bits of rust and old patches together into something resembling a vehicle, I would say you would probably be better off getting someone else to do the welding, as it will also take way longer than you think it will!

 

[Hobby_Welder]

Thank you everyone for the advice. It really is appreciated.

 

[slim_boy_fat]

Thank you everyone for the advice. It really is appreciated.

But has it helped you make a final decision?

 

[Barking Mat]

RUN AWAY!

I made the mistake once of offering to help weld my brother's transit van.

DON'T DO IT.

Don't waste your time and money.

Really not worth it.

There's nothing to weld to, they don't even have a chassis.

Best wishes.

Start on something simple. Please.

You'll lose the will to live.

 

[500e]

Damn we all agree A first??

 

[Moose McAlpine]

Welding vehicles is long, tedious miserable, hateful work. Always worse and more awkward than it looks, more rot and more cutting.

Rusty old Transit? Put it in the bin.

Don't do it. It'll make you hate welding.