Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Albioninoz]

Hi there,

I'm in the process of restoring a 1957 Rover 90 and want to do as much myself as I can. This involves welding. I have never welded before but am a 'handyman' by trade (if indeed it is a trade!) so am used to handling tools of all types. My question therefore is what would be the best type of welder to get bearing in mind the work to be done (thickness of body panels etc) and ease of use, Also cost but to a lesser degree. Also what thickness of steel would be needed for this work. I assume that in 1957 the steel would be thicker than in modern cars. I know that the doors, bonnet and boot are all aluminium so I will steer well clear of that. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,

Ray

[D4B]

Very happy with the Clarke MIG 135 turbo welder I bought probably 5 years ago! It's managed 2 major resto projects without fault....

Don't bother with those tiny sized gas bottles though, get yourself a proper hobby gas size such as from here:

http://www.georgehannah.co.uk/info2.cfm?info_id=132581

same as here:

http://www.adamsgas.co.uk/hobby-gas-welding

[ukdave2002]

Oxy acetylene gas, is the best type of welding for body panels assuming one can get to both sides of the panel, otherwise Mig, remembering that it's very difficult to planish a mig weld, so the end result nearly always requires filler on top of the weld.

Dave

[ka]

I would go for a MIG 9 times out of 10, due to the distortion caused by gas welding, but each to their own.
Should you choose a MIG, select one with an cooling fan, as the smaller 'hobby' ones cut out when they overheat due to prolonged use, and require time to cool down.
_________________
KA

Better three than four.

[ukdave2002]

[goneps]

As a matter of interest, what are the pros and cons of MIG versus TIG?

Richard

[ka]

I have not used TIG since College many years ago, but found it superb on Aluminium etc. The MIG is a good hobby and professional welder. I always found Gas distorted more than MIG, but also would be willing to accept others views on this, but do agree with the induced fracture line.
Basic difference is; the TIG uses a principle similar to gas, the electrical arc, produced by a sacrificial anode, melts the metal into a pool, and a filler rod is used to either bridge the gap, or just complete the weld, all protected by a shield of inert gas. The MIG uses the filler materiel as the sacrificial anode, (the welding wire), protected by an inert gas.
Hope this helps.
_________________
KA

Better three than four.

[ukdave2002]

I have never used TIG, but have seen some excellent results as Ka mentioned on Aluminium, and it seems to be the welder of choice for many panel makers... If one can butt weld a joint withTIG, that can then be worked its a great plus . TIG looks to be more expensive than MIG , but to be honest I'm not sure what I should be looking for spec wise?

I have MIG and Oxyacetalyne in the workshop. Oxyacetalyne gets used for other stuff like heat shrinking, brazing, cutting and is useful to heat stubborn nuts and bolts. Picking one over the other would be difficult, and if the question had been asked 2 years ago, I would have probably plumped for MIG as the cost of renting BOC bottles was getting silly for the home user, now that I have moved to a non rental contract it would be Oxyacetalyne over MIG. In terms of advising anyone else, Oxyacetalyne welding really requires some f2f training, whereas MIG can be picked up through books or online stuff.

Dave

[goneps]

Thanks, gents. Your remarks appear to confirm what I suspected.

Richard