Some welding questions...

[cudadude013]

I recently picked up a Lincoln 140 wirefeed welder from Lowes and plan to use it for a couple patch panels and a load of plug welds. I'm using the Flux cored 0.035 wire.

I played around a little until I got comfortable and put a patch in one of my rear quarters and looks good as new. No putty needed.

I'm not new to E bodies, but I'm very new to welding and have some questions.

1. Is it ok to weld in cold weather or will this make weak welds? (20 to 40 degrees)

2. Do I have an adequate welder to be working on my Cuda? ( Its mainly plug welds, but they need to be strong!)

Thanks!!!

[brads70]

I too have a Lincoln welder mig pack 100. Get the gas kit you won't regret it! That flux core stuff is very messy! No problem welding in cold weather! I have welded Stock Car Chassis 1/8 square tubing with mine, had no problems! Welds got "tested" with the wall doing about 85mph and didn't break!

[the_engineers]

Get the gas kit you won't regret it!

Also, once you gt the gas kit, you may want to step down to the .023 or .025 wire (and tips).  It doesn't need as much heat, so you can weld a little longer without building too much heat in the panel.

Oh, and get a really good auto-dark helmet.  The $39 Harbor Freight models are OK for starters, but they are slow and have a small viewing window.  Look around at Craigslist, eBay, etc for a Miller Elite, 3M Speedglas or Hobart XVX, to mention a few.

[brads70]

  I have .023 wire in mine! Works great!

[cudadude013]

Thanks guys.

I bought a good auto darkening helmet.. a little spendy but my eyes are worth it!

I also bought weld pliers from eastwood. In the pic it shows holes being drilled through both of the panels being welded together.

Will this make a better/ stronger plug weld or should I just stick with one hole in the top panel?

[72rtchallenger]

get the gas for the welder,,you wont regret it,,part of my job requires welding,and I use a 110v mig and is great for the mild welding work,,but I plan on getting a 220v mig soon,, as it can do about any welding you need and can replace a stick in most things,,the gas makes for smoother and stronger welding and is easier to use 

[Topcat]

I was using .023 wire. Then switched over to .030 and went 70/30 argon mix. Works great. Better yet, get Twenty guage wire.

[the_engineers]

get the gas for the welder,,you wont regret it,,part of my job requires welding,and I use a 110v mig and is great for the mild welding work,,but I plan on getting a 220v mig soon,, as it can do about any welding you need and can replace a stick in most things,,the gas makes for smoother and stronger welding and is easier to use 

My body instructor says that it can be "real hard" to get a 220V MIG powered down far enough to do good sheet metal welding.  I think it'd be great if you had 3/8 - 1/2"  material to join, though.

[ksierens]

I was using .023 wire. Then switched over to .030 and went 70/30 argon mix. Works great. Better yet, get Twenty guage wire.

  Twenty Gauge brand wire is the best, gas is a must.  Also like others have said, get a good auto-darkening helmet.  I bought a Speedglas for about $125 online after first buying a crapy one from Harbor Freight.

[Topcat]

My body instructor says that it can be "real hard" to get a 220V MIG powered down far enough to do good sheet metal welding.  I think it'd be great if you had 3/8 - 1/2"  material to join, though.

I disagree with your instructor. I have a Miller 175 (similiar to the newer 180) and it's been great.

[wagesofsin]

ive  done panel replacement on a ton of cars welding 20 ga. sheetmetal all day using a 220 welder. its an art form welding thin sheetmetal , but  its really just common sense and practice. use .023 wire as was mentioned , invest in a guage and a cylinder. 75/25 will be your best friend. have fun

[72rtchallenger]

ive  done panel replacement on a ton of cars welding 20 ga. sheetmetal all day using a 220 welder. its an art form welding thin sheetmetal , but  its really just common sense and practice. use .023 wire as was mentioned , invest in a guage and a cylinder. 75/25 will be your best friend. have fun

yes welding is an art form with thin metal,,it takes practice an the 220v mig is very capable of doing this on thin metal as previous stated use the .023 wire and the 75/25 mixed gas,,I am looking into getting the Millermatic 180 or 212 set up,great for body work or more

[Lunchbox]

These are nice to to prevent burn through. They have a couple different head styles.



http://www.eastwood.com/magnetic-hole-plug-welding-tool-not-for-gas-welde.html

Lunch

[Topcat]

These are nice to to prevent burn through. They have a couple different head styles.



http://www.eastwood.com/magnetic-hole-plug-welding-tool-not-for-gas-welde.html

Lunch

Another triick I do on those is take a piece of copper tube, cut a line down one side, pry the ends out, then hammer it or squish it in a vice. Bend one side corner 90 degrees for a needle nose vice grips to grab onto. And you have a similar made item.

[Lunchbox]

Another triick I do on those is take a piece of copper tube, cut a line down one side, pry the ends out, then hammer it or squish it in a vice. Bend one side corner 90 degrees for a needle nose vice grips to grab onto. And you have a similar made item.

I do the same thing too, but the magent thing has come in pretty handy. The copper pipe trick is good because you can bend them or curve them if needed and are cheap.

Lunch