Type of welder used when seam welding chassis

[johnc]

No. TIG and Stick machines use a Constant Current (Amperage) power supply while MIG machines use a Constant Voltage power supply.

 

CC: Amperage is set by the dial and the foot pedal (operator controlled) and voltage is varied by the machine based on arc length.

 

CV: Voltage is set by the dial (operator controlled) and current is varied by the machine based on wire stickout.

[icesky]

Thanks for info

[Metallicar]

Will someone here recommend a wire/gas combination that works well with mig welding new metal to old & stitch welding the factory lap joints?

 

I looked at the Lincoln Electric Web Site and I see that there is a wire called Outershield 70, it is a flux cored gas shielded wire that performs well on rust, oil, and mill scale. (according to thier site). Any comments?

 

http://www.mylincolnelectric.com/Catalog/consumableseries.asp?browse=104|1099|

Thanks again!

Jon

[JMortensen]

Clean the joints then use your standard welding wire and CO2/Argon mix. No real trick to it, just a lot of cleaning involved. Cleaning it is the bitch, and although it really is a PITA I did it with no sand blasting. Just heated and scraped and wire wheeled and picked all the seam sealer out and welded away.

[Metallicar]

Thanks for the fast reply Jon!

 

I realize the cleaner, the better. I'm not looking for a short cut with wire options. I guess I started ot over think this, with all of the wire options out there, I became side-tracked.

 

So what is your standard wire?

[JMortensen]

I believe it is ER70-6. It's what they have a whole shelf of at any welding supply place. Not flux core, not stainless, just your standard wire.

[Careless]

I believe it is ER70-6. It's what they have a whole shelf of at any welding supply place. Not flux core, not stainless, just your standard wire.

 

flux core is ok if you are grinding the welds later. a chassis builder advised me to just run a cold bead, you don't even need 100% penetration either.

[bjhines]

I stitched the entire chassis of my project car.

 

I am pretty sure that the most time consuming part of fabricating the entire car was the seam welding.

 

I used a good quality set of dental picks to pull the seam sealer out of the seams in relatively large chunks. I used a flat bladed screwdriver to loosen up some of the seams to allow the sealer to pop out cleanly. There are some tricks to getting it loose by prying the seams, but you will figure it out. It only takes a TINY amount of prying... don't buckle the panels or pucker the seams. There were quite a few places that the sealer could be pushed out the back of the seam instead of pulling it out.

 

I used a MIG with standard mixed gas and .035 steel wire. I ran the voltage on the second to lowest setting and played with the feed rate until I would lay down a nice bead.

 

I stitched BOTH SIDES of any panels I could get to.

 

I used a combination of stitch patterns... I used 2" long stitches on multi layered metal and thicker strutural areas. I used tightly spaced SPOTS on the thin metal and areas prone to warping. Someone told me not to run a continuous bead because the metal can work harden and crack all the way down the seam.

[Careless]

I stitched the entire chassis of my project car.

 

I am pretty sure that the most time consuming part of fabricating the entire car was the seam welding.

 

I used a good quality set of dental picks to pull the seam sealer out of the seams in relatively large chunks. I used a flat bladed screwdriver to loosen up some of the seams to allow the sealer to pop out cleanly. There are some tricks to getting it loose by prying the seams, but you will figure it out. It only takes a TINY amount of prying... don't buckle the panels or pucker the seams. There were quite a few places that the sealer could be pushed out the back of the seam instead of pulling it out.

 

I used a MIG with standard mixed gas and .035 steel wire. I ran the voltage on the second to lowest setting and played with the feed rate until I would lay down a nice bead.

 

I stitched BOTH SIDES of any panels I could get to.

 

I used a combination of stitch patterns... I used 2" long stitches on multi layered metal and thicker strutural areas. I used tightly spaced SPOTS on the thin metal and areas prone to warping. Someone told me not to run a continuous bead because the metal can work harden and crack all the way down the seam.

 

would you say it was worth it?

how much stiffer is the car now?

[whyrualive]

I'm having my shell media-blasted and was told that seam welding would be a good idea, but the painter told me to get a coat of primer on the bare metal within a day or rust would start to form. Any suggestions? How long will it take me to seam weld the entire car?

[johnc]

Spray the whole car with a light mist of WD40. That will keep it from rusting for a couple months. I was told this by a couple painters who said wiping off the WD40 is much easier then trying to fix a crappy primer job.

[bjhines]

Media blasting is a great way to prep the car. Have them blast it and prime it with a good self etching primer or epoxy.

 

Then you must get it home and proceed to pick all of the seam sealer out of the seams. Blasting will get you started. Primer is a must. Seam sealer picking is just as hard as it would have been to begin with. Wehn you are done then you get it primed again and contiue with paint.

[whyrualive]

Spray the whole car with a light mist of WD40. That will keep it from rusting for a couple months. I was told this by a couple painters who said wiping off the WD40 is much easier then trying to fix a crappy primer job.

 

I never thought of that, but that would give a protective coat. I'll give it a try. Thanks.