Welding Machine

[Chris Kulbaba]

Hey all, I have a couple welding jobs to do to the ST... One is going to be the highflow cat, etc... the other is filling up the holes where the roof rack was, and a couple other ideas that I had for customization...



My question is, what brand/type of welder would do me for these kinds of "small jobs"



I see on American Chopper they have a welder that has the wire at the end, instead of the rods. Is this what im looking for, and any suggestions?



Thanks.



PS - I dont wanna spend a TON of money on this, just whatever will do. Maybe used 1-2x a year if that.

 

[Travis Munday]

You can get a MIG wirefeed gas-less at Home Depot or Lowes for a few hundred dollars.



It'll probably cheaper in the long-run to have someone else do the welding for you. It takes a lot of practice and a delicate touch to weld on sheet metal, otherwise you'll warp the heck outta your roof and need lots of body work to fix it.



As far as on the exhaust, again, that takes a pretty good and solid weld to be airtight.

 

[Todd Z]

The High flow cat is a direct bolt in.....



Todd Z

 

[Chris Kulbaba]

Im pretty sure my exhaust install is welded to the cat... Ill have to check it out.



PS - Todd, check your email please.

 

[Richard L]

Tiger is correct. Unless you have or plan on doing a lot of welding, a wire feed MIG welder is may be more than you want to spend.



I have a MIG welder (about 15 years old now) I have used it a lot, and have been thinking about upgrading. Then again, I don't use is enough to warrant an upgrade, so I will be sticking with the one I have.



Mine is a Century 70 amp welder with a High and Low range and adjustable wire feed speed. It's good for sheet metal and steel plate up to about 3/16" thick. If you are good, you can go all the way up to 1/4" steel plate.



I have weled in motor mounts, roll cages, converted a 40 ft TV antenna tower to fold down. and numerous other odds and ends requiring welding. Even made a small cart to wheel my welder around my shop.



...Rich

 

[Todd Z]

I have a small stick welder, it works great as long as you can stick weld.. Wire fed is a lot easier and gives a cleaner weld if your not a pro at it.... Especially if you get one with a gas bottle...



There are cheep wire fed welders out there from harbor freight or northern tool....



Todd Z

 

[Tom Schindler]

Get a tig welder, but if it were me, I would have someone do it. I would not even dare to weld on sheet metal. I have been in the welding/fabrication industry for 12 years.



Welding sheetmeatal is not easy. Leave it to the pros.





Tom

 

[Travis Munday]

If money is no object, then sure, get a TIG.



Stick welders are the cheapest, but have the messiest welds and can are tricky to use in tight situations.



Wirefeed gasless are a little more expensive, but provide a cleaner weld then stick, and are a bit easier to learn.



MIGs are more expensive still, and are more expensive to keep up as you have to buy (or rent) bottles from a welding shop that will need to be filled. They can weld thicker material and have a cleaner weld still.



TIGs are the most expensive, with 'cheap' models going for $2500+ new. They are also the most expensive to keep-up and the hardest to learn. You have to work a food pedal and use both your hands at the same time. The upside is a TIG provides the cleanest and strongest weld. You can also weld stainless steel, aluminum, titanium and other metals with a TIG that you can't easily (or at all) with the others.





Really, it depends on how much you want to spend. If you get one with gas, you'll need a welding cart if you plan to have the welder mobile.



I've got a gasless wirefeed and have used it to make all kinds of stuff. Whatever you go with, practice a fair bit before you got tackling anything on your vehicle.



If you plan to use it on the roof, you'll also need to body work the roof, which means you'll need bondo, sand paper, sanding blocks, and paint.

 

[blksn8k]

I have a Lincoln Weld Pac 100 wire feed welder that I use for body work. I have all the parts to convert it to MIG but I just have not taken the time (or expense) to rent or buy a gas tank. It uses .035 flux core wire. It works fine for most of the welding I have tried. I realize that I could probably weld better and have cleaner welds if I did the conversion to MIG but I am not sure that it would be cost effective. I have used it to install new floorpans in several vehicles, a new quarter panel on my Ranchero and I even used it to fabricate and install new rear frame rails for the Ranchero from 2x4 square tubing as well as a complete prefabricated Mustang II front suspension on the Ranchero. It will also be used extensively on my current restoration project on a 70 Mach 1. The price was reasonable (less than $400) and it has been very reliable. It runs on 110 volt house current. I have discovered through trial and error that it also works best with Lincoln brand weld wire.