best type of welder to use for chassis strengthening kit

[i love porsche]

what type of welder is best to use to install the chassis reenforcement kits...what power/type...im looking to buy a welder in the next few months so any help is appreciated
thanks

[914GT]

MIG is best, with Argon/CO2 gas mix. Most of the 110V welders can handle 16 ga steel but go for a 220V if you can afford it. You can get a 110V Lincoln MIG from Home Depot for $300 or so, and a gas regulator kit will add another $100, plus another $75-$100 for the tank and gas. So figure at least $500 unless you can find used equipment.

[RustyWa]

I would say, first decide how much money you would like to spend, what do you want to weld, then how much you are going to use it.

[914GT]

Originally posted by RustyWa
... then how much you are going to use it.

If you're like me you'll find out you use it for much more than you ever could think of. It's been a great investment and would only part with it to get a better one. But if you spend more time watching TV then working on stuff in the garage it's probably not a good thing to spend your money on.

[i love porsche]

i was planning on spending around 600..hopefully less

i went to home depot..and the mig welders there from lincoln were about 300..but the guy said they werent compatible with a gas...so im not sure....im gonna check out a local welding store...but yeah..at first its gonna be for the stiffening kit..but i know ill use it for other things eventually

[914GT]

Lincoln sells a gas kit for their welders for about $100. The people at H.D. are mostly too dumb to know about it. Your welding supply store will know. The kit includes a regulator and different cable liner with gas nozzle.

BTW, if you get a MIG make sure you have a good electric hook-up. Buy or make a heavy-gauge extension cord, no cheap #14 or #16 conductors. For 50' get something with #8 or #10 gauge conductors. This is important for 110V welders, you need all the voltage you can get to the welder. Don't plug it into #12 housewiring - too much volt. drop. Best to wire a short 20A circuit right off the breaker box if you can, use heavier wire for longer runs.

[lmcchesney]

What about these welders?
http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/category.taf?f=clearancesale&categoryid=10&pricetype=C&categoryname=WELDING%20TOOLS
L. McC

[Bleyseng]

They are not set up for gas MIG welding so it would be a real GW to use. The shielding gas makes it really easy to weld, just using a flux core wire is HARD.

Geoff

[durtkillon]

Not all Lincoln mig welders have shileding gas capability. Do your homework before you pay $300. Many of the "non-gas" types use flux core wire that have a gas that releases from the core of the wire as you weld. Some units are have gas capability, some do not. Shielding gas becomes more important for thinner metals and cosmetic repairs.

I have mig welded 16 ga metal with flux core wire. It may not be as pretty, but you can make a good weld on that thickness without the gas.

Renting is an option. Some HD stores rent these units and just about every rinky dink town has a equipment rental store that has Lincoln or Miller welders for $50 a day. If you rent on a weekend you may get a deal.

I recently purchased a new 120V Marquette welder on EBAY for $260 and free shipping. It was made in Italy and has more plastic than the Miller or Lincoln, but it lays a very nice bead. It also came with the gas regulator and a really flimsy mask.

Other helpful tools... a mask ($50), 2 lbs wire ($20), decent gloves ($5), a variety of vice grip pliers, a grinder, a cart with chains(for a gas bottle/bomb).

I love having a welder around the house. It makes many repairs and modifications possible. It also turns scrap yards into gold mines.

[914GT]

The low-end models of the Lincoln welders can all be upgraded to gas with an optional kit. Home depot won't have it but a real welding supply store will. Another recommended option is to get the 8" spindle for the larger wire rolls, it's is a better deal and you won't need to change out the small 4" rolls all the time. Save the hassle and just get everything from a welding shop or online, but since you still have to get the gas locally you might as well check the prices at the welding supply store.

[BigD9146gt]

A Millermatic 135 will do the job, even a small Hobart (the best results will come from using gas instead of flux core). Anything bigger will be great if you plan on welding 1/2" plate. I've worked in several body shops, and what i was best at was body work, replacing panels, and such. If this is a one time job, see if you can rent one for a week, the biggest 110v system will work great ONLY if you prep your work right. Heres a few steps to keep in mind...
1) take off all undercoating (except the paint) in the wheel wells that the metal is going to come in contact with. The more paint you take off, the more likely your going to have corrosion problems. Only take down to bare metal what your going to weld.
2) mount the metal in the disired location, use a marker for all the places that are going to be welded. Use a stripper wheel to grind all paint and rust from ONLY the welding areas.
3) pick up a can of "weld through primer", apply lightly to the weld areas.
4) clean back side of stiffing plate with the stripper wheel to get good metal, then apply weld through primer to bare areas.
place metal in disired weld spot, take a small flat screw driver and scrap away weld through primer from spot weld holes. This is important because the weld through primer is tough to weld, and isn't important in the center of the weld, only around the weld itself after the welding has occured, it will seal it from corrosion between the two materials.
5) pick of a tube of 3M body sealent and use in a regular caulking gun to seal around the parimeter of the sheets.

Check out my 914 if you wish, i've done everything from the base metal up. I even installed the bulkhead motor mount a few weeks ago with a small gas Hobart ( http://www.pelicanparts.com/catalog/images/six_conversion/rich_mount.jpg ), and the best results are in the prep work.
Good luck, Don.

[i love porsche]

thanks for all the tips guys...ill probably buy a welder with my graduation money in a month or two...and ill go to the welding store to check out what they have...you guys are really helpful, thanks

[sean_V8_914]

Miller Miller-Matic 135 and Hobart Handler 135 have teh same guts, made by Hobart. The Miller has infinite power and feed adjustments and metal wire feeders. The Hobart only has 4 or 5 power settings and 10 wire feed speeds. I paid $700 for my Miller Matic 135 with gas, wire and extra tips. I also went 100 bucks extra fro the auto darkening helmet. OH!!!! i forgot to mention the BIGGEST bonus of teh Miller. It has tip short circuit protection. I have used the same tip for many hours of welding. without this feature, an inexperienced welder will burn up tips till you learn better form and flow. you can dial it in on really low power to weld up rusty 914-6 heat exchngers