Looking to tackle rust repair myself, need advice

[Trakrat]

I've been searching the forums and it seems that there are quite a few newbies willing to try their skills at welding and repairing rust. But it seems that there are some good folks on here willing to help out.

I have a 1987 911 coupe that is exhibiting the common rust found along the rocker panels and just about anywhere else that rocks, dirt and other debris have accumulated and caused decay.

I'm currently in the process of stripping out everything to get a good idea what needs to be repaired.

Unfortunately I need to do the repairs myself, as there aren't any body shops in my area (south central Kansas) that have worked on these cars, and especially less on who I would trust.

I have no body work skills, but only mechanical skills

So with that... I need to know 'WHAT' to buy.
What tools do I need to start this?
Here's what I'm needing help with:
1.) tools needed to clean out the rust, cutting the sheet metal, etc...
2.) help in determining where and what to buy to replace the cut out panels. (restoration design has been mentioned, but not sure what specific part I need to buy)
3.) what type of welder to buy? Tig/Mig? voltage size? I've seen welders from $250 -$10,000.
4.) what welding accessories do I need... (helmet, gloves, etc...)
5.) what tools do I need to clean up post-welds?
6.) finally.. what should I use to treat the bare metal to prevent future rust? spray with rustoleum or some other rust inhibitor?

I'm willing to try just about anything once.. as long as someone can guide me.
Could I be getting in over my head? ABSOLUTELY... but the alternative would be for a local shop to make things worse and charge me more money than I can afford.

So any help would be greatly appreciated. I've been researching on all the other forums as well, (impact bumpers, rennlist, etc...)

[Cook&Dunning]

I would suggest a look at darryld's site - He posts occasionally here on Pelican - attention to detail is amazing. And of course 962Porsche here on this forum

[Trakrat]

Originally Posted by Cook&Dunning

I would suggest a look at darryld's site - He posts occasionally here on Pelican - attention to detail is amazing. And of course 962Porsche here on this forum

Thank you... I'll research and check them out.

[Cook&Dunning]

I should have given the link DarrylsGarage.com - Car Restorations by Darryl Deppe lots of detail on the rocker repair on his 912.

[Jcslocum]

Here is what I think you need:

3 cheep ($10 on sale) grinders from Harbor Fright. 1 set up as a cutting disc and 2 with different grit flap discs.

MIG welder with gas NOT a flux core type. 120v for sheet metal works well, buy a good (Miller/Lincoln, etc..)one used on CL. Maybe 200$ should do it.

Restoration design for the major parts, local sheet metal shop for the proper thickness cut offs.

Flap discs for grinding/finishing. You can be a crap welder if you're a good grinder :-)

Spot weld cutters.

Fire extinguisher, welding blanket, and all safety gear.

Welding in sheet metal is a stitching type of welding. Weld a small stitch, move to another spot and come back after it has cooled down. Lots of videos online to watch. Stop in the local weld shop and see if they will give you a lesson for a few 6 packs and maybe a pizza after work one night. A little instruction one on one goes a LONG way!!!!

Persevere. Be patient.

Good luck!!

[Trakrat]

Originally Posted by Jcslocum

Here is what I think you need:

3 cheep ($10 on sale) grinders from Harbor Fright. 1 set up as a cutting disc and 2 with different grit flap discs.

MIG welder with gas NOT a flux core type. 120v for sheet metal works well, buy a good (Miller/Lincoln, etc..)one used on CL. Maybe 200$ should do it.

Restoration design for the major parts, local sheet metal shop for the proper thickness cut offs.

Flap discs for grinding/finishing. You can be a crap welder if you're a good grinder :-)

Spot weld cutters.

Fire extinguisher, welding blanket, and all safety gear.

Welding in sheet metal is a stitching type of welding. Weld a small stitch, move to another spot and come back after it has cooled down. Lots of videos online to watch. Stop in the local weld shop and see if they will give you a lesson for a few 6 packs and maybe a pizza after work one night. A little instruction one on one goes a LONG way!!!!

Persevere. Be patient.

Good luck!!

Thanks... I'll start looking into those. I also picked up some rust repair and welding How-To books in hopes to understand the terminology better so that I can more clearly communicate issues I may have down the road.

[Dpmulvan]

A good high cfm compressor and a sandblaster would be on my list. If you plan on painting the car yourself start researching guns and their cfm requirements. 962 is a good source for all your painting questions. Almost forgot dry air is a must for air tools and paint guns. As far as welders go if you don't have a pile of cash to buy Miller,Lincoln et you can pick up an Eastwood mig welder for a few hundred bucks when their on sale. I know a lot of people will disagree but I've had mine for 6 or 7 years and it's performed well. Also check out the ahp tig welder on Amazon $679 if you want to learn tig, check out the reviews on Amazon and the videos on YouTube. A decent welder with some good features.

[sugarwood]

A used gas MIG welder is going to cost you a hell of a lot more than $200

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Trakrat

I have a 1987 911 coupe that is exhibiting the common rust found along the rocker panels and just about anywhere else that rocks, dirt and other debris have accumulated and caused decay.

Articulate the depth of decay. Are you talking holes or surface rust?

A picture(s) is worth a thousand words.

[Dpmulvan]

[QUOTE=sugarwood;9364641]A used gas MIG welder is going to cost you a hell of a lot more than $200

I have been using an Eastwood el cheep o mig welder for the past 5 years and it welds great got it for $200 and change brand new. Before I purchased it I had borrowed friends Miller and a Hobart works just as well just a little more fragile. Of course it's gas, nobody with a clue about welding would buy a flux core welder.

[sugarwood]

That Eastwood is $259.
But, I've heard those cheap welders are really bad, so it's interesting to hear otherwise.

A used Hobart or Lincoln is like $4-500, without gas.
You also need to factor in the cost of buying a gas tank and filling it.
That is why I said a used setup is going to run you a lot more than $200.

[3literpwr]

I'm digging into this right now. I paid about $2000 to have one (rocker) side of my other 911 done and have the side resprayed. In the end, I don't think it was too much, but I have more work to do on this car and decided to move forward myself. We'll see how long it takes. I'd only cut out as much as you need and go from there. Just bought the latch post and front quarter edge from Restoration and the fender looks like garbage.

[Emo993]

I took on a small welding project on my 914...had minor experience welding, took a night course at the local high school/tech school. Learned a lot and well worth the time. Best, Mark

[Trakrat]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Articulate the depth of decay. Are you talking holes or surface rust?

A picture(s) is worth a thousand words.

[jmitro]

I'm a bit late to this thread. Have you already started? If not I can give you weld settings if it would help. I'd recommend practicing on scrap sheetmetal before you start because it's not easy for a newbie.

[wjdunham]

Originally Posted by jmitro

I'm a bit late to this thread. Have you already started? If not I can give you weld settings if it would help. I'd recommend practicing on scrap sheetmetal before you start because it's not easy for a newbie.

What settings would you recommend for body panel welding, flares and such? I have an old (15 year old) Lincoln 120V MIG welder. I've been practicing on some scrap to get my chops back but not finding the right recipe yet. Been getting close with the lower two current settings and a relatively slow wire feed rate.

Thanks,
Bill

[jmitro]

I used 0.023" or 0.025" solid welding wire with gas shielding.
My Lincoln and Hobart 120V welders have 4 voltage settings. I used either 2 or 3 with a wire speed of 30-40. Generally the higher the voltage, the higher the wire speed. This gets good penetration without burn through unless the metal is too thin/rusty, or the gap is too big

[wjdunham]

Originally Posted by jmitro

I used 0.023" or 0.025" solid welding wire with gas shielding.
My Lincoln and Hobart 120V welders have 4 voltage settings. I used either 2 or 3 with a wire speed of 30-40. Generally the higher the voltage, the higher the wire speed. This gets good penetration without burn through unless the metal is too thin/rusty, or the gap is too big

Thanks. I'm in the right ballpark on the settings and using 0.025" wire. Looks like I just need to practice until I get it right.

[sballard]

BTW, when welding, make sure that you remove ANY and ALL flammable material anywhere near your weld site. And have a fire extinguisher within easy reach. I set TWO fires welding. My problem was that I had flammable material UNDER the car and out of plain view. When you have the welding hood on, you don't see the fire until you have flames!

[911Cabrio]

From the pictures you posted, it appears this area was repaired previously or the quarter panel may have been replaced. Was the car involved in a collision? You may want to inspect the lock post area as well as around the perimeter of the quarter panel. If the corrosion is isolated to this area a simple patch could be fabricated once all the corrosion damaged metal has been removed. Be sure to remove all the paint and shutz coating about 1" beyond were you intend to have your weld seam. accomplished easily with a heat gun, ,scrapper and a 4 1/2 knotted wire wheel ( The wheel of death as I call them) be sure to wear leather gloves and a face shield. Welcome to the forum and Good luck. post pictures of the progress.