In need of a welder..

[Deleted]

So to put a long story short, the escort needs more welding, some is done already, but it needs the rest for the MoT. The driver's side floor is solid, but the passenger's side is the problem, as well as the engine bay - there's about 9-10 holes dotted about between those places. I'm far from a welder so what I'm asking is if there's any good places/people to get this done, it's not a massive job I just need someone that can do it well enough and for a reasonable price, because it's all this car needs to be done and ready to drive

[nomad]

My Sierra needed a couple of small patches and found I could buy a new mig set for less than my local garages were going to charge me to do the welding
Maybe see if you can borrow a welder from someone, or ask on the very friendly mig forum if anyone can help out
www.mig-welding.co.uk/forum/forums/learning-mig-welding.13/

Hope you get sorted out!

[bigal1978]

It's was ether a real wibblepoo welder or it was far from a couple of patches as that's no more than £60

[kram]

Jxke might help if you put where your are countrywise .....Ive welded up alot of MK1 & MK2 Escorts along with alot of other cars/fabrication

Edit= just seen Herts area

[Deleted]

Sept 12, 2014 18:41:36 GMT bigal1978 said:

It's was ether a real wibblepoo welder or it was far from a couple of patches as that's no more than £60

That depends if you want a couple of patches welded over the rust or the job done properly.

[Deleted]

Yeah I want it done properly, if it's worth doing (and paying for) then it's worth doing right

[nomad]

Sept 12, 2014 18:41:36 GMT bigal1978 said:

It's was ether a real wibblepoo welder or it was far from a couple of patches as that's no more than £60

Wrong on both counts
£60 sounds about right for the job but I was getting quoted nearer £200 hence buying a nice little Clarke MIG that is still working well
Most of the garages around here have stopped doing welding work and I couldn't find anyone to do it for beer money

[bavarianretro]

£60 is going to get you a couple of patches badly welded over the existing rust and slabbered in cheap underseal. It'll get you through an MOT tomorrow. It's not a repair, but if all you want is an MoT, it'll do that.

[DavidB]

Buy a second hand Clarke welder, they're really good.
Don't be put off by learning, start by doing tack welds. I'm by no means a good welder, but I'm getting better and have welded four cars for MOT in the past month.

[Deleted]

Thanks all, guess that'll be the plan

[charlie]

I also want to learn to weld and will also need to do small welding jobs on cars. MIG is right for steel patches and chopping and replacing rusty bits of body work? What gauge steel sheet should I be practising with, and is it worth going on a course, or just buying the welder and some steel, and having a go?

Thanks all,


Charlie

[bobblegut]

Go on a course and tell them you want to be able to weld cars , thens ee about getting your own and practising on scrap bits . You will learn all the important stuff such as setting it up and the safety side , much more valuable than just reading stuff or watching videos .

[DavidB]

With regards to steel - buy a bonnet from a scrap yard for ten pounds! You've got fairly good quality steel there that would cost a lot more from a sheet metal place.
I welded up a Micra and used metal cut from the old wing which had previously lasted 30 year or so.
Spend time on getting the shape of the metal, buy a big vice and use the to shape the metal, or even an anvil or similar device to shape it. You can really nearly make good compound curves using this, although it takes time. It is always rewarding to get the shape right and then have the weld go right. Also don't cut corners (metaphorically), make sure the metal you are welding to is clean and rust free - you will know you are welding to rust as it will spatter everywhere. I've been welding for about five years and still an amateur and always make mistakes but slowly getting better each time I do it.

Have a look at some of the more advanced welders (ie MrBollox) on here and their blogs for some tips!

I am currently about to weld up a Justy which needs complete arch restoration, it will be a huge job, and a massive learning process, but plan on doing it properly, the first bit I did was this little section:



I bent it in a vice and hammered with a ball hammer and a copper faced hammer, and made sure the bend was as close to original bit using a small drift.

It's not perfect and many people could do a better job, but was proud of how clean everything was:



Ouch:

[Deleted]

Don't want to divert from the excellent info above but tomorrow I'll get some better pictures of what needs doing

[nomad]

^Good advice above - I learned more from 1/2 hour spent with a welder mate when he visited than I did from weeks of trial & You-tubing

Try "search" on here, a few folk have asked similar question before
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/153406/buying-welder
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/123114/mig-welding-reference-sites
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/140871/welding-video
retrorides.proboards.com/thread/121525/price-charge-welding

Have fun!

[93fxdl]

Think of being able to weld as a long term investment, now you will be able to keep your car on the road, next you will be able to pick up cheap mot fails and patch for profit, and your circle of friends will grow, as the ability to weld is a valuable commodity. The downside is, as your skills develop, you will start wanting to redo jobs, to a better standard.
Ttfn Glenn

[steveo3002]

well worth getting your own welder - practise and ask lots of question before tackling your own car and you will doing decent work in no time

try and cut out all rot and patch it edge to edge rather than a plate over a hole , that way it lasts better