Body repairs-rust replacement advice sought!!!!

[The Kelvinator 18]

Hay y'all, Ok so as some of you would know by now-I am new to the major vehicle restoration  thingy.

 

I am looking to do as much as I can myself, this includes body repairs, preparation, maybe even paint-(thats a while off yet though).

 

The first thing is: I have a large amount of rust in the XD van Im considering doing up, I may see what I can obtain in the way of rust replacement sections and donor bodies to cut out what I need. I may have to hand fab as well. My questions (so far) are these:

 

What size steel do I use?

 

Are switchable Arc/TIG inverter welders suitable?\

 

Are these units any good?

 

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SPOT-WELDER-GUN-12-ELECTRODES-by-KelArc-UK-FREE-POST-/200829902406?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D7179504701338063511%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D1%26sd%3D200829902406%26#ht_2602wt_1111

 

 

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/CAR-BODY-STITCH-WELDER-KelArcWeld-thn-metal-Free-Post-/190753699594?_trksid=p5197.m1992&_trkparms=aid%3D111000%26algo%3DREC.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D14%26meid%3D7179504701338063511%26pid%3D100015%26prg%3D1006%26rk%3D2%26sd%3D200829902406%26#ht_2966wt_1111

 

Found em on EvilBay.......reasonable price, but  just not sure.

 

 

[revhead 1,392]

correct me if im wrong but are these guns to be used in conjunction with a stick welder?

 

 

this is what you need fella ,gas or gasless! easy as pie

http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/UNI-MIG-welder-MINI-MIG-120-/330907455082?pt=AU_Welding&hash=item4d0b9f0e6a&_uhb=1#ht_500wt_1414

[Gav 616]

I

 

 

What size steel do I use?

 

 

Threw the digital vernier over some panel steel...E series quarter panel to be precise....it's 1.06mm thick or 19-gauge steel. That's a start. I'll measure up some XF stuff I've got lying around when I feel inclined and see if they've changed things in the transition from X to E series.

[gerg 10,871]

I'd start on an inconspicuous area first, say an inner guard or floor panel. To weld in a patch, use a series of tack welds at each corner. Then go around the piece tacking halfway between the last lot of tacks you did. Then go halfway between those all round and keep doing this till all the gaps are filled in. You can't do a continuous bead on sheetmetal because you're concentrating too much heat on one spot and that warps the panel.

 

A gasless MIG is ok, but the welds will be quite messy and a bit porous. I'd be reluctant to use gasless on anything structural that's for sure. My little SIP is a cheap, transformer type welder and I've mostly used gasless in it but once I used a disposable CO2 bottle with 0.9mm MIG wire and it turned from a pretty ordinary machine to an excellent one. The difference between gas and gasless is chalk and cheese.

 

If you buy a cheap machine, you'd be improving it greatly by pissing off the standard pissy little earth lead and clamp and chucking on something like a 25mm2 cable and a beefy clamp. You can tell if you need to by seeing if the standard one gets hot. If it does, you're losing power through it.

[xm-221 1,803]

E series quarter panel to be precise....it's 1.06mm thick or 19-gauge steel.

Measured with paint or stripped to bare steel?

[Trev Vaa 1,185]

its cheaper to get glenn to do it lol ^

[The Kelvinator 18]

Hmmmm ok, kool as. Interested Glenn??

[xm-221 1,803]

Buy a mig and attempt it yourself, I don't have the time or space to do jobs for anyone else at the moment.

[The Kelvinator 18]

LOL! Ok then-cant blame a guy for trying! If ya up North East way and feel like imparting some knowledge, hit me up!