Is a torque wrench really necessary ?

[Adam4868]

I welded a Ford Transit Minibus over Christmas.

Used gasless mig wire for first time and was very happy with the results (so was MOT tester!).

Gas mig welding outside is a pain, and gas is expensive if you don't use it all that often (bottle rental was £80 a year iirc).

Rebuilt both front inner wings, rear chassis rail, rear sill and rear inner arches. It was pretty bad when you started poking at it!.

Made repair panels out of 2mm sheet steel, managed to buy a sill.

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Not bad for a beginner...bit of practice and underseal and it'll look like a professional did it 😁

 

[Pale Rider]

underseal and it'll look like a professional did it

We had a mixed view of underseal.

We did use it, but on the other hand it was also used by home bodgers to cover their poor work.

In order not to mess up the paint gun, we had underseal which came in its own spray container.

Perhaps it didn't like being pressurised by a garage compressor, but one or two of the containers exploded in use, probably when the nozzle blocked.

That created a proper mess.

 

[Adam4868]

We had a mixed view of underseal.

We did use it, but on the other hand it was also used by home bodgers to cover their poor work.

In order not to mess up the paint gun, we had underseal which came in its own spray container.

Perhaps it didn't like being pressurised by a garage compressor, but one or two of the containers exploded in use, probably when the nozzle blocked.

That created a proper mess.

Prefer a bit of old engine oil painted on,were poor up here...

 

[Pale Rider]

Prefer a bit of old engine oil painted on,were poor up here...

An underbody spray with Redex was often part of a service.

Rust was much more of a concern in the 70s than it is today, and some owners asked us to do it.

 

[Adam4868]

An underbody spray with Redex was often part of a service.

Rust was much more of a concern in the 70s than it is today, and some owners asked us to do it.

Im no mechanic but have worked in plenty of garages,big difference now I guess is loads of plastic underneath to cover arches and sills etc.Does it keep most of the sh1t of the metal...maybe not as much to corrode.

 

[Smudge]

Im no mechanic but have worked in plenty of garages,big difference now I guess is loads of plastic underneath to cover arches and sills etc.Does it keep most of the sh1t of the metal...maybe not as much to corrode.

They have anti corrosion treatment now on car chassis now and have had for some time. They dont rust as fast underneath like they used to.
Most cars nowadays have at least 10 yr corrosion warranty.

 

[Pale Rider]

Im no mechanic but have worked in plenty of garages,big difference now I guess is loads of plastic underneath to cover arches and sills etc.Does it keep most of the sh1t of the metal...maybe not as much to corrode.

That, and the widespread adoption of unitary construction plays a part.

The load bearing parts are painted or hidden from road spray, as opposed to when cars had a separate chassis which was exposed underneath.

Even the doors and tailgate contribute to the structural integrity of a unitary bodied car.

As was demonstrated when we lifted a Lancia on a wheel free ramp with two of the doors open.

They would not shut when we put the car back on the ground.

They did shut after we allowed the car to creak back into shape for a few minutes.

Part of that was due to the dodgy Italian build quality of the time, but it does show how the whole body of a unitary car contributes to its strength.

 

[keithmac]

Not bad for a beginner...bit of practice and underseal and it'll look like a professional did it 😁

It got seam sealed and painted.

To be fair anything was better than a hole through both inner wings!.

I put a metal wire liner in half way through the job and it behaved better after that, gasless wire was binding in nylon liner half way through other side.

I've got my Mk2 Golf to do next!.

 

[Adam4868]

It got seam sealed and painted.

To be fair anything was better than a hole through both inner wings!.

I put a metal wire liner in half way through the job and it behaved better after that, gasless wire was binding in nylon liner half way through other side.

I've got my Mk2 Golf to do next!.

Without boring everyone half to death with tales of welding.Ive never tried gasless mig,I only own a small arc so use a mates garage who has a mig welder with bottle.Sure it's fine.Im presuming the wire has some sort of coating on to do away with the gas ? Anyway good enough for sheetmetal welding on cars it's not like it's structural.As for your golf I'd go down the newspaper and filler route...cheaper !

 

[keithmac]

I've done normal gas mig, neater weld and can use finer wire. Gas shielding outside is a pain though!.

The gasless has flux in the middle, not bad to use when you get the hang of it but does spatter a bit.

Gaseless is £20 a reel, normal wire is £6 BUT no bottle rental or refill charge.

I think with a bit more practice and some cleaning up after you should be to get good results on panel work (hopefully!).

 

[Adam4868]

I've done normal gas mig, neater weld and can use finer wire. Gas shielding outside is a pain though!.

The gasless has flux in the middle, not bad to use when you get the hang of it but does spatter a bit.

Gaseless is £20 a reel, normal wire is £6 BUT no bottle rental or refill charge.

I think with a bit more practice and some cleaning up after you should be to get good results on panel work (hopefully!).

The money you save will pay for all those sanding discs !

 

[Pale Rider]

Anyway good enough for sheetmetal welding on cars it's not like it's structural.

Strictly, the sheet metal on any car which doesn't have an old fashioned separate chassis is structural.

Although because the load is spread over the whole vehicle it's small on an individual part.

In any case, a skilfully welded panel will be just as strong, if not stronger, than the original.

 

[Adam4868]

Strictly, the sheet metal on any car which doesn't have an old fashioned separate chassis is structural.

Although because the load is spread over the whole vehicle it's small on an individual part.

In any case, a skilfully welded panel will be just as strong, if not stronger, than the original.

I know what you mean,depends where it is I guess...but once welded it could allways be a weak point if not carefull.

 

[Pale Rider]

I know what you mean,depends where it is I guess...but once welded it could allways be a weak point if not carefull.

True, but no worries if the welder knows what they are doing, which you and Keith obviously do.

 

[Adam4868]

True, but no worries if the welder knows what they are doing, which you and Keith obviously do.

Keith might but keep me out of it ! Tetrosyl is my friend.