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Welder???

6K views 71 replies 23 participants last post by  rarebreed 
#1 ·
Is there a certain type of welder that will cover almost all necessary fixes on my car? Or do I need multiple types? Just registered for a welding class, excited for that by the way!
 
#2 ·
For just about anything you would need to do on a car, something like a Lincoln SP135 would be a good choice. I am sure Miller and others offers similar machines.
The price is reasonable on those.
Be sure it is able to run a cover gas, and not just flux core wire. Set it up with 75/25 cover gas and .023 wire, and they work great on sheet metal.
Tim
 
#3 ·
Well, do you have 220 in the garage (or a generator)? If so, go with something in the 170-180 range. It'll actually make it easier to weld thinner and thicker metal.

the Lincoln 135 is good.

Go with a gas MIG set up. It'll do 99.9% of what you need. I've done stick welding and it's better and IMO easier, but what happens with cars is there are too many places where the rod is just too damned long to actually get to what you need.

Get a good gun (not sure what the 135 comes with). Tweco is a good one to look at. I suggest finding a 12-15' gun. Most come with a 6-8'. The extra length is nice for working on a car.

Look at CL. I see deals on there for welders all the time.

Buy quality. You get what you pay for. I have 2 welders in the garage. I admit I have a 90A Harbor Freight, Flux core only. It's nice if I need to tack up something around my house. For real welding, I have an old Miller Challenger 170A. It still works great. I got it from a professional welder so it was put through its paces prior to me getting it. I use gas on the millermatic.
 
#4 ·
I got the Mig135 from Eastwood... Still holding out on a completely positive review, as they have had to replace the gun and the regulator...
 
#5 ·
As others have said -- a 120V 135-140A MIG setup will cover any and all work on a Mustang. If you have access to 240V (a 30A to 50A 240V circuit) in your garage you could step up to a more versatile 240V 175-180A MIG, but not needed solely for welding on the car. Can't go wrong with Lincoln or Miller. I have a Miller 211 and love it.
 
#7 · (Edited)
I bought the Eastwood Mig 135 and its done an awesome job. Similar to other models/brands from what I hear. Runs off of standard 110v which is good as I don't have 220 in my garage either. Bought from them as lots of the reviews on their site were people doing the exact same work as me with great results. Their customer service is also top notch. The gun broke on mine and they sent another no charge no questions asked.

Been using the .023 wire and using a tank of gas. Stay away from flux core as its more messy, harder to use, and from what I hear not as strong.
 

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#12 ·
Stay away from flux core as its more messy, harder to use, and from what I hear not as strong.
I've never heard of strength issues with flux core. I've only heard that it's messy and harder to weld sheet metal with it because it tends to be harder to control and so "blows through" more easily. At any rate, most folks only recommend flux core for thicker metal. I'd say if you get a clean weld with good penetration with flux core, it would be just as strong as any other weld.
 
#8 ·
More love from me for the Miller 211, but it will do a lot more than what you need for auto restoration. It's big plus (well, one of them) is that it converts from 120V to 220V in about 30 seconds. It also has infinitely adjustable settings, and an "auto set" feature that makes it really easy for a novice to get good initial settings. It will do anything from 24 ga to 3/8", and you can set it up for aluminum if you want to. Expensive, and more welder than you need for car work, but very nice.

MrFreeze
 
#9 · (Edited)
Just another thing to consider, for a typical 140 amp welder, even though you can get a 110v welder, that doesn't mean you can plug it into just any 110v outlet. You will need a 20 amp circuit. If using an extension cord, you also can't use a standard cord, you need 10 gauge cord.
 
#19 ·
He is correct. I did check all that before going to town with the welder. Check the wiring in your garage. It will be marked #12, #10, etc. #12 is yellow, #14 is white, etc. I have yellow #12 in my garage with the proper outlets and breaker.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Yeah, if it's white 14 then you'll need heavier wire. All of my outlets were wired 12, but the garage lights and low voltage stuff is all on white 10.
 
#24 ·
Well, first, look at the breaker. See what it's rated at. If it was installed properly, the wire going to it should be 12AWG. So, look at the breaker. Then, open the panel and trace the wire. Once it's out of hte panel, it'll be in the original casing. Look at the casing for a size. Make sure it's 12AWG. Technically, 14AWG is rated for 21A, but NEC downrates 14AWG in houses to 15A, so you must follow that rule or risk insurance issues.

If you are unsure of the outlet (some are 15A and some are 20A) you can just spend the $2 to replace it. But, the outlets will say what they are rated for somewhere on the outlet itself (actually, on the plug part).

Definitely need 20A. My 90A cheaper welder will blow a 15A breaker on half load.
 
#28 ·
You also don't want anything else using that circuit while you are using your welder or you will be more likely to trip the breaker. So consider whether the circuit you plug your welder into is also powering lighting or anything else that will be on while you are welding.
 
#29 ·
I went with THIS ONE when Home Depot had a sale and I had some promo bucks on a pre-paid card. Went to AirGas and bought a tank and ditched the el cheapo helmet for an auto darkening one from Amazon. Picked up a cart from Amazon as well. Nothing bad to say about the welder, just the operator. :lol:

Note that a properly (professionally) installed 20A duplex outlet will have a perpendicular slot coming off the "line" slot (the longer one) in the receptacle, 15A receptacles do not.
 
#32 ·
I went with THIS ONE when Home Depot had a sale and I had some promo bucks on a pre-paid card. Went to AirGas and bought a tank and ditched the el cheapo helmet for an auto darkening one from Amazon. Picked up a cart from Amazon as well. Nothing bad to say about the welder, just the operator. :lol:
+1 Same one here. No problems yet!
 
#31 ·
It doesn't have much to do with the age. Most houses are wired with 15 amp circuits with a few 20 amp circuits thrown in basements, laundry rooms and garages. If it was all done by a professional, my guess is you have at least one properly wired 20 amp circuit in your garage.
 
#43 ·
All I want this thing to do is fix my car. I think the heaviest welds will be when I replace the frame welds. My plan is to just get all a whole new shock tower assembly with frame rails. Would I need a bigger welder to accomplish this?
 
#44 ·
I'm also replacing the frame rails/shock towers with a complete assembly. The frame rails on the dynacorn complete assembly that I got are 12 gauge. When you look at the setup table for the miller 140, it does not show 12 gauge. Instead it goes from 14 gauge to 1/8" which is pretty close to 12 gauge (about 11 gauge). A welder like the Miller 140 will do up to 3/16". So as long as the welder you look at will do at least 1/8" you should be fine.
 
#46 · (Edited)
Wow! Three of us fools are doing the same repairs. Thought I was the only crazy person out there hehe.
 
#48 ·
Nope, not the only crazy.

But yes, a 100-140A welder will do the trick. I would go to the high end. My 90A can't handle doing upside down welds on Tinman subframe connectors. It adjusts amperage via wire feed speed. So by the time I get the amperage high enough to get the right temperature, my feed speed is too high for upside down and it goops. If I turn the speed down, the amperage goes down and the weld doesn't stay hot enough because the tinman is too thick and acts as a heat sink, ending up with goopy welds. That's why I'm using the 170A now.
 
#52 ·
my .02 - I went for the Millermatic 140 auto set (wirefed/gas) - Since at the time I only had 110 running in the garage. It did the entire car - no complaints. Good advice in this thread so you got some good choices to go with... best of luck

tone
 
#54 ·
My 02: I read somewhere that one of the biggest mistakes newbe (me included) welders make is buy too small of a machine. Once you start welding you will quickly outgrow your 110 welder. I would highly recommend looking at the Lincoln or Miller welders with the 110/220 option. You may also want to wait till your done with your welding course and have a better understanding of what the welders can do. Good luck
 
#56 · (Edited)
I'd go with the Eastwood. It gets rave reviews, will handle anything on your car, utilizes 110 current so you can use it almost anywhere, and has infinitely adjustable controls for heat and wire speed. I wish I had bought this one instead of the Hobart I bought a couple of years ago. It's just a little bit better than the Hobart since it has the infinite heat adjustment and a bunch cheaper.
 
#58 ·
First off, there should be no strength issue with flux.. I'm not sure where that came from.. If anything, you should be able to get more penetration with it, as it tends to be hotter (sure, not ideal for body work, but in general).

Secondly, I agree with the guy who said infinitely adjustable. I tried to use someones lincoln that only had a few settings and the thing drove me nuts.
 
#62 ·
Eastwood before HF, never a welder or compressor for me

Sometimes a hand tool though
 
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