Disco 2 So the disco 2 needs welding again.

I have decided to bite the bullet and get a welder after having paid welders on 2 occasions to do a job only to find out that they missed a section and it needs more work. So I bit the bullet and got a mig welder from clarke 135TE. Allows me to weld a number of metals and seems fairly easy to use.I am welding a length of plate just under the car near the sills where the box section has corroded. Should I use galvanised steel and a respirator or should i use plain 2mm mild steel and do my best to cavity seal it.
Does it need drain holes? First time welding. I have time to practice on my welds well before I try it on the car.
Any tips welcome.

you wont weld steel that has been galvanised properly,it will spit spat and fart everywhere,you would have to prep the edges to be welded enough to miss the galvanise.

I believe you need to use a flap grinder to remove the galvanised part but having never welded before I am looking for an option that will work well and not need to be redone in the next 4 years or so. I am sure there will be a lot of other things for me to weld!

Would you use 2mm plate mild steel then non galvanized?

ldrego said:

I believe you need to use a flap grinder to remove the galvanised part but having never welded before I am looking for an option that will work well and not need to be redone in the next 4 years or so. I am sure there will be a lot of other things for me to weld!

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better off using a mini or an angle grinder to remove galvanise,you also will need to grind an angle on the parts to be welded for good penetration of the weld,you could paint welded areas with galvanised paint as a measure of protection.

ldrego said:

Would you use 2mm plate mild steel then non galvanized?

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3mm preferably,remember,galvanise fumes are poisonous.

td5nut said:

better off using a mini or an angle grinder to remove galvanise,you also will need to grind an angle on the parts to be welded for good penetration of the weld,you could paint welded areas with galvanised paint as a measure of protection.

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that should read MINI GRINDER,not an actual mini!

I cant afford time off so I think I better go for the 3mm route non galvanised and spray the inside with some sort of protection.
Thanks for that.
IS that small bevel just to enhance melting of the edges?

ldrego said:

I cant afford time off so I think I better go for the 3mm route non galvanised and spray the inside with some sort of protection.
Thanks for that.
IS that small bevel just to enhance melting of the edges?

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yes,it helps the weld penetrate the seam giving a strong joint,it wont take long to learn how to weld,its very satisfying job.

ever thought of an evening course at your local college?

The bevel is to aid the fusing but on thin sections such as 3mm it really is not required.
If you are new to welding spend some time on YouTube as there are some really good tutorials that will give you some great tips.
Weld some short lengths of plates together like you expect to do on the chassis with a variety of settings on the welder and techniques. Put them in a vice and try to prise them apart to break the weld - evaluate which was the strongest and use that technique/weler settings to do the real job.

sound advice

ldrego said:

I believe you need to use a flap grinder to remove the galvanised part but having never welded before I am looking for an option that will work well and not need to be redone in the next 4 years or so. I am sure there will be a lot of other things for me to weld!

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as long as you grind the edge and a couple of mm on upper and lower side it will weld well, drain holes help if its in an area thats a natural well were water could collect
keeping the repair section tight to the work is important so clamps and tacking the piece to hold it and a hammer to close any gaps in between

And don't forget, upside down and vertical welding is not as easy or the same method as practise welds on a bench/floor.
Weld spatter on your eardrum is not enjoyable, setting yourself or the car on fire is not enjoyable, arc eye is not enjoyable.
I've got a tratter with galv chassis and bulkhead and mig, tig, oky acet welding sets- not used them for years really and I don't miss it!
Oh, consider an auto dim welding helmet, they are great especially if your a learner and get a gas bottle 'contract', disposable cans suck.

If it's a MIG welder, using Argon or Argon gas mix welding of galvanised section is fine, using MMA, (stick welding), on galv stuff is less successful.
Using ordinary(untreated) steel section is ok, good cavity protection is afforded by fish oil, if you can spray it in.
The MIG process produces lots of Ultra Violet so you need good PPE to stop skin burns.

jamesmartin said:

as long as you grind the edge and a couple of mm on upper and lower side it will weld well, drain holes help if its in an area thats a natural well were water could collect
keeping the repair section tight to the work is important so clamps and tacking the piece to hold it and a hammer to close any gaps in between

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Never thought about the hammer. Thanks. I have mechanical and magnetic clamps Will tack and do little weld strips at juxtaposed ends to avoid warping.

Upside down welding. Better practice that before I go under the car a and have a hose pipe ready just in case.
Does diesel burn like petrol if you hit it?

ldrego said:

Upside down welding. Better practice that before I go under the car a and have a hose pipe ready just in case.
Does diesel burn like petrol if you hit it?

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Welding generates enough heat to set just about anything on fire. All of the above posts give good advice.

I'm surprised that so many D2's need welding!

Ours is one of the earliest built, November 1998, yet passed its MOT in July with no advisories.

Yes, the chassis starting to get crusty at the back, but we have a PlanB for that, a chassis that we bought four years ago and had shot blasted and Zinc sprayed before powder coating in matt black.

I was expecting to use it before now, but so far the original has stood up well, especially as we do a lot of heavy towing.



Perhaps the early production chassis were better quality than later ones?

Peter

Wow. Mine does not look like that at all and they say mines is not bad either. Knocked out some of the rust today. Only the bottom section of the box is rotten.