Welding my Series 2A LWB -Help

So I have just started restoring my Land Rover and there is some welding needed.
I have never welded so I have 2 choices;
- pay someone to do it in my garage
- learn to weld and buy a MIG welder
Any suggestions
Ian

First thing you can do is have a look at " MIG welding forum UK" , lots of good info on learning to weld and the sort of gear to get for what you need to do. When I left school nearly fifty years ago I got my dad to buy me a welder [ stick type as that was what was available at the time] A great skill to have and will save you a small fortune over a lifetime if you are into making/repairing things.
In most areas there are places that do welding courses. One thing I would say though is do not be tempted to buy a cheap gasless mig or those that run on very small bottles. Cheers.

I guess it depends how much needs welding.
I would say buy 1 and learn, they can be used for loads of repairs not just your car. But if you only have a very small amount to weld and think you will then just stick it in the corner gathering dust never to be used again then maybe not worth the investment.
I don’t use mine much, but when I do need it, it’s so handy to have to hand for those silly little jobs.

Which reminds me got to go and rig the plasma cutter and cut the top out of a barrel today

J

You don't have to be good with a welder.... Just the grinder.

I can't weld very well even though I own decent equipment. Ive done a night school course at the local college but it didn't improve me much, I'm brilliant at the theory. Welding two bits of metal together on a bench is easy but car work is much more involved. You need some fabrication skills as well so that you can cut metal sheet and form it to make the necessary repair. A small rust hole usually turns out to bloody great big hole by the time you have prepped it properly. I don't want to put you off but think about it carefully. I have every respect for people who can weld really well and I'm often surprised they don't charge more. To be able to do it well, it's more of a gift than a skill.

Col

Welding is not like riding a bike it can take a bit of practise to get back into it if you have not done any for a while. Certified aircraft welders have to do a refresher if they have not welded for more than two weeks.
With a MIG clean well fitting parts help a lot.

Get some scrap of the same thickness as you intend to weld and practice, aim to practice quite a lot. This will help you get the mig settings right too and you can learn al the tings to look out for when its going wrong and what to do. At first it goes wrong and its hard to work out why, Also take time on prepping, one sulution is to do the prep - clean and chamfer and make the section then pay someone to do the welds. I now weld the bulhead and ods and ends but I need more practice before I takle an outrigger. I have a whole Sankey floor to do so I'm hoping to make my mistakes on that.

Learning to weld on a structural chassis is probably not a great idea.

Learn to weld first on garden gates and then have a bash on something that matters.

Unless it’s the wife’s car obviously.

I am 72 now and started on the welding fun last year. I have a clarke 90. about £220 and thats all I need for the steel bodywork. The chassis is a new galved one.
If you are going to weld the chassis then think about a slightly bigger one,
Gas? I opted for a gas only welder. Your choice.
I used hobbyweld gas. they have suppliers around England, Initially dear but a lot cheaper than little bottles if you are going to do a lot of practice.
Dont forget the ppe etc
It all adds up, so it depends on your pocket.

I got an inverter MIG off e-bay and its been a revalation now I've learned to trust it and let it do the ajustments not keep fiddling with it. Planned to do gas but got a reel of gasless as my first job was repairing a mower. Gasless came out better than gas with my old MIG so I'm staying with gasless for the Sankey floor as I have to work outside and the breeze blows the gas away unless I have it turned up a lot. Get a top notch auto helmet, worth the extra, i had a cheap auto, not the same.

rob1miles said:

I got an inverter MIG off e-bay and its been a revalation now I've learned to trust it and let it do the ajustments not keep fiddling with it. Planned to do gas but got a reel of gasless as my first job was repairing a mower. Gasless came out better than gas with my old MIG so I'm staying with gasless for the Sankey floor as I have to work outside and the breeze blows the gas away unless I have it turned up a lot. Get a top notch auto helmet, worth the extra, i had a cheap auto, not the same.

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I'll second all of that. I bought one of these:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MIG-Weld...e=STRK:MEBIDX:IT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

Much better than the Clarke welders I had before, and quite a bit lighter and smaller too! I use gasless too, it's messier but ultimately it's one less variable to worry about!

I kind of taught myself, I knew the basics of welding from college (I did Electrical and Electronic engineering, but we did some mechanical engineering too - eek that was 30 years ago somehow!!), you soon get a feel for what is right and wrong.

The welders have paid for themselves many times over. And, again, an auto helmet is definitely worth getting.

How much work is it and are you going to use the mig machine more often?
Bought mine a few years ago for 100quid added a gas’s bottle for 40quid and started on a pile of trash as it was way back when I was 18 when I learned. Using the machine now for doors and modern furniture as wel so I am using it. Don’t buy it for a two days job. And yes welding is a profession!

Cheers on choosing