[1966Bonneville]

What kind should I get for doing panel/floors work on my sons trans? I have NEVER done this before so I need your words of wisdom.

[64catdroptop]

You'll definately want to get a MIG welder, Lincoln, Miller, Hobart, but a good brand name instead of an off brand. The reason for this is because of finding parts when you need them, and they actually get better penetration with a good welder.

Are you taking about a transmission or a Trans Am? You will need to have special welding done on a transmission case if it's cracked.

Where in SW Ohio are you?

-r-

[1966Bonneville]

I meant Trans Am, ha ha ha. I am right down the road from you in Blue Ash.

[mike nixon]

buy the best welder you can afford. i prefer a 220volt unit as they weld better than the 110's imo.

as ron said, buy a brand name miller and hobart are good ones.

[gtoroadracer]

A mig welder with some good amperage would work just fine, I have a lincoln 170 amp mig welder and look what I did with it. It is worth its weight in gold, also an auto darken helmet works great, it allows you to become a better welder quicker. Also practice does help in this case, practice a lot before starting your project, the pros make it looks easy on TV but wait until you start doing it. Sheet metal is the hardest thing to weld, if you do not have your wire speed or amperage correct you will blow a hole through the metal the size of a quarter. So practice makes perfect or you might want to attend a vocational school class.

[Greg Reid]

You'll seldom hear it recommended around here but I got a Clarke and it's been great. Made in Italy and looking at it, I think it may interchange some parts with Miller.
220volt came with cart, auto darkening helmet, wire, gas conversion gauges...basically everything except the tank full of gas itself.
About two to three hundred below Miller I believe but of good quality construction.

[61-63]

220 is nice as you can weld thicker stuff but if all you are going to weld is cars all you need is 110. And 110 is better in that you do not have to worry about rewiring your shop or moving the car to where you can reach it from the existing 220 plug. If you turn the heat up on a 110 you can weld anything on a car including the frame.

Someone said it but get an autodarkening helmet it makes it so much easier.

And someone alluded to it but get the gauges and the gas it makes a much nicer weld. But go ahead and get some fluxcore wire because you can't weld outside in the wind with gas.

I have had a Sears mig for 15 years now and it has always done the job for me. I don't remember who made it now but I remember looking at it and Miller and Lincoln when I bought it and it looked just like one of those except for the bright red Sears color and brand name on it. I also have a little Sears 220 cracker box stick welder that has worked for me for at least 25 years now. Same thing; when I bought it except for the color it looked just like a Miller or Lincoln that was priced twice as much. My brother in law has a really big Lincoln welder and it doesn't burn rods any better than the Sears.

[PaulatFast]

My restoration shop uses a Lincoln 140, and has done so for 5 years. Working on cars, we never weld anything thicker than 1/8". The 140 welds this with ease. Our welder is used everyday, it works very well. I bought it at Lowes for around 400.00. If you plan to weld 1/4" or larger metal, go for a 220 and spend the money. If you plan on using it for car repair and small jobs, I would save the extra money. I bought a very nice, very large and very expensive welder, it sat in the corner and never got used. We sold it.

[3 Chiefs]

Originally Posted by 1966Bonneville

I meant Trans Am, ha ha ha. I am right down the road from you in Blue Ash.

And Im down the road from you in Erlanger. I use a Miller and love it. Miller, Hobart and Lincoln are all good welders. I prefer 220 because you never know when you will need to weld heavy steel. Everyones opinion is correct here even though we might disagree with each other but I think most will agree with using gas and not flux core wire for sheetmetal. Gas is much cleaner. A welder is one of those tools that I believe you should go all out on. In most cases for a home hobbiest, we buy one welder to last a lifetime. Make it a good one that will last. One that you know you can get parts and service for if ever need be. Good luck.
Paul

[TAftw]

weldingweb.com

I have learned a lot about welding from there. The guys are very helpful and patient. I logged knowing absolutely nothing, and they helped me understand welding terminology and basic information a lot.

[78 GHOST]

I have a Miller 135, which has met all of my needs. I do run shielding gas and wouldn't think of welding without it.

Here's my take: In retrospect, I wish I had bought a 220V machine, or a TIG. Here's why.. with the 135 (110V) unit, I was told I could later buy a spool gun and be able to perform different processes (stainless, alum.) which is technically accurate, but the experts don't suggest this after all. Apparently, the aluminum radiates heat much faster than steel and requires more heat (read amperage) to weld satisfactorily. In consideration of this fact, the experts claim the 110V units just don't have the balls to get the job done. Therefore, a 220V unit should have been my choice if I truly wished to keep flexibility in my materials. Oh well!

Fast forward to today, I can use a machine which will perform fine work on ferrous and non-ferrous metals. I wish I could do aluminum, and having a stick welder would be fantastic for the occasional large job. The only machine which supports all of this is a TIG. The problem is that my Miller 135 cost around $850-900 a few years ago, including the large C25 tank. The smallest TIG unit which would work for me would be over twice that amount. In my shop, cost is always an issue.

However, should you want the machine with the largest flexibility I would seek a lightly used TIG setup. Check www.Racingjunk.com as their classifieds are amazing.

I also agree that the auto-darkening helmet I bought takes credit for about 90% of my skill. Comfort and visibility are key in welding.

The benefit of MIG is that it's easy and fast. I was welding pretty well the same afternoon I bought my MIG. I've done all the work required on my car, and then some. I've never had one single problem with my MIG, absolutely bulletproof.

For welding sheet, you want to buy some scrap, or a junker fender to practice on before you get to it on your son's car. Heat control is a big issue with sheet, you want to stitch weld the perimeter of the workpiece, jumping around to keep it cool. Don't be afraid to run the amperage up a little and keep your duration of trigger pull to a bare minimum. I prefer to weld sheet using a fairly high amp setting, a decent wire speed (not slow) and very quick trigger pulls. If you hold the trigger longer than 1-2 seconds you're probably holding it too long. If you do it right, it will sound like sizzling bacon. Wrong and it will sound like you have spattering bacon.

I've also heard guys rave about the Clarke machines, although I don't have firsthand knowledge.

[78 GHOST]

You know, another option is to see if anyone in your local Pontiac club will help out/ loan you their welder. Offer some cash as an incentive. Or even see if someone will help you in welding what you need. Reaching out might save you several hundred dollars.

[Murf'sDad]

I picked up a Clarke 130 off eBAy and am very happy with it.

Stewart

[69Customs]

I use a Century 135. Picked it because it was inexpensive $350.00 and had variable voltage and wire speed settings so you could fine tune what your welding on. Even welded alum. with it, but you need to reverse polarity, a teflon liner and different gas. Works great but wouldn't recommend for anything thicker than 1/8 steel.