Should I Weld It Myself Or Pay A Pro?
#21
Senior Member
RACING JUNKIE
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: san antonio, texas
Posts: 1,233
maybe this will help with your decision to let a pro handle it :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwWIU...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwWIU...eature=related
#22
Originally Posted by signsbyesa
maybe this will help with your decision to let a pro handle it :lol:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwWIU...eature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwWIU...eature=related
__________________
Bjuice..
"I'M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY ! "
Bjuice..
"I'M YOUR HUCKLEBERRY ! "
#23
Senior Member
EXPERT BUILDER
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 272
a lot of guys try to save themselves a few bucks and try to weld things themselves that they should not. Welding looks easy to them, and figure anyone can do it, so they buy or borrow buddies 110 mig and attempt to mig a .134 wall cage in their car. A little silicon and paint around the weld, cover with roll bar padding and no one is the wiser.
I have seen many a scarey welding job both on street cars and race cars.
One guy up here, redid a rollbar to a cage in a 68 camaro, I swear you could knock it apart with a 5 lb sledge hammer.....
The problem most guys have, is that they really dont know what they are looking at when welding, what the puddle and bead should look like as you move, it is all about controlling the puddle, become one with the puddle, as a teacher told me once....
most guys tend to be afraid of blowing through the puddle, so they lower the heat and/or travel too fast, or just plain use a welder with not enough capacity, or the wrong wire, wrong gas pressure or gas... the list goes on.
2 summers ago a guy brings in a 12 bolt housing from his malibu, were the passenger side ladder bar brackets on the housing popped right off while he drove it on the street...., didnt break the bracket, just the weld popped off the housing.... it would have been like the camaro in the video in the other post but the driver side stayed on.
I told him to redo the drivers side also, when we rewelded on the brackets, since they were most likely ready to break too..
if someone wants to build or backhalf their own car, thats fine... all the power to them, but please take a welding coarse, and get it right, your life is on the line here, and also the guy in the next lane, and also the spectators on the sides... and also....
and learn to fit pipes also, ive seen gaps that your dog could move into and use as a den..... and this is from so called chassis shops...... man i could go on here of what ive seen over the years that guys actually pay money to someone to f*** up their cars.....
enough of my ratting... what do I know anyway.....
I have seen many a scarey welding job both on street cars and race cars.
One guy up here, redid a rollbar to a cage in a 68 camaro, I swear you could knock it apart with a 5 lb sledge hammer.....
The problem most guys have, is that they really dont know what they are looking at when welding, what the puddle and bead should look like as you move, it is all about controlling the puddle, become one with the puddle, as a teacher told me once....
most guys tend to be afraid of blowing through the puddle, so they lower the heat and/or travel too fast, or just plain use a welder with not enough capacity, or the wrong wire, wrong gas pressure or gas... the list goes on.
2 summers ago a guy brings in a 12 bolt housing from his malibu, were the passenger side ladder bar brackets on the housing popped right off while he drove it on the street...., didnt break the bracket, just the weld popped off the housing.... it would have been like the camaro in the video in the other post but the driver side stayed on.
I told him to redo the drivers side also, when we rewelded on the brackets, since they were most likely ready to break too..
if someone wants to build or backhalf their own car, thats fine... all the power to them, but please take a welding coarse, and get it right, your life is on the line here, and also the guy in the next lane, and also the spectators on the sides... and also....
and learn to fit pipes also, ive seen gaps that your dog could move into and use as a den..... and this is from so called chassis shops...... man i could go on here of what ive seen over the years that guys actually pay money to someone to f*** up their cars.....
enough of my ratting... what do I know anyway.....
#27
Senior Member
EXPERT BUILDER
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Tell City, IN
Posts: 356
#29
Senior Member
DYNO OPERATOR
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: VA Hospital, Dallas, Tx (214 302 1924) cell-972-464-7400
Posts: 540
If there quality is any good, those prices are incredibly reasonable.
Ed
#30
Junior Member
SHOW GUEST
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 1
If you are not a very very good welder dont attempt to weld it yourself. Unless you are a good fabricator don't attempt to fabricate. The problem with tacking everything up yourself is that no two welders are the same. It may be clean enough for one or the gaps may be two large for the other. One important thing about mig welding, IT HAS POOR PENETRATING ABILITY. you really need to have a small gap between the two pieces you are welding together. With a real tight joint, unless your heat is really up there you won't have the penetration required for a good sound weld. Most mig welders don't weld anything much thicker than 1/8" thick. Been welding longer than I cared to. Leave it to the pros.