moose Posted February 24, 2012 Share Posted February 24, 2012 What would I need to spend and on what model / type if I upgraded the welder? Adam, you don't say which model of welder you have apart from its a clarke,s one. With most of the clarkes welders the no gas welders all ready have all the bits needed to take gas.. if you did want to upgrade then some then i would recommend some thing like this http://www.machinema...urbo-mig-welder It will handle every job your going to come across on a land rover. Parts/consumables are cheap and easy to get hold of too. (just) From looking at your images you really dont have that much rust and I think that a disco is perfect to learn to weld on. Get the basics worked out on some scrap first, if you don't have some near by that can weld and show you, then use you tube, and post up images of your tests on here, people will give you pointers. An auto welding hat is a must, and use 0.8 wire. I disagree with the others about you must use argrosheild if you have a machine mart close enough, just use the disposable co2 bottles, the machinemart co2 bottles have more gas in them and will last a sensible amount of time. Worth a look if you are not going to do huge amounts of welding the bottle rent outlay (for the likes of BOC etal) is quite a lot. I have to say that the disposable argoshield bottles are not worth it and don't last very long at all. Machines that use disposables can easily be made to take the bigger bottles. An advantage of having a machine that can take disposables is that you can have small vols of other gasses to hand for other metals. I keep small bottle or argon (and wire) for rare times I weld stainless... Now wait for a nice sunny weekend and get cracking. paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamplatts Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Thanks everyone. Time to get cracking. Will be back soon with an update on how it went Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsu0san Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 get a grinder, your going to need it for pretty much every job you'll ever have to do, possibly with the exception of pumping up the tyres.... Brilliant! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tetsu0san Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 Seriously though, practice welding on it and if that doesn't work, break it, sell the good bits and scrap the shell. Either way you can't really loose. You should make more than your money back on the sold bits and the shell will still be worth a bit at the scrap yard. Newbury is coming up soon so you could have a stall there. People will buy anything there if it's cheap enough. I know I do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Henson Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 You might also consider getting an electric file for getting into those pokey little places that a grinder won't fit into. I have one and use it a lot more that I expected to. Les. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disco_al Posted February 25, 2012 Share Posted February 25, 2012 and some abrasive flap discs for the grinder - less aggressive than a grinding disc, and excellent for removing rust to see how far it goes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamplatts Posted February 25, 2012 Author Share Posted February 25, 2012 and some abrasive flap discs for the grinder - less aggressive than a grinding disc, and excellent for removing rust to see how far it goes Grinder bought today. Will add flap discs to my list and go do some more shopping. The welder now has a plug on it so tomorrow could be d day for my first attempt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FridgeFreezer Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Be aware that B&Q is not the place to buy grinding consumables, they want insane money for discs & wheels. Check eBay, avoid Rolson stuff except the wire brushes. Oh and for the love of god wear goggles when using a wire brush in a grinder, they shed bristles which WILL fly off and stick in your flesh. Flap wheels are good for giving a lovely smooth finish when needed, but not a substitute for a nice weld in the first place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Oh and for the love of god wear goggles when using a wire brush in a grinder, they shed bristles which WILL fly off and stick in your flesh. Having had one dug out of my right eye I'll second that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Mills Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I have just done the rear body mountings and the boot floor, be prepared to add extra bits of steel to make the new bits fit over the big holes. The mig welder is the same as the one I use and I think its great. Every hour you put in on repairing it saves you between £60 and £120 in garage fees. Get in there and work on it. If new holes appear, weld over them, steel is cheaper than garage labour. Second user steel is even cheaper, washing machine sides and computer case bits and cable trunking is great stuff, just wear a mask if its zinc plated, that spits and stinks. Body mountings about £16 each and boot floor £50, lots of bits for Land Rovers out there, I get mine form Paddock in Matlock. Stick goop over the joins and under seal afterwards. It will last another twenty years then. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stuck Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Zinc plating or galv does more than spit & stink, it's highly toxic and should be removed before welding. No I'm not a H&S nut but somebody that's new to welding needs to know that. Edit: sorry just realized you said a mask should be worn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.