budding 2cv welder

[BigLebowski]

hi All

I am new to the forum. I've just got hold of an '87 2cv dolly which needs welding. The last time I migged was about 20 years ago! I'm borrowing a SuperMIG 270 off a mate.

Apart from the gas, a pair of gloves, cutting "scissors" the odd file, a vice and grinder, could anyone reccommend any other useful tools I'll need to clean up and shape the new metal plates? Are the 7 pc dolly sets any good?
There is also a lot of sticky goo on rusted areas that I'll need to get off with some sort of solvent or scraper.

The heavy duty "scissors" I last used to cut the sheet were a bit naff and I'm wondering if any better solutions have arrived over the years?

Cheers
Nick

 

[malcolm]

Sealey Supermig 270 on a 2CV? I'd have thought 40 amps minimum current will be too high. Did you see the Top Gear episode when they drove a 2CV behind a jumbo jet while the jet was at full power? I'm picturing that. Though you might get away with a bodge technique and a brass heatsink.

For tools - my favourites are an auto darkening helmet, and the various flap discs, strip and clean discs, and ultra thin sutting discs you can get for angle grinders these days. Much nicer than the grinding disc. I'll cut thin metal with tin snips.

7 pc dolly sets vary. Friend has a free set that came with sharp edges. Myself I only have one dolly but it's a nice one.

Also welcome to the forum. I'm a big fan of thin tin French cars. In the middle of restoring a Renault 4 myself.

 

[Drains]

Also welcome to the forum. I'm a big fan of thin tin French cars. In the middle of restoring a Renault 4 myself.

You say that like it's an unusual occurrence for you Malcolm

Oh, and welcome, Big L.

 

[BigLebowski]

40a

oops, i hadn't thought of that....what current would you reccommend? I've had a quick scan and 30A seems a typical lower end current. The bodge technique looks superb, thanks.

The auto-darkening helmets...i've just seen some links...look very interesting.

Nice one with the Renault 4

Nick

 

[dstealth]

30 amps absolute maximum for a 2cv. I think even at 30A you will have to use the 'thin metal technique' because old citroen's are about the thickness of a tin of beans. Trust me, I have a DS.

Chris.

 

[fingers99]

I think the French taught Lancia how to make cars rust, but Lancia (and later, the Japanese) were not paying attention.

The dolly kits are OK, depending on where you get them from, but probably better to get one decent SP universal dolly and cross pein hammer. Lots of stuff on panel beating in a very recent thread.

 

[malcolm]

You say that like it's an unusual occurrence for you Malcolm

And it's reaching an exciting stage too (though not as exciting as actually being finished) - you can keep fully up to date with progress on the Renault restoration page.

oops, i hadn't thought of that....what current would you reccommend? I've had a quick scan and 30A seems a typical lower end current.

Low end current of 30 amps or less and the ability to use 0.6mm wire and an argon/CO2 mix like argoshsield would be the first things to look at.

Though there's a price thing in there too - more expensive welders tend to be easier and more flexible in use than cheap and cheerful ones. Haven't tried a Supermig, but I'd not be surprised if it would be easier to use on thin stuff than a little SIP (assuming you could get an 0.6mm wire feed roller for the Sealey).

Might actually be worth a shot despite what I initially suggested. If if blows holes all over the place a little Clarke 90 would probably be cheap, and you can get the attachments to plug it in to the big gas bottle from the Sealey.

 

[BigLebowski]

http://www.sipuk.co.uk/acatalog/info_SIP25030.html looks good, and is cheaper on ebay. 25A minimum with 0.6mm wire. I can't find anything that will do less than 25A.
According to sip (01509 500300) they can take argon/co2 mix.

 

[Luke]

but its a sip!

 

[BigLebowski]

sips

Are sips a bit poo then? The advantage of the sips appears to be 25A. The Sealeys seem to go to 30A only.

 

[fingers99]

Are sips a bit poo then? The advantage of the sips appears to be 25A. The Sealeys seem to go to 30A only.

Talk to Weldequip!

 

[zardoz]

some people seem to get a decent weld from them. Tellingly these often seem to be older machines. Others find them awful, and after moving on to a better machine such as a Portamig, Miller, Migatronic, hobart etc, they see how limited they were.
However if a SIP was all i had im sure i could get a few half decent welds from it. Like anything its all down to practice, practice, practice. If you are going to buy from new, and you want a budget DIY machine, you might as well get a Clarke 160 or something similar. These are machines that will on the whole give a better weld. At least thats what all who own them and know about them seem to say. Weldequip can do you a good price delivered to your door.

 

[Gas mark 5]

Hello, I'm doing up a 2cv van at the moment, the metal is thin!

My welder is a 35 amp minimum (Axminsters finest) which has done everything so far, but you do have to use the stitching technique for anything less than 1mm. I've always run it on pub gas (C02) and 0.8mm wire, today I picked up a spool of 0.6 and some new tips, which made quite a difference. I think any decent welder at 30 amps should be fine, especially with 0.6mm wire, and maybe argon/c02 mix. Some bits are tricky, and can be messy to fix if you blow through once, but if you have a go on an offcut before welding something on the car it should be all right.

So yes, you can probably just about manage with most welders, but having a reasonably decent one makes life a lot easier.

Let us know how you get on!



Edit: Oh, July in 2008
Did you ever find a welder? How's the car coming on?