Car floor repair 'bodge'

[SiPMerlin150]

Hello, everyone! This is more of a deterrent to people trying to weld up a car with an arc welder, as it makes more of a mess than it can be worth...not only that, it just blows through thin metal like wet tissure paper....

My Fiesta is up for MOT soon so i had a look around for rust in the usual places,
surely enough i found some, the rear passenger foot floor pan area, had a bubbly area where the metal had rusted away and needed to be welded up..

Arc welding thin metal can be a pain in the butt and can take twice as long..

This is the second time i've done this, its not pretty!

 

[Wozzaaah]

If that doesn't put people off attempting to arc weld thin bodywork I don't know what will!
You know already but those welds are truly awful, tbh they're some of the worst I've seen on here.
Arc welding is simply not suitable for stuff like that, it looks like you've tried the 'thin metal technique' which just hasn't worked at all, all you've got is blobs of weld sat on the surface mixed with slag, there's no penetration, no fusion, tbh, there's no weld!

This is aimed at everyone, if you're going to do car repairs, get yourself a mig!

 

[SiPMerlin150]

If that doesn't put people off attempting to arc weld thin bodywork I don't know what will!
You know already but those welds are truly awful, tbh they're some of the worst I've seen on here.
Arc welding is simply not suitable for stuff like that, it looks like you've tried the 'thin metal technique' which just hasn't worked at all, all you've got is blobs of weld sat on the surface mixed with slag, there's no penetration, no fusion, tbh, there's no weld!

This is aimed at everyone, if you're going to do car repairs, get yourself a mig!

Yep! haha I'm just glad that my thicker metal welding isn't anything like this, But you guys know thats a completely different story

Its a bodge, but from underneath, it looks a lot neater and should look more pleasing to the MOT tester.

 

[Wozzaaah]

To me it looks like it has more holes now than it did before you started!
It should pass an MOT ok though.

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Had a look at the otherside, and it looks like a ring of chocolate chips where the welds above are situated, so it looks like there was some penentration, i left the slag on there as i couldn't see the point in cleaning it up as it now its layered with a few coats of grey primer and now has the soundproofing underlay, and the carpet back over it, on the underside, i have ground off any rough raggy edges, ground down the welds and given it a nice coat of black sticky underseal

I need to remind myself that i'm rubbish at thin metal arc welding!

 

[SiPMerlin150]

To me it looks like it has more holes now than it did before you started!
It should pass an MOT ok though.

I over lapped the hole with the new piece of steel by around 1 inch so thats maybe why it now looks bigger

 

[BrokenBiker]

I over lapped the hole with the new piece of steel by around 1 inch so thats maybe why it now looks bigger

i did the same for a mates saxo, but with a gasless mig, overlapped it all round but about 15mm, made a mess of the welds, but it wouldnt come off, painted underneath with hammered black hammerite and it flew the mot

aslong as it looks pretty and theres no flaky rust they shouldnt take much interest in it

 

[SiPMerlin150]

yeah, i was thinking that, but i work at the garage that it gets tested at, and they know about me and my welding enthusiasm, and i'm clued up on what the MOT looks for, or what is acceptable or not. We'll see!

 

[steviec_lj]

True testament to how it shouldn't be done.

Guy 4 doors down from me is ARC welding an MG back together, been welding for around 30 years though, and it looks a hell of a lot better than that.

 

[squazy84]

fair attempt for the average joe considering its arc,ive seen worse done by garages,you know what lads are like on the internet

 

[PTvor]

Years ago, the steel in cars was thicker and arc was a more realistic prospect, even then gas was the much better option if you'd got the skill and the gear.

About 25 years ago, one of my neighbours was a professional welder. He was damned good with TIG, arc and gas. He had gas and arc at home and had a fair sideline welding cars. He reckoned that welding cars with arc was a waste of time.

 

[the snooper]

He reckoned that welding cars with arc was a waste of time.

he is right i started off welding cars with an arc welder when i was 16 i had got hold of a Mk 1 capri did loads of welding on it and went on to weld loads of cars with arc, it can be done but it is slow and as said a waste of time from the point of view that mig is much more stable and a lot quicker once i had aquired a mig i never touched a car with an arc welder again

 

[SiPMerlin150]

Years ago, the steel in cars was thicker and arc was a more realistic prospect, even then gas was the much better option if you'd got the skill and the gear.

About 25 years ago, one of my neighbours was a professional welder. He was damned good with TIG, arc and gas. He had gas and arc at home and had a fair sideline welding cars. He reckoned that welding cars with arc was a waste of time.

I wish i had this arc welder two years ago...i could of welded up the holes in the front passenger footwells in my old volvo 740...Now that had thick metal!

 

[the snooper]

bite the bullet and get a mig, you will wonder why you ever attempted it with arc

 

[SiPMerlin150]

bite the bullet and get a mig, you will wonder why you ever attempted it with arc

It was an odd job, I have a nack for arc.. i think , and soon an arc welding course is on the cards, so once that is done i will do a mig course, and then decide which one to take further into career choice..sounds like a plan, eh?

 

[the snooper]

that all depends on what you plan on welding if its cars or thin stuff dont waste your time go straight fo mig

 

[SiPMerlin150]

that all depends on what you plan on welding if its cars or thin stuff dont waste your time go straight fo mig

It will be for structural /agricultural machinery repairs etc in the land down under

 

[BrokenBiker]

i like arc welding. i feel i can see more of what the puddle is doing than with my gasless mig.

it is harder, and more aggressive than mig, but for thicker stuff i love it

 

[SiPMerlin150]

i like arc welding. i feel i can see more of what the puddle is doing than with my gasless mig.

it is harder, and more aggressive than mig, but for thicker stuff i love it

I was under the impression that gasless mig welding was very similar to stick welding, being able to see the puddle just before the slag bubbles up

 

[jonnyBMX]

think ur not allowed holes within 30cms of a strucural component.... not sure?