Hello and is this the right welder for me?

[oldvw]

Hello everyone
First post here having just found the website and what a great website it is - I've learnt alot just browsing. To be honest I am new to welding - and I havent got a clue about it, I do abit of hobby mechanicing and now I want to take on a project to keep me out of mischief. I want to have a go at restoring an old VW beetle and it will need panel repair (1mm sheet steel work) as well as sills and floor pan replacement etc - nothing too heavy on there.

I would appreciate some advice on choosing a welder to suit my needs, and was think about one of the following http://www.welddirect.co.uk/welding_info.php/products_id/130

The only reason I am thinking about this make is that there is local shop selling this model. Would this be a welder which would do my job? or should I go for something better? Also would this welder run of the mains house supply? and what determines whether any welder will run off the house supply as I want to avoid any extra expense if I can as this is just a part time hobby for me.

All the best
Andy

 

[Hitch]

Hi Andy, yes that would be a great first welder to buy especially if you envisage using it a fair bit. I assume you will be working indoors?
Team it up with a proper gas bottle aswell and you will have a decent setup.


Yes it will run from a domestic 13amp supply.

Not sure how much your local is selling them for, but heres a link, they do them for £199+vat and carriage, so change from £250!
http://www.migtigarc.co.uk/MIG_Welder/mig_welder.html

 

[oldvw]

Thanks for the link and information , I think I need to just crack on with it and get welding. On a sfaety point of view and again coming from a complete novice is it possible to electrocute yourself with the welder by touching the metal you are welding?

Andy

 

[Hitch]

Simple answer, no.

 

[vwjaz]

Hi Andy, another vw fan here

Just a novice at welding myself but the beetle is kind of a good place to start as it has the bolt on parts which helps but on the down side like any older vehicle they do tend to rust badly heater channels etc, its finding the good metal thats the art

Have a '72 beetle in the garage thats had fair amount already cut out, was doing back crossmember before the other cursed vw's needed looking at


If I was getting a welder now, i'd go for 150 amp, dunno what your budget is and this isn't probably best advice but I saw this and thought isnt wasnt a bad deal...I probably will be corrected as I'm no expert here

http://www.machinemart.co.uk/product.asp?p=010114060

They have VAT free days, cant remember how to qualify but you dont have to be in the trade

Anyway good to see you here and look forward to updates on your beetle good luck

 

[vwjaz]

dunno what your budget is

Ignore my link yours just worked I think probably going for best that you can afford, just becareful spending loads incase it doesnt work out...jeez am I ever the optimist eh?

 

[oldvw]

Hey VWjaz always good to hear from another VW fan. Yes I think I will go for that Sealey 150 as it seems to meet all the specs I need and Hitachimad has found me a wicked price on it.

I have another old VW I am sure will interest you as a VW fan - its a 1943 Type 82 Kubelwagen - German army WWII jeep - in need of alot of tender loving care, but I have all the time in the world to put her right - I just need to learn how to weld first!!

Andy

 

[vwjaz]

Hey VWjaz always good to hear from another VW fan. Yes I think I will go for that Sealey 150 as it seems to meet all the specs I need and Hitachimad has found me a wicked price on it.

I have another old VW I am sure will interest you as a VW fan - its a 1943 Type 82 Kubelwagen - German army WWII jeep - in need of alot of tender loving care, but I have all the time in the world to put her right - I just need to learn how to weld first!!

Andy

Yeah saw hitachimad's link after posting mine, top offer...my net was just playing up before I posted my reply...I should have waited

Kubelwagen class! Any pics? they are rare

have few vw's none as old as '43!
'72 westy on the road but need work asap
'72 beetle thats the one in the garage
'71 beetle on the road but doubt get another years MOT on it, thinking about getting good floor pan to maybe transfer it onto as just love it to bits and be real shame to see it go...alot folks like it and so do we
partners '81 t25 but he wants to sell it after we get mine back on track, he'd like an early bay or split...dream on

oh and have a very rusty '67 Karmann ghia that's a real long term project that we perhaps shouldnt have got, all this and we only have a shared drive somethings got to go...probably our state of mind

Good luck with the welding, keep us updated be brill

 

[oldvw]

Alright mate seems you have alot of old motors about you for sure! You sound as if you have got it real bad - that old VW bug!

Attached is a pic of the Type 82 Kubelwagen as I found her sitting in a barn last summer in Kitzbuhel, Austria. I had a chat with the guy who owned it and came home thinking I could forget all about her (how silly I was to be thinking like that eh) - only to return about 6 weeks later on a rescue mission and since then I have been collecting the bits and pieces I need to restore her to her former glory. Shes very original right down to the original engine and off the top of my head she needs inner and outer sills, driver side floor pan, replacement of front nose, front quarter panels repaired etc. After the war the Americans used it and crimped smooth sheet metal panels over the doors etc and this probably went along way to saving the originals underneath with the pressed panels. Shes a robust wee machine though and pretty simplistic in the way it is put together - not a curved panel in sight! This is the driving force behind me wanting to learn how to be a damn good welder - so that I can do all the work myself. Also if I go along to a body repair shop they will charge be a bloody fortune to have the work done - I know that as I have asked around.

Andy

 

[oldvw]

I showed a pic of the rear guard on another thread, I'm pretty sure its not right, maybe a modified original but will have to do a little more investigating before I know for sure.

 

[vdubdub]

hiya peeps, im new to and never welded at all, but as the name suggests im a vw fan and have a 74 devon bay t2 rusting away in my parents garden.

I wanna start to get the welding done but how do i work out what amp wire ect ect that i need to use?

 

[vwjaz]

Alright mate seems you have alot of old motors about you for sure! You sound as if you have got it real bad - that old VW bug!

Attached is a pic of the Type 82 Kubelwagen as I found her sitting in a barn last summer in Kitzbuhel, Austria. I had a chat with the guy who owned it and came home thinking I could forget all about her (how silly I was to be thinking like that eh) - only to return about 6 weeks later on a rescue mission and since then I have been collecting the bits and pieces I need to restore her to her former glory. Shes very original right down to the original engine and off the top of my head she needs inner and outer sills, driver side floor pan, replacement of front nose, front quarter panels repaired etc. After the war the Americans used it and crimped smooth sheet metal panels over the doors etc and this probably went along way to saving the originals underneath with the pressed panels. Shes a robust wee machine though and pretty simplistic in the way it is put together - not a curved panel in sight! This is the driving force behind me wanting to learn how to be a damn good welder - so that I can do all the work myself. Also if I go along to a body repair shop they will charge be a bloody fortune to have the work done - I know that as I have asked around.

Andy

Fantastic story, look class btw I love it! yep bitten by the bug more years than I care to remember

My partner had already seen this has it on his watched items...well he's in for a shock when he realises Santa doesnt exist!
hope it's okay putting this link on?...its no connection with me at all


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=4621876760&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT

and reserve not met wow

Hiya Vdubdub, there seems to be a common theme with vw's we all need to learn to weld

I'm fairly new here, theres plenty of ones who do give expert advice, I'm sure theres a chart I've seen somewhere to..if your using replica replacement places their fairly thin metal...again burning through seems to be one of the most problems...I'm still trying to get my head around it, again theres a tutorial page on here which gives tips and advice

Good luck is your bus needing welding for MOT?

Jaz

 

[vdubdub]

hiya,
well ive had nout but engine trouble over the last 3 years with 2 rebuilds and many replacements so i kind of got the hump with it and its been sat for about a year now rotting. Its not in terrible nick really but it really needs some good tlc. Im looking at getting a mexico engine from heritage so i got a new base to start from when things go wrong.

 

[vwjaz]

hiya,
well ive had nout but engine trouble over the last 3 years with 2 rebuilds and many replacements so i kind of got the hump with it and its been sat for about a year now rotting. Its not in terrible nick really but it really needs some good tlc. Im looking at getting a mexico engine from heritage so i got a new base to start from when things go wrong.

I bet you have got fed up, no fun when they don't play ball..good luck with the new engine, you probably already know this but these new engines need to be broken in gently, from what I've read & heard problems can come if some think see how much they can get out of it & they floor it, I seem to remember someone said it's advisable to keep it at 50/55 for 1st 3k or so...just wouldn't want anything to go wrong on this score again for you & this is only from others experience
I've got to sort out engine on my bay, we picked up engine stand to try and work on it out of the bus to get everything right before going back in, but at this point we haven't had the time to sort it

Any pics of your bus?...let us know how you get on

 

[vdubdub]

no pics at mo but will try and sort somin out. Fed up, i should say but i just cant give up.....yet.......

 

[malcolm]

If only everything in life was as reliable as a Volkswagen. Here's a pic of the engine from my old Beetle.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Have you been putting nitroglycerine in it again?

 

[malcolm]

They said Nitro would make it go faster. :eek:

 

[vwjaz]

no pics at mo but will try and sort somin out. Fed up, i should say but i just cant give up.....yet.......

Voice of doom and gloom here, but yes there are definately times when they test the perseverance ...but they are worth it in the end

I'll try and get some pics of mine posted, been busy welding again...with so/so success as my bay had failed MOT also my bus's engine on last legs so changing it over for one we had in a beetle,(fingers crossed it is a 1600) having to adapt the mountings and pretty pooped at the mo, has to be done today so best not stay on too long, gave the shell of the beetle away, was rat look and we liked it but we have too much on at the mo, so hoping this other person can make use of it, it still had MOT and TAX

Malcolm your quote is my signature on another forum as I think they had a nerve using that statement in there ads Nice work on that beetle engine btw

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