Stainless steel bolts to mild steel sheet metal

[ecsims]

I read a few older posts about welding stainless steel to mild steel, but I just wanted to check again thats its okay.

My plan right now is to first cut the heads off of bolts (small bolts, #10 in the US, maybe 1/8" diameter..) so I just have the threaded section. Drill a pilot hole in the sheet metal. Screw the threaded bolt section through the hole as long as I need. Then weld around the base of the bolt to the sheet metal.

So on the opposite side of the sheet metal there will be a threaded bolt section (however long I wanted it) I can then cut off/ grind back the top welded part flush, and have it look as though nothing was ever welded (but have the bolt there on the underside of course

Did all that make sense? Any suggestions? I'm using the mild steel flux core wire because its all I have. Probably better with stainless wire or will what I have do the job?

(This plan by the way is so that I can sandwich and bolt two pieces of sheet metal on top of each other (with multiple of these bolts) without welding them together) This is all for body work for my Triumph.

Thank you !

 

[TechnicAl]

You should use ER309L stainless wire.

 

[marknotgeorge]

Are the parts of the body you're planning on joining with these bolts originally welded? If so, I'm not sure that bolting them together is the best plan. You might be compromising the structural integrity of the car. I know that the TR6 has a chassis (unlike my monocoque TR7) so it might not be so critical, but it's something you should think about.

 

[ecsims]

The parts I'm working on are actually bolt on fender flares that I (so painfully) fabed for the car. I'm running spacers to widen the track and get bigger tires in for racing. The fenders work by having one piece bolt to the car and then a top piece of exactly the same shape sandwiching (and hopefully bolting to in multiple locations) the base piece. The two piece system is the only way I could form a multi axis curve and retain the curled under lip of a normal fender. (Hope that made sense)

Anyway, I'll give it a go with the regular wire tomorrow, but as mentioned above, I'd better trek out to get stainless wire too. I hate to have to trek out all the time!!