Well I went the route of buying my own mig welder and doing the work myself on
my 74 B. I always wanted one and this was a good opportunity to convince the
wife I needed it. All the money I would save doing it myself! The job I ended
up with was acceptable, but I probably quadrupled the hours a real welder would
have taken.
There are a few pointers I would give.
1. As someone just recommended, practice, practice, practice. The urge
is to skip practice and start on the car. My first attempts (at least I was
smart enough to start on the floor pan) were after about 15 minutes of
practice. Too much grinding globs of weld and/or filling in burn-through holes.
Fortunately I did become good enough after the floor that the few small sill
patches went in smooth.
2. I didn't use it (didn't know about it until my soon wrecked our Subaru and
I saw it in a professional shop) but I recommend a weld through primer. You
apply it to the parts before welding. Supppose to give superior rust
protection. I sure there is someone out there with more knowledge on this than
me. I believe welded areas are more prone to rust.
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