Darrell - I'm not a good welder, so can't offer technical details about
the different types of equipment, but I do have some other suggestions.
Some of this depends on your intentions for the car.
- Look for a local welder and get a quote for the welding work. I did
this to repair my cracked TR6 differential mounts and some frame
cracking. I did the prep on my schedule by cleaning down to bare metal
and having the reinforcing brackets ready. The car was up on jack
stands and the differential and suspension parts were out of the way. I
did not have a welder or the power to run one in that apartment's
garage. The guy came out with a small welder and generator and charged
me $60 for the job (a 1 hour minimum). He finished it in about 30
minutes and gave me a 30 minute credit for any work I brought to his
shop. Even if I could weld, lying on your back and welding above you
doesn't sound like fun. This was a 1995 price in the Los Angeles area.
Well worth the expense.
- When I rebuilt my TR6 engine, I also painted the engine compartment.
I went down to bare metal and discovered several places where screw
holes were filled with Bondo. They were at least a decade old and I
didn't have any idea they were there. One side was painted and the
other side was undercoated. If the car is a driver, consider just
filling the holes with Bondo. You will have to knock down the raised
areas where the screws were. This could be an option for the trim and
luggage rack holes.
- For the rear panel, better Bondo may also be an option. Clean up the
old bad job then see about popping out the dent. If you have access
to both sides, you could get a Harbor Freight 7 Piece Body and Fender
Set - item#31277, on sale for $29.99. With a little time, you can get
much closer and just have a thin layer of Bondo. I did this with my
Subaru door after a neighbor backed into it and you couldn't tell after
I painted. A body shop wanted $740 for a job I did in a weekend plus
two evenings.
- For removing old Bondo (outside), I used my angle grinder and a couple
wire brushes. I did most of the work with a cupped brush, but also had
a disk and small ones in a drill. Wear eye protection and at least a
dusk mask if not a respirator. You get down to nice clean metal that
takes new Bondo and paint very well.
- If you do want to get into welding, check with a local welding supply
company. They may offer some sort of training program, especially with
an equipment purchase. Being a novice and not used to the equipment,
you are also likely to need their assistance at some point - something
you are not likely to get if you buy the equipment at a home center.
They will probably also help set it up and make recommendations for
settings.
- Finally, if you weld, pick up some trash body panels and practice
welding before you get near your TR8. Also keep a fire extinguisher
handy just in case.
Brian
On 7/29/2013 3:54 PM, Darrell Walker wrote:
> I have some body repairs I'd like to do on my TR8, and I'm wondering about the
> feasibility of learning to weld well enough to do them on my own. I've
> checked the local community college, and the only welding classes they have
> are geared toward students preparing for a career in welding, they don't have
> any "Adult Ed" type classes. Of course, I could have a body shop do it, but
> the few that are willing to do this kind of work want to do the whole job at
> once, and not piecemeal (I also want a respray at some point).
>
> I have three different things to address:
>
>
> --
> Darrell Walker
> 66 TR4A IRS-SC CTC67956L
> 81 TR8 SATPZ458XBA406206
> Vancouver, WA, USA
> _______________________________________________
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