12 replies to this topic

[primrose8]

i am about to start welding repairs to my mini project, i used to do a few cars years ago and am quite a good gas welder, i gave all my gear away years ago! I have borrowed some gas bottles, and need some equipment can anyone let me have a list of tools i will need ie clamps cutters, or anything that will make life easier, i have checked out some of the renovation threads and seen skin pins and intergrips for holding panels together, maybe you have tools you cant do without for such a job! then i can make a BIG shopping list any help with this one would be gratefully recieved. dont want to buy anything that will be no good cheers!

[Sam Walters]

http://www.theminifo...howtopic=194176

This should get you on the way pal.

[primrose8]

wow thanks sam thats great , thanks for that ! anthony

[Cooperman]

Ideally you need a decent MIG welding set with a min of 130 amp max power. MIG is just so mjuch easier than gas, and I've used both, as with MIG the panel distortion is minimised. I would never use gas again for Mini body work.

[Sam Walters]

I would be hesitent to follow what Cooperman says, im not saying he is wrong before anyone jumps down my throat. Just a word of caution.

Duty cycle and actually how low the welder can go amp wise play a part in the selection process.

[Cooperman]

I would be hesitent to follow what Cooperman says, im not saying he is wrong before anyone jumps down my throat. Just a word of caution.

Duty cycle and actually how low the welder can go amp wise play a part in the selection process.

My first MIG, back in the 80's, was a 90 amp and the duty cycle was very poor. It would weld Mini body panels for about 5 minutes, then need a rest for the next 10 minutes.
I changed to a 150 amp professional MIG, which I still have and use regularly. The duty-cycle is not any sort of issue and it has 5 power settings with variable wire speed. I use it at about setting 3 for new panels, or 2 for thin panels.
I can weld up to about 6 mm on max setting, although 4 mm is more comfortable.
My friend Chris Spennewyn from Hitchin who spends most of his working life restoring Minis, especially Mk.1 cars, uses a professional-type 130 amp (a Sealey I think) and it's fine for all his work and the duty cycle is excellent.
Today I used a gasless 100 amp MIG for a friend's boot floor patch as it was done at his workshop. I didn't like the weld itself, as it seems that gasless leaves a 'crusty' weld, but ground back it was a good finish. The metal was thin and it only took me about 5 minutes as the patch was small (about 2" sq.) so duty cycle was not an issue.
Personally I would never go back to gas-welding as opposed to MIG as I well remember the panel distortion and the need for body filler.
I've just completed the full body resto of a 1997 MPI and it looks fantastic. Used my 150 A MIG for all the welding and it was just great - as usual. I highly recommend it.

[Sam Walters]

Your correct in your statement about duty cycle. What im referring to is how low you can get the welder, good migs can useually drop to about 30 amps.

The portamigs are the ones to go for. they can drop as low as 15 amps on some of them. They are very good quality aswell.

[Cooperman]

On setting 1 on mine I can weld down to 24 swg, and that's as thin as I'll ever want to go in welding any car body structure. With the MIG's I've seen over many years the biggest issue always seems to be having sufficient capability to actually do the job properly. The sort of issue I had with my original low powered welder was the ability to weld 4mm, 5mm and sometimes 6 mm steel plate when preparing rally cars.
What I was actually originally saying was that these days almost no-one uses gas welding for body panels due to distortion issues and that MIG is the basic way to go. Ideally a 130 A or 150 A professional MIG plus a spot-welder are what's needed for top quality Mini bodywork. I don't have a spot-welder, but I have a friend who lends me a really good one when I need it. The spot-welder is ideal for outer sills and wing to A-panel welding plus outer wing to inner wing joint. The rest I always MIG-weld.

[sonikk4]

Let's put it this way the 135Te Turbo mig from Clarke is more than capable of carrying out ANY bodywork you need to do on a mini. If you were going to weld a 1/4" plus chassis then you would need something in the range of 150 amps upwards although I have welded 1/4" plate with my welder with no issues but then again experience is everything.

Like cooperman has already stated I would not use a oxy set on a mini. The distortion would be horrific.

The how to guide I have written at the beginning of the bodywork section certInly gives you enough options for clamps tools etc to start with.

[Cooperman]

Let's put it this way the 135Te Turbo mig from Clarke is more than capable of carrying out ANY bodywork you need to do on a mini. If you were going to weld a 1/4" plus chassis then you would need something in the range of 150 amps upwards although I have welded 1/4" plate with my welder with no issues but then again experience is everything.

Like cooperman has already stated I would not use a oxy set on a mini. The distortion would be horrific.

The how to guide I have written at the beginning of the bodywork section certInly gives you enough options for clamps tools etc to start with.

I've heard that the Clarke 130Te is a very good piece of kit and a sensible price too.
I've welded up to 1/4" with my 150 amp set with no real problem, although the old rule for working out the max. normal thickness used to be 1 thou of thickness per amp.

[primrose8]

well it looks like i will have to invest in a mig welder as well! might as well do the jod right thankd for everybodys comments just looking at a 2nd hand snap on 130 turbo mig welder on e bay would this do the job? its snap on must be a good machine?

[PhilipGCaldwell]

mig is a must for mini restoration, well worth the investment, i preferably use gas rather than gasless, i personally tend to find i weld much neater using gas

Edited by PhilipGCaldwell, 22 June 2011 - 11:43 AM.

[Cooperman]

well it looks like i will have to invest in a mig welder as well! might as well do the jod right thankd for everybodys comments just looking at a 2nd hand snap on 130 turbo mig welder on e bay would this do the job? its snap on must be a good machine?

If it's in good condition it would be ideal for all car body restoration work. 'Snap-On' is a real top make.
One point with MIG as opposed to gas welding is that the surfaces to be welded together must be completely paint and grease free with good bare metal. Otherwise the MIG will spit back and leave a poor weld.