24 replies to this topic

[mini13]

the joddlers are good as ong as you don't get a poor quality one, it does take a bit of practice to get the mig wire to go through and hit the far pannel first though... what will help is a mig shroud with cutouts so you push the mig shroud right onto the pannel, but can still see what your doing.

better still... for seams borrow or hire a spot welder, they make a really neat job.

[Bungle]

i have a joggler/hole punch

[Ethel]

It's intended for plug welding, but you do need to be accurate, use some sort of guide/steady for your torch. If you want bigger holes, just punch 2 or 3 close together.

[R1mini]

why not stitch weld it? with all the mini seams it's very easy to do, I couldn't be bothered drilling all them holes

Cheers
David

[Artful Dodger]

why not stitch weld it? with all the mini seams it's very easy to do, I couldn't be bothered drilling all them holes

Cheers
David

becjuase originally they were spot welded. if they are stiched on it doesnt look original. with plug welds you can dress them to look like spot welds.



spot welded door step and sill and plugged the lower edge becuase i didnt have the right arms for the spot welder!

[R1mini]

Each to there own, I will continue to stitch weld stuff which is far, far stronger and much faster, I have welded hundreds and hundreds of minis, I'm not aware of any mini I have done not having some sort of trim fitted therefore you wouldn't see anything

Cheers
David

[Artful Dodger]

do you mean sticking the sill to door stem seam? thats really bad, hardly joining the seams at all! but as you said, if you are happy doing it and have done it enough without any problems, each to their own!

[R1mini]

do you mean sticking the sill to door stem seam? thats really bad, hardly joining the seams at all! but as you said, if you are happy doing it and have done it enough without any problems, each to their own!

There is absolutely no problem seam welding edges together, it is a very strong way to do things, never ever had a failure in any way

David

[Wise Old Elf]

The hole punch normally punches holes 5/32 in size. This size i find fills with weld too quickly to make a decent contact point.

I drill 1/4" holes for all of my plug welding to ensure i get a decent weld.

Out of interest how big are the original spot welds?

[Ethel]

3/16" at a guess, it's something you ought to know I suppose, but not the sort of detail you notice when you're fighting with rusty panels amidst a growing pile of snapped drill bits. Whatever method you use, remember it's a Mini so the chances you'll be replacing them again in a few years is pretty high, don't make it hard to unpick . Welds can also create weak points, the transition from thin sheet to chunky weld is a stress riser and surface tension thins the metal where it melts. Spots are good as they are little islands surrounded by unmolested rolled sheet, that tends to load them mostly in tension.