17 replies to this topic

[Will]

How much should these new panels cost to weld?? :

A panels x2
Wings x2
Front panel

I just want to get a rough idea so i don't get ripped off when i get it done.

Cheers

[Will]

ooo yeah, is the front just spot/tack welded or is it seam welded?

[mini_sam]

right, if i was you, i would go and get a welder yourself! it is a handy skill to have and is definately worth it. i tried welding the other day for the first time, and i thought i was relatively easy...o yerrr and i think they can be spot welded, allthough seem is probably much stronger? someone could quote me wrong on that though. :grin:

[Will]

yeah, i know that seam welding is a lot stronger because and inch of continuous weld can hold a ton.... i'd rather not do this myself this time but i am going to learn to weld soon enough.

[mini_sam]

yerrr go for it, it is a doddle once you have the hang of it! like anything, practice makes perfect and you could even do your mates welding too, make a bit of money out of it!

[mattvallins]

If it was spot-welded in the factory then you can spot-weld a replacement part on. If it was seam-welded then seam weld. A-panels and wings were spot welded on, and I guess front panels too.

[Will]

sooo, can you hire welders?

[mini_sam]

yes, from most good hire shops. HSS rent them i believe!

[philster]

buts it hardly worth renting for any length of time its as cheap to buy one or get one second hand. The last mig i hired cost £45 for a weekend excluding the gas and wire!, the next time i bought a welder ex-display from machine mart for £110 and it still gets regular use now (5 years later).

This was yesterday, after i'd finished the wedling that morning and given it a coat of primer in the afternoon.

[Will]

Id that all seam welded then? How hard actually is welding?

[philster]

With practice and good tools its not that hard, always best to learn on scrap metal, start with some thick stuff which is easy to weld as its hard to burn holes in it, have a practice till you can get a nice run of weld (either in a small zigzag motion or like audi badge circles). Then work your way on to thinner metals adjusting the welder to suit and try the same procedure, once you can weld bodywork thickness without burning holes in it and still getting good penetration you are ready to start fixing cars.

Remember the bodyshell on a mini is what holds everything together so the weld has to be good and strong (but not necessarily pretty).

I learnt to weld when i was just 14 back in my grasstracking days, it took me a few years to get good at it but now i can tackle most welding jobs without any problems.

[Guess-Works.com]

I learnt to weld on Petal, took a couple of hours to get the gist of it, and probably couple of days welding to get to a reasonable standard ( ie being able to control the wire feed and current depending on the type of weld being produced and not ending up with pigeon s**t all over the place )

The basic thing to remeber is rust dont weld, and paint stinks... prepare the two surfaces well back to clean bare metal, and welding will be like using a silicon gun, and you'll wonder what all the fuss was about...

As for replacing panels, if you are replacing an entire panel with a pattern replacement then it may be spot welded if the original was, otherwise patches etc must be seam welded.

[Purple Tom]

its also worthwhile remembering that with a continuous weld on panels you can end up with distortion.

This is where the metal gets too hot and distorts out of shape. You can imitate a spot weld with a MIG either by using a spot weld attachment or drilling a small hole in one of the seams, and welding through the hole to join the panels, then grind flush.

Most of the repairs on my Clubby have been done this way by my Dad, works well and looks good too. We ended up with quite bad distortion on both side panels because we gas welded the sills on in a continuous seam, and will require filler to regain the shape.

Just worth remembering!

Tom

[Rookers]

Hi there - I would also like to know what the average cost of welding these parts might be as I do not have the time or facilities to do it myself. Can anyone reveal what they have paid in the past for jobs like this?

[Jordie]

my mechanic guy says £80-100 excluding panels.