MIG Welding at last!!

Finally after months of 'paralysis by analysis' i have taken the plunge and bought a Lincoln 180C MIG, and these are the first welds done using it. All welds are on 20gauge electrogalv steel using Argoshield Light Gas, 0.6 (0.25 wire)

Straight out the box - Lincoln goodness

1st attempt

And the back - top weld looks OK

1st tacks - very happy with this result

And Butt welded

Practise, Practise

Close up of last welds

And reverse

Thoughts after an hour of welding - AWESOME!! Sooo much easier than Gas welding, can hold work with one hand and tack with the other - that in the real world situation is very useful. Patience is needed to allow the weld to cool to avoid blowing holes, if you do blow a hole its fairly easy to fill. You may not get the beautiful scalloped welds that can be achieved with gas and TIG but a lot less heat is put into a panel than Oxy-Acetylene 

(for an amatuer like me anyway!)

Next - more practise on the thin stuff and build a welding cart (might try the FCAW for that) 

Headliner Removal

Cabin is now stripped, only wiring loom remains

The infamous clips holding cardboard onto roof at rear

Foam positioning

Front 4 grommets had copper washer backing, made removal easier

All removed without damage

Naked Roof

Clip in card

And attached to the roof

Foam lining, will probably replace with Dynamat or similar

Trim and Seal removal

Removal of seals and pop out window, pictures to help with assembly, apparently one of the trickier things to get right so i need all the visual help i can get!

First removed seat latches

Panel card was stuck fast so removed seals from around it,
 starting on the B pillar

Drivers door seal showing fitting behind chrome garnish on B pillar

Top of B pillar

Door seal fitting behind aluminium strip in door opening

Drivers door seal - crumbly

Rear of B pillar showing fitment of seal

Four screws attaching Pop out window to B Pillar

Because card was still stuck and pop rivets were corroded away this trim strip
came up with the seal, normally it would be riveted in position and the seal added

Pop out window seal fitment

Trim and seal at base of B pillar

Pop out window seal fitment into C pillar 

Stuck clips holding card in are revealed

And a rusty Hofmeister kink!

Bottom rear of B pillar showing lump of soft sealant
 - factory fitted for waterproofing?

Bottlecaps

Bit of an impulse buy, a pair of 'bottlecap' alloys from an E21, cheap alloy option, just need to find another pair in as good condition!

2 options now

195/65 on but i will get 185/60/14 if i go for the alloys option

Old school upgrade circa 1978!

Not going to cut any more holes until I've welded a few up, so did a bit more dismantling

Last patch for a while - they're getting bigger!

Handbrake is out

And the rear screen

Worst of the screen surround rust

This sides all good

Rifle Butt/Firewall join, Drivers floor

Rust removed from passenger front, detail of joint construction and patches made, still no welder so started cutting holes in the drivers floor. Will have to put some metal in soon to hold everything together! 

Rust free and well ventilated

Detail of Rifle butt/Firewall/Inner wing joint

Happy with this patch

Gas pedal mounting bracket

Ready to Cut

Small delay on the welder purchase, im bidding on a brand new Lincoln going cheap (at the moment) watch this space!

Patches continue

Rot removal and patch creation continues, at least 20 gauge is easy to work with!

Tricky - Rusty 20gauge is sandwiched between 2 non rusty
14gauge panels - careful removal required