OFFICIAL GRASSHOPPER "RUSTORATION" THREAD, lots-o-rust Options

[grasshopper]

ok, heres my new project. this is going to go pretty slow, until i can get some decent time to get work done... (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/huh.gif) I hate school. ordered metal, and am waiting for it to arrive. I'm glad i didn't pay alot for this car, cause i found 100 percent more rust than I expected. things that looked solid, fell apart. lots of fabrication work. But i'm not afraid to fabricate stuff. I gotten pretty good. here are some pics that are more recent. Hope you enjoy this thread!!!!!!! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/biggrin.gif) drivers side after digging

[Carrera916]

Hey Barry!

I didn't realized it was you that had requested for pictures of rear fender panels that I have for sale. I hope you got the pictures today.

Listen, about the welding part, i don't know how far you are with your work now but I thought maybe i can give an idea how to play with the MIG while welding....

When you're about to trigger the torch, watch the feedwire touching the bare metal, if the arc is popping and the feedwire is "crushing" onto the panel, two things to try out....increase the voltage (heat) and try again. If it's punching a hole, you probably got too much voltage, bring down a tad. If that doesn't seem to help a bit, then fiddle the speed of the feedwire down a bit at one heat setting of your choice until you get a very nice arc, no popping and you're able to move along the line, that's the setting you want for that perticular job you're welding on. Sometimes the same setting may not work on other area of your repair. You're gonna have to play a bit to get the feel of it.
Now, re read above, if you see your feedwire melts before it ever "feed" onto the metal, and the arc is popping, your feedwire setting is way too slow. Try increase the speed till it gives you a nice arc and nice puddle of molted feedwire on your work, then you're all set.

I always start with a tack (like spotweld) on the work area (new metal align to old metal) to check my setting before I weld down the line. When you tack weld, try do that on every one inch all the way around the perimeter of the new metal to give you a better secured piece onto the old metal before welding shut the whole thing. Then take your time to start weld from one tack to another and STOP! Let the metal cool down a bit and double check the alignment of the new metal to old metal, hammer it in place if needed to, then continue welding the next tack weld to tack weld at the opposite side of your piece from your first welding. That way the heat are spread out a bit better without warping your work out of shape and let it cool a bit. I tend to avoid water cooling as much as I can to avoid the "cold shock" onto hot weld beads. What I mean by let it cool a bit, I just the time right after I stopped welding, to check my weld bead, double check the alignment and then go on. Thats about a min of cooling which would be good. Grinding off the excessive bead that hasn't been watercooled turns out to be a bit be easier too. Hell, everyone has their own way of doing it, it's just that I wanted to share in what I do with my welding.

Oh, one last thing, a shitty (aka rusty, dirty, greasy) metal, you will NEVER be able to have a decent weld bead or most important, molted pentration/fusion between these two metals cuz the arc has to be right and it's no way for the feedwire to react properly when it's grounded. When you try weld something on poorly grounded metal (or shitty metal), the weld beads will look exactly like what you had in your first few pictures of trying it out. Grind out everything to shining metal, no rust specks or pits allowed before you weld, other wise you'll be cursing out loud inside your helmet!

Hope this helps and PM me if you got questions, i'll be gladly to help.

Good luck! (IMG:http://www.914world.com/bbs2/html/emoticons/welder.gif)

jerry