Welding cost Options

[RonnieJ]

What should I expect to pay to have some welding done in the hell hole? It is not bad, just minor repair.

[Andyrew]

Show us a picture.

Welding is not the issue, Fabrication is.

Are you going to have all the panels cut and and ready to be welded?

Typically your about 75 an hour. If you find some local teeners in your area then you can probably get away with 25 an hour. I would do it for that much.

If you have all the pannels cut and everything ready then 2 hours max. If you DONT, and there is fabrication work necessary then your looking at 5+ hours.

[Niklas]

Hello!

Why don´t you do it yourself?
It is funny to do. I love it.

Maybe you have a friend that can help you and show you how to get starting.

Niklas

[scotty b]

I've got one I'm doing right now and this one is pushing 8,000.00 already at 50.00/ hour. Inner and outer longs, upper and lower wheelhouse, engine mount, and there are holes on the drivers side that still need to be addressed. too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) The more common ones like I did on Jim McCleods car ( search: type 47 build ) will run you 2,000.00 + depending on your shops price. This is assuming there are no surprises...which there will be........

[RonnieJ]

I've got one I'm doing right now and this one is pushing 8,000.00 already at 50.00/ hour. Inner and outer longs, upper and lower wheelhouse, engine mount, and there are holes on the drivers side that still need to be addressed. too (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) The more common ones like I did on Jim McCleods car ( search: type 47 build ) will run you 2,000.00 + depending on your shops price. This is assuming there are no surprises...which there will be........

Scott b

My inner and outer longs where previously done and engine mounts and all are good except for a spot about 4"x 4" and a spot about 3' x 4" on the inner fender wheel or wheel house whatever you call it. I have a flux core welder and it only has min, max setting and blows right throuht sheet metal no matter if I set it on minimum power. I am goig to check into a better gas mig welder tomorrow and if Possible try and get one so I can set it for the gauge of metal I'm welding. Thanks for the responses.

[scotty b]

Definitely get a gas setup, and run .023 wire. Practice on some 18-20 gauge metal. You'll love the difference. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[RonnieJ]

Definitely get a gas setup, and run .023 wire. Practice on some 18-20 gauge metal. You'll love the difference. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

Thanks scottyb that's what I'm hoping to go pick up tomorrow.

[IronHillRestorations]

You can expect that a 4" circle will end up as a 12" repair area. It can look very acceptable on the paint side, and be totally rotten on the inside.

[McMark]

It all depends on what kind of job is being done, or to put it another way, what type of job you want to pay for. You can get something slapped in there with overlapping metal and big welds for cheap ($100-$150), but at that level, you can usually expect the rust to come back because of improper prep and lack of attention to detail.

On the other end, you can get a piece like this that is meticulously test fit and fabricated. Notice the factory style flange that most shops don't bother to replicated. All the welds have been ground flush. 30 years from now, when this car get another restoration, no one will be able to tell this wasn't a factory piece.

So what can you expect to pay? That depends entirely on your budget/desires and the skill of the shop who's doing the work.

[patssle]

Since we're talking welding, I'll add a question from my other thread.

Can any body shop (non-classic car) work on our cars? Or should they have experience with 914s? I do know of a classic car body shop place in my area, but they do old Chevy/Fords. Is that knowledge transferable to a 914?

[mepstein]

You need to interview them to see if you want them to work on your car, feel comfortable with their knowledge and skills and see if they even want to work on your car. Anybody can work on anything but it's usually best to hire someone who has done it (successfully) before vs someone learning as they go.

This board is great for referrals.

[McMark]

Welding is welding. Experience with 914s comes into play when trying to figure out how best to approach a problem area. Some are straightforward, and some can be tricky. So it depends on what you're trying to fix. If you know of a shop that does nice metal work, it's probably worth talking with them, because most general welding/body shops only do quick and DIRTY work.

[Andyrew]

Your typical body shop is NOT where you want to go, You'll want to take it to a hot rod shop, or a classic auto shop that does full restorations(So yes if they do classic chevy's or fords, then they probably are knoweldgeable, look at their works in progress and you can get an idea for what type and quality of work they do).

However its best to take it to someone (like Mark said) who has experience with 914's so the learning curve (aka total hours) is much less.