Re: alfa-digest V7 #1244 - Welder Suggestions

[AlfaNeely@domain.elided]

In a message dated 12/27/1999 7:17:55 PM Central Standard Time, 
owner-alfa-digest@domain.elided writes:

<< 
 Date: Mon, 27 Dec 1999 00:23:25 -0800
 From: Alfa Romeo Search and Rescue Society <alfabill@domain.elided>
 Subject: welder advice.
 
 Ok Gurus...
 
 I'm about to go to HD and buy a Lincoln welder. I'm looking at the base
 model mainly due to budget. (Model 100) I would use it for light duty
 work, such as sheet metal, ie; rocker panels on the Spider and some
 floor work, as well as sheet metal work on the VW bus.
 
 Anyone have one of these? Opinions? I can justify the $300-350 price
 with the body shop costs for one rocker on the Spider.
 
 Also, what do you need to do to protect the ECUs and other electrics
 when using an electric welder on a Bosch car?
 
 Thanks
 AlfaBill
 Tampax FL -cold and clear tonight
  >>
Bill,
    I have three welding devices.  A Lincoln Arc or "stick" welder I have 
owned for 35 years or so.  It is good for heavy stuff like 1/4 inch plate, 
but you have to chip the slag away and clean up the weld.  Plus you have to 
change the welding rod or "stick" often if welding heavily.  Stick welders 
tend to burn holes in sheet metal.
    I have a blue wrench or oxygen / acetylene torch.  Great for welding 
exhaust pipes.  It is also wonderful for burning rubber bushings out for 
urethane replacements.  Parts that are rusted together can be heated cherry 
red and gotten apart.  Or you can just cut stuff up with it.  Not good for 
body work because the heat and the length of time the heat is present warps 
the sheet metal.
    Finally, I have a small Miller wire feed welder with a bottle of Argon / 
CO2 mix.  This is the ticket for body repair or any light welding.  It welds 
1/8 or 3/16 steel well and there is no slag to clean up.  There is no other 
choice for sheet metal work, well maybe a TIG, but those are high dollar.
    The big advantages of a wire feed over a stick is the arc is much easier 
to strike with the wire feed.  Plus you can regulate the temperature in two 
ways.  You can adjust the amperage in any arc welder, but only the wire feed 
allows you to adjust the wire speed.  Faster speed and lower amperage gives 
less heat - which is what you want for body work - no more heat than the 
minimum.  However, fast wire speed and low amperage can give a lack of 
penetration with the weld sitting on the surface rather than being a part of 
the base material.
    You can get wire feed welders that use flux core wire.  I would stay away 
from those as you have to clean off the slag.  The initial cost is less as 
you do not need the bottle and regulator.
    A friend found a Miller like mine in a pawn shop for $250 with the 
regulator.  I paid more like $700 for mine ten years ago with a bottle, 
regulator and everything.  They may have gotten cheaper.
    I modified a two wheeled cart or truck to hold the welder and bottle.  I 
welded up a rectangle of angle iron that the welder sits in on the front of 
the cart.  The bottle sits above and between the wheels on the back side of 
the cart in circles of steel I bent and welded to hold the bottle securely.  
The mobility and the 110 volts of the small wire feed is great.
    I welded up the roll cage in my race car 84 Alfa Spider SCCA ITB with a 
friend's very large wire feed.  You can get wire feed welders in any size for 
any job.
    I did find evidence the form of welding wire "hair" in a 68 Duetto Junior 
I once owned and, I seem to recall, in my 63 Giulia spider.  Thus the Alfa 
factory used wire feed welders long before they were affordable enough to 
have one in your home garage!  What better recommendation could I offer?

    To protect the ECU, disconnect the battery ground wire at a minimum.  In 
fact, clap your welder's ground to the disconnected battery ground wire.  
That will ground the whole body for welding.
    You could also unplug the two ECU's behind the passenger seat.  The fuel 
injection computer is on the floor behind the passenger.  The ignition timing 
commuter is up on the side behind the passenger's right elbow.
    Now, I have neglected to disconnect anything before arc welding on my 
cars.  I have never fried an ECU.  I was probably extremely lucky on those 
occasions.  As I tell my kids, do as I say, not as I do.

Ciao,
Russ Neely
Oklahoma City

PS, Did you ship the Alfa Calendar and the full set of spider urethane 
bushings I ordered?

------------------------------