welding 1st project

[67-2door]

Hi everyone.
I've just started restoring my first Minor, a 1967 2 door in Almond green. I have a couple of questions (maybe daft ones) that I need advice with.
I'm working to a fairly tight budget, so to cut costs where practicle I'm cutting out rot and making repair sections and butt welding them in (fairly badly at the moment as I'm out of practice with the mig!) rather than buying loads of new panels.
A friend of mine who works in fabrication has given me a load of offcuts of 0.8mm stainless steel sheet, is it possible to use this to make repair sections or is in not advisable to weld stainless to mild steel?
Also when the sections welded do you apply anti-rusting primer first or seam sealer? I'm not sure what order to apply them.
Thanks.
Neil.

[kennatt]

not sure but don't think you can weld stainless to mild,also if you have patches all over the car the value will be reduced.better to save up and buy replacement panels,and do a bit at a time.I also understand from my mot tester that patch repairs need to be seam welded all the way round to pass under the latest regs,but he informs me that if you take off an original panel and replace the whole with a new panel,the regs alow spot welding as in the orginal . So a lot less work involved.This is what he told me but I don't have the regs to hand to verify but he's been a tester for thirty odd years so I will take his word for it.

[chickenjohn]

No, dont use stainless steel- it will cause the mild steel of the rest of the car its welded to to rust even faster by differential corrosion, the mild steel will be the anode that protects the stainless! You can buy zinc primer and brushable seam sealer from your local automotive paint factors.

ESM also sell both these.

Remove all rust from the area, then zinc prime, then seal seal, then topcoat.

Kennatt is right over both the advise to use whole panels and the welding acceptable for MOT.

Where two panels were spot welded together, you can plug weld these, but batch repairs must be seam welded. If your welding is a little messy at the moment due to lack of practise- then dress the weld up neatly with the grinder.

[67-2door]

I'll not use the stainless then thanks.
I was planning to buy the proper panels where it's safety critical or just too complicated to make repair sections, I've bought panels for the front flitch extensions, rear spring hangers and rear inner sill section.
The floorpan though is basically very good with only a little rot where it meets the toe panel at the front, the front of one sill and bottom of door hinge pillar need only localised repairs, I was planning to cut out the rot and seam weld small sections in here, the flitch panels and inner wing bowls need lots of small repairs and are looking a bit like a patchwork quilt, but I dont trust myself to replace these complete and get everything to line up again!

[chickenjohn]

That sounds fair enough! I've done the same myself, where a panel is otherwise good, it makes sense to cut out the rot and butt weld a few sections in rathert than replace the whole thing.

As for patched areas, grind the welds down and zinc prime then seam seal beore painting and the patches will look less obvious and the repairs look a lot neater.

[polo2k]

ive recently changed the liner in my MIG and it helps no end. its the tube that the welding rod goes through to the torch. Only cost me a fiver or so, bit of hassle to fit but the end result is well worth it! any wire feed problems/ Bird p** welds then consider this bit of maintenence

[bmcecosse]

Where did you get the new liner ??

[alex_holden]

http://www.thewelderswarehouse.com/Weld ... Liner.html

[bmcecosse]

Thanks Alex!