Oh Dear (hidden horrors)

[Ash]

Well

took the old fella to the local welders...........and he wants £700.00 to weld it all back together(he's done work for me in the past and is good), seems a hell of a lot, as there is probably another 5-700 to spend on top of that and I'll only have an "Average" R4.........what do you think??

Thanks

 

[Steve Hennessey]

Sounds like it's time to say 'Goodbye'. For £1500 you can buy yourself a solid example!

 

[Adrian T.]

Depressingly, you can buy one for rather less than £1500; unless the auction for my GTL on ebay picks up in the next 72 hours.....

 

[Wingnut]

Or alternatively you can buy yourself a decent MIG-welder for say 500 GBP, spend the next 2-3 weeks practicing on bits of scrap metal of varying thickness and do the welding repairs yourself. I did.

 

[djoptix]

Welding kits

Following on from this...

I'd really like to get a welding kit and learn to use it. As the owner of one (thankfully at the moment 100% rust-free) French flimsy car (citroen BX 16v) and the prospective owner of another one (silly R4 Gordini project), I know welding will be required and I really want to do it myself. If only so I can feel like I'm not someone whose stomach sinks when the garage say the "w" word.

However, there seem to be any number of welding kits and different types of welding. I know the differences between the different types of kit but for the moment treat me as if I am 100% fully ultra-novice.

What are the different types available, pros and cons, and how much should I spend to be able to do basic welding at home? Is there any reason not to buy a £180 kit, should I spend more and if so why? What kits do you welding types use?

Ta

 

[malcolm]

Good idea to buy a welder. I'd recommend a MIG welder as it's probably the easiest and quickest type for general car welding. Also welding is fun - it's the bit I enjoy most in a restoration.

The Renault 4 is made from tin foil, so there's no need to buy a great big and expensive welder. You'd really want one that can take a shielding gas bottle (the alternative gasless type would be a nightmare on thin R4 panels). Try to get a welder with a bottle shelf for BOC bottles (or CO2 from a friendly pub) as the little bottles of shielding gas from Halfords are very expensive.

The minimum current is important too - A minimum setting of 25 or 30 amps common. Try to get a 25 amp minimum. 30 is bearable, but any more than that and floorpan welding might start to be a pain. For maximum current go for at least 130amps to get a welder that'll be generally useful in the long term. For which make to buy - Clarke have a good reputation for their budget welders.

Have a fish around the MIG welding website (a spin off from this one) which also has a forum:
www.mig-welding.co.uk

 

[djoptix]

Thanks Clementine Of course I won't need it so much for the BX... it's mostly made of plastic

(the BMW 7-series forum branded it a "bendy French piece of plastic tat")

By the way!!!!!! I hear you are now the custodian of two 6v machines from my family home? That brown R4L in the orchard was my first car...