> Well I went the route of buying my own mig welder and doing
> the work myself on
> my 74 B. I always wanted one and this was a good opportunity
> to convince the
> wife I needed it. All the money I would save doing it
> myself! The job I ended
> up with was acceptable, but I probably quadrupled the hours a
> real welder would
> have taken.
> There are a few pointers I would give.
>
> 1. As someone just recommended, practice, practice,
> practice. The urge
> is to skip practice and start on the car. My first attempts
> (at least I was
> smart enough to start on the floor pan) were after about 15
> minutes of
> practice. Too much grinding globs of weld and/or filling in
> burn-through holes.
> Fortunately I did become good enough after the floor that the
> few small sill
> patches went in smooth.
>
> 2. I didn't use it (didn't know about it until my soon
> wrecked our Subaru and
> I saw it in a professional shop) but I recommend a weld
> through primer. You
> apply it to the parts before welding. Supppose to give superior rust
> protection. I sure there is someone out there with more
> knowledge on this than
> me. I believe welded areas are more prone to rust.
>
All this talk about floor pans prompts me to mention an unusual
"feature" on the '74B I bought for my son.
According to the DPO I bought the car from, the original owner
was in the military (proofed by the impossible-to-remove military base
stickers on the front bumper). Legend has it that one of his assignments
was in the Philippines, where the constant rain took the floor pans out
in a big hurry. At what must have been a fair expense, the guy had the
pans and sills replaced - with stainless steel! And it's not just flat
plate, either - this stuff has had the stock-style ribs rolled into it
also. It looks so cool that I'm kinda reluctant to cover it up with
carpet.
Dan Pockrus
'74B (my newly-licensed son's pride and joy)
'61 VW Panel Bus (Why are people always flashing peace signs at me?)
'95 Jeep Grand Cherokee (had to have something with A.C for these Texas
summers)
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