Just cut out some bad rust spots in the drivers and passengers footwell, my first time having one of these of cars so before I start welding anything I should know about the metal? Galvanized, leaded, zinc? Any other tips are appreciated as well

Rotoariesarecool wrote:Just cut out some bad rust spots in the drivers and passengers footwell, my first time having one of these of cars so before I start welding anything I should know about the metal? Galvanized, leaded, zinc? Any other tips are appreciated as well

Its just mild steel and it stitch welds nicely even with a flux wire feed welder from Harbor Freight. I have been using the INE/Vulcan 0.030 wire from Italy at 80 amps with the feed rate set around the middle. Be sure to replace the 0.030 guide tips regularly which is with every 2 lb spool of wire when doing auto-body and clean out any slag build up collecting in the nozzle/guide bushing of the welding gun (a few light taps against the side of your work table is usually all it takes). A worn/loose guide tip makes for messy welds since it will not be making consistent contact with the wire as its being fed through. A pack of 10 guide tips is only about $9 and you should always have at least one full pack in your welding cart.

I use weldable zinc primer available from your local Northern Tool and Ospho available from your local Ace Hardware to prep the area being repaired. The Ospho is a Phosphoric Acid/Chromate blend that turns any surface rust into Iron Phosphate and has been the standard of the marine industry since the late 1940's and has a long proven track record, you just need to read the instructions and follow them.

Be sure to clean up any oil, grease, Bondo, rubberized undercoating, etc near the area to be welded and have your fire extinguisher and a good water hose handy. Do your welding early enough in the day so you will have a few hours left to police the area for any signs of smoldering embers from any stray sparks/slag that got into a corner.