Welding price question

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CHANCE

No longer a Buick guy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joined
Jul 13, 2001
Messages
1,567
I'm slowly restoring a GN and need a new floor pan, and I want to get the rear control arm mounts reenforced and all the factory frame welds redone, Here is my question since I already removed the old floor pan by drilling out all the pinch welds and not cutting it all up making it a pain to put in the new pan which only needs to be put in and lined up with the factory panels and spot welded in along with the frame mods which would be cheaper paying someone to do it or go get a small mig welder and do it myself?
 
If you can do it, getting a small MIG will be the more cost effective option.....


IF you gorilla snot your car and/or blow holes in it, I'm sure the price just went up on the professional welders end.


and even cheeper option would be to use seam sealer and a rivet gun.
 
Get the welder. You'll end up using it for other projects later so it will be an investment. What do the welders in your area charge per hour? Most of them around here are between $50 and $100 an hour so it can get expensive if it's a large project.
 
Whatever you do don't listen to those two old fools..Earl and Charlie. LOL just kidding . By all means listen to Earl and Charlie they are two of the most knowledgable and gifted people on this broad
 
Get the welder. You'll end up using it for other projects later so it will be an investment. What do the welders in your area charge per hour? Most of them around here are between $50 and $100 an hour so it can get expensive if it's a large project.
I'm not sure on the price of welders around here, I haven't asked around I figured I would ask here first.
 
If you can do it, getting a small MIG will be the more cost effective option.....


IF you gorilla snot your car and/or blow holes in it, I'm sure the price just went up on the professional welders end.


and even cheeper option would be to use seam sealer and a rivet gun.
How do you use seam sealer and rivets to brace upper and lower control arms?
 
Here is my question since I already removed the old floor pan by drilling out all the pinch welds and not cutting it all up making it a pain to put in the new pan which only needs to be put in and lined up with the factory panels and spot welded in along with the frame mods which would be cheaper paying someone to do it or go get a small mig welder and do it myself?


I started with "Here's my question".
 
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Around here, the rates are usually along body shop prices...My bud's street rod shop is $56/hr.
 
How would I mount the Floor pan to the frame? Why would I install the body over the Floor pan when I can see clearly that the floor pan was laid in the body by the way it sits on top of the surrounding body panels and not below? Looking at all the floor pan replacements on here the way I described it is how everyone on here has do theirs. I don't think we are talking about the same thing.
 
Do it that way, then.
How would you mount the pan to the frame?? As I recall, the body mounts are in the floor pan, the floor is then bolted from underneath, thru the frame..yes/no??
 
Do it that way, then.
How would you mount the pan to the frame?? As I recall, the body mounts are in the floor pan, the floor is then bolted from underneath, thru the frame..yes/no??
No, the body mounts are along the perimeter of the body none of them go thru the center section of the floor pan. The picture is an approximate location of the body mounts/ bolts and the floor pan is also cut like the photo up till it reaches the area where the back seats are.
gmk403550078s.jpg
 
Ok, so I'm leaning really hard on getting a welder now. So which manufacture would you recommend?
 
Hobart makes a decent welder called the handy welder I believe. It's 110 and there's a 220 version as well. It can use flux core or gas and regular wire. (better but initially more expensive) If you've got a tractor supply near you they usually carry them.
 
Do you even know how to weld??? If not then you should pay someone to do it for you.

I love it when I see sub par welds, it just proves certain things should be left to people who have the skill to do it right.

If you want to do it yourself I would suggest that you practice on your old floor pan or other sheetmetal of the same gauge and do your prep work before you even turn the welder on.

The best machine for a novice welder to learn on is the Miller [auto set 180] it costs about a grand or more for an equivalent machine but it will put you in the ballpark, just set it to the gauge metal you are welding and it adjusts the heat and wire feed speed accordingly and will help you concentrate on technique IE: penetration, angle, and travel.

If you butcher it and then it needs to be repaired then you just cost yourself double what the job would have cost had you just paid a professional in the first place.

I'm not trying to discourage you from trying this on your own, I just want you to have a fighting chance because I don't know what your abilities are.

On a good note MIG is the easiest to learn, I taught a monkey how to do it in less than an hour.

Good luck in whatever way you go, RZ.
 
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Thanks Guys,
I can weld, I just haven't done it in a very long time and I would need to practice to get my heat and speed down again. We use to use Miller on the drilling rigs, but for just doing some welding once or twice a year after doing what I need to on my car I can't justify the price of a miller. As for the Hobart line of welders I have been reading reviews and they look very promising.
 
Since it's sheet metal I'd suggest a high feed and a low heat. That's how I did the quarters when I repaired them and it worked really well.(y)
 
I used a Lincoln 180 for my floor pans. It was $660 from Home Depot. It's a 220 unit and is gas/flux core. It worked perfect for the pans and can also weld up to 3/8 with one pass so it's good for all around. Tractor supply had a deal on a Hobart 135 or 140 was around $700 with spool gun but I was afraid 140 amp wasn't enough for some of the larger projects I do.
 
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