I am getting ready to purchase a wire feed welder. I have arc welded for years, have a stick welder my grand dad left me 30 years ago. I want to make sure that I get a welder that will weld body panels, floor pans, something I need to replace on my latest purchase (a 70 malibu) etc, but I have the stick welder for heavy stuff. What size welder, options, (keep it within a married guy's budget please) should I be looking at?

thanks in advance guys.

I have a Sears Craftsman Mig/Fluxcore unit that works fine for me. I didn't like it at first, but I just needed to develop a feel for it.

I use big Miller 460 Volt 3 phase DC units at work. When I have to do small stuff I use the Victor torch with a size 4 welding tip and gas weld or braze.

One feature I will definitely seek in future welding machine purchases is infinitely adjustable current controls. The Lincoln units (and my Craftsman) have fixed position current controls. It can be a real pain when you need a heat setting that falls between two switch positions.

Harbor Freight (http://www.harborfreight.com) has a nice Century 155-GS mig welder that strikes my fancy. You can do a search at their website on Item # 39495-1VGA for details. They also sell a few other brands, but Century is the only one I've found with the infinitely adjustable control.

If you're interested in a TIG unit, Kraze Korlacki (http://www.krazearc.com) can hook you up with an affordable inverter unit that will work really well. I'm planning to buy one of his units for myself for Christmas. These machines can do it all, but they're TIG rather than wire feed. If you contact Kraze, tell him I sent you.
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My Elky Page (http://www.geocities.com/MotorCity/Strip/4523/ElkyPage.html)
"If they tell you it can't be done, prove 'em wrong!"
Chad Landry
TC Member #643
'68 El Camino

[This message has been edited by cjlandry (edited 07-06-2000).]

Check with your local welding supply shop the Lincoln or miller Migs (small hobby enthusiast size) are quite competitively priced and are great I'd prefer the fluxless core,gas type. also local guy might have a used unit at a bargain

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Philip Mullaly
72 TPI El Camino
"you did torque the caps right?"

Try B&R welding. they have great prices. I just bought a Hobart 135. I have a 110 Daytona Mig for sale, it is a 130 I think.

B&R's web site is http://brwelder.com. They are great guys and very helpful. Tell Bob that I sent you.

Jim Buckingham

Sorry, that should be http://www.brwelder.com

Jim buckingham

Look for a unit with infinite heat adjustment or more than 2 heat settings.
And get one for use with gas.

Just to note. The flux cored wire only comes in 0.030" or larger. That wire is really too thick to weld light steel with. It requires too much heat to properly weld. It will just work on the old Chevys since they were made with quite heavy steel, but it does require some patience to not make holes. Going to fluxless will get a smaller wire that should weld easier.

I have been thinking that I should try my welder with a variac to make the heat adjustable.

Peter

My neighbor is a body man, and he strongly suggested getting one that is fan-cooled. His mig at home is an old one without the fan, and he says he spends hours waiting for it to cool down so he can lay another bead.

I have a 220V Lincoln MIG welder. I love it! It has about 5 heat and 10 wire speed settings. There is also a chart inside the machine that tells you what settings to use for what guage steel. The system worked great for me. SP-170T is the model #. Make sure that you get the gas set-up. Seems to me that it is easier to use than the wire-feed welder with the flux coated wire.

thanks guys