Gun parts breakdown?

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Hi Folks,     I am new to your forum and see a lot of great information for a novice like me. I did gas and stick welding in high school (1968) and a little over the last 10 years as well. I bought a mig machine in about the late 80"s and have been using flux wire. I now want to use Argon CO2 mix and .030 wire for welding body panels on a 55 Chevy Bel Air I am restoring. My machine is a Mig Mate Super. I bought it from Sams Wholesale. It still feeds the wire fine but the nozzle is broken. Can I still get the quality I want with out the nozzle, if I stay out of the wind? Where can I find a good breakdown of some of the guns available now? Thanks MUCH for the info. you have already given me and I will appreciate any info. or comments.Ken
Reply:Howdy Howdy!  A nozzle and diffuser are neccesary for mig welding with gas and solid wire.  Can you post a picture of your mig gun?  perhaps we can help you get the right parts.  The edge of the nozzle and the edge of the tip should be about flush for short-circuit transfer I believe.  For your sheet metal repair patches and such, it would be good to get the smaller .024 wire, prevent as many burn throughs.  You can put a backing bar of copper plate behind the sheet metal to absorb excess heat and prevent burn through.  also, very short bursts of tack welds seem to work the best for everyone, then stitch them together to form a stitched seam.  Sand em down and away you go   If you stitch a tack every 6" or so at first, then down to 3" and each time cut the distances in half, and while doing so, work in a star pattern like tightening wheel lug nuts.  This will help prevent warping.  My own experiences are 3 seconds of tack weld for each stitch.  I purge the gas often though, so regular air doesn't bleed into the line too much between stitches through the open end of the nozzle.  I hope this helps some.  Brian Lee  Sparkeee24
Reply:Thanks Brian,This is exactly what I was needing. I will get some pictures in the next few days. I have never posted pictures here. Where can I find the instructions?.I sure appreciate the help.Ken