Welding Body Panels

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Gonna help a friend out with his '61 Bonneville.  It needs a new trunk floor and body mounts.  Tools on hand:XMT304 S22P12 with a Q300 gunHT PM45C25/C5/Straight CO2The Suitcase is loaded with .030 Lincoln .030 ER70S6.  Sold my Optima pendant, so no pulsing possible.  The body panels are reportedly 14 gauge or .070 thick.Question is, is .030 too much for the job?  Should I try and source some .023?  For the .023, I'll have to get some miller feed rollers and change my liner.  Will .023 work ok with a .030 tip and a .030-.045 liner in the gun for this noncritical application?  Should I use the C5 gas in short circuit mode for less heat input?Thanks.
Reply:Bumptious bump
Reply:Agree with above, and also as we call it  `get in and get out,  às quickly as possible, don`t dilly dally around as you ll cause too much heat and likely warp the panels.
Reply:The mig is better in my opinion because you can set up the welder to move somewhat fast to prevent warpage on thin material. I've seen tig used on body work but it takes a lot more skill to weld thin panels without warping them with a tig.
Reply:@ Drf255 - If you discover the panels are in fact true 14ga, you should be solid with using .030, ER70-S6, and C25 shielding.  If the panels turn out to be in the 18-20ga realm, would recommend burn-in using .023 with above wire and shielding.  18 ga and thinner, go with .023.  Would def match the gun tips if changing to .023, but your .030-.035 liner should be GTG.  Gut's telling me to rip the .023 setup. Test run your setup x 10 until you dial in your XMT/S22 combination.  Minimize HAZ, stitch-n-skip, use mag copper or aluminum backing plates, and vert downs.  You want this perfect bro Ref:  www.aws.org/w/a/wj/2002/03/feature/"Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Going .023.  Thanks to DynaSteve for lending me the rollers.  Sourced an 11# roll of ER70S6 on eBay for $25 shipped.  10 .023 Centerfire tips for $11Now I know I have a .023 liner somewhere for the Q300.  Gotta figure that out.
Reply:lots of clamping helps, butt weld clamps c-clamps etc. just remember to stitch it and only do a half inch at a time then quench. just finished the sheet metal on an old 68 c10.if you can step across it I can weld it.
Reply:Read this thread on The Garage Journal, member MP&C is an artist with patch panelshttp://www.garagejournal.com/forum/s...ad.php?t=53534MillerMatic 252, HTP 221 w/cooler, Hypertherm PM45, Lincoln IdealArc 250 AC/DC"I'd like to believe as many true things and as few false things as possible"
Reply:A few points I need help on.Ordered the .023-.030 liner late.  Not getting in time.  So I have the rollers, wire, tips and a .030-.045 liner for my Q300.   Any big issues with that? The job should allow me to keep my gun relatively straight.  The Miller calculator is recommending .030 wire for the thinnest steel choice on the calculator.  It doesn't give a choice for .023.  Would/will .030 work?A bit worried about the liner here.  Also, my plan is to lay the new panels in place on the existing trunk floor, then tack in place.  Gonna trace out a cut, then use my powermax to cut through both sheets (patch panel and existing floor) at the same time.  Purchased Eastwood body clamps (those little square boxes) and going to butt weld the panels.  The cut should give me a perfect fit with a 1/32" gap between panels.  Anyone see a problem in this approach?  A butt weld is the appropriate weld vs. a lap weld, correct?  A lap would be a lot easier, but it will leave a space with metal over metal under the car.  I feel that will eventually trap moisture and rot out.  Plan on POR15 over the welds under the car.Last edited by Drf255; 05-02-2014 at 05:22 AM.
Reply:@ Drf255 - dual stack cutting with plasma, truck floor, heat....please tell me the fuel cell will be out of the vehicle prior to any plasma action.  Check?  May want to cut out the OLD floor panel first, then transfer geometry to the NEW floor panel.  The two-for-one cutting approach is limiting.  You want tight/perfect fitup between the trunk structure and NEW floor panel.  Would also be using cutoff wheel & grinder for final fitup.  Take your time with the fitup and you'll be set for MIG burn-in.Last edited by ManoKai; 05-02-2014 at 06:24 AM."Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Remove the gas tank with the explosive gases that's directly under the area I'm going to plasma cut and weld on (with possible hot wire slip through and arcing directly on to tank)?Why?
Reply:Just got the liner today.  Got the tips.  GTG
Reply:Hi   14 ga. seems way thick for floor pans.  I'm putting a trunk floor in my 67 goat and the pans are about 19 ga.  Got them from Performance Years.   They deal in Pontiac only parts.  Using .023 wire and c25.  Google something like Install Trunk Floor and a ton of sights and videos will appear.  Might give you some ideas to make your job simpler.  Not doubting your skill or anything like that,  only offering a suggestion.
Reply:They are 19 gauge.  A lot of fiberglass in there from a prior cheeseball repair. Cut most out.  Bending panels.  Filled in supports with mig and copper backer.
Reply:Some of my joints are forced to be laps.  For the entire pan, would you weld all the panels 100%, or skip around with enough tack welds and leave it?I'm gonna hit it with 3M seam sealer on all joints and 3M undercoating when complete.
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Reply:@ Drf255 - see link at post #6.  Skip -n- Stitch.  Full embedment.  No gaps.  Hit me if you have any questions bro "Discovery is to see what everybody else has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought" - Albert Szent-Gyorgyi
Reply:Thanks Kai
Reply:.023 would be great but I just did it a few weeks ago with .030 flux core without problems. HH140---------------------------https://www.facebook.com/brandon.pike.9
Reply:Got it done.  Man, it's a ton of work with all the skipping around.  I'm covered in seam sealer and undercoating. Got a few great shots of my nephew doing some of the mig welding on the spare tire mount.Didn't take any final pics and the inside still needs to be dressed.