Interested in learning about restoring classic cars? Well, you’ve come to the right place!
The folks over at Second Chance Garage have given us a step-by-step guide to choosing the right welder for the job:
Selecting the Right Welder for Classic Car Restoration Projects
What Welder To Use?
The most common welders used in auto restoration, therefore, are MIG (metal arc welders, gas or flux-cored), TIG (tungsten arc welders using shielding gas) and Arc Welders (the traditional “stick” electrode).
To choose the most appropriate one for your needs, you have to consider the following parameters:
* What is the maximum and minimum thickness of metal to be welded? Fortunately, automobiles use metals that fall into a relatively narrow range.
* What is the metal type? Again, automobiles generally are made of steel and, rarely, aluminum.
* What is the normal position the welding “head” will be put in? Do you need to do a lot of welding overhead? The answer is usually no here.
* How much current is available in your shop and do you have 220 volts? Check your circuits.
Let’s be frank. Our overwhelming favorite type of welder is the MIG. We’ll explain why shortly, but first we’ll give an overview of the other contenders. Here we go!