Welding advice, Can a cheap flux welder do what I need? Options

[Deusexmachina77]

I have to weld in a new front trunk pan replacing the hole left from an AC unit. I have taken two MIG classes. Beside being a newbie, I have other limitations to consider.

I don’t have access to a 220 line.
I’m inexperienced.
It would cost me $1000 to have it professionally done. And I don’t want to buy a bunch of equipment for one job.

Can I use a flux welder? There a couple cheap units at Harbor Freight (under $150) on sale right now. What don’t I know that I should know?

Thanks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/welder.gif)

[MikeK]

There's no shame in a lap weld if the joint is prepared properly. You could do a very clear repair if the replacement panel is joggled at the edges and fits the opening properly. Spend extra time during fitting to ensure it looks correct. Prep the lapped areas with a weld-thru primer, clean your plug weld holes and burn it in. With a 100V machine, you will likely have to crank that welder up as high as it will go to get a clean, flat weld.

With your skill set, this would give you a better looking repair than trying to fit a complex panel to the car with little to no gap and trying to MIG it in. Clean up any weld thru primer overspray, brush or spray on some epoxy primer, seam seal top and bottom and you'll have a repair better than most.

Other than for authenticities sake, to make the weld disappear and have it appear that no work was done, I would do it the way I described. A MIG weld on a butt joint is about the worst tool you can possibly use for sheet metal repairs, other than chassis work. External panels to be finished: TIG or OA with little to no filler rod.