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)

[mb911]

Ok I have to pipe up a little bit here as I do this for a living.

A: no lap joint is acceptable on a 1/4, floor pan or any where where moisture can get trapped. The floor pan is a lap joint onto the longs and look what happened from the factory

B: flux core is a good solution for many welding applications. NR211 is used as a normal construction filler within the Iron workers on the west coast for structural. That said they are using high end power sources to achieve high quality earthquake code welds.

C: patch panels in a floor are completely acceptable for CSOBs and I have done that before myself but ultimately it takes more time

D: MIG or proper term in the US would be GMAW or MAG in Europe requires the least skill for the average car person. GTAW is way harder to do correctly but requires much less grinding and blending

E: to control warping and oil canning just use small tacks and skip all around. Also use your hand with a glove on to absorb some of the heat from the weld area (HAZ) using a wiping motion. You can also use a damp rag or air nozzle for sheet metal repairs. This should never be done on a structural weld(only let air cool )


Here is a demo weld I did the other day for a reference weld for you TIG welders