Job for an amatuer???

[tamson]

Hi there nice to meet you all. Been working on my van for a while, rebuilt the engine last year, got it through its mot and ran it for the year without a hiccup but now I’ve reached a bit of a problem. I knew the bodywork wasn’t great but after a bit of poking around I’ve kicked up a real sh*t storm in that the mot has ran out and my van is stuck in the back yard with lots of rusty holes in it! So ive got two choices, book it in for some professional tlc (in an ideal world = ££££) or try and tackle the work myself. Although I don’t have any welding or bodywork experience I’ve got bags of enthusiasm and I’ve been trawling the excellent threads on this forum for a good while now looking for tips and inspiration. I’ve stuck some photos up to show the extent of the working needing done and so someone can maybe offer some advice, point me in the right direction or tell me I’m crazy before I take an angle grinder to my pride and joy! Cheers

[jamesc76]

If you want to se how bad things can get once you start cutting search my threads I did tons of welding on mine last year (theres a few other good welding threads) If you want to have a go great but do you have a mig welder ???

[Plasticman]

He says he's got lots of enthusiasm james dont know about t'mig though, it dont look that bad really
mike

[pierce]

I would say if you can afford to pay to get the work done, then do that, it will be less stressful and you will be back on the road much sooner.

But doing it yourself will be rewarding; you will need to learn how to weld if you can't already but also you will need to fabricate some of the panels, which is as difficult as welding. I am suprised at how long mine is taking to do it properly.

I would give it a go, but just do a small section first, so if you need to you can drive it somewhere.

Where are you based?

[tamson]

Based up in Newcastle. Planning on buying a clarke pro 90 and a sheet of steel to practise on first. Found a really useful website, aptly named mig-welding.com. Yeh I was thinking about having a go at the front panel first as it looks like a simpler job than the rear arches, but dont worry I am under no illusions.

[tamson]

I'm sure the rear panel was still available not to long ago if you mean the one below , not sure of supplier

Does anyone know what this book is called? looks very useful!

[pierce]

Cool, its always good to learn new things, sure you will have fun .
I have just started mine too, I had welded before years ago during my apprentichip (although you wouldn't think it to look at some of the holes in my test pieces). I find it a bit frustrating that it takes me forever to do the simplest of tasks, like cutting and bending a bit of plate to the right shape I also seem to spend hours just staring at the van without actually doing anything, but I am still enjoying it lots

[jamesc76]

Based up in Newcastle. Planning on buying a clarke pro 90 and a sheet of steel to practise on first. Found a really useful website, aptly named mig-welding.com. Yeh I was thinking about having a go at the front panel first as it looks like a simpler job than the rear arches, but dont worry I am under no illusions.

Front is rather hard due to angles to get it to clean it all up! As for practice get some small sections of sheet metal (easy to cut to size after ). Then go down a scrap yard and buy a rust door off anything, then repair that! It will make you realize how and what to do on the real thing then, welding new steel to new is easy!

[Jonnyb416]

Thats a great tip about getting an old rusty door and repairing it. I am attempting my first ever weld tomorrow (age 30) and was going to weld fresh to fresh metal but I will use that tip now. TA, Jon.

[mm289]

Can't remember if this is on the wiki but there is a really useful thread on retro rides about fabricating your own panels, link is here http://retrorides.proboards.com/index.c ... read=70135

Also one about painting from the same chap for those of you not into rollering

MM

[langb20]

I was in the same situation 5 years ago, mine is now a bit like trigger's broom - three new handles and 5 new heads (practically every panel)
practice makes perfect when it comes to welding, defo a good idea to try welding on rust (watch the spatter! - correct PPE)
I started out with flux core mig, was amazed at how much better gas mig is - but only if there's no wind! (I have a cosmo 90, it's enough to do what you need on a van - thin panels mostly, just)
one tip is to definitely avoid too much heat buildup, best to take your time doing LOTS of tacks than just gun-ho seams 'cos it feels good (my rear arch panel can vouch for that! ripple ripple)
I would say steps are probably easy enough place to start as the metal is a bit thicker which is easier to weld
Must admit I have left the lower front panel till absolute last, dreading it, so fiddly with the way the bumper curls up and gets in the way of my grinder (115mm - too small) and I haven't begun to think about welding in the new one!

so much fun and definitely that sense of pure pride when you finish the job and you know it's done right. Ok i'm not a perfectionist, but I know what others mean when tackling some random bit of metal, shaping it, measuring it, shaping it some more and then you check your watch and hours have flown by and the mrs is booming down the phone... yer food's ready, leave that rust heap alone and spend some time with me instead!
all worth it in the end when you can get out and about camping again
good luck

there are loads of likeminded peeps on here with some good threads on re-builds with plenty of pics so have a search, hopefully someone close to you can give a bit more advice 'in the flesh' persay, but rule of thumb is be realistic, imagine how long a job may take, double it, double it again and then add a bit more on to be safe

[tamson]

Thats an idea, Ive got an old 205 I could practise on! Yeh excited to get started, my boss has kindly agreed to let me do some work in the factory on an evening as long as I promise not to burn it down. Got lots of metal working tools there which will come in handy for cutting/bending panels etc. What guage of steel should I be using, Is 1mm to thick as Ive got a sheet of that at work?

[jamesc76]

1mm is fine for general body work. welding is one of those jobs that you do as much by eye as by sound, it should sound like bacon frying when its right. I have been welding on and off for years and still remember how bad I was at first, but as I put before I got a scrap door and with some help of a welder at work I got better and better, the best bit about a door is there are loads of different angles and radius' to have a go at, even if its not rusty cut different bits out and have a go at making your own panels it will boost your skills and confidence to then attack your van!

I use 0.6 mm mig wire in a 110amp machine, and I use pub co2 as the inert gas!

[pierce]

Thats a great tip, practicing on a car door. will be getting one myself this weekend.

Do you just get your pub gas off a freindly landlord or is there a company selling it?

[AdrianC]

Thats an idea, Ive got an old 205 I could practise on!

A T25 is made of much, much sterner stuff than a 205... You can flex the roof/bonnet etc on our 205 just by washing it. It really is made out of tinfoil compared - which is probably why it weighs about a third of the VW...

But what that'll mean in practice is that the 205 tin will be a LOT more difficult to weld - you'll blow holes everywhere. If you're trying to learn, I'd stick to something similar to what you're going to be doing for real.