I need to purchase a MIG welder, just for working on the Ford. Panel patches, new floorboards, rockers.....etc. I need a CHEAP, but good enough welder for the job. I guess I need a 110v flux core machine? Any recommendations? Anyone using a Harbor Freight unit?
Do it once, do it right! The welder will be around long after your Customline is gone. The 110v will disappoint you. Go with a 220v. If you go new expect to spend $1000-$1500, used, about half that. If going new, Paypal credit will let you make payments without interest. Check CL or Facebook Marketplace for used. Talk to local welding suppliers. Sometimes they have floor models cheaper. Miller, Lincoln, Hobart are good ones. Don't expect HF to last very long. A lot of people like the Miller 212 unit. I'm using a Hobart Ironman 210 that I got off of CL for $700 complete. Got it from a local welding supplier that closed down, it was one of their floor models. I also got a Lincoln 110 off Ebay for easy sheet metal work that I'm not happy with. Not enough power! I rarely use it now.
I bought an Eastwood. Better than HB in my opinion but certainly not a Miller or Lincoln. I would stay away from 110 and go with 220 if possible no matter who you go with.
Harbor Freight has added a new line of upgraded welders with more quality than the cheap Chicago Electric units which have a shorter duty cycle maybe this might fit the budget and take care of welding primarily sheet metal. https://www.harborfreight.com/easy-flux-125-amp-welder-56355.html Check out the video and see.
Be aware of the 120V Lincoln MIGs. There are two versions. The cheap one they sold at Home Depot etc. (The one I got at a yard sale) The nice one they sold at welding supply stores. (The one I should have bought) Easiest way to tell the cheap one is plastic rollers etc. on the wire feed. Good one has all metal.
The one in the link is a flux core rather than mig. You can still get decent weld strength but its more messy than mig.
You certainly don't need a 240V welder for sheet metal, but getting one that can use gas instead of flux core wire is well worth it.
Yes, flux core is messy and requires you to clean off the slag before adding another weld but in the end you grind the weld down just like a mig weld and can't tell the difference.
The flux core weld has flux covering similar to a stick rod, but as Dos Cincos mentioned, it is removed anyway if your grinding the weld down.
Flux core would be extremely difficult to handle the sheet metal on these cars - you will need a higher heat setting because of the gauge wire you will use and the splatter will be horrible. Go the MIG route and get a gas bottle with the Argon/CO2 mix - you can't beat it. I too purchased that cheap Eastwood welder - for guys like us that only weld every so often I think it is a good compromise between price/value. Here is a link to my personal website that contain all of my posts and work with this machine. https://www.hotrodreverend.com/blog/categories/paint-and-body
I too bought an Eastwood mig welder, it runs on 220V and I believe it is a MIG175. I found a coupon online and the price was reasonable. So far it has done everything I have asked it to and have welded sheet metal using .023 wire with good results. Also ran some thicker metal ( .125) with .030 wire and worked for that well too. I am not an expert welder, took a couple cl***es at local community college so just an opinion. Had a cheap Century mig welder, 110V and it did very well with thin metal but found myself running it nearly maxed out much of the time if I tried to do thicker material. Argon/Co2 gas is what I use. Look on youtube for a guy called Fitzees fabrication, he has a great tutorial on setting up a 110V mig welder and several more great how to videos on welding all parts of car bodies from fenders to floors and all he ever uses is a 110V machine. He has been doing it for more than 30 years.
Fitzee has a lot of really good, down-to-earth videos -- https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6JPmJ_aicru8XPWr3EvJnw
Im looking at doing floorpan replacement and for the best "bang for the buck" got this ***anium flux welder from H.F... After looking at all the positive YouTube & product reviews, I decided what the hell...just research what's good for your application and wallet.
Just want to throw in my 2 cents. I agree if you have the money I would buy a 220 quality mig such as Miller or Lincoln. However if you are just doing body panels you don’t need a 220. A 110 works fine. I have a Miller 130 I bought over 25 years ago. It still works great today for body panels. I would love to buy a new one but I just can’t justify it since this one works great. Also, a buddy of mine bought a 110 from Eastwood a year ago and it works fine on body panels. As mentioned previously it’s no Miller or Lincoln but it does a good job. BTW, I built a rotisserie using my 110v Miller. I did it by heating the weld joint up with my torches before I made the weld. Yes it was an extra step but I didn’t need to spend the money on a 220 welder. It comes down to what you need, your budget, and how bad you want it. If all you are going to weld are panels the 110 works great. If you have the money to spend, then by all means get the best quality 220. I sure do like the new Miller migs but I also want to get a Vintage Air system for my 56. I’m going to keep my old Miller and get the vintage air. Wish my wife made more money so I could have it all. Ha!
I ended up getting a cheap Chicago Electric (harbor freight) 170 MIG. I paid $100 for it from Facebook marketplace. It uses flux core or gas, 220 v. I’m in the process of getting gas for it.
Harbor Freight Chicago welders usually have a shorter duty cycle so don't try to do too much at once the one thing to keep in mind is you will get better performance if you don't use Harbor's wire so look this over https://weldguru.com/best-mig-wire/
Yep, agreed. I have the Harbor Freight 220 180 amp. I've never used a miller or Lincoln, so with that said I just love the HF model. Also agree, don't even try the flux core, and for sure a quality wire such as Lincoln (Home Depot?) is sooooo much better. I threw away the HF wire that came with it. Never saw a good weld from anybody using flux core. I welded up my transmission cross-member using 1/4" steel and got a great weld. BTW, in case you were not aware, all houses have capability of 220 even if it's currently not configured as such. No additional lines required running to the house from the source lines in almost all cases. I was lucky, my garage when I got the house was not only wired for HD 120, but also 3 phase 220. Almost non-existant in a residence. One benefit of buying a house that was previously the tract builder's home.
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