OK, I just dropped off my '42 fender at a body guy here in town. He says it will take 4 hours to cut out and repair the small amount of rust. ($50 / hour) So, it is gonna cost me $200 to have it fixed. Now I feel like a skinny kid's *** on his first day in prison. I know I need to learn metal/body work. There is no future in this hobby if I have to pay $50 an hour. I'd rather spend that on tools and figure this stuff out. My head is spinning, I have read all the metal related posts, etc. So, I need to start with tools and supplies. What do I NEED? I have a small Lincoln weld-pac 100 welder. (110 wire feed, can switch to a mig, running coated wire now) I also have a Devilbiss Finishline 3 (I think it is a 3) Brand new, never out of the box. Ii have been told by body guys up here in WA to use DP-90 primer, so that is what I'll be shootin'. I have a jitterbug and 6 inch DA. What else do I need and where to get? (longboards, files, hammers, dollies, shot bags, etc, etc, etc) Anyone have any used stuff they want to get rid off? Can I buy **** at Harbor Freight and upgrade as my skills improve or do I need to buy good stuff now? HELP!
I think the first thing you should do is get yourself switched to gas on your welder that will improve the quality of your welds a ton. Also get a electric angle grinder( cheap ) and some cutting discs. If you have an air compressor thats decent pick up one of those cheap 1/4 " shank angle die grinders and throw a roloc setup on it for cleaning up your welds. The trick in with thinner sheet metal welding is to keep your in minimised. Don't do long p***es and let your wleds cool down by themselves. If you cool your **** down with water it will warp on you quick. be careful with grinder heat buildup too. Also pick up a set of aircraft shears right cut, left cut and straight. Those things are cheap and can do wonders. Just make sure all of your panels line up Very close and there arent any huge gaps. Get a few sanding blocks and and ***ortment of dowels and wierd shaped wood to used as sanding tools. A decent hammer and dolly set is also a must. as far as harbor freight goes you can proball get away with getting a lot of this stuff there but get a decent hammer and dolly set. My first one was from eastwood it had wood handles a case and everything was balanced well I think i paid 65 bucks for it. That stuff should get you started if you have any questions PM me.
I have a grinder and a compressor. I can add the bottle onto my welder and make it a wire feed mig, that should be easy. Lets break this down into 2 parts: What tools / supplies do I need to do metal shaping? (I have seen those oval hammer-thingys and the sand filler bag, etc... what to buy and where???) I need to shape because there is a lot of rust up here in WA. I need to make patch panels, etc. Number 2; paint / body- Do I need a longboard? How big? A Dura-Block? (more than one, what size) One of those flexy longboards with the rods in them? staight-line sander? What is a good "starter" ***ortment of sand paper / disks. I don't want to buy stuff I won't use or don't need, but I also don't want to set myself to fail by not having the right tooll for the job. Come on guys... I know there are TONS of you who do all your own paint and body. Help a brutha out!
i'm not gonna get into it here, but some HF stuff is ****, some is decent. FWIW i have several HF 4 1/2" grinders, when working i usually have about 3 of them laying around the work area, one with a cutoff wheel, one with a flap wheel, one with a hard wheel. saves a lot of time not having to change wheels, and i've yet to actually burn up one...and i actually use them. not every beginner can afford a $200 Metabo grinder.
Hf has lots of stuff a hobby body man can use, magnets to hold pieces for welding, clamping pliers, 4 1/2 " grinders etc. The trick is to look at each tool and decide what needs to be modified to make it work. I bought a pressure sandblaster on sale last year for $49.50 and thru away the air filter and substuted a better one also HF ($25.95) Next I plan to get a better nozzle ,I may end up with $125.00 in it and have a unit that others uould get double for.
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