anyone in ct with a welder?

[sirtokesalot]

 i was curious if anyone here was from ct has a welder and would be willing to help me fix some holes in my car. i don't need anything pretty just want the holes covered up so the car wont fall apart. i have holes up around the rear strut towers i will remove the suspension stuff so you can weld in there but i do not know how to weld never tried nor know anyone with one.

[Bushwick]

Best bet is the phone book. But be warned, the quotes you'll get will be stupid expensive. I once had a seam on a strut tower where it met the frame rail and it had rusted behind the seam filler. Talking like a 5" seam that needed welded up. Best quote was $250. Worst quote was like $500+ tax. The best quote was an actual welding place that did heavy duty stuff. Worse quote was a mechanic. Other quotes were in the $300+ range. Ended up getting an arc welder at Harbor Freight for $150, plus another $35 for an eye shield and welding sticks. Thinnest sticks were tricky as they could easily blow holes in the metal but it at least worked and I can fix metal stuff now. Ideally, you'd want to use a mig welder or possibly a tig welder for thinner stuff, and small 120v stuff can be had used for roughly $250-$350. Can get thin sheet steel in small sections at Lowes for under $10. Harbor Freight also sells an inexpensive mig welder that seems to get OK reviews and is in the same price range as the arc welder I got. Is it a Lincoln Welder? NO. But for small jobs it'll work. Can get get the gas and sticks pretty cheap, or go with gasless sticks (I'd suggest this and buy some small metal sheets and practice).

 

I realize this probably isn't what you wanted to hear, but between you tube videos on welding and some practice on blank sheets, you can do it yourself for way less than a shop will run to do all the work you'll be needing to do. Unless you have a friend that's good at it and willing to cut you some deal, or willing to trade his welding for skill, it'll be pricey. And if you are willing to try something new, you'll be able to fix smaller things in the future or turn around and sell the unit at loss but at least be less in the hole than you started.

[DaveT]

The thinner the metal,the more skill is required. 1/4" and up is pretty easy to learn on. 1/8" took more practice. Thinner gets pretty challenging for beginners. 1/16 and under is still a challenge. I also found that the cheap welders made it more difficult. The importance of good fit up and clean metal goes up as the work gets thinner. The position also matters, flat welding from the top is the easiest, vertical and from underneath are more challenge.

[sirtokesalot]

well my plan is if i dont find someone to weld it up cheap enough im going to get me a fiberglass kit and clean the area up and fiberglass the holes shut.