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- Mar 10, 2009
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hey chaps!!
My Maverick MOT has run out, and now the car is sat in the back looking sorry for itself. I know for a fact it will fail-due to the front cross member being rusted (the bit where the bumper bolts slot through)
anyhoo, I figure I have a few choices-give in and sell it as is spares or repairs. Buy a welder, learn welding, and fix it myself. Take it to a garage and have it repaired and MOT'd.
so, I figure its pointless trying to get it through an MOT before fixing it. I wonder if I am better off buying a welding machine, and learning. I have to weld new steel to the front cross member section where the bumper bolts slot through. I also need to both sills, possibly inner, definately outer. I MIGHT also need to do the drivers rear seatbelt mount. NOTHING on the car is majorly bad apart from the front cross member bit-its obvious and ownt be missed by an MOT'er.
anyhoo, with that in mind, if I go for the DIY job, I figured buying a used welder is the way to go. I saw a Clarke EasiArc on ebay pretty cheap, but then I wasnt sure what type of welder id be better with. I would be needing to weld new steel onto both inner sills, crossmember and rear arch and i would need to weld on some box section to both outer sills. What sort of welder is suitable for this, what is the lowest amps i need, and what sort of thickness steel would i be using for those sorts of jobs?
I just need to get my head organised so i can decide what to do, as there is nothing worse than stuff sitting there.
hope you can help!:bow
My Maverick MOT has run out, and now the car is sat in the back looking sorry for itself. I know for a fact it will fail-due to the front cross member being rusted (the bit where the bumper bolts slot through)
anyhoo, I figure I have a few choices-give in and sell it as is spares or repairs. Buy a welder, learn welding, and fix it myself. Take it to a garage and have it repaired and MOT'd.
so, I figure its pointless trying to get it through an MOT before fixing it. I wonder if I am better off buying a welding machine, and learning. I have to weld new steel to the front cross member section where the bumper bolts slot through. I also need to both sills, possibly inner, definately outer. I MIGHT also need to do the drivers rear seatbelt mount. NOTHING on the car is majorly bad apart from the front cross member bit-its obvious and ownt be missed by an MOT'er.
anyhoo, with that in mind, if I go for the DIY job, I figured buying a used welder is the way to go. I saw a Clarke EasiArc on ebay pretty cheap, but then I wasnt sure what type of welder id be better with. I would be needing to weld new steel onto both inner sills, crossmember and rear arch and i would need to weld on some box section to both outer sills. What sort of welder is suitable for this, what is the lowest amps i need, and what sort of thickness steel would i be using for those sorts of jobs?
I just need to get my head organised so i can decide what to do, as there is nothing worse than stuff sitting there.
hope you can help!:bow