Volvo RWD 200 Forum

I plan on cutting out the rusted sheet metal in the fenders, floor, and trunk. I want to weld new steel onto the car, grind the welds smooth and paint over. What gauge size and steel type should I use given that I have a Lincoln 120V MIG welder and some limited welding experience? I have a welding blanket to protect splatter. I have never attempted this sort of project before. Any tips are appreciated. Thanks!
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Michel Garcia - 1986 240 DL Manual Sedan - Ottawa, Canada

You may also want to google autobody repair or youtube to SEE how it is done.Good luck.For front fenders get good used at the bone yard.Refinish off of the car then install.Same with doors,1/4 panels is a different story.You need to not only cut the outer skin but also watch out that the INNER section has no rust also.This is where it gets tricky.

I'm ordinarily not a negative sort of person, but...

Are you planning on using the Lincoln Weld-Pak unit, as opposed to the commercial grade? Sheet metal is really hard to do with one of those Lincoln consumer units. It's hard to do, period. And you might not have the level of control you need with undersized equipment.

Also: I'd make darn sure the metal on your car isn't of the galvanized variety. You breathe zinc fumes from welding galvanized metal, you can die, simple as that. Destroys your liver and whatnot real quick.

Might be a lot better idea to replace the fenders, instead of trying to repair them. You'd still have to do some welding in the tail, but it would be a manageable amount.

2 cents worth of advice... from another amateur welder.

I have a Lincoln weld-pak unit with an autoweld gas bottle that does the job, but not the best of jobs. My car is probably pretty galvanized being shipped to the Canadian market. Brief reading on the 1986 model gives some insight. I am a little worried about the zinc as I have welded exhaust parts and it's nasty to breathe and does not give very nice results.

About the fenders, are they just tack welded so I can take them off with a chisel and hammer? Apart from my local scrapyard, is there a good online dealer for this sort of piece?
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Michel Garcia - 1986 240 DL Manual Sedan - Ottawa, Canada

You've probably practiced some already, and a MIG welder is the right machine for what you describe. Use shielding gas and solid wire rather than the flux core wire for thin sheet metal. 18-20 gauge sounds about right. I use scrap body steel from junk cars for free if it's around. Mild steel is what we're talking about.

For most of my repairs I cut out the bad metal and cut the patch bigger than the whole and do a lap joint. Bend and hammer the patch pieces to get them to fit flush against the edges of the whole you've made. I put the patch on from the back and tack it every inch or so. The tacks are easy to grind flush, and then I use bondo on the recessed patch. You can do butt seams if you want, and you can fill the whole edge of the patch with either technique, but go gradually to minimize warpage from heat build-up.

I'm self taught mostly, and I recommend having a look at some body work manuals for other approaches. There is no way around practicing to get good at this, but read up some, and get on the right track. It's very rewarding to have this skill under your belt.

Good Luck,
Steve

Thanks for the tips Steve, I'll give them a try.
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Michel Garcia - 1986 240 DL Manual Sedan - Ottawa, Canada

I've attended community colleges, and seen community collages. Body work is the ultimate expression of the ART of sheetmetal work. There is so much to know and learn about creep, shrinkage, warping, and other techniques and issues I think this is a very challenging place to start if you want satisfactory results. My recommendation if you are light on funding and would like to get your particular Volvo reskinned would indeed be taking a course at a community college. Bodywork will be about the last semester of a two year welding course. Good luck!

Try a high school or community collage body shop for info. They have done good work for me and at a very low price sometimes just for the price of materials.