[RallyBob]

I didn’t know that tig welders cost that much

I might have to look on facebook marketplace.

My friend just bought one of these, even though he doesn’t TIG weld much. It seems pretty decent for the money.

He used to have an Eastwood TIG which worked okay, but was kinda crappy to use on thin sheetmetal (I used it way more than he did).

He actually bought the new TIG just so
I could use it to weld rust repairs and the rollcage in his new (to him) R32 Skyline GTR project car. He lives 2.5 hours away from me and my TIG weighs about 700 lbs so…

 

[MattsAwesomeStuff]

There's lots of ways to go on a welder.

The cheaper you go, the sooner you'll want to replace the machine. If you've decided to become a career welder then... ehn, even then, you're 14, buy the cheapest POS you can.

My usual mantra is to buy the cheapest tool that still looks like it'll work 3 times. There is a quality of tool that will literally break before you've used it 3 times, those are just a waste of money that are more or less scams. I shattered a ratcheting screwdriver the other day, by hand, tightening up some screws on a coffee table. Shattered the cheap mechanism. Should never have bought anything that terrible (bought it for a friend, and I figured most of the time she'd be asking for help anyways and I'd probably bring my own tools). But a step up from that is just a cheap tool, which is what almost everyone will want and use. The cheap tool will teach you what you don't like about that cheap tool, it will let you find out what kinds of things you care about and don't care about, so that if you do want to get a nicer tool in the future, you'll know which one to get with which features. And cheap tools are usually 10% the cost of good tools, so, even if you completely waste your money on the cheap one, it's only a 10% mistake. Compare that versus the "buy once cry once" always buying the nice tool, you'll never know whether you would've been fine with the cheap one. You lose almost every time.

Another way of putting it... would you rather own 10x as many crappy tools that work okay, or 1/10th as many tools that will last you a lifetime? It's only 10% extra to have both if you're wrong every time, and 90% savings if you end up not needing both. So, you come out ahead if even 1/10 tools was okay to buy cheap.

It's really hard to beat a cheap fluxcore welder. It's an awful machine for welding sheet metal, it's hard, it wants to burn through or not at all, but it's doable. It takes some extra prep and a dolly (copper slab you hold against the opposite side to soak up extra heat) if you want it to look nice, but it can be done. I merged two whole GTs together with my flux core. I've used MIG, I've used Stick, I've used TIG, i've used laser welders, spot welders, etc. I'm cheap so I use the flux core welder.

You'll hear advice like "Oh that's just a cheap POS you'll be selling for $40 after a few months". Well, if that's true, then look for the person who bought it and is selling it for $40 after a months and buy it from them. They're not really out there.

I say buy the cheapest flux core welder you can find, and then buy the cheapest auto-darkening welding helmet you can find (probably $40), an old leather jacket from a thrift store ($10), and some gloves.

...

Option B, if you have time at home for projects but you don't have extra money... I can tell you how to build a flux core welder from 2 broken microwaves, a junk nicad drill (with dead batteries), the brake lines from a bicycle, and a few bits of scrap material you probably have lying around. For nearly free, using almost no tools. Probably will take you a Saturday or a weekend.

 

[gt alex]

Love the barn find write up. This is the welder I got about a year ago. I got it cheap doing a pre-order at a welding supply shop that had run out of stock because of covid shipping delays. So I am now the proud owner of a baby TIG.

 

[Young Gt Lover]

There's lots of ways to go on a welder.

The cheaper you go, the sooner you'll want to replace the machine. If you've decided to become a career welder then... ehn, even then, you're 14, buy the cheapest POS you can.

My usual mantra is to buy the cheapest tool that still looks like it'll work 3 times. There is a quality of tool that will literally break before you've used it 3 times, those are just a waste of money that are more or less scams. I shattered a ratcheting screwdriver the other day, by hand, tightening up some screws on a coffee table. Shattered the cheap mechanism. Should never have bought anything that terrible (bought it for a friend, and I figured most of the time she'd be asking for help anyways and I'd probably bring my own tools). But a step up from that is just a cheap tool, which is what almost everyone will want and use. The cheap tool will teach you what you don't like about that cheap tool, it will let you find out what kinds of things you care about and don't care about, so that if you do want to get a nicer tool in the future, you'll know which one to get with which features. And cheap tools are usually 10% the cost of good tools, so, even if you completely waste your money on the cheap one, it's only a 10% mistake. Compare that versus the "buy once cry once" always buying the nice tool, you'll never know whether you would've been fine with the cheap one. You lose almost every time.

Another way of putting it... would you rather own 10x as many crappy tools that work okay, or 1/10th as many tools that will last you a lifetime? It's only 10% extra to have both if you're wrong every time, and 90% savings if you end up not needing both. So, you come out ahead if even 1/10 tools was okay to buy cheap.

It's really hard to beat a cheap fluxcore welder. It's an awful machine for welding sheet metal, it's hard, it wants to burn through or not at all, but it's doable. It takes some extra prep and a dolly (copper slab you hold against the opposite side to soak up extra heat) if you want it to look nice, but it can be done. I merged two whole GTs together with my flux core. I've used MIG, I've used Stick, I've used TIG, i've used laser welders, spot welders, etc. I'm cheap so I use the flux core welder.

You'll hear advice like "Oh that's just a cheap POS you'll be selling for $40 after a few months". Well, if that's true, then look for the person who bought it and is selling it for $40 after a months and buy it from them. They're not really out there.

I say buy the cheapest flux core welder you can find, and then buy the cheapest auto-darkening welding helmet you can find (probably $40), an old leather jacket from a thrift store ($10), and some gloves.

...

Option B, if you have time at home for projects but you don't have extra money... I can tell you how to build a flux core welder from 2 broken microwaves, a junk nicad drill (with dead batteries), the brake lines from a bicycle, and a few bits of scrap material you probably have lying around. For nearly free, using almost no tools. Probably will take you a Saturday or a weekend.

I will have to look on marketplace. My grandpa has a cheap auto darkening helmet that is awesome.

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Here is the finished exhaust video!

 

[rrossjr]

Here is the finished exhaust video!

Very nice exhaust note. Good job!

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Here is a driving video:

 

[rrossjr]

Nice video. Glad you are starting to have fun with the car. What's going on with your oil pressure gauge?

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Nice video. Glad you are starting to have fun with the car. What's going on with your oil pressure gauge?
View attachment 444254

I isn’t working right. That is why we are going to put a regular oil pressure gauge In the clock spot.

 

[Knorm65]

I isn’t working right. That is why we are going to put a regular oil pressure gauge In the clock spot.

Don’t be so quick to do that. You probably just have loose or damaged wires at the sender near the exhaust. It will read maxed out if a bare spot on one of those wires touches metal

 

[terrylewisac]

I also noticed the tack/rpm gauge not working

 

[Young Gt Lover]

I also noticed the tack/rpm gauge not working

We are having lots of problems with that. We think it isnot getting a good ground because the fuel gauge is all over the place too. That is why we were going to take the dash out to fix the dash and the tach.

 

[First opel 1981]

We are having lots of problems with that. We think it isnot getting a good ground because the fuel gauge is all over the place too. That is why we were going to take the dash out to fix the dash and the tach.

Could be a bad engine to frame ground if your ground cable from the battery is connected to the engine.

 

[Young Gt Lover]

Could be a bad engine to frame ground if your ground cable from the battery is connected to the engine.

That is what we were thinking. Next time we work on the GT we will try and figure the ground out.

 

[wilderbry]

I saw your old post and I gotta say kid I admire your enthusiasm and miss my youth. If your sill looking for a welder that is easy to use and CHEAP, do what I do. Use the Harbor Freight flux core wire welder 110V. Super simple to use, works GREAT for body panels, I use 18 - 22g shelving from my local scrap yard for my steel source. I use a 30" hand brake mounted to my work bench for the bends, also Harbor Freight. For making some of the curves, use various size metal pipe as a base and tap the metal into shape using a mallet. For tighter bends, use a smaller pipe and a metal hammer. You will get the hang of it in no time. YOU DO NOT NEED FANCY TOOLS, I have them available, but always go back to the old basics. Been doing this kind of work now for over 50 years and I still use my 110V Harbor Freight $99.00 welder more than my $3000.00 220V Lincoln. ( I bought the HF welder in 1990 and got a new one in 2015 so price is higher now) Don't have to worry about the gas running out, or the giant thing to move around all the junk laying on the floor. Just pick it up, plug into any outlet even long extension cords, and get welding. Here is one of my GT's with side pipes and the pipes removed. The glass packs are welded inside the tubes and they mount to the factory jack tubes. The flex pipe mounts to the header pipe. The side pipes are upside down on the jack stands. I was selling some rims, but you can see the pipes on the car. 2-1/4" dia pipe so they are proportioned to the car, muffler shop made the bends and sold me the pipe total cost was less than $75.00 including glass packs. I cut the pipe and welded to shape using a saws all and welded with the Harbor Freight welder. (( Yes EQUAL sound out both sides, NO the exhaust is NOT restricted, NO it does not hang low and the cross pipe is between the bell housing and the transmission. YES the pipe from the header to the final bend before it goes out the side of the car is wrapped with insulation. Yes it will burn your leg if your not careful getting out of the car. (this is for others, not you younggt) )) KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK YOUNGGT !!!!!

 

[Young Gt Lover]

I saw your old post and I gotta say kid I admire your enthusiasm and miss my youth. If your sill looking for a welder that is easy to use and CHEAP, do what I do. Use the Harbor Freight flux core wire welder 110V. Super simple to use, works GREAT for body panels, I use 18 - 22g shelving from my local scrap yard for my steel source. I use a 30" hand brake mounted to my work bench for the bends, also Harbor Freight. For making some of the curves, use various size metal pipe as a base and tap the metal into shape using a mallet. For tighter bends, use a smaller pipe and a metal hammer. You will get the hang of it in no time. YOU DO NOT NEED FANCY TOOLS, I have them available, but always go back to the old basics. Been doing this kind of work now for over 50 years and I still use my 110V Harbor Freight $99.00 welder more than my $3000.00 220V Lincoln. ( I bought the HF welder in 1990 and got a new one in 2015 so price is higher now) Don't have to worry about the gas running out, or the giant thing to move around all the junk laying on the floor. Just pick it up, plug into any outlet even long extension cords, and get welding. Here is one of my GT's with side pipes and the pipes removed. The glass packs are welded inside the tubes and they mount to the factory jack tubes. The flex pipe mounts to the header pipe. The side pipes are upside down on the jack stands. I was selling some rims, but you can see the pipes on the car. 2-1/4" dia pipe so they are proportioned to the car, muffler shop made the bends and sold me the pipe total cost was less than $75.00 including glass packs. I cut the pipe and welded to shape using a saws all and welded with the Harbor Freight welder. (( Yes EQUAL sound out both sides, NO the exhaust is NOT restricted, NO it does not hang low and the cross pipe is between the bell housing and the transmission. YES the pipe from the header to the final bend before it goes out the side of the car is wrapped with insulation. Yes it will burn your leg if your not careful getting out of the car. (this is for others, not you younggt) )) KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK YOUNGGT !!!!!

That is really awesome! My grandpa has a good welder from harbor freight that I use. At my house we don’t have any room since we have dirt bike and we don’t have a barn. So I just weld when I go to my grandparent’s house to work on the opel. Those side pipes are pretty awesome! Do you have a video of what they sound like?

 

[wilderbry]

That is really awesome! My grandpa has a good welder from harbor freight that I use. At my house we don’t have any room since we have dirt bike and we don’t have a barn. So I just weld when I go to my grandparent’s house to work on the opel. Those side pipes are pretty awesome! Do you have a video of what they sound like?

No i don't have any video's to be honest, I would not know how to make one. I'll ask my son next time he comes over to see if he can make one. He has a son that loves that "red car" so I let my my son keep the car. We take the opel's and my VW's to car shows together. My grandson likes to take the girls at the shows to see his "race car" he is 8 yrs old. I am currently finishing up a full restore on a 73. I have never done upholstery before and I have made all the panels, headliner, rear vinyl, and just finished up the passenger seat tonight. Still have to make the Driver seat cover yet. I am using Marine Grade Vinyl which is thicker and softer than stock and has a look and feel like leather. You seam like a person who will take on and learn from your projects. I am glad to see someone of your age take an interest in these cars!! I am 60 and it was my first car when I was 15. PS: Loose wires or a faulty oil pressure sender will make your oil pressure gauge act goofy. As someone mentioned before, make sure you have a ground strap going from the engine to the body and it is not rusted. beside the brake master cylinder and behind the driver headlight is a group of ground wires to the body. Your fuse box bolts and steering column bolts have ground wires that must be cleaned. Bad chassis grounds are a big problem on GT's. Everything and I mean everything on a GT has a separate ground wire on it. OGTS has a lot of free literature to download on their website. It will be very helpful for you. Before you get rid of that clock, just check the connections on the oil pressure sender, and the condition of the wires. It is a bit hard to get to. If you take the white cover off of the clock, you can very carefully file the set of points inside the clock and you may be surprised to see that clock come back to life. Just be very careful as it is actually a spring wound clock. Those contacts are for a solenoid that winds the spring every 60-90 seconds. I like your videos, very honest and open about everything your going thru on your GT. Keep it up !! I like the sound of your custom exhaust.

 

[Young Gt Lover]

No i don't have any video's to be honest, I would not know how to make one. I'll ask my son next time he comes over to see if he can make one. He has a son that loves that "red car" so I let my my son keep the car. We take the opel's and my VW's to car shows together. My grandson likes to take the girls at the shows to see his "race car" he is 8 yrs old. I am currently finishing up a full restore on a 73. I have never done upholstery before and I have made all the panels, headliner, rear vinyl, and just finished up the passenger seat tonight. Still have to make the Driver seat cover yet. I am using Marine Grade Vinyl which is thicker and softer than stock and has a look and feel like leather. You seam like a person who will take on and learn from your projects. I am glad to see someone of your age take an interest in these cars!! I am 60 and it was my first car when I was 15. PS: Loose wires or a faulty oil pressure sender will make your oil pressure gauge act goofy. As someone mentioned before, make sure you have a ground strap going from the engine to the body and it is not rusted. beside the brake master cylinder and behind the driver headlight is a group of ground wires to the body. Your fuse box bolts and steering column bolts have ground wires that must be cleaned. Bad chassis grounds are a big problem on GT's. Everything and I mean everything on a GT has a separate ground wire on it. OGTS has a lot of free literature to download on their website. It will be very helpful for you. Before you get rid of that clock, just check the connections on the oil pressure sender, and the condition of the wires. It is a bit hard to get to. If you take the white cover off of the clock, you can very carefully file the set of points inside the clock and you may be surprised to see that clock come back to life. Just be very careful as it is actually a spring wound clock. Those contacts are for a solenoid that winds the spring every 60-90 seconds. I like your videos, very honest and open about everything your going thru on your GT. Keep it up !! I like the sound of your custom exhaust.

That a lot! It is a blast working on old cars. I also like working on dirt bikes and basically anything with a engine.

I have heard that the clock will drain the battery. Is that true?

 

[wilderbry]

That a lot! It is a blast working on old cars. I also like working on dirt bikes and basically anything with a engine.

I have heard that the clock will drain the battery. Is that true?

No the clock will not drain the battery (unless you don't start it for like 10 years) lol. Obviously if there is a short in the solenoid coil (which is unlikely) then it would drain the battery, but also most likely blow a fuse first. The most common cause for battery drain in a GT is oil / debris in the alternator, or a faulty alternator. Second most common cause is forgetting to turn the park light switch off.....

 

[wilderbry]

I don't know why my reply posted like 10 times at least on my screen it did.