As a car enthusiast, there are various aspects of your car that you’ll not want to take for granted. These may include the health status of your engine, transmission, and your car’s overall structural integrity. Speaking of the structural integrity of your car, did you know that the body panels of your car are assembled on the assembly line using welders, rivets, and bolts and nuts? It will be in your best interest to learn some car maintenance skills most especially if you are one of those weekend get-up-and-fix my car kind of guys.
Car maintenance is a routine procedure that is never-ending. You have tires that need to be inflated, battery terminals that need to be cleaned, and yes, the sprucing up of your ride! Who wouldn’t want to ride a sparkling 1967 Chevy Corvette on an open road or just park it near the beach where you can brag a bit? Sounds like a movie fantasy, right? Well, you can achieve this and more by taking better care of your vehicle.
Most importantly, you’ll need to know how to fix the body parts in your car. These are the things involving car paint, dent repairs, and bumper replacements. With all that, here are 4 types of welding to be used on cars?
1. TIG Welding For Body Panels
It could have just been a minor fender bender that wrecked your bumper, someone rammed on your car and smashed your left door clean, or the fact that you got involved in an accident and as a result, it damaged parts of your car. These are reasons you might need to have a car’s body panels repaired. Of course, you have an insurance policy but when the accident was a fault of yours, there are expenses that you’ll have to meet out of pocket, especially when you are an uninsured motorist. You may opt to take your car to the professionals for panel repairs but if you’re able to, this is a great DIY project to perform over the weekend.
That said, a TIG welder could help when it comes to those crucial auto body repairs. The main advantage of using a TIG welder is that it uses a non-consumable tungsten electrode which is safe to your health while at the same time, helps to protect the weld from air contaminants. This means that you’ll never have to deal with those rusty welds. Now, you might be wondering how to pick a TIG welding machine for your garage to help with the various auto welding tasks you might need. If this is your current situation, then you’re in the right place. Here are factors you’ll need to consider when choosing the best TIG welding machine. They include:
- Mode of application – When choosing a TIG welder, you’ll need to first consider how you’ll use it. Most importantly, you’ll also need to factor in the emissions from the welder. TIG welders are a great option when dealing with thin metal gauges such as those in automobiles. Additionally, it’s also about the quality of work.
- Amperage – When choosing a TIG welder, ensure that it has your preferred range of amperage that’s best suited for your welding needs.
- Sparks and spatter – For those welding professionally, they’ll tell you that TIG welders are among the most efficient welding equipment you can have. They create cleaner and more accurate welds depending on one’s level of expertise.
2. MIG Welding
When it comes to the maintenance of your car’s structural integrity as well as other auto repair routines, you must invest in the best welder. Additionally, you’ll also want to consider its ease of use because come to think about it, welding is not everyone’s cup of tea. To help you get started, MIG welding is an even easier process when welding on those hard to get areas on your car. MIG welding also helps to strengthen your welds and the best part is that it’s easy to learn and perfect. With this technique, you’ll achieve cleaner and even welds to give you that perfectly finished work.
3. Stick Welding
Also known as arc welding, is a type of welding technique used with an arc welding machine hence its name. Unlike the above welding techniques, this will not be the best when working on cars as it’s not as precise. In addition to this, it’s a technique that requires a great deal of training. When working on cars, especially when working on body parts, you’ll want that perfect finish that’s not only precise but also clean. Nevertheless, this will be a great welding technique when working on metals with a thicker gauge.
4. FCAW Welding – Flux Cored Arc Welding
Now, for those looking for an efficient way to weld their cars, and on cast iron materials, stainless steel, and when surfacing alloys, you’ll want to utilize a welding method that offers more flexibility in terms of the applications and the speed of work. In addition to this, FCAW welding is an efficient technique that will allow you to achieve a cleaner finish without necessarily affecting the weld quality. But then again, it all depends on your skills and the tools used. Speaking of the tools used, it’s crucial that you also invest in the right welding tools to help make the work easier. Below are the tools you might need when welding on your car. They include:
- An efficient darkened helmet
- Welding jigs when working on your vehicle’s frames
- Metal gauge
- Welding clamps
- Metal brush
When welding on your car, it’s important that you also consider your safety. Wearing a safety welding helmet will help to protect your eyes from the glares and flashes of the welding rods. Most importantly, protective clothes will keep the spatters away from your sensitive skin as you work on your car project.
Taking good care of your ride is amongst the things you can do to boost your car’s longevity while at the same time, avoiding the unnecessary repair costs. Welding is one of the maintenance routines you might encounter as a car owner due to wear and tear or as a result of unprecedented circumstances.
