[Andy White]

Hi guys,

You don't want Oxy Acetylene for welding body panels as you will end up with all kinds of distortion and your bodywork will need plenty of filler! I had my first beetle welded up by a guy who didn't know what he was doing and that is exactly what he did. I ended up buying myself a Mig to fix the repairs I'd already paid him to do!

A Mig uses CO2 to keep the welding area cool. The way to approach doing bodywork is to cut your repair panel carefully to the exact size (no gaps). Make sure the area is spotless and free of rust and paint and slowly and carefully spot-weld the panel in place. I'd recommend that you really take your time at this stage to reduce the amount of distortion (max of 6 spot-welds at a time) with a minute break to let things cool down in between. It also helps to have a wire brush at hand to clean up as you work. If you are tidy you'll end up with a repair that looks like it was seem welded without the distortion.

As for welders... Steer clear of anything less than a 140 Mig. You'll need the extra power for welding thicker steel (upto .25 inches thick). I picked mine up second-hand and unused for £100. It's a Cebora 140 and has lasted me for 8 years! I'd highly recommend it to anyone.

Hope this helps,

Andy