my crx was in a minor accident, which left my supframe a bit of a mess. This piece is spot welded in, my plan was to remove my mess up piece, goto a yard and get a mint one and replace. I have been welding for around a year, i can make downpipes and can weld flat steel. Its not the prettiest but im convinced in time it will improve. How would you guys recomend going about this task.

All input is greatly appreciated



its part number 2 for those whom dont know efs

 

drill out old spot welds and weld on new one? thats waht i see everyone doing, not sure abotu the exact process though,

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eddiebx &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">drill out old spot welds and weld on new one? thats waht i see everyone doing, not sure abotu the exact process though, </TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah i know drill out the old ones, with my mig machine i was wondering how one goes about spot welding?

 

You would need a spot welder. http://www.millerwelds.com/products/spotwelders/
Or you could weld it in using a Mig or Tig, but it won't look OEM.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by 93accordNOS &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You would need a spot welder. http://www.millerwelds.com/products/spotwelders/
Or you could weld it in using a Mig or Tig, but it won't look OEM.</TD></TR></TABLE>
i see, how could i do it with a mig, just weld in the hole? i dont really have an extra 500 bucks anyone try doing this with a mig?

 

if i cant do it with my mig, heres a cheap spot welder (i only need it a few select times)

what you guys think? what kinda advise for spotwelding?

 

There wouldn't be a hole there, spot welding doesn't use any type of wire or rod like mig and tig does. To mig it together you would need to weld around the outside seams.

 

We have been learning how to do this in my collision repair class. I have been taught it is called a plug weld. Sounds pretty basic, it is.

Get some metal coupons or scraps the same guage as what you will be welding, drill out holes in one sheet or multiple sheets if you want same size hole as what you will be welding(it should be 3/8 in. hole). keep an equal amount of sheets for backing also. clamp the sheet with holes to the sheet without. It sounds like these welds would be over head welds. make sure you practice and get the welder dialed in with the same welds you will be performing(overhead). We have been taught to start in the center of the hole and sort of spiral out so you penetrate both pieces of material, leaving no gaps. Once you feel you are comfortable with it run some beads.

Some manufacturers dont want welds to be made in the exact same hole as before and require holes surrounding previous holes to be made and welded. If Honda is one of them I am not sure. It could also vary from model to model. If you chose to weld in existing places and it wasnt recomended I am sure you would be fine.

Hope this helps...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ronnyg801 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote"> We have been learning how to do this in my collision repair class. I have been taught it is called a plug weld. Sounds pretty basic, it is.

Get some metal coupons or scraps the same guage as what you will be welding, drill out holes in one sheet or multiple sheets if you want same size hole as what you will be welding(it should be 3/8 in. hole). keep an equal amount of sheets for backing also. clamp the sheet with holes to the sheet without. It sounds like these welds would be over head welds. make sure you practice and get the welder dialed in with the same welds you will be performing(overhead). We have been taught to start in the center of the hole and sort of spiral out so you penetrate both pieces of material, leaving no gaps. Once you feel you are comfortable with it run some beads.

Some manufacturers dont want welds to be made in the exact same hole as before and require holes surrounding previous holes to be made and welded. If Honda is one of them I am not sure. It could also vary from model to model. If you chose to weld in existing places and it wasnt recomended I am sure you would be fine.

Hope this helps...</TD></TR></TABLE>

its not an overhead weld, so i guess thats better. SO practice on a piece of **** metal then just fill the spot with my mig huh?

cool thanks

 

Just curious, what kind of measurements are normally done, such as in this case, before it's ok to weld in the new pieces. thanks.

 

This far along in the class we havent done anything to measure, we have equipment to measure certain points on the car to make everything as correct as possible. I think you could get away with lining up the holes for the plug welds and the marks where the plug welds were.

If you have a friend who has the same car you may try and use his for reference points to be more accurate, assuming his car is straight. the more reference points you can make the better.

 

i am in the middle of replacing my frame rail. i was giong to spot weld with my mig. basically do like the other guy said start in the middle and spiral out. i was also doing to stitch weld the seams after i am done doing all the spot welds. the problem of making it look factory isnt the spot welding its matching the damn seam sealer...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by itr554 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">i am in the middle of replacing my frame rail. i was giong to spot weld with my mig. basically do like the other guy said start in the middle and spiral out. i was also doing to stitch weld the seams after i am done doing all the spot welds. the problem of making it look factory isnt the spot welding its matching the damn seam sealer...</TD></TR></TABLE>

what do you use for seam sealer?

 

ah. my specialty...

before you go and start welding, take measurements, make sure your frame is square. If not, repair it and THEN begin welding. Use a tram gauge, and you may be able to get the specs in a Chilton book.

you can use a mig welder for this repair. ER70s-6 is recommended. Replace each spot weld with the exact same # of plug welds...NO MORE, NO LESS. You dont want to sacrafice safety here. If you are not experienced in doing plug welds practice on sheet metal..As with all welding, you want good penetration, and not to create a too large of a heat effect zone. Make sure you prep the areas by removing all paint and coatings, including the E-coat. Dont forget to use weld through primer, dress the welds, and apply corrosion protection as soon as all welding is done!

*edit*
when you are drilling out the old spot welds be careful not to drill too far through the panel, you will be kicking yourself in the *** if you arent careful!! hammer and chisel works well to help split the seam..

 

seam sealer is used by the factory for corrosion protection, sound dampening, and the most obvious sealing seams between panels.

for crevices smaller than 3mm, use a thin bodied seam sealer.