sheet steel

20 gauge or 0.9mm, cold rolled steel it's what you can get from a steel stockholder, what classic?

Rob

I'm in final negotiation for a '71 MGB roadster. It needs a new tank now and a new boot floor at some time in the future, thus the need to get to grips with a welder!!

18 or 20 gauge. 20 if it's for curved panels, 18 for patches in the basically flat areas.

Steel stockists are cheaper, but sell big sheets. If you go to a panel wholesaler they'll generally do smaller panels, offer electro-galvanised ifyou want it, and they're not much more expensive.

Then much easier to just get the correct panels. With such easy availability it doesn't make much sense to try and make them.

Hmm... while I'd agree in general, there will always be the odd bit that needs fabricating, where the panel doesn't quite encompass all the rot or where the area to be replaced is too small and simple (i.e. flat) to need a proper repair section. Or where you just want to get on with it without waiting for a new panel to arrive. For these, a small supply of sheet steel can be invaluable. I've never actually bought any though as dead filing cabinets or washing machines tend to be free.

Go to a scrap yard and get a car bonnet or two, also useful for making patches from.

Thanks for all the useful info. I have some more questions while I'm here.

1. Where am I best to get any panels from? Is it best to stick to Heritage panels (MGB roadster) as I'm told they fit better.
2. What do people do for their CO2 supplies? (I don't know any friendly publicans)

3.I'll need some sort of CO2 regulator presumably. Are the fittings on CO2 bottles standard?

Thanks

Steve

Right - easiest way is to find a local metal fabricator and get scraps from them

Good luck with the welding. I can do decent patch repairs, but butt welding thin stuff is beyond me.

Just as well. Pub gas these days often contains nitrogen making it useless for welding. See if there's a fire protection company in your area. People who fill up extinguishers with CO2 often supply bottles too. Our local one even gave me a couple of old extinguishers that had been condemned but were still full. These have the same connectors as gas bottles so my regulator fitted straight on.

Pretty much, though a s/h welder I bought once came with a bottle and regulator with odd sized fittings, so you do need to check.

Ignore CO2 and go with Argoshield Light, even if you have to pay bottle rental charges,

Tip: Sheet stockist frequently bend over the edges (top & bottom) of stacks of thin sheet to protect the rest of the stack. These bits are then cut off to make an L-section about 4" a side, and usually thrown away. Try one of the oiks round the back, not the front office, and you could strike lucky - all you can carry for the price of a few drinks? Also the bend can be useful for some replacements. Dave

I get mine from Gas & Hire (a local supplier) in food grade bottles! Cheap enough, just the right size.

yes.

As regards the welding bit, I was given good advice on here when I first started, and my welding is pretty good now. For the neatest repairs you need to butt-weld, making sure absolutely all the rust is cut out (you've soon know when you blow a hole in it!). Clamp the metal (magnetic ones can be useful) with a gap of about the thickness of the sheet. Spot-weld the metal in place at intervals. To complete the seam, _pulse_ the mig along the gap. Leave off frequently and move to another part of the repair, or allow to cool a bit; otherwise the heat will cause local distortion (old manuals used to recommend the use of wet asbestos to avoid this!)

One of the simplest but most effective tips I can think of, is always make sure you have something to rest your welding hand on. It makes it so much easier to control the exact position of the torch, which is one of the keys to good welding.

Steve,

I have just bought an MGB by mistake.

A blue rubber bumper one which needs all the usual panel, sill, floor work. But otherwise complete - if you are looking for something realistic to practice on (or destroy) you are welcome to it for the price of 100 newcastle pints, which is what it cost me. Its no use to me whatsoever, I was going to break it up to sell on ebay and scrap the rest.