greg Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 The most common controls on a welder are voltage and wire speed. You cannot set the current (amps) on a welder. Current is determined by Ohms Law, using the following. V = Voltage I = Current R = Resistance To work out the Current I = V/R Voltage V = IxR Resistance R =V/I So if you know the voltage the welder is set at and the resistance between the metal and the wire you will find the current. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith1200 Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Maybe a new mig is a good mig? and an auld mig isn't as good as a new one? Rick I'm no expert but I reckon the mig will work out fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 5, 2008 Author Share Posted September 5, 2008 Ah! by using the above formulae of Sri + Astra = VxR / GTE I have determined that my mig needs to be on setting 2 for 1.3-1.6mm steel, but what I don't know is how thick (duh!) manta body panel steel is? Also I won't be plating over old metal like most of the repairs on my car already, I'd rather is was knitted in flush so that you can't tell it's been welded once ground back and with a coat of stonechip, so that'll need less amps/ohms/current/fairy dust (delete as appropriate) Yes Shug the forum is pretty good n' all I haven't been told off for a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christ Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 I don't know is how thick (duh!) manta body panel steel is? Usually it goes from wafer thin to virtually non-existant It'll be about .8mm I would have thought Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
opel2000 Posted September 5, 2008 Share Posted September 5, 2008 Ah! by using the above formulae of Sri + Astra = VxR / GTE I have determined that my mig needs to be on setting 2 for 1.3-1.6mm steel, but what I don't know is how thick (duh!) FPMSL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 6, 2008 Author Share Posted September 6, 2008 Is it really that thin? It's an early B you know, not an exclusive (or executive as some people are calling them recently because of the common logbook error ) That's actually good news in a way because the mininimum mig setting of 30amps is good for 0.9mm so I've every hope of using it with my genny. If I pull my finger out I should have that oiled and fuelled up ready to test tomorrow, trouble is it weighs 60kg now so I'll have a job lifting it in the boot You never know, I may even make some progress on the friggin' car!! My deadline is July and I've done pretty much sweet FA! Wafer thin or waffer thin? There is a difference! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 15, 2008 Author Share Posted September 15, 2008 Hmph! I'm injured and having an odd day tinkering with the car and further getting supplies for the workshop. First up is that I saw in screwfix a rather smart workbench with rollout drawers and a vertical toolboard so I thought ideal, ordered one expecting to get it there and then to load in my boot but no, I have to wait for one to be sent to my house direct, which will be delivered when I'm at work, so I'll have to all the way to the ups depot which is a 30 mile round trip in traffic hell Oxford! Opposite screwfix is an industrial sheet steel store where I managed to blag a cash deal on a large sheet of 1mm mild steel for the manta but like a prat not only did I carve my hands to shreds with five deep cuts I've also cut the boot seal and lining in my chevy as I was over optimistic about the sheeting fitting in my car! Next up, since I have some new steel I thought I'll have a bit of practise with the new mig. I'm blasting away, testing the different power and wire speed settings to get the ideal setting for my welding speed and although my finger was off the trigger I moved the mask away from my face a tad early and the metal was still white and bright and now my right eyeball (holding mask with left hand so right eye looked first) feels like it's itching!! I've managed to avoid arc-eye so haven't experienced it before but I'm hoping this will pass as I've a 5am start tomorrow but I'm sure I'll find out later tonight if I've done some damage Still, on the plus side I've done a few boring jobs on the car and hopefully tomorrow I should have the engine ready to come out (if I don't have to go to the eye hospital!). I've got a couple of questions in technical questions answered if anyone can help me on a couple of issues? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 16, 2008 Author Share Posted September 16, 2008 Everyone can relax, I didn't end up with arc eye, so only tetanus is a possibility now! Plus today I got a couple of hours in after work and covered myself in antifreeze, bloody bottom hose and clip was nearly off and the rest are stuck fast, typical! Soaked the floor, my generator, creeper, me and pretty much everything else except the draining bowl I put down!! To be honest I'm getting a bit nervous about tackling this rusty front end, first off because I've done 'out like it and mainly because so much is actually rotten there is very little left to weld the new metal to and most of the areas are too complex for me to craft from sheet steel. This is all before I get to respray which I'm also dreading but I'm going to bring this forward because the space is so tight I could do with painting the engine bay and bulkhead early on, so I can bolt the engine back in to get the car on it's wheels. Now I've got a decent mig, I'm going to follow up an idea that's crossed my mind. The heater vents in the scuttle panel were constantly letting water in to the wiper motor, washer bottle area and battery tray so I'm going to weld these up to see what it'll look like. Plus I'm removing the heater box so the n/s one can go as well! I'll weld up the holes in the bulkhead first to practise weding in flush then try the scuttle, watch this space! (then see it get welded up! ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shug Posted September 16, 2008 Share Posted September 16, 2008 I thought it was scary tackling the body work on my car before I started it. Turns out I was right to be. Made a right bloody pigs ear of it. Gonna take a pile of hammering and filler to disguise that mess. I really didn't spend long enough cleaning up the steel. Preparation really is everything here. Measure, remeasure. Mark. Measure again. Remark if necessary. Repeat previous. Pray to god. weld. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted September 17, 2008 Author Share Posted September 17, 2008 Cheers Shug. I've been often told measure twice cut once, but when it comes to it I measure it and think once'll do! I've also found a shedload more rust today having ripped a load of underseal off which are covering a few bodge ups, it's is going to be a real battle and all this is just the front end! On a plus note I now have my workbench and assembled it today which is making the place look alot smarter, check it out! I could just do with getting some Opel posters, banners and a lick of white paint! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2908642343 Posted September 17, 2008 Share Posted September 17, 2008 The workshop is looking good Rick, looking forward to seeing it in the flesh. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 I thought it was about time for a quick update even though things are going from bad to worse. Quickly bypassing the points that I'm working 68 hour weeks, I encountered some gypo's at my workshop who were after my generator and there is a complaining neighbour so I can't use any power tools basically anytime I'm there! The main issue is my friggin' welder which I originally thought was the dogs is in fact playing me up. First off the wire feed just cut out on me, half way through a welding session when I had a couple of spare hours, which I had to spend repairing loose connections in the torch and motor. Then I get back the next day and wonder why my welding is going so badly, spattering here and there and burning metal. Turns out the feed is now just stuttering and isn't a consistant flow regardless to speed setting I'm either going to have to troubleshoot this mig or perhaps shoot the trouble and buy one made in England. It'll probably all need doing again but here's the progress I didn't make with the welder:- Cut out rusty inner arch section, I used the rusty piece as a template and made a new one from mild steel A couple of pics of the new panel half in place as this is when I noticed the spattering and before I found out it was the feed. As is customary of any decent show engine bay I have removed the heater assembly which for the first time in about four mantas I removed without the use of a lump hammer and milling tool! It's in one piece if anyone if after a heater please let me know. Of course I needed to weld up the apertures which as you can tell went wrong, once I saw the oval side I knew the welder was playing up again so I just splattered the square vent top and bottom as I'm going to have to do it again as well as get creative with the filler Originally I wanted to have the contours of the bulkhead showing through the black paint but now it looks like I'll have to skim the whole surface with filler (or is it stopper? bondo?) and have a flat finish, but I am worried that with chassis flex this will crack eventually or just look shit because I haven't got a clue what I'm doing (but at least I admit it! ) Also to update on the subframe. I can't for the life of me even get a turn on the lower swan-neck chassis bolts by hand (getting a split pin out was a chore on this car), so I've had to order some air tools now that my air compressor and paint shop equipment have arrived if an impact wrench can't shift 'em then it's there to stay and I'll just have to refurbish the suspension in situ! Anyhow, I'm more cheerful now because I've just booked tickets to see Lacuna Coil live at the Carling Academy in Oxford thanks to an old work collegue who let me know they were touring roll on November 10th I'm going to meet Cristina and the band Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted October 30, 2008 Author Share Posted October 30, 2008 I forgot to add, I was previously recommending a company who were still supplying Mantas tuning parts. I ordered a full OMP sports brake set from them a while ago and so far I've heard nothing so I imagine they don't stock any decent manta items now. This also includes the spring set I had from them as another forum user found out they were out and pretty much discontinued. On the subject of suspension, I could do with a full set of shocks/dampers and as I've got -65mm springs I'd better have GTE ones if anyone can supply any or know a good source to get them. A GTE gearbox and prop is also on my wish list along with the other 5 speed conversion stuff so if you can help here please drop me a line. Cheers, Rick xxx. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MANTAMAN Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Rick, good to see you making progress with your Manta,that was a big chunk to cut off the front but you've done a good job replacing it. Where did you get your welder from,is there any possibility of taking it back and saying there is a fault with it? I've found with my welder that if i dont keep the flexable tube relatively striaght then it dosen't feed properly,my previous welder never had this problem,as for the splatter that could be gas feed,are you using dissposable bottles? much better to get a regulator and hire a bottle from a BOC or Air Products agent.Also splatter can get up the gas cup and short out the welding tip and cut down the gas flow. Another problem that caught me out for half a day was the new tip i put in was 0.8mm instead 0.6mm like the wire,it would only weld in fits and starts,where i got the 0.8mm tip from goodness knows. As for the generator noise,could you make a rough plywood box and line/cover it with something like loft insulation with perhaps an old car rad fan blowing air through to keep it cool (and shift the exhaust fumes) to cut out the noise it makes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shug Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 Is the wire feeding perfectly smoothly? If not, you'll need to (in order) try wire tensioner, new wire, new torch liner. Some disposable bottles/regulators are awful for proper gas flow. A proper cylinder really is the best way. Tho the metal you've welded onto doesn't look cleaned? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mantadoc Posted October 31, 2008 Share Posted October 31, 2008 (edited) Deleted Edited October 2, 2017 by mantadoc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted October 31, 2008 Author Share Posted October 31, 2008 Thanks for the tips and ideas. I got the chance earlier to try the mig at home and weld up a couple of pieces of scrap metal, oddly enough it was fine and I impressed myself with the neatness! This leads me to think that perhaps the generator isn't putting out quite enough juice to turn the motor or it's an intermittant fault similar to the loose connections as before I am using disposable bottles through a regulator although it is 100% CO2 not the argon mix but that might explain the slightly charred look surrounding the weld but it sounds like it is in constant flow. I admit I am being rather lazy with cleaning the metal, I use a wire wheel on a drill to take of a line of paint and use a paint prep wipe on the new steel but that's about it. As did Ian, I also noticed the torch cable tube thing seems to jam up the wire with anything more than a single direction curve which I'm sure wouldn't be the case with £1000's worth of gear but I have been moving the mig case itself inline with where I'm welding. Still, I shall keep experimenting and hopefully have the front end welding done ready for some stonechip and the like. that was a big chunk to cut off the front but you've done a good job replacing it.Thanks very much. The replacement was quite an easy thing to do, I just jumped on the cut out grotty bit to have a flat template to cut out new steel. Needless to say I didn't use a bossing mallet or wheeling machine but a sandbag and small hammer did the trick to get a nice contour and I just fine shaped it with a hammer as I tacked on a corner. Easy! I just need to finish welding it in at the top of the wing rail. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted November 1, 2008 Author Share Posted November 1, 2008 What is it with these bloody so called tuning parts companies? First I order some brakes which don't turn up as I mentioned and I now have just gone to place an order for a substantial number of parts from a catalogue that was distributed with the latest issue of Redline magazine only to find that 'one' product is available and all twenty-odd other things are discontinued Not that I'm buying the one item (polished steel strut top mounts) from them out of spite! I hate to admit it, but I'm actually flicking through a Ford Racing and performance catalogue to see if there's 'owt I can use on the manta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keith1200 Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Braw bit of work there Rick would be braw for doing wings etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Nothing as yet mate. I've ended up buying a tonne of air tools, windie gun, air ratched, air hammer and a few other things to get the subframe out, so the blasting cabinet will have to wait. Thanks for the comments, honestly cutting out and welding in massive chunks of metal like that inner wing section is quite easy, well it is if your mig doesn't keep letting you down! This I why I can never understand why some people weld a big patch of metal straight over a rust hole as it'll only rot and fall out again. I will need to make some small pieces to weld on that big section as there's a bit in the headlamp surround and a small splash panel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shug Posted November 3, 2008 Share Posted November 3, 2008 Nothing as yet mate. I've ended up buying a tonne of air tools, windie gun, air ratched, air hammer and a few other things to get the subframe out You need one of these: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 Yeah I'll ask if I can take my forklift home from work maybe!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick-Manta Posted November 11, 2008 Author Share Posted November 11, 2008 Woooooohooooooo! I'm extrememly well chuffed! No I've done sod all to the Manta for the last few days but as I may have mentioned, I went to see Lacuna Coil yesterday night and at last I got to meet Cristina in person (she's tiny!) . Now, I appreciate I'm pulling a stupid face in this photo but you should realise I was shitless with nerves and posing was the last thing on my mind. For anyone who's interested in the band I'll be compiling a 10min video soon on youtube. I'm actually completely deaf in my left ear and have tinitus in both thanks to the supporting band (who I didn't like!) when my hearing comes back I should be able to make a bit of progress with the manta so watch this space. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2908642343 Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 Rick; Your dream came true then, well done and dont forget to get a printed copy of the picture. John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spiney_norman Posted November 11, 2008 Share Posted November 11, 2008 You're a lucky man Rick, I'd love to meet Christina... Who were the support band? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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