has anyone brazed bodypanels

[69long"n"low]

I was just wondering if you could braze patch panels and fill holes on body panels. the reason im asking is cause i have no welding experience and its a little more finacially fiesable to get a torch then a welder

thanks Josh

[special-K]

I have.There was a time (before Mig/Tig) when that was the only way to go.

[68gmsee]

I learned to braze back in high school (too many years ago) with an oxyacetylene setup. Works good but you have to be very careful with the thinner guages so you don't warp them. You have to preheat the metal that you're going to braze so that the rod will flow properly. This in turn may cause warping.

I was never real good with it. I'd say practice a lot on scrap metal first.

[arkracing]

Lots of old cars had it done and then they had lots of filler on top of it

You can actually gas weld with an O/A setup. I think that it would be better than brazing, but as mentioned it puts alot of heat into the panels - high change of warpage.

If you are really, really, really, really good @ it (read: some of the old time customizers) it is a great way to weld body panels as the weld is soft and workable, unlike MIG.

[69long"n"low]

thanks for your input it helps a lot

[mbgmike]

Actually some of the new cars still have some brazing on them believe it or not. I know Toyotas do

[LockDoc]

-
Myself, I wouldn't recommend it. I brazed pieces of metal in the dash of my '36 Ford to patch some holes and it cracked where they were put in. The torch set itself may be cheaper but by the time you get the oxygen and acyetelene (sp) bottles you will have as much money in the torch setup as you would in a small mig welder.

Just my 2¢ worth

LockDoc

[heavy71chevy]

yea warpage is most likely gonna happen...check ebay you can get 110v mig for a hundred bucks and alot safer this way

[fine69]

You can get cheap migwelders nowdays.

Brazing sucks.

[67ChevyRedneck]

I got a mig welder at Harbor Freight for $130 It's the simple wire feed (no gas needed.) You just need a certain type of wire (the name is escaping me at the moment.)

It kinda sucks, but it works well enough.

This is THE FIRST time I've ever used a mig welder.

Please ingnore the fact that the fender looks like someone took a hammer to it, I bought it that way But it was primed with 10 lbs of filler

[mbgmike]

Nothing wrong with brazing if you know how. Tom Young here in Houston at American Heliarc builds custom motorcycle fenders that run around $2000 each. He prefers to braze them. True oxy-acet will run you more for equipment, however nothing wrong with brazing. it just takes more talent

[Ol'Rover]

i've brazed body panels...still do. Its just trying to get the puddle to move where you want it to...I still prefer mig welding...

[724x4a/cchevy]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

I got a mig welder at Harbor Freight for $130 It's the simple wire feed (no gas needed.) You just need a certain type of wire (the name is escaping me at the moment.)

It kinda sucks, but it works well enough.

"Flux-core" Wire welding without gas.

[Ol'Rover]

heh, i used that on my shelf framing when i didnt have gas for my welder. works pretty decent, better welds with gas tho...

[89 crew]

I have found the quality of the oxy-acc torch will determine the amount of heat you put into the metal. If you are going to try it I would recommend either a good victor, or smith torch, with a small welding tip. Don't waste your money or time with a made in china torch.

[Rigo's 70 C10]

What vehicle is that filler door from? It looks nice! Is that the front fender?
Rigo

[Gorn]

Brazing should be concidered a temp repair. Oxidation will occur between the Steel and Brass there is no way to stop it. Might hold together 5 year maybe 10 at the outside. This is why it has fallen into dis-favor with people who restore cars. It is still pretty common in crash and dent repair shops.

Normally what happens is the patch lifts a bit and cracks the putty. Water gets in the crack and then it all bubbles up with rust.

[crazy longhorn]

I brazed a few back in the day(when puddy was my buddy). In the yrs before the mig welder, hammer welding was a true "art", It took a real pro to do it right Paddling lead was another part of that lost art......if you have ever seen that 85 yr old man on monster garage, with the big cigar in his mouth(probably not lit), that would be Bill Hines. Probably one of the last in his day, & has lead flowing in his veins, along with George Barris, & a few others that will truely be remembered as the pioneers(craftsmen) in custom body work(leadsleds).....this was before my time. Now I can go out to my shop, crank up a Mig & do some pretty nice work, as well as the rest of the "backyard bucks"......& really be in total awe, looking at what those guys did with rather crude equipment (by todays standards). Buy ,beg,borrow a good little mig, & go PLAY!.....you will be 40 or 50 yrs ahead of that old torch, & if you practice, be patient, you will have very little fill work to do. crazyL

[69long"n"low]

thanks for all the advise are any of the cheap welder worth the money?

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by crazy longhorn

I brazed a few back in the day(when puddy was my buddy). In the yrs before the mig welder, hammer welding was a true "art", It took a real pro to do it right Paddling lead was another part of that lost art......if you have ever seen that 85 yr old man on monster garage, with the big cigar in his mouth(probably not lit), that would be Bill Hines. Probably one of the last in his day, & has lead flowing in his veins, along with George Barris, & a few others that will truely be remembered as the pioneers(craftsmen) in custom body work(leadsleds).....this was before my time. Now I can go out to my shop, crank up a Mig & do some pretty nice work, as well as the rest of the "backyard bucks"......& really be in total awe, looking at what those guys did with rather crude equipment (by todays standards). Buy ,beg,borrow a good little mig, & go PLAY!.....you will be 40 or 50 yrs ahead of that old torch, & if you practice, be patient, you will have very little fill work to do. crazyL

My '36 Ford Coupe was done in lead in 1961 and it looks just as good now as it did then....

LockDoc

[crazy longhorn]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

My '36 Ford Coupe was done in lead in 1961 and it looks just as good now as it did then....

LockDoc

Anytime that a true craftsman does a job, its done to last.....man thats sweet! crazyL

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by 724x4a/cchevy

"Flux-core" Wire welding without gas.

Ahhhh, thank you!

Originally Posted by 69long"n"low

thanks for all the advise are any of the cheap welder worth the money?

It worked well enough for me

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Rigo's 70 C10

What vehicle is that filler door from? It looks nice! Is that the front fender?
Rigo

Heck no It's the rear step fender on a '67.

The door is from an 88 to 98 Silverado. I believe the 90's something to '04 S-10's use the same door.

Finished product:

[MXmaniac]

I remember hearing somewhere that you don't want to use flux-core wire on body panels because the flux will cause the paint to not adhere properly. Is this true?

[CPNEJR]

i don't think thats true. before we got a gas setup for our welder we did some body work on my 67 and have painted over where we welded. of course there is a small layer of bondo between the weld and paint which i would think is normal considering you will most likely want the panel to look and feel smooth