How much does the equipment cost to do my own welding?

Well, here's what I want to do. I have a 1988 Caprice which I want to equip with true dual exhaust. The only thing standing in my way of that is the transmission crossmember, which was designed for single exhaust. I've read websites describing in detail how to cut a notch and weld in some sheetmetal to restore rigidity to the crossmember. So I know it can be done.

My other alternative is to simply buy a double hump crossmember from the internet for @$200. I'm guessing that in the end this would be the best choice, (but it just seems so un-hot rod to just buy what you need).

Ignoring the fact that I haven't the first clue how to weld, what would it cost to buy the bare bones equipment to get a few welds done? What would it cost to take it to a welder and have him do it?
Thanks,
Homer

The cheapest way is to take it to a welding shop. You can probably get it done for under $50. A decent MIG welder will set you back quite a bit. The really small cheap ones don't really lend themselves to anything other than very small job's. Ditto with stick welding. A decent welding setup with accessories to do most jobs you will encounter related to auto work will be in the nieghborhood of about $1000, give or take. Unless you plan on using it a lot it just is not worth it. Not to mention the fact that it takes time to learn how to weld correctly.

if you don't know how to weld buy the new part. if you wanted to make it the best choice for a welder would be GMAW or more commonly known as MIG. a small home shop 110V mig and co2 or c25 bottle would run over 700 dollars for a good machine. you can find smaller and cheaper units but the end result and ease of operation won't be what you'd want. there is also FCAW which is similar to GMAW and often called MIG and confused with it, big differance. if you want to learn take a basic welding couse at a vocational school or watch your friends or use their equipment.

expencive to buy but they are really good to have if you are working on cars. Why not rent one?

$200 is a pretty good excuse to buy some equipment that will come in handy later, and learn how to use it.

You'll want to bone up on what to buy, how to operate it (tech school isn't a bad idea, or adult education at a local high school or community college), and do plenty of practicing before you attempt the "final" on your driver's hardware. Personally, I had scrap metal to practice on back on the farm before I had to risk any of my own money or equipment, but I still stand by my original claim above.

Check out the Millermatic 135 at: www.millerwelds.com
I have a 130 which is about 5 years old, and it works great.
A little spendy for a beginning welder at $650, but you'd be
pleased with the quality of welds you can obtain with it.

I paid $50 for an old Miller 225 Amp stick welder.
It's certianly not limited to small jobs.

The stick welders are more difficult to learn on, and you do have to chip away slag, but they'll do the job quite well.

Another neat thing abt them is; there's very little to go wrong with them.

I've used the MIG welders a lot and I do prefer them since they're so easy to use, but if your on a limited budget, the stick will work fine.

For additional equip; you'll need a welding helment, thick leather gloves, (and a chipping hammer if you use a stick welder).

An old Levi jacket is nice too if you don't want a serious sunburn!

Edit: Oh yeah, don't forget the silly looking welders hat. Gotta have that!

There's always a halfway point, and I think a shielded wire feeds are it. You can get a quality Lincoln for $300. They are a lot easier than stick welders, cheaper then MIGs and weld almost as good for most automotive applications. If one needs the versitility of a MIG there are conversion kits for $100. For the hard core, try learning to weld on an O/A torch. If I may humbly give advice to any aspiring welder: practice makes perfect. Offer to do a lot of welding on other poeple's stuff, and when you get good...

$50-$200 is a lot better than $700-$1000.
Where's a good place to find a cheap used setup? Classifieds?

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. sorry had to, just from the name.

"Welders are never resold, only inherited."
Try your local Home Depot, Lowes, or farm supply shop.

Homer,

You really have two questions. I'd suggest heeding Ed's advice on the first - buy the crossmember or have yours customized by an experienced fabricator.

As for the equipment and training to learn to weld, that may be a good investment, too. This may be very basic, but it will give you an idea of what's involved in the welding principle:

Welding Basics

Download and run the small program to get an idea. As always, use antivirus software when downloading ANYTHING. Even though I know it's clean, you need to be in the habit of checking.

Heres my weapon of choice

http://www.brwelder.com/century/New_Folder/cent131.htm

cost $370.00 back in 1998
I 've use it on 16gauge tubing to 1/4 in steel
good luck either way

~$600 for a quality mig welder and cylinder/accessories. Easy as hell to weld with a mig welder. I'd say ~1-2 hrs practice(maybe 20-30 min of actual welding) and you'll be set.