yeah im back now, bout a motorbike than a valiant and lost interest in my ute, but im back to it now.
ive started cutting and welding rust out of it. now ive been using a mig its not going to bad, its alright when im weldin stuff thats a bit thicker, but when i am weldin real the stuff, and got it set right down low its an absolute prick to weld with, instead of going along and just runnin along and spotting it, it just leaves balls of weld. has any one had this kind off trouble running a really low settin on there migs? maybe my settings are wrong? im not sure...?
ummm.. also i have a 1974 VJ valiant regal. runs beautiful. needs tyres, and wheel allignment for rego. other than that its in good nic. $400.00
and im also after a SSS stanza box.
or a dogleg box to go behind and L series...
cheers

Turn your wire speed up!

If the heat setting is correct, it should sound like bacon frying in a pan. If it sputters and spits, check your ground clamp and/or add a bit of amperage.

What sort of MIG are you running?

Some MIG's with larger amperage settings suffer from a lack of control at lower amps.
This can make it difficult to weld thin sheet metal.
Can also be a problem with cheaper equipment.

If you keep having problems & can't get it right by fiddling around with your amp / wire speed settings, I'd suggest trying another machine or method. ie/ Oxy-Acetylene or TIG.

I had the same problem with my MIG & ended up oxy welding the whole thing...... Had to be careful though not to get too much heat into the panels.
Turned out o.k I think : -

The thin stuff takes a bit of getting use to.

Try keeping the nozzle a bit further away. This will lower the heat a little.

There are different size wires. 0.6mm works like magic.

Make sure everything is clean, hit it with grinder fitted with a wire brush before you start.

Using a piece of copper held on the back of the join will pull the heat out as well.

And Practice. . .

yeah i was told to lower my wire speed...? yeah i started off with oxy, but i was gettin way to much distortion, specially on my sills, and i cant afford a tig.. so mig is my only option, i'm runnin.6 wire. i started using a migomag, but that was hopeless on the thin stuff, great on thicker stuff. so i got a new mig, im not sure what the brand is off the top of my head, paid 1400 for it tho, so its not a complete ####ter. its fine when im weldin on the next settin up, but anything lower its #### house. and just makes welding thin stuff a pain in the ass, weld grind weld grind. instead of just doin a nice weld and takin the high spots off it with the grinder. i'll try speedin my wire feed up a touch.

hey jono, long time no see

just get yourself a heap of thin scrap and practice a heap before you hit the car.

Also, make sure you cut enough away from around the rusted section. I've found that the panels usually rust from the inside out. this means that the hole on the inside is up to twice the size of the hole on the outside. when you cut the hole out from the outside, the edges of the new hole are still super thin, as the back of the panel has rusted, and the panel is half the thickness it used to be. You end up blowing holes straight through it

and yeah, like was mentioned before, keepin the area bare metal is essential. will have to try the copper plate idea though..

yeah, i get the mig runnin sweet onscrap than i hit it on the car and i just get little balls of weld its not burnin in, im getin no peno. its bloody frukin frustrating... whats your theorys on patching... over lap of butt? i dont know, im only 16 im not that experienced... some come out beautiful.. others are just ####ed, the biggest trouble im having is the sills, and the floor....?

Woody,
sorry to bring bad news ..... but the thinner the steel, the more experience you need I have been welding for years (and years) and I can still have some challenges with floors. Unfortunately, the answer isn't on the computer .... you need to have someone come and look at the whole situation and give advice/demo/fine tune etc. If you lived closer I could come give you a hand
Good luck!!!
Cheers

yeah i think ur right, i know a bloke lives close by, i'll give him a ring tomoro and see if he wants to have a look at it for me,might have to lure him with a few beers tho, his a mazda man... hmm thanks for the advize r fast... and every one else...