Can I fix this by learning to stick weld?
Hi All,
I have a 1953 Chevy that is a radical custom. I bought it "chopped" already and the previous owner put the body on a G body chassis from an 80's El Camino or Monte Carlo. The frame appears to be lengthened and the welds on the splice don't look that good. The rear was "z-notched or z'd" and they used some c-channel tubing in the back part to make the mod but maybe I can use square plate pieces to close those angle pieces up in that area (in the 2nd and 3rd to last photos) and add strength.
The photos show an example of the suspect welding that was done. This car hasn't left my garage/driveway since I discovered this. I'm just trying to figure out if this is something I could do on my own before I possibly get rid of the car at a $2k to $3k loss, or possibly see if a shop here in San Diego that does custom car fab can work on it for a reasonable price (very unlikely). I could practice for months (there's no rush) on metal and worse case just abandon ship if I don't get proficient. A custom car fabricator in my region looked at the photos and said it might be best for me to just drive it as is and he's seen worse than this hold up fine, but I'm a bit more on the cautious side.
Is it feasible for me to learn to do stick welding if I buy a used Lincoln 240V DC "tombstone" arc welder and touch up the welds and/or add fish plating over where the splice was made to strengthen it? The only concern is the frame profile isn't flat like box tubing I've seen on some cars. Also someone told me I might weaken the frame more if I do more welding in that region.
I figure MIG wouldn't be a good option because I would need to do this in my driveway and its usually breezy in this area. Would I be able to work from underneath the car using stick if I try to avoid taking the body off the frame (this is much preferred)?
