Take my advice—get a welder

Question:

I am always looking for advice on repairing my vehicles, a 1990 Dodge 2500 Power Ram Club Cab 4x4 and a 1997 Jeep Wrangler 4x4. The biggest problem with my truck is that it’s very, very rusty. I’ve been replacing floor panels but due to the lack of a decent welder I have been forced to pop rivet and speed screw the panels in place. I feel like I am doing a disservice to this truck! Anyway, I was wondering if your magazine would have any tips or advice for me because both my vehicles are in the 1990s and most people don’t restore vehicles of that age.

Answer:

Oh good grief, Jim, take the plunge and buy yourself a decent welder! You can buy a brand-new, light duty unit like a Lincoln Power MIG 140C that’ll be great for automotive sheet metal for less than $600. And for half that or less you can buy a good used welder. A quick check of eBay turned up several hundred inexpensive used welders and given the sorry state of our economy I’d venture to guess that you can likely find an excellent deal at a farm auction, business closing liquidation, or perhaps even a garage sale someplace near you. Another potentially inexpensive option is to gas weld those floor panels into place.