Welding help

[freynolds]

I've got holes in my footwells on my 325, and I'm gonna have a go at sorting them this weekend. I've never done any welding work before and wanted to check some things first.

What material do I need for the job - I'm guessing sheet mild steel? Any particular grade?
What thickness should the metal be around the footwell area? I would like this to remain as a jacking point if poss, is there anything I should be aware of? Thicker metal needed etc?
The driver's side footwell hole is quite near the accelerator pedal - should the mount for this be removed and reattached or is this unnecessary unless it's actually on the rust?
Recommendations on future rust prevention? Primer, paint, and underseal??

Any advice, tips, tricks very much appreciated

[Fushion_Julz]

Sheet mild steel is what you want..
Personally, I use scrap parts, door skins, bonnets, etc and cut good sections out of those to use...
But any 3-5mm sheet would do...

Hard to give any idea of how to go about your job without pics, at least!
However, general rule is make sure the area is very clean...grind back all rust until all you have is shiney new metal. Any rust or paint will make your welds uneven, porous and the paint may even catch fire!

I'd be removing the throttle pedal, the carpet (entirely) and anything from under the floor that may be affected by the heat or catch fire.

Cut and shape your repair panel, then clamp it in place and tack-weld it to the floor panel. Once you're happy with the fit, then weld a nice continuous and strong bead all around the edges...
prime, paint, underseal and then replace all the items...

[march109]

E34 bonnets make great metal donors!

Cut out ALL the rust, and make sure the surfaces your welding are free from all contaminents.

[n1tr0_9]

Have a look at the 'welding retard' thread in pub talk, do exactly the opposite of that numpty and you wont go far wrong!

With welding it seems to be all the prep and practice on scrap that leads to a good job. Check out www.mig-welding.co.uk I found it most helpful. Good luck.

[abelai]

Fushion_Julz wrote:

But any 3-5mm sheet would do...

He's not building a tank

[abelai]

Read this post great pics really helpfull:

http://www.e30zone.net/modules.php?name ... port+resto

[rvrboy]

Don't forget to dissconnect the battery!!!!!!!