rangerenthiusiast
New Member
- Joined
- Aug 26, 2016
- Messages
- 553
- Reaction score
- 2
- Points
- 0
- Location
- Hudson Valley, NY
- Vehicle Year
- 1992
- Make / Model
- Ford
- Engine Size
- 4.0
- Transmission
- Automatic
Hey, folks.
I could really use some advice and hope I landed in the right forum. Having a lot of corrosion-related problems with the 1992 Ranger Supercab that I picked up a few months ago. The body mount bushings are all shot, so I ordered a new set of prothane ones. Unfortunately, the new hardware for them adds up to hundreds of dollars through LMC, so I’m going to try to make due with some grade 8 stuff from Tractor Supply. To do this, I’ll have to plan on some minor welding to make up the washer nuts. On top of this, I noticed that the center holes in some of the brackets have started to widen out due to wear against the bolts and I can’t find new brackets anywhere, so I’m thinking to weld some 1/8” plate on the tops and bottoms of the brackets, so that the bushings have something solid to rest on. Finally, I tore up the old rotten carpet, only to find that the floor pan is completely rusted through in several spots and will need to be cut out and replaced. I’ll also need to replace or fabricate some new seat brackets, as they were also rotted away, due to contact with the rusty mess.
So. I’m not a welder. I tried years ago with a stick welder and managed a few spot welds that held, as well as some burn-throughs (I was just f’ing around, with no instruction). I don’t know if I have the potential to weld or not, but I am pretty handy. Most shops around here don’t like to work on old vehicles (can’t really blame them), so I’m considering putting some of the money I’d have to pay someone into buying a MIG welder and learning to use it on the projects mentioned above. The place I’m currently renting only has house current (110 volt, I believe), with 20 amp breakers.
Does anyone know if the Lincoln welder below would do the jobs outlined above? How steep would the learning curve be? Seems like it gets great reviews. Finally, the listing mentions the need for a cylinder of “shielding gas.” I read a bit on wiki about what this is, but can anyone tell me where it would be bought and how it would be used?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lincoln-Electric-120-Volt-Mig-Flux-Cored-Wire-Feed-Welder/999972168
Thanks so much in advance for any input. I know that helping a newb isn’t much fun, but we’ve all gotta start somewhere, right?
I could really use some advice and hope I landed in the right forum. Having a lot of corrosion-related problems with the 1992 Ranger Supercab that I picked up a few months ago. The body mount bushings are all shot, so I ordered a new set of prothane ones. Unfortunately, the new hardware for them adds up to hundreds of dollars through LMC, so I’m going to try to make due with some grade 8 stuff from Tractor Supply. To do this, I’ll have to plan on some minor welding to make up the washer nuts. On top of this, I noticed that the center holes in some of the brackets have started to widen out due to wear against the bolts and I can’t find new brackets anywhere, so I’m thinking to weld some 1/8” plate on the tops and bottoms of the brackets, so that the bushings have something solid to rest on. Finally, I tore up the old rotten carpet, only to find that the floor pan is completely rusted through in several spots and will need to be cut out and replaced. I’ll also need to replace or fabricate some new seat brackets, as they were also rotted away, due to contact with the rusty mess.
So. I’m not a welder. I tried years ago with a stick welder and managed a few spot welds that held, as well as some burn-throughs (I was just f’ing around, with no instruction). I don’t know if I have the potential to weld or not, but I am pretty handy. Most shops around here don’t like to work on old vehicles (can’t really blame them), so I’m considering putting some of the money I’d have to pay someone into buying a MIG welder and learning to use it on the projects mentioned above. The place I’m currently renting only has house current (110 volt, I believe), with 20 amp breakers.
Does anyone know if the Lincoln welder below would do the jobs outlined above? How steep would the learning curve be? Seems like it gets great reviews. Finally, the listing mentions the need for a cylinder of “shielding gas.” I read a bit on wiki about what this is, but can anyone tell me where it would be bought and how it would be used?
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lincoln-Electric-120-Volt-Mig-Flux-Cored-Wire-Feed-Welder/999972168
Thanks so much in advance for any input. I know that helping a newb isn’t much fun, but we’ve all gotta start somewhere, right?
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