I'm toying with the idea of finally buying a welder to do some future panel replacement on my Cuda in all the usual places (trunk, drivers floor, inner fenders, maybe a quarter panel).

I've dabbled in using oxy/acetylene, mig and tig doing some practice stuff and have always like tig the best because of the puddel control you have. It has always seemed to me like you "know" the two pieces are being bonded, as opposed to mig which seems to have the potential to be a hot metal glue gun.

Mig welders sure seem alot more popular for DIY resto work, but is this just due to the cost difference, or are mig welders inherently better for doing this type of work?

I'd assume that having a foot-pedal tig setup might be a hinderence for doing panel replacement, but maybe some practice with a torch mounted control would allow similar flexibility to using a mig?

Seems like home tig units are getting more affordable. I was thinking maybe something like the Miller Diversion 165.

Any thoughts from folks out there that have used both mig and tig?

Thanks

A mig welder makes more sense for panel and every day use. TIG welders will do the job but take longer to master and can destroy a panel(s) while your learning..

If you've done a lot of welding then it comes down to what you really want or can afford.

I tig almost everything for 30 years, but a mig is the only way to go for most lightweight panel work, mainly because of speed and welding induced heat distortion.

i`ve always used mig and over time you learn some tricks to minimize distortion. sometimes when welding in a large patch panel i would tack it in a few spots and then heat gun the whole area until it is very hot. and while i weld i`d keep the heat on it. then grind it back flush and still keep heating it until i`m done and let the whole thing cool slowly-anyone else have any good methods for minimizing distortion?

For sheet metal MIG. Faster less heat equal less distortion.

My vote goes to tig. And if you're looking for a fantastic machine at an extremely reasonable price, look at the Everlast 210EXT. This is a completely digital inverter machine that will give you unbelievable control - even right at the torch so you don't have to fumble with the pedal in awkward places. Yes, its made in China BUT is GREAT quality and blows away any Miller or Lincoln machine that is twice the price. I should point out that the unit sold in Canada comes with better accessories than the units sold in the US - torch and foot pedal. Why? Because the distributor calls the shots and the Canadian distributor is more interested in happy customers than the almighty dollar.

One thing with tig though - panel fitment is much more critical than mig. Mig will fill a gap whereas tig wants a perfect butt joint.

On a final note, if you don't own a mig already then maybe that's what you should go for simply because it is more practical for any other projects you may have.

Thanks for the replies.

I'm not too concerned about speed, as I'm not getting paid for this and tend to do just about everything slooowwwlllyy, but distortion is definately a concern. Are migs really that much better at limiting heat?

In a perfect world I'd have the coin and shop space for a mig, tig, and oxy/acetylene setup, but I'm lacking in both funds and space, so its one or the other.

Interesting that some pointed to the mig as being more versatile. I would have guessed that a tig unit would be more versatile since you can weld aluminum with quick and minor changes to the setup, unlike a mig.

You can mig aluminum, stainless too. You need to use different wire and I think different shield gas but it will do the job.
I haven't ever tried to tig, but the first weldoing course I took was oxy/acetylene. The instructor at the time said if you're good at that you can learn tig easier than if you just know stick. Haven't had the chance yet though, but I was impressed with a video I saw a few years back. It was a female sales rep at a trade show, she used a tig to "weld" two of the cellophane wrappers from two cigarette packs together! I'm sure she had lots of coaching and practice, but it was really neat to watch!

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Are migs really that much better at limiting heat?

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Absolutely NOT.

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Interesting that some pointed to the mig as being more versatile. I would have guessed that a tig unit would be more versatile since you can weld aluminum with quick and minor changes to the setup, unlike a mig.

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Only if you do a lot of aluminum. But the average person will make more stuff out of steel ... who makes aluminum engine stands, aluminum hoists, aluminum car dollys, etc, etc, etc ? Nope, most projects will be steel.

As for migging aluminum, that's production stuff only. It ain't pretty and it usually lacks the penetration a tig will give you.

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You can mig aluminum, stainless too. You need to use different wire and I think different shield gas but it will do the job.

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Yes, you can mig aluminum but as I understand it requires another gun because the aluminum wire has to be pulled instead of being pushed out the of gun. Converting a mig to weld aluminum isn't cheap and it isn't a quick simple change like for a tig welder.

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On a final note, if you don't own a mig already then maybe that's what you should go for simply because it is more practical for any other projects you may have.

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So I understand your point about most projects being done in steel, but why do you say a mig unit is more practical for any other projects? If we don't consider that migs are faster and intially cheaper to buy, would you still consider the mig as being more practical?

Thanks for the input

If I had the experience using tig and the funds to buy one, I would've been all over that. But even a small mig welder with gas will do every job there is on an old mopar.

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So I understand your point about most projects being done in steel, but why do you say a mig unit is more practical for any other projects? If we don't consider that migs are faster and intially cheaper to buy, would you still consider the mig as being more practical?

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Shouldn't "faster and cheaper" be enough ?!?!?
The speed and ease of use of a mig makes it way more practical than a tig. With a mig you turn on the gas, point and shoot. With a tig you have to fart around with the pedal, get yourself in a decent position to access with both the torch and the electrode, and then you need two hands to tig (and usually a foot!). And then running the bead will take longer. Ease of use is by far the biggest advantage. I could teach anyone how to mig decently in about 1/2 hour but tig takes hours of practice to get it right.

When it comes to panel replacement I honestly believe that a tig will save you time in the long run.

It will require a little more time to get the panels butted properly BUT no still need to set a proper gap with mig so this could be a wash.

The tig process done properly will give less warpage than mig.

The tig process will yield a much nicer weld, requiring minimal grinding. Whereas a migged butt joint will have gobs of weld on both sides to be cleaned up - inducing more heat into the panel.

Once set up, the tig and mig process of doing single spots spaced around the whole panel till its done should take about the same amount of time.

every weld doen on this was with a tig, it's all he uses 90% of the time