I was recently given a BMW E36 M3 that has a blown out right rear shock tower. This is common and I have ordered the replacement sheet metal.
My question is two fold.
Does any of the welding equipment such as the MIG reach out into the automotive bays and is it acceptable to roll it out there for use if it does.
Is there anyone that has experience with that I might be able to get to help me with said project. I would remove all spot welds and clean up the area that is to be welded. I would just need someone who has experience with this type of body work and is certified on the welding equipment at the space to make the repair.
You’ve got a very important question right there. I suspect @dallasmagna and @Brandon_Green need to figure out some procedure for this activity.
My thoughts:
Rolling the Gas MIG welder out isn’t a big deal, but the Ar/CO2 bottle is currently strapped to the wall and not moveable. You could use the flux core box, instead, if you didn’t care about pretty-looking welds.
Inflammable (able to burn) and potentially explosive materials in the automotive area should be considered before doing any welding job. For instance, you’d be working near your tire and fuel lines. Both may react badly to spatter and blobs of weld material.
Radiation (UV, Visible) protection for other users of the automotive area is essential. We need some moveable welding curtains to prevent unintentional exposure to the arc.
Of less concern is welding fumes, which can be mitigated by opening the door and using the fan on mild days.
That’s what I did to weld the trebuchet, there is a 208 outlet between the rollup doors that the mig welder can plug into, and there are 2 welding curtains next to the tan cabinet in metalshop that you can hang from a ladder or tall jack stand
