new at welding

[general-labor]

i just picked up at miller thunderbolt 225 from my pops and was wondering what rod i should use to weld some plate steel to a cherokee unibody. im mainly gonna use it to make sliders and rear bumper. sorry i cant wait till tuesday:flipoff2:

[yozsi]

7018 or 7014 probably 3/32" or 1/8" rod depending how thick the metal is.

[Travis Waldher]

I would also practice a LOT before trying to weld anything to your unibody vehicle. ;)

It's a lot easier to weld 1/4" plate than it is 18ga.

[Arya Ebrahimi]

Good luck stick welding to a unibody as your first major welding experience. I would do everything possible to avoid welding to the unibody until you are more experienced. The whole fact that you'll be welding upside down and out of position is not going to help, regardless of the fact that you're welding to paper thin metal that's been undercoated and galvanized.

If you do insist on welding to the unibody I would bum a wire feed from someone for that part of the project.

[DSW]

Thin unibody steel with a stick machine is a challange. I'd get the thinnest rod you can find. I have seen some 1/16" or 5/64" in 6013 that might work ok. 7018 or 7014 in very small sizes would be my next choice. Tractor supply carries small pacages of these tiny rods usually. A mig would be a better choice for the sheet metal.

The heavier steel on sliders and the bumper are perfect for stick welds.

For sliders and rear bumper 6013, 7014, 7024 are a good choice for beginners. These are drag rods and you don't have to hold an arc. If you get the setting right it will look like you've been welding for years after a bit of practice. You know the settings are close when the slag peals off on its own or comes off in big long chunks. 7018AC is a bit tougher to run but is my 1st choice. Some 7018 rods run on AC better than others. 7014 would be #2, 6013 #3 just because I dont have 7024 on hand and 7024 has to be run flat only.

Grab some scrap and run some beads on about the medium heat settings that are recomended on the package. That should get you close to start.

PM me if you need some help getting it dialed in and you can shoot me some picts and I'll make some suggestions.

Good luck.

[general-labor]

this isnt the first time ive welded. ive welded with 7024 on flat stock but nothing else with stick. also what would be good tubing for sliders? i was thinking hrew off a ladder rack we have in our back yard