Morris Minor Owners Club

If you have to weld-in patches / plates under your Moggy, frequently it is a problem to use clamps etc. A useful , and time saving process , which saves using the normal self - tappers/ drill !!!

Go to your friendly builders' merchant and purchase a quantity of dry lining-self tapping screws ( Lafarge trade name ) Each screw has its built in drill point . You use an electric drill with a phillps driver head , and just bang the screws in . Much easier !!! Then tack weld ; I usually weld straight ocer the screw heads . Arfron

I usually hold the piece in place with a large screwdriver, so that the edges line up and tack one bit, then repeat the process hammering and tacking until it's held, then seam weld in-between the tacks.

But if you are doing VERY large areas, then I see your point.

Point taken. Arfron

Small plates I tend to use insulation tape to hold them for tacking! It will fall off anyway when you start with the real welding.
Bigger plates - I also use a screwdriver, but normally a wooden hammer handle (less likely to get electrocuted).
Under the car I've found it very handy to hold the panel in place (eg. a sill) using a scissor jack.

What about the easiest method - Find some one else to hold the plate.

I have used with good success welding magnets.

You can also buy panel clamps that are drilled and screwed very much like the screw idea but more expensive.


James.

Thanks for all the various suggestions about how to position steel,prior to welding ; however, the point that I was trying to make is , that you could use the self- drill screws when necessary . Maybe, that a lot of folk had never heard of self - drill screws . I hadn't until I came across them in a non- welding context . I rest my case ! Arfron