I have never welded in my life and was wondering if you could weld aluminum to steel to create a patch in body sheet metal? Any advice would be great as I am trying to fix some dents and rust in my Cruiser body.

 

I wouldn't recommend it...even if it IS possible. I don't know WHY you would do it. Just get some sheet metal...and if you've never welded before...don't start w/ sheet metal.

 

You need to weld sheet metal in there, and do it with a MIG welder. Do not run a bead as it will warp and distort the metal. You need to do small spot welds and move the welder around often. After your done grind down the spot welds until smooth and use body filler to smooth the surface. Oh, and good luck.

 

No you can't weld aluminum to sheet metal. I'm a welder/maintenance techincian. Do what TACOMANATOR advises and you should be OK. Or you can opt out for some good old pop rivets to make the patch, although I don't recommend it for the long haul. Good luck.

 

hehe there is a way to bond steel and aluminum together, we had this process done often on our NASCAR southwest tour car. That way when the item was checked with a magnet it passed......

There is no way to weld aluminum to steel with conventional welders, the process used an explosive source to force the steel to impregnate into the aluminum......

 

No, with most normal welding equipment you cannot attach dissimilar materials. For example, steel to steel and aluminum to aluminum. Welding steel with MIG can be accomplished fairly easily with some practice, whereas TIG welding aluminum can be a trifle more challenging.

 

I agree with Tacomanator and the others. I had to replace the areas around my rear wheel wells. I cut out the bad areas and tacked in replacement sheet metal with MIG, placing the welds about and 1" apart and moving around on the piece to let it cool and not buckle. The gaps were then filled with bondo. You can get a mix of bondo and glass. That seems to hold better.

 

I know for a fact that it cannot be welded together, trust me I had to do it when I first started work. To bad it was a joke and I didn't know any better. At least I knew maintnace doesn't have a aluminum magnet.