Vent: I thought spot welding a quarter panel was a hack, then I tried it on a Honda Civic
I have been doing body work in my garage for about 8 years and I always believed you had to use a full MIG weld on any panel that would see paint. Last week I picked up a 2011 Civic with a nasty dent on the rear quarter and the owner did not want to pay for a full panel replacement. I watched a guy on YouTube use a spot welder with a copper backer and he made it look easy. I was skeptical because I figured it would warp or pop through. I spent $180 on a cheap 110 volt spot welder and tried it on a scrap fender first. The welds held great and the panel barely moved. I ended up using it on the Civic and the repair took about 2 hours instead of 5. The only catch is you have to clean the metal down to bare steel or the welds come out weak. Has anyone else had good luck with spot welders on older cars, or am I just getting lucky?