i've done a welding course and have a pretty good MIG. I'm just not good enough to do the welding on thin metal, and want it done right.

I'm studying atm as well as fulltime work so unfortunately don't have time to do more courses

Before I retired I was welding engineer at Rheem. I was responsible for welder training.... and TAFE ran us a specific course.
The trouble with many short MIG courses at TAFE etc is they don't teach how to weld really thin stuff, like body panels. Their idea of `thin' is 1.6mm. Fine to do a trailer with.
The welding content of a panelbeating course is far more applicable.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

I'm a boilermaker by trade and welded nothing under 3mm and only with a stick welder.
Bought a mig for my mini project and started blowing holes in 0.7mm sheet. Played with Amps and feed speed until it started to become controllable.
Still not brilliant but the grinder fixes that.

Buy a MIG and have a go, it's really satisfying.

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Find a job you love and you will never have to go to work !

simon k,
I made the drip rails at TAFE. (You can see why they are closing these luxuries down!!) using a guilotine, brake and a swagging jenny to put a slight rib to fit against the gutter, and a shrinker to curve the front few inches.
New ones weren't available a few years ago.
I think I have read, in the past year or so, that they are being remade.

They're still available new, about $20 a side.+ post (they might need to cut in half to post.)
$350 for a new spot welder (fleebay)

ahh, so they are.... the ends look weird though

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

Those are the UK ones. Australian drip rails have a different profile and also a slight curve at the end. I'm pretty sure no-one makes them in quantity lots for retail sale, although I know some members have made a set for themselves using the method Bill B describes.

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ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

Mig with 0.6 wire and keep the amps down. I use the mig wire to set my panel gap as the minimum (I cant cut that accurately normally). Magnets to set them flat and spot together every 3 inches working at diagonals across the panel like you're torquing up a head. As said a grinder with a flap disc will clean it up nicely.

The OP was asking about adhesives.

The Lotus Elise chassis is not welded or bolted together, it's glued! It's supposed to be stronger than weld.

So are the majority of commercial aircraft these days as well, at least in a lot of the skin construction. The modern adhesives are amazing.

Gotta have the car certified by an engineer however with a significant change of construction which might be tricky as the engineer won't have the details on the structural results of using adhesives. For every well thought out, well resourced and clever home engineer out there, there will be five shaky car repairers who would stoop to gluing AU Falcon crumple zone panels on with gutter silicone.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.