In my experience, there are not a lot of operations on an average vehicle that stick welding is a good match for. The thin, 18-20ga panels of a floor certainly aren't one of them.
And before someone chimes in with "Grandpa used to patch up the family OldsmoBuick every year with a Lincoln tombstone and 3/16" 6011 rod so it would pass rustbelt inspections", just know that I have spent the last 15 years repairing those fixes and they suck!
I started several years ago as people have suggested, inexpensive Eastwood 110v mig with gas. Based partly on a GRM recommendation at the time. Amazing machine for the money, which through use and Abuse I have had go repair now and then but it has been a great budget machine
I'm doing floor and torque box repairs on a jeep TJ right now, and a common sense but important suggestion is to do the max of welding as a newer person welding from above rather than from underneath
Fully agree 110v mig machines are excellent for this kind of work
In addition I have saved the cost of the Eastwood machine and tank several times over now by making my own exhaust systems for multiple vehicles
I don't know if 120v welders can go down to a lower power setting than 240v units--perhaps they can, but I just don't think it's relevant here. Select the right MIG wire gauge based on the thickness of the steel you're welding. There are charts for this. Unless you're welding paper-thin 24 gauge, 0.030" wire will be good for this job. If you can't get a 240v unit, then a 120v welder will work, but if you can supply 240 volts to something, I'd suggest going with 240v.
That stick welder thing looks like something I saw on one of those sped-up-by-400%-for-some-reason Temu ads where they did miraculous things with just a hand-held stick welder. (And look! It can also inflate balloons! And start campfires! And it's also a radio!) I wouldn't use that on anything I own though. I can't imagine that battery would last very long either.
If you weld, just know that your car is made out of fuel, and it will catch fire constantly while you're welding. You may have to relocate brake and fuel lines, shield things with fire blankets, and hose stuff off when it catches fire. Grind away body seam sealer, because you can't weld over that or anywhere near it (it'll pop and blow out and contaminate your weld puddle). Seam sealer is also flammable, so it'll just sit there and burn until you put it out. It won't always be nice and catch on fire on the side of the panel you're actually working on, either--sometimes it'll catch on the opposite side. Have a fire extinguisher ready with the pin pulled, and be able to reach it without being able to see it. I also recommend one of those Harbor Freight pressurized hand-sprayer bottles full of water, too--I used one of those frequently, and it holds like a gallon of water. Most importantly, have a buddy nearby to just keep an eye out for fires. You can burn your house down if you're not careful. For little fires, a puff of Argon/CO2 mix will blow it out. For bigger fires, squirt it with water and then let it all dry and cool for a couple hours. For dangerous fires, you'll be panicking and you'll need to get that fire extinguisher on it before it gets out of hand.
I think more of us have experience with adhesive-bonded structural panels than it might seem. I think that good chunks of the Elise were glued together. I also think I remember some BMW literature from 20 years ago talking about how they glue parts together in their cars now, too. I would be willing to give the magic schmoo a try on the floors--after you blow through the floor 20 times with the welder, you might we willing to try it, too.
In reply to Datsun240ZGuy :
Yup! the Mustang floor looks very much like this.
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