the wire length varies from around 5mm from the tip to about 10mm. The wire speed is turned up a little as the lower it was set the more unwilling the welder was to move the wire. Too high and I found the tip being pushed away from the work.

Thought about a course but I need the car finished quickly (although I am not willing to substitute speed for quality).

http://www.weldingtipsandtricks.com/mig-welding-videos.html

Are you using .8mm wire? If so try some .6mm.
I found .8 was fine if welding to new steel, for original sheetmetal i found .6 was easier to control.

0.6mm

You have mail.....

OOPPSS......just read some net stuff that indicates the wire spool has a tensioning device....reakon I may have just tightened the cr*p out of it hence the feed motor struggling at low setting... [:o)]

will take a look tomorrow morning when i get home from work

i am having the same probs and to make things worse i am using a gasless mig but i thought this was helpfull

http://www.mig-welding.co.uk/thin-metal.htm

yeah i read that. helpful

I am convinced most of my issues are that I have the wire spool tension too tight. Explains the start-stop action of the wire feed and the inability to turn the wire speed down low.