Welding titanium?

[boodlefoof]

Hey guys,

Did a bit of a search through the archives and didn't find any mention of this.

I've been putting together an open road racing Datsun 240-Z. The car in factory form only weighed about 2400 pounds, but I plan on building a complete spaceframe chassis which will add some weight. I'll be shedding some weight elsewhere, but I don't think it will get me down to my target. I'm aiming for a curb weight of about 2000 pounds.

Hence my question... I've read that titanium can be MIG welded, and that, being a ferrous metal, it can be welded to mild steel. However, Ti also has a much higher melting point then steel, so I'm guessing MIG welding might be a little different.



Just curious if anyone has experience welding titanium. It looks like using it for the frame could shave quite a bit of weight (it is about 40% lighter than steel, and perhaps I could also get away with thinner wall tubing at the same time).

This is just an idea... and I'll probably end up going with steel (for cost purposes and if I decide I want to be legal for any sort of club racing... they tend to DQ titanium frames).

Thanks for any thoughts or comments.