[creeper]

I have a Lincoln HD flux core welder (their flux-only model, can't be converted to mig) that I picked up on craigslist a few years ago just to get started. On the bright side, it's a decent build quality and replacement parts are readily available unlike the cheap chinese units. Also, a lot of the chinese units are electrically live even when you're not pulling the trigger for feed so you end up flashing yourself every time it touches something when you try to get the wire where you want it.

I've found that it's a pretty good solution for sticking two pieces of metal together. I was happy with the results on some lawn mower modifications, but it gets frustrating at times. It definitely splatters far worse than MIG. The biggest downside is trying to weld anything thin, as you can only go down to .030 wire (if the unit will even feed anything other than the usually-default .035). You need EXTREMELY clean surfaces, and have very little control over the heat and feed so exhaust is very tricky, especially if rusted.

You can try mine out for your seat brackets, it will probably do a pretty decent job at that. When I was looking I realized that anything cheap cheap (<$200) is a gamble because no replacement parts are available if something breaks. One step up ($200-$400) you have the ability to convert to MIG by adding a regulator for another $100+ down the road, but then you end up in the price range of decent units that include it to begin with.