H.F. Spot Welder, Opinions?

[scotts74birds]

Starting to formulate the plan for 1/4 panel replacement. I saw that H.F. has some 220v spot welders. Does anyone have any comments on these? I will be using that [if they work] or plug welding. BTW, should I be using a "weld-thru" primer in the seams when spot or plug welding? Thanks, Scotty

 

[5wndwcpe]

Save your money. Wait for a sale at tractor Supply and pick up a Hobart mig welder. They're relatively inexpensive and work well. Something like this:

http://www.tractorsupply.com/weldin...mig-welders/hobart-handler-140-welder-3812040

 

[detmatt1]

If your using a mig welder, use the weld through primer. I wouldn't buy anything from H.F. that requires electricity unless you plan on owning it for a very short time. I just bought a Lenco Mark 2 spot welder from a Craigslist ad and I am very excited to use it. This unit has 2 seperate electrodes that you can use on the same side of the panel you are working on and actually does 2 welds at once. I was told by the guy I bought it from that the metal has to be perfectly clean at the points being welded though which means that seam sealing becomes that much more important.

 

[Donny]

Ditto, forget H.F., most of their stuff is junk. Or, go to www.weldingmart.com and score something there that will last, and that you can grow into. If you're going to mess with qtrs, and you are thinking about HF junk, man oh man, you may want to get a pro to hang them!

 

[george68hemirr]

heres what i did.....eastwood sell everything you need for what you are doing....i bought a tool the steps the metal so when placed on top of the other its smooth on the surface..another tool punches holes for plug welding and also can buy alighment pins to set panel and adjust panel if need....they sell the weld through primer and also the seam sealer....now for a welding machine.....dont buy crap....i picked up a SP-155 amp lincoln fluxcore/mig maching..home-depot/lowes..220....dryer plug set-up...you buy the maching then for another 60 buck you buy the mig conversion....great machine ....500 bucks....you get what you pay for....or buy something similiar

back to the quarter.....after you carefully measure and fit up your new quarter...spray on weld through primer...start plug welding through those punched holes...cool right away with a wet rag....do all those punched holes.....now you are ready to weld the whole panel....start at one point with a small 1/4 inch tack then move down the panel 12 inches....do another.cooling each weld with a wet rag...do the whole panel till its welded 100 %....very important to cool each weld so you dont distort/warp
the panel... i had 3-4 rags cooling welds as i was welding
when all done welding ...grind all you welds down...not generating alot of heat....on the backside of the panel use seam sealers to protect seam from any moisture coming through.....i did both quarters on my roadrunner and havent had a problem with any moisture bubbles at all.....do it right the first time or do it half *** and the end result is crap....period

 

[Propwash]

I wouldn't waste your money on a spot welder. For close to the same cost you could have a MIG welder that you will utilize a hell of a lot more than a spot welder. I second the theory of punch holes then plug welds.

I bought a brand new Miller Millermatic 140 MIG welder, Cart, 2 spools of wire, and a tank with premix for $730. Works awesome! I definitly wouldn't recommend using a fluxcore wire. You will end up with too much heat, porosity, slag deposits for quarter panel work. If you do go the route of using a panel flange tool, you might also want to think about using the Panel Bonding Sealer from 3M or SEM. You could eliminate a majority of your welding all together thus reducing the chance to warp your new quarters.

Weld through primer is a must.................H.F.=Garbage

 

[dantrap]

Propwash has it right on for the flux core wire, don’t use it. We use the Argon premix with 25% co2. Also the panel adhesive will save a lot of welding and grinding. We just put 2 new full AMD quarters on a 70 RR with great results. We did have to trim them around the drip rail intersection on the roof, but that was it. Do all your clean up on the existing metal before you start test fitting. We punch the holes about 4-5 inches apart and grind off all of the e-coat. The e-coat is ground off where we are going to glue also. Have your clamps ready, dispense the glue, fit the panel and clamp it. We let it setup usually over night before unclamping. You can then plug weld your pre-punched holes. Some of you glue will spluge out in spots, but just hit it with a grinder and it will be fine. Where you weld to the roof, make sure that area is as clean as possible. The Lead contamination (you don't see it) can make welding a big Pain. This is just one method how we do it. Good Luck

 

[detmatt1]

As always, good info here!!, gotta love this site1.

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

While MIG Flux core is messier, and not my favorite the exact opposite is the truth about the heat. FCAW produces less heat for the same weld area as compared to MIG. In fact Chrysler recommends FCAW on all sectioning repairs for their vehicles, and the Viper Frame is FCAW from the assembly line. Sorry to poop on your info...just sayin!

 

[dantrap]

To each his own, we will be sticking with the gas. Its what we know and it works fine.

 

[jaak]

I dont know about HF's spot welder, but I bought a mig one time....total junk. I got rid of it.

Jason

 

[Donny]

Sounds good!

 

[66_B_Body4ever]

To each his own, we will be sticking with the gas. Its what we know and it works fine.

Hey Dantrap, I am not disagreeing with you, I run c-25 gas on my MIG and I won't change...but it's a technical fact about FCAW that I stated, not my personal opinion.
Cheers...

 

[dantrap]

No offense taken 66, that just our method.

 

[Propwash]

While MIG Flux core is messier, and not my favorite the exact opposite is the truth about the heat. FCAW produces less heat for the same weld area as compared to MIG. In fact Chrysler recommends FCAW on all sectioning repairs for their vehicles, and the Viper Frame is FCAW from the assembly line. Sorry to poop on your info...just sayin!

I agree with you and I don't. Maybe over the whole scope of things, Flux core is cooler per material/thickness applied to. I was speaking in reference to quarter panels not the whole generic basics of FCAW welding.


FCAW in not recommended for welding materials 18-20 gauge or thinner. Look it up at Miller, Lincoln, American Welding Society or wherever you want. Taking Flux Core to quarters is like bringing a battleship for bird hunting. There is too much punch (heat!). Also with a larger Diameter wire, it is borderline for precision welding on thinner materials. And with Flux Core you will have slag, more spatter, more porosity. Plus to top it off, it is more difficult to create a sufficent weld (Gun Angle, wire speed, knob settings, Pass movement are critical).

Have you ever FCAW quarters on? I can't even imagine. I've seen floor pans severed beyond repair from it...real ugly. Flux core was never in our train of thought at the body shop as far as body panels. I tell you what, go and ask some other body man to weld on some quarters with Flux Core and see what he tells ya. As far as the Viper goes, yes I can believe that considering they are welding on the frame. If they are in fact welding with Flux core on sheetmetal, I'm sure it's a highly engineered process along with highly engineered equipment. Not Budget Lincoln welders from Home Depot

I'm not one to argue, but I honestly think you took a look at my statement the wrong way and I don't want to see some JoeBagofdonuts to read this thread thinking "I'm gonna go buy flux core welder to weld on my quarters because it runs cooler and it sure is cheaper off the get go." They will be trashing a set of quarters and they are going to be pretty pissed! Might as well tell them to use a stick welder.

So, I'm not mad you "pooped" on my info because you didn't interpret it the right way to begin with.

 

[Donny]

I went to 44B MOS in the Army which is Metalworker; i.e. Welder. One thing I can say right up front; Use the hottest weld(er), temperature as you can, the better you are as a welder, the hotter your 'stick' is, and the better/prettier your weld will be. But, it's always a dance on the edge of melt-thru, but, it always comes out better. As I said earlier, if you want to skimp on the welder quality, and hang qtrs; you may want to re-evaluate something; welding machine and or get a 'pro' to hang 'em. If you fook something up, that's a LOT of cash down the drain so to speak. Good luck.

 

[george68hemirr]

I went to 44B MOS in the Army which is Metalworker; i.e. Welder. One thing I can say right up front; Use the hottest weld(er), temperature as you can, the better you are as a welder, the hotter your 'stick' is, and the better/prettier your weld will be. But, it's always a dance on the edge of melt-thru, but, it always comes out better. As I said earlier, if you want to skimp on the welder quality, and hang qtrs; you may want to re-evaluate something; welding machine and or get a 'pro' to hang 'em. If you fook something up, that's a LOT of cash down the drain so to speak. Good luck.

he is correct but you must cool tacks asap it prevent warpage

 

[69HEMICORONETR/TCONV]

I went to 44B MOS in the Army which is Metalworker; i.e. Welder. One thing I can say right up front; Use the hottest weld(er), temperature as you can, the better you are as a welder, the hotter your 'stick' is, and the better/prettier your weld will be. But, it's always a dance on the edge of melt-thru, but, it always comes out better. As I said earlier, if you want to skimp on the welder quality, and hang qtrs; you may want to re-evaluate something; welding machine and or get a 'pro' to hang 'em. If you fook something up, that's a LOT of cash down the drain so to speak. Good luck.

Is this theory True for Diamond Plate floor boards as well ? :rolling:

 

[george68hemirr]

i would never use fluxcore wire to tack panels on..in my post i didnt make that clear,,,..mig/solid wire is what i use with a 50-50 mix of argon/carbon dioxide mix and the metal has to be clean....forget about welding through glue....no good

 

[Propwash]

he is correct but you must cool tacks asap it prevent warpage

I definitly second that. We went with sopping wet rags (with a little water conditioner to prevent corosion), to each tack made. One other guy used that along with the heat dispersal puddy. Never used it myself, seemed like too much of a mess and extra hassle.

We did have a new kid out of Tech School not "Quench" his welds on a 56' Bel Air. We spent a lot of wasted time trying to salvage the work, but in the end there was so much filler applied we were better off replacing the panel.