I think I need to get an air metal shear. I'm going through cut off wheels like crazy.

They have a lot of them on ebay pretty cheap.

Most say that they are good for up to 18 guage. What guage are floor pans and replacement sheetmetal?

I don't want to buy one and have it only able to cut through light stuff.

Any help?

http://www.1969supersport.com/smthoughts.html

Rob

how about trying a sawzall on floor pans?

I think I need to get an air metal shear. I'm going through cut off wheels like crazy.
I'm not against buying new tools, but how about easing up on the pressure with the cutoff wheels. You'll notice that they last alot longer when you let the tool do the work.

At any rate, go for the shear that'll cut 16 ga.

What kind of cut off wheels you using? The cheap ones are a waste of time. Get some 3M Green Corps cut off wheels. They last ten times as long as the cheapies. Shears only work on flat sheet metal. Try a body saw or a sawzall on the big stuff.

I was using the cheap ones. I just ordered the 3M's. Thanks for the advice!

Ed,

I just bought a used sawzall on ebay. What blades do I need for sheet metal? TPI???

I was using the cheap ones. I just ordered the 3M's. Thanks for the advice!

I've also had really good luck with the Dewalt brand cut off wheels. You can easily find them in any hardware store. I did all the sheetmetal removal and new sheetmetal trimming for the rear sheetmetal on only 2 wheels. (80% quarters, outer wheelhouses, trunk drop downs, and tail panel are in the process of getting replaced)

I would also get a body saw. Harbor Freight has them or if you want a good one go to Grainger. I just cut out the holes for the guages on the DSE dash. It worked great and was easy to move around in a circle.

Ed,

I just bought a used sawzall on ebay. What blades do I need for sheet metal? TPI???

Carefull using a sawzall ... They are pretty radical for doing sheet metal work. I still perfer using a cutoff wheel as I just feel like I have more control over it when cutting. Sawzall is good for large bulk work where you really don't care about about cutting straight lines, etc.
The body saw is like a small version of the sawzall. A better choice then the heavier sawzall, but I found that mine went through blades easier then my cutoff wheel when cutting metal.