Not too long ago there was a lot of talk about weilers.go to the top of this page, and do a "search", just type in "welder". I tried it,works good. You should find some stuff there. good luck.

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http://www.fototime.com/inv/E695F2E9BD55636 http://www.smokemup.com/gallery/pictures/pic_month/69yenkocamaro-sm2.jpg

 

jrager,
I just bought a new welder and it's probably about the size you are refering to. It will be a little more money but I read all the earlier research and it seems worth the little extra cash . It's a miller 175 and the cost including a cart was 650.00

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SCOTT
69 RS-SS 396 4-SPEED

 

A Miller 135 shoudl do everything you ever need at about that much. It is all we have at work and we use them everyday for sheet metal and an occasional truck frame.

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Fan of anything that is interesting and moves human beings.
1965 Buick Gran Sport Convertible
1965 Buick Skylark H/T
1948 Chevy PU with 401 Buick

 

You should look at the HTP's. Much more duty cycle than the equivalent lincoln or miller for about the same price.

An HTP 120 goes for about $400 and puts out 120 amps at 20% duty cycle. Compare this to the 90 amps at 20% duty for the miller or lincoln machine.

Email me if you want to know more.
www.htpweld.com

Dave

 

I had a Craftsman welder and it was not acceptable as the gas valve was defective so I sent it back at my own expense. No service or parts were available. This is more important than you think.

The local welding supply place (Airgas) was very helpful as were "how to" books on welding (especialy helpful). I bought a Miller XP130 that runs on household voltage and the breakers in the fusebox were already the right size. I also got a Radnor gas regulator kit with the rotometer(cute little floating ball flow meter). All I had to do was replace the outlet box with a higher amp rated receptacle and I made my own extension cord using the specs that came with the welder and some supplies from the Home Depot. You will need .027 copper coated solid steel wire for bodywork. No flux cored stuff on thin sheet metal. The Argon/co2 blend gas is better for thin metal work. The welder is ready to go as is but you will need to purchase .027 contact tips ($1-2)to work with that wire.

The most important thing to me by far was having the welding supply store close by for service, parts, advice etc. Pay a little more than the mail order and get some mano-e-mano relationship going.

Good luck, and practice, practice, practice...

-Mark.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Pay a little more than the mail order and get some mano-e-mano relationship going. <HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Yeah, when I was shopping for a welder this really agonized me too. I talked to a lot of local dealers and they really harped on this point. In the end, it not as important as they make it out to be.

One vendor was bragging on a miller he could sell me so I asked to see the model. He responded with, I have to order it. Ha. So much for having local supplies.

I've learned if you have to take your welder in for repair, the shops (at least here) will have to order parts in for it. So what's the difference between mail order and local? Perhaps some face to face dealings. I get excellent support over the phone and I've got a 3 year warranty. If something happens, a multimeter is all you need to troubleshoot it and you'll have the parts in 2 days. So to each his own.

Whatever you do, look through the sales antics and buy the best and most powerful machine for your money.

Good luck.

Dave

PS. Actually you want to use .023 wire on sheet metal and I agree with Mark, the gas is much better.

[This message has been edited by Scooby Doo (edited 05-18-2002).]

 

I would love to have a mig welder , have wanted one for 20 year's but for me that is just one more of the thing's I can't afford , so I use the old arc welder my dad left me and bought one of the stich welder's from eastwood $49.95 and all you have to do is buy rod's for you can get a load of them for $10 buck's , I have put on 1/4's , patch panel's , door skin's , tail pan's , rocker panel's , and much more , I am on my second stich welder in 15 year's , kept what was left of the first one for part's , I am happy with the result's I get and have never had a weld to fail or come loose ,
I know mig's are better but with the cost of a mig and wire and gas and and and and and , us broke fellow's use the stich welder ,
just a thought ,

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69 camaro traded for 67 camaro traded back for 69 now back with a 67 rs WILL IT NEVER END ,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I HOPE NOT .
ADVENTURE'S IN RUST REPAIR

 

I don't know about your local shops..but having just purchased a Miller Syncrowave 180 TIG, I can tell ya I saved a bundle buying on the internet instead of my local shop. I had given them an opportunity to give me a deal on the unit..but after giving me 200 bucks off retail (whew..what a deal) I went on the internet and bought from an authorized Miller dealer and saved close to 900 bucks. And delivery was free.
I also have a MIG..but if you want welds that are easy to grind or finish, easy to work with, etc...a TIG is the only way to go. It does take more skill..but it is easily learned..and ya know what..if ya mess up, a TIG weld is much more easy to fix, dress up, cut, etc than that of a MIG. MUCH easier.

 

Bought my MIG at Lowes for $300. It is a Cambell Hausfeld. Worked great, came with everything except gas. They also have the supplies to go with it. I think I got a good welder at a good price. It worked on my sheet metal and the subframe connectors, no problem. The only problem was my lack of expertise, but I learned.

 

Ditto Codi...

[This message has been edited by Turbo_Jet (edited 05-21-2002).]

 

Codi,
$300 for a MIG welder is a good deal. I just called my local Lowes. My store only sells Lincoln welders. They have a 135 Lincoln MIG for $425 but nothing that will use gas for less. Guess Lows in different areas carry different welder brands.

Still, $425 is not bad for a Lincoln MIG that will weld up to 1/4". I even saw a couple new ones on eBay for a little over $300.

Thanks for all the advise team.

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69 RS Convertible Camaro, 350/350. Orignal red with black top and interior.
http://www.ragersworld.com/

 

Jrager,

I too am in the market (finally!) for a MIG welder so I did the usual search through all the different manufacturers web sites, even Harbor Freight. I haven't found one with the features I want at the price I want to pay.
I just got back from Lowes here and they only carry Lincoln Electric stuff too. I want something that'll do gas as well as flux and they have a Lincoln Electric "Handy MIG" setup that was really nice for $247!! It's Model K2157-1, Lowes number 177704.
I would have picked one up right then and there but they only had the display one left until later this week. The guy was gonna give it to me for 10% off ($223!) but I wanted to be sure I got all the pieces-parts so I passed on it. Now all I need to add is the MIG conversion kit and bottles.

Just wondering if you bought a welder yet and what you got. Everyone here seems to own or suggest a Miller.



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Joe
WCA Member
1969 Wallet Crusher
- HwyStar@Rochester.rr.com
- HwyStar@CarJunky.com
My neverending project!

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by HwyStarJoe:
Jrager,

I too am in the market (finally!) for a MIG welder so I did the usual search through all the different manufacturers web sites, even Harbor Freight. I haven't found one with the features I want at the price I want to pay.
I just got back from Lowes here and they only carry Lincoln Electric stuff too. I want something that'll do gas as well as flux and they have a Lincoln Electric "Handy MIG" setup that was really nice for $247!! It's Model K2157-1, Lowes number 177704.
I would have picked one up right then and there but they only had the display one left until later this week. The guy was gonna give it to me for 10% off ($223!) but I wanted to be sure I got all the pieces-parts so I passed on it. Now all I need to add is the MIG conversion kit and bottles.

Just wondering if you bought a welder yet and what you got. Everyone here seems to own or suggest a Miller.

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Joe,
I think I am going to get the same welder that you are. I decided to buy one this Fall when I pull the car off the road for the winter.

 

Cool, I'll have it this weekend so I'll let you know how it works soon.

 

You get what you pay for. Bear that in mind when you go buy a "cheap" welder. Aluminum transformers, low duty cycles, no/little accessories, cheap drive roller, plastic parts, etc. I don't recall if the gas pack even comes with it.

Buy something that you'll be able to use later down the road on thicker metals and have for a lifetime.

Dave

[This message has been edited by Scooby Doo (edited 06-17-2002).]

 

I bought an HTP 140 a couple of years ago. Great welder. Lots of features and great service. I would highly recommend them. John

 

Dave, I'm a firm believer in 'you get what you pay for.' I always keep that in mind and have never been an impatient or impulse buyer. But there's always one factor when shopping for anything that seems to dictate what 'you get'. That's a budget.
I looked at the HTP MIG140 and emailed them asking a couple questions about it (haven't heard back yet). I like it and John and you have a great welder. Most likely it's way out of my price range. I'm trying to find a unit that does what I need at a great price which will leave me enough cash to add the tanks and regulator equipment and still be close to budget.
Budget.... it always comes down to budget. I could just as easily rent a welder every time I need it.... new dash panel, one rocker, subframe connectors, misc. stuff..... but by the time I'm done using it, I could have bought it. I'm trusting that Lincoln stands by their products and build quality. They've been around a while. If I have to have a unit with plastic instead of aluminum parts, it's just a limitation I'll have to deal with.
If this Lincoln fails to impress me, and that's not easy to do, it'll go. It just means waiting another year to buy one or wasting the budget on rentals.
Thanks for the recommendations Dave.



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Joe
WCA Member
1969 Wallet Crusher
- HwyStar@Rochester.rr.com
- HwyStar@CarJunky.com
My neverending project!

 

The welder who did my floors, etc used the Lincoln 135. It did a terrific job. I'm also going to get that one.

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Rick Dorion
69 RS Conv,355,M20,4.10's and I don't worry about stone chips ( yet ).

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jrager:
I want to buy a MIG welder to work on my Camaro as well as some sub frame connectors and other car related stuff.

What welder brand or AMP rating would you all recommend for under $500.

I found a used Snap On MIG for sale.
YA217 PROFESSIONAL TOTE MIG: PRI VOLTS 120 PRI AMPS 18-10 60HZ KVA 22 SEC VOLTS 18 SEC AMPS 75 DUTY CYCLE 20% MAX OCV 31

Would this be enough of a welder for what I want to do?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by jrager:
I want to buy a MIG welder to work on my Camaro as well as some sub frame connectors and other car related stuff.

What welder brand or AMP rating would you all recommend for under $500.

If your not a welder by trade that should be plenty for you use, but the one you found is probably pricey. You might want to go to a store that carries a brand name that isn't so well known, if you know what I mean. Hope this helps you!!
I found a used Snap On MIG for sale.
YA217 PROFESSIONAL TOTE MIG: PRI VOLTS 120 PRI AMPS 18-10 60HZ KVA 22 SEC VOLTS 18 SEC AMPS 75 DUTY CYCLE 20% MAX OCV 31

Would this be enough of a welder for what I want to do?<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

 

Take a look at the HTP 120 model. This is the 110V equivalent model to the miller and lincoln 135's. Perhaps this is more up your alley, especially, if you never see a need to weld anything but sheet metal.

Feel free to email me with any questions.

Cheers.

Dave

[This message has been edited by Scooby Doo (edited 06-18-2002).]

 

I spoke with Steve Holzer and Diane at HTP yesterday afternoon. The HTP120 is $409 right now. It comes with a bunch of extras and they have a deal on an auto-darkening helmet for $50. Sounded like a great deal to me. The only difference between the 120 and the 140 is that the 120 doesn't do spot welds or have pause timers. Steve even offered to send me video's for no charge. I've got a catalog on the way.

 

<BLOCKQUOTE>quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by HwyStarJoe:
I spoke with Steve Holzer and Diane at HTP yesterday afternoon. The HTP120 is $409 right now. It comes with a bunch of extras and they have a deal on an auto-darkening helmet for $50. Sounded like a great deal to me. The only difference between the 120 and the 140 is that the 120 doesn't do spot welds or have pause timers. Steve even offered to send me video's for no charge. I've got a catalog on the way.<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>


HwyStarJoe,
Do you have a web site URL for HTP?

 

Scooby posted it near the beginning of this thread.... www.htpweld.com
Nice site

I called them yesterday morning and it was before their normal business hours, so I just hung up. A couple hours later I get a call from them saying that they saw my number on their caller I.D. so they thought they'd give me a call back to see what I wanted.

One of the sales reps that I spoke with asked me how I had heard of HTP and of course I told her I heard about them and their equipment on the TEAM CAMARO web site and the technical forums here. She was surpized and pretty happy to find that out.

 

Tell them Dave sent ya. They'll take care of you. Very excellent customer service. You won't be disappointed.

Btw, Steve is the guy that sold me my welder. Good fella.

Dave

[This message has been edited by Scooby Doo (edited 06-19-2002).]