Careless

got a spool of 035 wire, and im gettin a spool of flux cored wire tomorrow for about 50 canadian =D 10 lbs! i dont think i'll waste this any time soon.

ahahha. my main man Patrick, who sold me this thing, even wrote me a receipt!

how does it compare to today's units for a price of about 300 USD =) I need new nozzle, difusser, and tip... can't find it anywhere though. i see a 21-62 on the tip, and that's a reference to tweco branded guns, so im assuming they use tweco flush mount thread nozzles too. EDIT: so it's the equivalent to this?

I have the same problem. I also notice that if it's cold and I DO manage to get it started it only runs on like 3 or 4 cylinders, and sounds reallllllllllllly nasty for some reason. I think the cold is keeping the rings tight to the pistons, and they don't seal as well as they should. letting in some oil to foul up the plugs. mix that oil with some of the fuel that's been flooding into there after 2 or 3 minutes of cranking, and you got a bad starting issue. Im gonna just clean off my plugs and then adjust my timing accordingly, or even knock it back a degree or two, and then i'll try it again. but right now it's -23 degrees celsius here in Toronto with the windchill factor, so I'm not even going outside, nevermind in the garage with no heat.

what did you paint them with too? they look just a smidgen less shiney than the unpainted ones, so it's either a clear, or a metallic rust-bullet type of paint.

heheh, that would work too, and be much easier. =) BTW, what do you guys use to cut metal stock like this?

i like the idea of the wood console. i just think the wood used is very square for the type of forms i would like to see in a zee console. I like the door treatment though. that looks quite stellar. something i would consider doing.

yah im pretty sure it draws quite a bit of amperage, but i hope to get a mig to do the smaller work down the road, something like a 130 or such. I just want to get to be able to use it for more than cars down the road. so i bought something big and badass for myself at a good price. i figured i might as well start with an older version like the veterans do, and just figure out the straight skills of welding various thicknesses (without many limitations), and then learn the various techniques using an old piece of equipment that still has some years left in it. After that's a breeze for me, im sure going with a smoother and better system in the future will make me much happier

well the reason he got rid of it was because he's got a tig now thats much smaller and doesnt need both, and doesnt wanna pay a lease on both kinds of gas or two different tanks. i think it's a good deal. the thing is really heavy duty, and the case is so big that im sure any of the mechanical hardware can be retrofit to accept other replacement parts from companies, even guns too. i thik im happy right now we'll see how well it does my frame rails.

I think i robbed this guy blind. but it was his price, so whatever. http://www.amazon.com/225-Amp-Heavy-Duty-Volt-Welder/dp/B000I1YXGS thats pretty much what i got. and i found it on this site for http://www.centcan.com/accessories2.htm 2225 225 Amp Heavy Duty MIG Welder w/Cart 230/208V $3,974.93

This is basically exactly what it has, but it's from an AD of amazon for a Solar 2225 Model. It's probable that this is the exact same chassis and unit. Solar 2225 225-amp, heavy-duty 208/230 volt MIG Welder - infinite heat and wire speed controls - 250 peak amps Powerful MIG welds from thin, 26-gauge sheet metal to thick, 3/8-inch steel. Electronic wire speed control (0 to 700 inches per minute) and infinite heat control easily tune the precise speed and heat needed for the job Quick-release drive system allows easy wire change without additional tension adjustment Polarity jacks let you easily change to flux-core and specialty-welding wires Built-in spot/stitch timer lets you repeat spot (plug) and stitch welds Large spool capacity makes wire more economical Excellent for welding stainless steel and aluminum Comes Complete: Full, heavy-duty welding cart High-quality, heavy-duty, 12-foot wire feed gun Ground cable assembly and clamp Cable wrap brackets Two nozzles (welding, spot welding) Wire pre-wiper Assortment of contact tips (6 [.024], 6 [.030], 6 [.035], 3 [.045]) Wire spindle adapter and spool tensioner Drive rollers for .024 to .045 wire coverage Easy-to-understand instruction manual

so it has infinately fine-tunable wire speed and heat controls. it has a reverse polarity feature. guages came with it aswell, and it even has a spot/stitch knob that allows you to keep the wire on for X amount of seconds, and to keep it off for X amount of seconds when holding the trigger, so that it doesnt keep feeding with it depressed, so that you can stop yourself from doing too long of a seam when work is heat critical i guess...., or something like that. Those controls are adjustable potentiometeres though, so I'm going to remove that panel and get new pots, because they're like 2 bucks each. the thing probably worth about 120 in copper alone, because of it's massive winding. I'm pleased.

went to pick it up. i looked at some similar items, like the hobarts and whatnot, and they were smaller, indefinately,... but a lot more costly. about 3 times more. I got this for 360 CDN. He didn't have a 10 to break for the 350, so I just asked him for some scrap metal to practice with the extra 10!.. Great guy, really helpful. Thing weighs as much as a drunk fat chick though. came with the spool of 032 wire I believe. Large spool infact. But I need a new gas tip and wire tip... and maybe some tip dip and a tip cleaner aswell.

I've asked myself this too. i am probably going to go with 16 or 18 guage steel. but i think 16 is a bit of an overkill if you paint it properly and weld it in so it's more of a tensile strengthening piece, rather than a shearing or compression-type rigidity enhancer. as long as it's taught enough so that it wont buckle or bind under heavy g's as well as creak or crack under similar situation, i think going more than 17 or 18 guage is overkill. it really depends though. if it was a 240, which is lighter, i'd probably go with the thicker floors. if it was 280, which is heavier and has strengthening elsewhere (full-to-back floorpan frame), i would polly go with 18 and some thick ass rails. for my project, i'm tying my rails into the my rockers with small ribbed square stock that is relatively thin; prolly 1/4 or 1/2 the guage of the paraska specs. and the rocker will have a tube running through it to attach those to so that it will be a full double-sided ladder frame. i might even extend some of them to the point at whcih the transmission tunnel begins to curve depending on how much metal i can get for a good price

that looks like a nice setup, but is the bolt where the factory clamp bolts up to going to have a half spacer or something to level it off with the inside of the angle iron insets? because the plate underneath would be subject to a lower mounting height, due to the thickness of the tube frame in which you put the angles in. wouldnt that make it hard for the bolts to sit right if they go through both layers of metal? or is there something im missing. perhaps you're cutting the entire size of the plate, and making it flush with the inner wall of the frame rail? i suppose that would work, and they would tie into the angle plates.

There's someone selling a 220amp PowerMate MIG welder. I have the provisions to use the welder on my electrical system in the garage. I'm just wondering if it's worth it. It's a 208/240 volt welder, but it's set at 208. I went to see the welder today and it's in very good shape, but it's quite an old model. it has copper windings and it's very industrial purpose type. It's also quite fcuking huge. easily 200+ lbs, body-on-cart design too. so it's all one piece. my roommate passed some welds and it was pretty good with just argon (dude uses tig now, and doesnt mig anymore, which is why he is getting rid of it, and didnt have CO2 layin around) it has infinitely variable pot adjustments, not stepper controlled at all. for wire speed and wire heat. it has spot/stitch weld setting, and it has Wire ON, and Wire STOP TIME settings (which i dont know what they do). I would assume that they were for the spot welding cycles so that the wire flows for x amount of seconds, and stops for x amount of seconds, and repeats. One of the dials are kapuuts.. but It's just a general 100 ohm potentiometer by the looks of the panel they're on. Nothing I cant fix, or would really use anyways. Only one thing i'm concerned with is the kind of welding guns i could swap into this thing. I mean, lets say the welding gun craps out (it looks fine though)... does anyone know of any specific fittings i would need and such to get another gun from a different manufacturer. I dont think this company exists anymore, but it's a 220amp Powermate 60% Duty Cycle welder. I think for the price (350 canadian) it's a good welder for my needs, and for welding the structural rails that i'll be doing. If anyone has any information or insight, that'd be awesome. Thanks. I wanna call him tomorrow morning because someone is looking at it tomorrow, so anyone who knows... please chime in!

And I spend more time reading them.

Cookie discs are some of the best things to have around. they get dull pretty quick, but man are they ever awesome. You can even use them to lightly brush off old gasket material as well, if you do it evenly and lightly enough so that you barely make a swirl in the gasket face.

easy peasy, lemon squeezy.

its because those people have patience. I've seen too many ppl seam weld panels. BAD BAD BAD. if you have a butt joint that is 12 inches long, you should tack it about 100 times, with cooldown periods in between, and then grind them down with a weld-stone and then blend them in with more of the same process, or body solder. that takes TIME. and a lot of effort. people these days just tack, and fill. or seam and warp/destroy (example: see previous owners work on my car) Take your time, and you will be one of those people who can say they do that kind of work.

http://www.ppg.com/ppgaf/special6.htm galvanized metals.

thermadyne is no knock off. they also have a line called ThermalArc, and they also make very high quality mig and tig welders for super industrial use. even plasma welding aswell. i have their catalogue, and their "fabricator" series is top notch. I've never seen a welder with so many rheostat dials and switches. I'd look at their stuff and be turned off at the sheer amount of adjustability. This is probably why Miller released the Automatic selector versions of their welders now.

they pop the latches fine, but you have to actually go there and open it yourself. it wont toss the door up. and i wouldn't really want it that way anyways =/

This happened to me too once, with a harddrive the UPS guy left it "infront of my door". I woke up one day, went to the computer. checked my tracking number. "delivered - FRONT DOOR" I go check all the doors windows, even garage front door. NOTHING. I end up putting a claim in. It's been almost a year and a half, and I have no harddrive, and I'm short 130 dollars. THIS IS NOT UPS's fault though. I got a call from someone at UPS who said he would approve the stolen claim, and that I had to call the company whom i purchased the unit from, and tell them that it's been approved. At that point, they should call UPS to verify, and then send out another harddrive. I hope you had insurance on your package. What they will do is send the UPS guy over, he will point to where it was placed, and then he will tell you how your block is now issued as an AREA 5 shipping ground, which means the only person who can accept a package is the person on the label, with valid ID as well. IT SUCKS when this happens, and what you will want to do is tell whomever accepts the claim to contact the shipper themselves in order to approve the claim, and then you will get reimbursed with the money, or they will, and send you a new unit based on what it was claimed for on insurance at the time of shipping.

nice list. I should really make a PDF of this info sometime.