New here and have afew questions.

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Hi everyone. My name is AJ. Not 100% sure if this is posted in the right place, but figured Id try.I learned how to stick weld several years ago. Loved it and was good at it. I have had a couple years pass since welding and am now looking to buy a welder. Im looking at a Lincoln 225AC. Im almost 100% sure that this is the set up I learned on, or real similiar.Im looking to do 2-4 body repair areas on my Jeep, and fab some custom stuff. I know stick welding 16 gauge is tricky but doable. Im going to be doing more heavier stuff than lighter metals.Im abit restricted by my budget. Does anyone have any first hand experiance with this machine? If so what are some of the pro's and con's?Thanks for any and all help.
Reply:If I had a choice for auto body work I'd go with TIG or O/A but, if the tombstone is all you have, it can be done with patience and small diameter rod.
Reply:Mig/fluxcore could be the way to go. For budget K-mart has lay-a-way and carries Sear's craftsman tools. Starting out with the 110 machine and selfshielded fluxcore , later expandable to GMAW could be a flxible option.Last edited by mwccwi; 05-11-2008 at 07:28 AM.Reason: flxible is really flexibleMartin MC Weld TechAWS-CWIAWS-CWEwww.linkedin.com/pub/martin-cramer/20/b36/940/
Reply:What era Jeep are you working on that has 16 gauge sheet metal?  WWII?  That Lincoln buzzbox has been the gold standard of AC stick welders for many decades.  It will weld frames and brackets and gussets.  But not so good on thin sheet metal panels, where the preferred method is MIG welding.  I have no idea what high-falutin body shops WillyB frequents that use TIG or O\A, but the overwhelming majority use MIG.  The insurance estimate's time is based on that procedure.Perhaps you could scout around for a used AC225, then put the rest of your budget into a 125 amp wire feed welder and gas bottle?  Or you could forget the buzzbox altogether and buy a high powered MIG welder that will weld both thin and thick.
Reply:I'll have to agree with 69 Chevy, a used AC225 or simular name brand transformer stick welder seldom have anything go wrong with them. When they do it's usually a switch. Most of the farm supply stores stock an aftermarket switch for the lincolns. Then buy borrow or rent a mig for the body work. For most body work will be working with 20 gauge rather than 16 ga. In the last couple of decades the metal has gotten even thinner on somethings. You might find some 16-18 ga in the floor boards but that's about it.
Reply:Thanks for the help everyone.I may have been wrong about the gauge of the metal for Jeeps. The aftermarket repair panel is 16 gauge. I have a 94 YJ Wrangler.Like I said, I have more heavy stuff to work with. I only have 3-4 small body repairs to do. My dad was talking about spot welding the repairs and brazening the remaining seems. Anyone know what he is talking about? He went in to it briefly, but I figured I would ask you guys.Thanks again for the help.
Reply:If I were doing body work I would go with the mig. So much easier and less warping than the other ways.
Reply:Originally Posted by AJ454Thanks for the help everyone.I may have been wrong about the gauge of the metal for Jeeps. The aftermarket repair panel is 16 gauge. I have a 94 YJ Wrangler.Like I said, I have more heavy stuff to work with. I only have 3-4 small body repairs to do. My dad was talking about spot welding the repairs and brazening the remaining seems. Anyone know what he is talking about? He went in to it briefly, but I figured I would ask you guys.Thanks again for the help.
Reply:Well I have two ac225s. One is pretty new and the other is so old the red paint is now dreamsicle orange (really old) and they just weld. I've never tried body panels with the ac225 but I have used it on 20ga. I have welded cracked bed corners on Ford pickups using a dialarc 250 and 3/32 6010. You can do it, but the mig makes it so much easier. I would look for a used ac225 and apply what I save toward a used small mig. Then you have the small mig when needed and the sticks when ya hit the beef. I have a Lincoln Weldpak HD that is strictly flux core (no gas option), runs off of any 120v circuit, has 4 settings and goes for about $250 new. I got it for on site repair of hand rails at apartment complexes. It also works great for welding exhaust pipes, cracked out trailer fenders, and so on.The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Oh, if you look around you can pick both of them up used for around 100 bucks each. Make sure they work before you buy them (especially the weldpak as it would probably cost more to have it repaired than to replace it).The difference between art and craft is the quality of the workmanship. I am an artist.
Reply:Thanks for the hreat advice.Im thinking used Lincolnac225, and a used mig.Ill get the stick first so I can start fabbing stuff and pacticing.Here is "My build thread" for my Jeep project. Theres alot of pics and there will be more to come too.http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=559125Take alook and let me hear some thoughts.