plasma is the answer?

So, I've been working on rebuilding my truck bed, and I'm thinking I'm working too hard. How useful is a plasma cutter for body work? Any experience?

 

They are good for quick removal of panels. You still have to clean the edges up with a grinder or something similiar before you can weld in new panels.

edit...forgot to mention they wont help much with spot welds..

 

also forgot to ask what are you having problems with? What are you using now?

 

I buy 4-1/2" cutoff wheels by the 50 pack. Makes nice clean edges, no warpage, take out as much or as little as you need, switch over to brush or grinder on the same tool; my Milwaukee (and my late Makita, RIP) sees A LOT of use.

 

A lot of local wheelers here are buying the cheap Chinese plasma machines, 300-500 bucks. There are lots of days I wish I had one, like making brackets out of 1/4" steel and doing it all with a grinder and cut off wheels. The one deterrent for me is how easy it is to start cutting. I'm afraid I'd get too crazy with it and cause myself more work in the long run. My Jeepster is mostly built and I don't really need one right now, so it would just be in the way. I do have access to a 14" cut off saw that comes in handy.

 

I was planning to remove the flares and cut the bed down to more manageable pieces. The flares are continuous with the tops of the wheel houses on a J-truck. I have a donor bed which I was planning to use to replace some panels on my existing bed. I have air, an air drill, a die grinder and an electric grinder.

I drilled out all the spot welds for the flares and then realized that the PO had welded in 1/8"plate on the top side that is butted up against the wheel houses. Cutting these would be easier with a plasma.

I'm also considering just cutting the back half off of the better bed and joining it to the existing bed. I expect this would be somewhat easier with a plasma.

I've been looking at the Parker Metalworking plasma/TIG/stick - basically a Chinese unit with some added QA. There's been a lot of very positive buzz on POR about these. Comparatively cheap too. Also looked at the 120 VAC units on Cyberweld from Thermal Dynamics, Hobart and Miller. Seems like the Parker is a better buy though.

 

I have a small one and just love it. But it does not like paint or rust. A plasm cut is just an arc welder with a blast of air to blow thes slag away.and like a welder it only like clean metal. Since Ive had this cutter I seldom use my torch on anything under 1/4 inch.

 

A friend of mine has a plasma and you can make short work of sheet metal with it. One big advantage is cutting sheet aluminum. No blades or wheels to load up with debri and no loss of time there.

 

Plasma cutter is next on my list of major shop tools to buy. I've used them extensively and I LOVE them. You can blow the spot welds out with a plasma cutter by the way. Much faster and cleaner than a torch, and very minimal warpage with one. Like said, the edges will need a little cleaning, but not much if you are steady and take your time when cutting. They really open up a whole new world in fabrication and sheet metal work.

 

The boss man has a Hypertherm and it is really nice. It would be hard for me to justify it for body work. It works very well on plate, strap and so on but body panels are so thin it would be hard for me to keep from making more work for myself. I think cut off wheels would be better personally.

 

sent private message instead.

 

I have a Hypertherm Power Max 30 set up for 220v. It will cut 1/4" easily. Makes a very clean edge on sheet metal if you use a template to guide the tip. Unlike what others hav said. It wil blow thorugh paint/rust and just about everything else. Just make sure you clean a small area of the piece you are cutting down to bare metal for the ground clamp.

Best thing is it is very smalll and easy to store in the garage.

 

The flares on a Jtruck is a job for the sawsall. Just did it.

 

I have had plasma cutters for about 15-20 years. They are very nice to have, but, like most equipment, you get what you pay for. The one I have now will cut 5/8" thick material. I paid $ 2600.00 for it ON SALE, back in 1992. For jeep work, one that will cut up to 1/4" should be sufficient.

One of the drawbacks are the consumables (tips & electrodes). When you install a new set, they may last for hours of cutting, or, they may blow out on the first cut, depending on circumstances. A set for mine runs about $15-20.00 Sometimes you don't have to replace both components at the same time...just one or the other.

As stated earlier, they don't always like rust and paint. It's things like that that wreak havoc on the tips.

Tim, if I were you, I would see if you could rent one from a welding supply place, or a rental center to cut your bed apart. If you bought one, you may not use it all that much, JMO.

 

Hey, Tim, this appears to be a good deal...

http://providence.craigslist.org/tls/880009488.html

I'm tempted to but it myself, for a backup!!( but I'm not going to..)