You have mine to do first!You know what it means. Upgrade time!
Or come down to CO and we will nail it out in a day
View attachment 286347
05 Flame Red TJ Build
- Thread starter JMT
- Start date
Ive been wanting to get one too but have the same problem. Hopefully that changes very soon...That’s a big entry fee. My wife might shirk right now. I am. My neighbor has a couple of welders I could use, but they don’t have the auto feed feature. I’d have to practice at his place. My biggest problem is where to put a 211. My garage is tiny and there’s no place right now.
I have this welder and it does a pretty good job, the only trouble I had was with the crappy regulator but that was an easy $50 fix. It has done everything I have asked it to do.
I much prefer it over the Hobart 140 I was using before getting this, which by the way had to have the regulator replaced as well but they did do it under warranty.
If you have an AirGas store near you they can set you up very reasonably with gas.
When I was looking for a welder, I tried used. Couldn't find anything reasonable. I ended up calling the local supply house that does the most volume. They had just gotten some Lincoln's 201MP's back from their program with the local community college. Call it a Demo Welder. Full warranty and all that, but about 20% off the retail price. I had them set me up with a tank, hood, gloves, etc and I think after tax I walked out of there spending just over 1800 dollars. I've since upgraded the hood...looking back, I wish I would have gotten a good hoof right off the bat. I spent a lot of frustrating hours over crappy beads because I simply couldn't see. The hood made a HUGE difference. I'm still a crappy welder, but at least I can see the crappy beads as I'm putting them down, instead of going blind and praying it will work!
OP
A sellstrom. Something I found at MSC. Price has come down too, since I bought. I think Amazon has them too
I didn't spend a ton of time researching...I just looked for the biggest viewing lens I could find, auto-darkening and I didn't want to spend a terrible amount. The grind feature of the lens is nice to have.
https://www.mscdirect.com/product/details/95354494
OP
And you want to get a welder in there?! I feel your pain.My TJ is buried under rugs, chairs, boxes and a whole bunch of other stuff. I couldnt pull it out of the garage even if I wanted to
We're in the middle of home shopping now. Looking at homes with oversized two car garages (three would be ideal) and I definitely plan on having 220 installed.And you want to get a welder in there?! I feel your pain.
My current garage is only 10x27. But with a TJ, motorcyle, work bench, deep freezer and winter/summer gear, you can barely move around in there. Our electrical panel is maxed too, no room for any additional breakers.
Make sure you have room for an outbuilding too! I have a 20 x 20 garage (which is really only a stall and a half to anyone but a realtor) AND my 24 x 30 shop. Only an 85 x 150 town lot!
The Miller 190 is comparable to the 211, it's an inverter type machine, it just isn't dual voltage, and it welds up to 5/16" (I've done 1/2") The 211 was the replacement but you might still find one searching around they go for a little over half as much.
I don’t want to muddy JMTs build to much but tandem breakers can be a big help in a full panel situation. Some frown on them I only use them if absolutely needed.
This is my panel where I had to add a 220V 20A for a compressor, 220V 50A for a welder/ heater and 120V 20A for dedicated garage power.
I did move circuits around to balance my panel.
Back to welder talk.
I finally got around to adding a separate 100 amp panel to the garage this past year. In the process I added a 220v plug for the welder and plasma cutter, a 220v plug for the mini split HVAC, and a 20 amp 110v plug for welding. I can't believe I went all these years without doing it right!
OP
Rear brake pads are done, so I ordered new and upgraded in the process.
OP
The body mount ears were totally bent in pinching the rubber body mount. I couldn’t pry them away. I had to loosen 5 body mounts on that side to get enough space to force it out. Then I fixed and cleaned it all up, painted. Back in business till next time.
Mine looked like that also which is why I did the raised body mounts. I know the SWAG isn't the APPROVED mount but I like them and he's a local company. And they are truely beef.
OP
I’ve looked at the UNAPPROVED swag Bertha mounts before and now I’m wondering if I could weld them on without modifying much of my C bracket for the Savvy MUA. They look like they weld to the side of the frame only and don’t wrap over the top.
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