Spot Weld Cutters

[idiocrates]

I went to the local Northern Tool store to buy a spot weld cutter and lo and behold I was met with a plethora of options. Is there any one size that is used more then the others? The cutters are available in 1/4", 5/16", 3/8", and 1/2"....and at approximately $25. each I'd just as soon buy two of a size I will use as opposed to one of a size I will and one I won't. So I guess my question is.....what is the most common size spot weld on an M38A-1 tub? I am replacing all my floor pans, fuel sump, hat channels, wheel houses, rear end panel, and floor riser.....so it looks like I have plenty of spot welds to cut. As usual, thanks for all the advice and comments....they are all greatly appreciated.
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Jim

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'?? - M38A-1

[53a1]

I bought one at Harbor Freight for much less and it worked great. You can flip the cutter over if the teeth break. I was able to remove all the spot welds on the bottom hat channels with one tool. Mine is 3/8 dia. and I wouldn't go bigger or smaller.
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'53 M38A1 X2

[BullRun]

The one I have is I think 3/8ths" too. I found that I still needed a few pry bars here and there where the cutting was not right over the spot weld. I also used a drop of cutting oil on the teeth. I paid around $25 for mine from a welders supply house. It is USA made product but I have seen good import ones too.

Thats alot of work ahead of you but I can say it is worth it. When I got done with a M38A1 body needing a similar amount of repair it looked brand new and while time consuming, it cost thousands less than a reproduction if you don't bill yourself for the time.

If you don't have a full size auto body rotisserie I would recommend getting one as it will speed your work, create better accuracy and most importantly possibly save you from a back injury while wrangling everything apart and back together. A lot of the welding could not be done upside done.

You can build your own rotisserie for about $350 to $500 depending on the design and part costs.

[idiocrates]

Thanks for the replies.......3/8" it is. I've been looking at the options to build a rotating stand for the tub but haven't taken any action yet. Being as how all the floors are coming out and the floor riser and the rear panel I just don't see how I can keep the tub attached to the rotissery. What I'd like to do is remove the front floors and install the new riser and new floor pans......then remove the wheel houses and rear floor and rear panel.....then install the new rear floor and wheelhouses....and end up installing the new end panel. At this point it all gets turned over and we get to work on the new hat channels and wheelhouse braces. And yeah.....you're right.....it will practically be a new tub....without the new tub price tag. I just hope I got enough of whatever all the kings horses and all the king's men didn't have to figure out how to put it all back together again.
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Jim

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'?? - M38A-1

[jasonm]

Jim, Thats how i did my GPW a few years ago,if you take the front floor, riser and rear floor out at the same time you will never get it to line up again.
I started with my front floor, and then welded the riser to the rear floor and put it all in as one unit,alot less stuff to move around on you.
Then I used the frame as a jig and winnished welding it in.
Jason

[wesk]

It helps to tack weld some 1" steel angle to the tub top edges tying it together so you at least don't loose the parallelogram. Keeping the sides parallel to each other and the tailgate and firewall parallel to each other.
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Wes K
45 MB, 51 M38, 54 M37, 66 M101A1, 60 CJ5, 76 DJ5D, 47Bantam T3-C & 5? M100

Mjeeps photo album: http://www.willysmjeeps.com/v2/modules.php?set_albumName=Wes-Knettle&op=modload&name=gallery&file=index&include=view_album.php

[BullRun]

The way I used the rotisserie was to keep the tub bolted to the chassis with the turning points being the center of the front bumper and pintle hook plate in the rear. I used Grade 8 bolts to fasten everything together. With an adjustable pivot that can be locked in place you can position the tub at the perfect welding angle.

The piecemeal replacement of the panels is the way to go and crossbracing too if you take everything out. The metal will flex unforgivingly if too many bodypanels get removed at once. By keeping the tub on the chassis your registration will remain perfect. You can literally turn the body on its side, back to level, or the other side with little effort allowing access to the inside and underside of the tub at the same time. My body was so rusted I could not of effectively repaired it without a rotisserie, which I designed and made myself for about $450.

The body is 18 ga. but the riser is 16ga. This is important because the extra rigidity of the riser ties the sides of the tub together and anchors the floor panels and ties the tub to the chassis. And also, the toolbox is not available in reproduction.

Another tool to get is a carpenters square and a 6' drywall ruler about $20 bucks which will allow you to check for flatness of your repairs, twists and bows on the exterior. One more trick is to use a welders marker and write on the tub all the notes or details that need to be remembered as the tub gets fixed. For this kind of extensive repair there will be hundreds of notations reference marks, etc.

I think most of the commercially made rotisseries are overkill for a jeep. There are several designs around that are more suitable for jeeps that won't break the bank. The biggest thing with a rotisserie is getting the right balance so the body does not spin uncontrollably when turning the body. I hope that helps.

[oilleaker1]

Another tip is to use self tapping sheet metal screws to install your repair and test fit it. If you don't like it or need to correct something, you are not welded yet and can do so. It also hold the area tight for your plug welding. When done, pull the screws and weld up the holes. John