Thanks for all the input guys, I've been talking to the guy with the Lincoln 135 says it includes everything, even a shield, I'm going to try to steal that one. I also found a Miller that is a generator as well, 8000 watts. 4 110v outlets. 1 240v outlet. Can weld both AC & DC. Has an onan 16hp engine. Should I stay away from that one? Cleaned up my firewall today and got the steering column out with no trouble, also got rid of all the old wiring and firewall insulation/cardboard Crap. It's fun almost addicting tearing it all down! More pics to come hoping to get a lot done in the next couple of weeks!



The miller Welder, also is the stock steering column and box worth much, is like to try to sell it since I have no use for it.

 

Miller makes top notch equipment. The question is do you want to deal with running the gas engine every time you want to weld and how much space is it going to take to store it.

I imagine the cost is substantially more on the Miller too. I guess if you need a generator in your shop and want to weld where there are no readily accessible outlets, it could be a good choice.

 

The welder in the picture looks like an arc welder which won't do sheetmetal, it will just blow holes through it. I know in my case had I bought to good one first I would have been able to use the other money for parts.
Brian

 

It is actually the same price, 350 I'm leaning on getting that one, id like to have a generator too! Thanks Mack!

 

Your truck looks like a great project! I have a flux core mig and I agree if you are going to get good welds, get a gas welder. You can weld with a flux core welder but it wont be pretty and it is more work!
I will convert mine to gas before the next time I weld!

 

It is an arc Welder I think he says It does AC and DC, not sure what that means but he said you can get a spool gun or something so it will be a Mig, is that not right or should I not mess with it?

 

Truck looks real good . Regarding the welder spend that hundred bucks on a gas bottle and buy a good quality small MIG welder they work better and you can buy parts for them .
The voice of bitter financial experience .

Allan

 

Sorry can't help you with that one, don't know alot about arc welders.
Brian

 

That looks like a Miller Bobcat 225 AC/DC Generator/Arc welder. It is a engine running generator/welder, you could buy a suitcase mig welder to be able to weld sheet metal. I wish I had one. I have a Miller SP-32 suitcase so I just need the AC/DC welder.

 

Thanks for all the replies, I think ill go with the Lincoln Pro Mig 135, It has everything i need, the Miller is tempting because i would like to have the generator for a back up in case the house loses power, and would also be nice just to fire up and weld anywhere and not need to plug it in. I looked at some of those spool guns and also the suitcase welders, very pricey, more than what i would pay for the welder, unless anyone knows where i can get a spool gun cheap, i think ill have to get the Lincoln! Im pretty excited to get started welding, for some reason ive always thought it was some unreachable thing i couldnt do, but i think ill like it and hopefully be good at it! Try to patch the floor first, then i might move on to the cab corners, need to find a good how to for those if anyone has a link that would be great! I do have the replacement front cab corners.

 

Look at Eastwood, they sell cheap mig welders and are a good company. They stand behind their stuff. They also sell a 175 amp mig welder that includes a spool gun. I have two Lincoln mig welders, Power Mig 255 and a SP 125, love them both. If you go with a mig with gas don't waste your money on mixed gas for body work just get yourself a CO2 bottle, cheap refills and last a long time.

 

PLEASE DON'T! That would be a total waste of money, it's a piece of junk and extremely frustrating and dangerous to use. If you want a actually useable welder at a good price I highly recommend the 135 A Mig welder from Eastwood. It's only a little more expensive than the HF unit (339.99) but it is a quality unit that includes shielding gas hookup (definitely needed), takes .024 (for sheet metal welding) and .030 wire (for thicker material) in standard size spools and can handle 95% of the welding you might need to do on your truck. What it won't handle, you can still tack the parts together with it and take them to a welding shop or have a welder come to you to finish the job. I use a Hobart 140 from Northern Tool (Hobart is made by Miller but branded for the mass market stores) and am quite pleased with it. I bought it before Eastwood started selling theirs. I have used the Eastwood unit and would buy it if I needed another unit. Also DON'T buy a used unit! Technology has improved so much in the last few years and the prices have dropped, that buying a used one costs more than a new one for a dinosaur. It's like buying a huge 10 year old computer with a 15" VGA CRT monitor for more than a new laptop just because the old one was so expensive when it was new.

If you want to drive to Durham, I'd be happy to teach you how to weld and do the metal work correctly on your truck. I teach basic mig welding classes and am a skilled metalsmith.

 

i appreciate all the input, AX, is this the welder you are talking about? Eastwood MIG135 Welder It is a good deal i might have to just order it. The other one im considering is the Lincoln Pro 135 Mig, its for sale locally on craigslist, the guy said he bought it new and has only five minutes of weld time on it. It includes everything needed as well, he is asking $350 but ill tell him about the one you suggested, think if i got it for $300 it would be a good deal? I will definately have to come up and get some lessons from you, i have a 18 ft car hauler that i pull my truck around on, its sitting in the parking lot at work right now, so when i get a few minutes on my lunch break i tinker on things. I might have to haul it to Durham when its time to do the cab corners, i can butcher a few spots on the floor until i get the time to come down. Thanks, let me know what you think about the Lincoln.

 

I think you should follow the Axracer's lead on this one. I have the lincoln...I bought it at Home Depot as a flux core unit...what a mess. I upgraded it to the gas shielded unit & it is OK. I did at one time, teach aviation maintenance classes & we had high end Miller TIG and MIG units....there is a huge difference with those machines. The really nice machines help a novice get good results. From everything that I read about them, the Miller home grade units are good, but I hear that the Eastwood units are right there.

Dan

 

Yes that is the one. The problem I see with the Lincoln is that it is really a 90A welder that you can overdrive for very short times. It would be OK for sheet metal work - 1/8" metal if you can buy it cheap enough.
One thing you definitely want no matter which welder you end up with is a self darkening helmet. Don't bother trying to use a flip down or especially one on a "steeek" (I can't believe any welder manufacturer wouldn't be too embarrassed to even put one of those in the box!!!) The Harbor Freight 40.00 (with the flames) unit works well enough.

You don't need to wait until you can bring your truck or even your welder here to learn to weld. I can and will teach you first to run beads and do basic joint(s) on some simple metal pieces on the bench. Please don't try to self teach, you'll only frustrate yourself and possibly develop bad habits that will be hard to break. There are just a few "tricks" to learn that will have you making satisfactory beads in an hour or two.