What's the best way seperate tack welds?

I used a rotary grinder with a cutting wheel and it took a good amount of time to go through the welds. Not an extreme amount of time, but if there is a better way besides a plasma-cutter (which I don't have or know how to use) let me know.

Also, let me know when you're getting seats, I've found that it's much much cheaper to duplicate the pattern of the JDM rail to floor mounting brackets and just bolt that to Recaro sliders - rather than pay for a JDM rail kit (150$ or so).

 

hey my name is james, does that count?

Anyhow if you are removing body sheet metal spot welds as i asume thats what you are refering to. The way i do it, which works the best, cleanest, and easiest way for me is a air hammer with 1 inch wide chisel bit. Get the chisel bit as close to can to the weld between the two pieces of metal and then give it hell. Make sure you try to aim the air hammer so that it will split the weld 50/50. If you go at it at a wierd angle, you can start ripping up sheet metal that you dont want to remove from the chassis. Also make sure your chisel bit is fairly sharp so it pierces the weld with ease. This can be tricky at times, but its quick and very effective once you get the hang of it.

If your talking about some thick welds other than simple body sheet metal spot welds,,, the die grinder/angle grinder is your best bet. hopefully this helps you out.

As for the seat rail/braket issue, cant help you on that.

-james

 

If this is for sheet-metal, I preferred to use a small hole-saw, sized for the spot welds. Using the 1/8 inch bit centered on the weld and adjusted back so doesn't go through the panel but only serves to anchor your hole saw.
I usually avoid the air chiesel as it tends to cause too much distortion, stretching, tearing etc.
After sawing the welds loose, you can go back with a small grinder to clean up the surface.

Another "Jim"

 

Hole saw is correct for spot welds. check with a local tool and die supply house or body shop supply. They are commonly called spot weld erasers. As for any other types of welds or for cutting thru sheet metal, bolts, etc., metabo makes a 6" cutting wheel grinder that uses a .040 thick cutting wheel. In my business, I have bought and used over 100 of these things and they cut thru anything with ease. When the portable plasma cutters first came out, I thought that they were the greatest thing since beer in cans, but this tool smokes the plasma cutter

 

Eastwood Company sells drill bits intended specifically for drilling out spot welds...

http://www.eastwoodcompany.com/itemd...1.x=64&I1.y=61

 

Those bits work great. We used them to chew off the support ears at the front of my engine bay to get the ls1 to clear.

BTW, I'm not a Jim, so who knows how you'll weight my opinion.

 

My opinion isn't worth **** because my FD doesn't run. Or so I'm told.

 

Well then, that would make me even more evil than you, right? Spawn of Satan himself?

 

Yeah, but your car runs.

 

That's my point. It runs, just not with rotary power.

 

haha,of the three out of four people that responded, their FD's either are powered without rotary and or about to be powered without rotary.
Ah sooo niiiicccee