removing spot welds...

[edl]

is this the best way to do it?

http://www.blairequipment.com/Spotweld_Cutters/Spotweld_Cutters.html

or this?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=96314

the project here would be a (first for me) frame off restoration (corvette) - so drilling out spot welds (and rivets...??) - thanks!! - ED

 

[1320stang]

First one is probably better quality, probably some places you couldn't get the HF piece to, but I know lots of guys that just use drill bits too.

 

[jimvannoy]

I have always just used a regular drill bit.

 

[Moose-LandTran]

i like the spotweld drills which has a centre drill in the middle, and look almost like an end mill. i believe the ones i used were made by Ruko in Germany. they're very good, but you do leave a hole where the weld was.

you can also get spot weld breakers for air hammers, which is like a chisel with a "V" cut in it. but you'll bend the seams.

 

[Uncle Buck]

If you have money to burn the first link displayed is the way I would choose to go, but I have no idea of the cost. I have employed more crude methods in the past, but then I was not working on anything but daily drivers. I always used regular bits, angle grinders if need be and in worst cases snips, cutoff wheels and even limited use of cold chisels. But then again, I was working on my drivers, nothing collectibles.

 

[Merkava_4]

1. Auto center punch to the mark center of spot weld.

2. Pilot drill bit like a 1/8" or smaller.

3. Final drill bit the size of the spot weld.

 

[Uncle Buck]

1. Auto center punch to the mark center of spot weld.

2. Pilot drill bit like a 1/8" or smaller.

3. Final drill bit the size of the spot weld.

Now see there, you must do more than polish those tools because that answer there was dead nuts the right one!

 

[optikal]

i don't use spot weld drills to remove them, what i usually end up doing is taking a cut off wheel and just use it to grind the weld down until its almost gone then hit it with a seam buster that way the panel underneath isn't damaged and you don't end up with going all the way through both panels with a drill

 

[Uncle Buck]

i don't use spot weld drills to remove them, what i usually end up doing is taking a cut off wheel and just use it to grind the weld down until its almost gone then hit it with a seam buster that way the panel underneath isn't damaged and you don't end up with going all the way through both panels with a drill

I have done em that way as well, another good way to be sure!

 

[kidney]

In my on-going project, I've used all of the above, it just depends on what you are doing. I use the hole-saw looking ones the most. The truck I'm working with has a lot of rust issues, but I don't want to destroy or put a hole in the metal underneath. As of right now, I'm working on fixing all the years of stupid ex-owners who didn't know how to weld or measure. Drilling through their ****** welds is hard with a regular bit, even with a step bit. The hole-saw style works the best cutting around the ****** welds. I will admit, that I do break quite a few of them.

 

[rsanter]

i don't use spot weld drills to remove them, what i usually end up doing is taking a cut off wheel and just use it to grind the weld down until its almost gone then hit it with a seam buster that way the panel underneath isn't damaged and you don't end up with going all the way through both panels with a drill

I used to use the spot weld cutters because I was trying to preserve the metal below so I could just use my spot welder to install the new panel. while that works, the spot weld drills are expensive and you still have to grind off the center nub.
I started using my die grinder with a 3/8 carbide ball to thin out the center of the spot weld. when you see the metal right around the spor weld get that slightly blue 'ring' around it then its time to go to the next one. one you have them all you can pull the panel and the thin remaining metal will pull apart.

bob

 

[edl]

thx!!~~~bbb