Best unit for my job ?

[Tim Farley]

Hello Andy,
I'm considering purchasing a Maxstar 150STH. The main use will be autobody repair. I'm working on an old hot rod & need to weld some patch panels. How well will this unit work for this type of work. I need to bridge some gaps upto 3/16" wide & want to make sure this will d the job. If you know of a unit that would be cheap or better suit for this application please let me know which one it is.
Thanks, Tim

[fun4now]

mig

have you considerd mig for this rebuild?
a mm175 would rip right through you would be done in no time. might even get away with a mm135 at that low amp's you would have almost a 100% duty cycle.

[Paul Seaman]

Tim:
Welcome aboard, and I agree with fun4now mig would be the ticket. Which unit is the ecact one has many variations and opinions and its ultimately your money. I ahve the mm210 and I think it is great but overkill for you purpose so I would say themm175 is probably the better choice. Let us know if we can help along the way!

Peace,

[arcdawg]

you could step up to a 210 mig and get a spool gun to do some aluminum.......i think that that rig will run you just shy of 2,000 $$

dawg

[ASKANDY]

Welcome!

Good question.

The 150STH is a gr4eat machine but for the fit up gaps you mentioned, I would have to agree with everyone else. A MIG unit would better suit you and when working on "old" hot rod metal, TIG may not be the right choice. TIG requires very clean and good material for welding. A MIG unit is faster and when spotting, it will be a colder weld resulting in less warpage. With the TIG, you have to spend more time at one spot when filling gaps like the ones you specified.
Go for the MM175 if you can or if you think you may need to do some heavier material sometime, the MM210 is a great deal for the money.

Good luck!

Andy