General Fabrication

You're doing it wrong.
Switch schools and join the SAE Baja or formula team and get involved as much as possible. I spent basically all of my free time in college fabricating cool stuff lol.

 

How did you guys cut the rear stock shock mounts? I don't know if I should take the bed off to try to grind the whole thing or if there's a easier way to do it.

 

Taking the bed off probably makes it easier, it sucks either way, I did mine with a cut off wheel, but if u got access to a plasma should go quick

 

Yep, bed off would be easiest. And surprisingly not too much of a pain. Had mine off in about 30 min and will make your life much easier.

 

Any budget plasma cutter recommendations?

 

Ok I'll take the bed off, and I have a plasma cutter but just don't want all those sparks flying at the composit bed.

 

It isn't going to do any harm.

 

Same question

 

Fixed that for you! My budget and yours might not be the same but I recommend the Powermax45 for a low cost do all plasma.

 

Finally picked up my dream tool, a tig welder

I went with the well reviewed ahp alpha tig 200 from Amazon.

The thing is actually freakin awesome, granted my only experience with other machines is a Lincoln square wave 175. I love having frequency and balance control for aluminum.

Already sticker bombed lol




I've been trying to teach myself aluminum, I already have a bunch of experience in steel/chromoly from Baja SAE but always had a really hard time with aluminum.

I'm starting to get the hang of it but still have some trouble on this thin wall intercooler piping. It's tough to keep the torch angle just right on a curved surface.



This one is super ugly



Just need more seat time I think.

 

x2 on the powermax45. I barely use mine anymore now that all my parts are cnc cut from another shop, but even if it burned up tomorrow I wouldn't hesitate to buy another. When I got mine a couple years ago, Weldersupply.com had them for way less than anyone else.

 

10-4 ! Will check them out. Thanks!

 

Hypertherm FTW! Great machines, no matter the size. Even smaller than the 45 you can get the 30xp and it's capable of up to 3/8" sever if I recall. My CNC table is running the Powermax85, great machine.

 

Go to weld.com and grab the adapter to run a standard ck torch. I run the older ahp 200dx and the adapter with ck superflex line and a ck number 9 or 17 torch is the best upgrade I did to it. Next I will grab the foot pedal from weld l, not a fan of the stock foot pedal.

 

Similar to this one ?


http://store.weldersource.com/p-390...-plasma-cutter-with-15-hand-torch-088079.aspx
$1,200 for a plasma seems very reasonable.

 

yeah, exactly

Made in USA, and 3 year warranty

 

Well I have the 2016 model so I don't think mr tig has a torch for it yet. I'll check though. The torch does suck a bit in this thing, as does the pedal.

 

Should be the same m16 dinse connector. And the pedals switch from 5 pin the 10 pin in 2015.

 

Ah ok cool, I'll check it out.

 

I run the 30xp and am looking to up grade to either the 45 or 65. Great machines.