5 replies to this topic

[brum,brum,mike]

hi there,

ive got a couple of questions that i hope you can help me with

1st question - can plasma cutters cut through rubbish such as seam sealer etc or can it only cut through clean metal?

2nd question - whats the best way to weld my new boot floor in place? Butt weld or lap weld?

i got a full heritage boot floor and will be cut quite far into the boot, dont fancy doing the rear seat too!



oooh, and when welding the boot floor, will the welder still work efficiently welding through e coat, or is it best to remove it where the welds going?

Thanks alot! Mike

[danie garry]

the plasma cutter should manage through paint and thin sealer so long as there is a good earth and you start off the cutter on clean-ish metal but it will always work better on clean metal
not sure on what way to go about the boot floor, sorry!
apparently the E-coat on heritage panels is good but you will need to remove it where you are going to weld

hope this helps!

[brum,brum,mike]

thanks for the reply,

i was expecting to remove the ecoat :)

interesting about the plasma cutter, so thanks for that really useful :)


Can anyone else help with what method to weld the boot floor?

thanks alot, Mike

edit - spelling

Edited by brum,brum,mike, 23 August 2012 - 04:35 PM.

[sonikk4]

Mike with regards to the boot floor i would defo go for replacing the whole thing. It looks daunting but if you drill out all of the spot welds carefully it is not as difficult as it looks.

Considering i had never done one before i found it straight forward to do plus with the panel being so expensive i would not want to mess around cutting sections out of it.

Go for it you wont regret it plus it will look good when finished.

As to the Plasma cutter cutting through seam sealer i would say it will do thin stuff but will probably ignite it so if i was you wire cup it off first.

You will need to remove the E coat where you weld otherwise it will not work.

[tiger99]

If the plasma cutter has a pilot arc, it will cut your hand off too, if you are careless with it! Not sure if you would die of electrocution before or after bleeding to death. But if it is the simpler type, it will still go through seam sealer and other stuff, once it gets going, but I would seriously think about removing as much non-metallic material as possible first, because there is no point in generating unpleasant and possibly toxic fumes, or starting a fire.

[Shifty]

A plasma cutter will go through most things, including seam sealer, they don't like body filler though. Underseal isn't a problem either, once its going it will keep on going. Using it on dirty surfaces will eat the tips though and will give an untidy cut.

I've had one for a few years and its a great bit of kit.