spot weld cutters/drills

[SUTTY1]

Hi All, anyone reccomend a decent make!!!! Finally going to get stuck in on my Stag i've had for 18months and only removed the engine, box, striped the heads off, striped the engine bay and removed all the trim ready to do body repairs.
I need to remove both front wings to repair the windscreen pillars, wings and all the panels they mount to in very good condition so want to limit damage. Also i'm very poor at sharpening drills. I'm a pro mechanic so dont mind spending out on decent stuff but have always avoided bodywork so would appreciate some advice
thanks steve

[Sheepdip]

I tried spot cutters and was disappointed - they don't quite cover the spot so end up drilling further and then going right through or chiselling and bending panels. if you're plug welding I'd drill right through. Probably the only place I'd recommend a cutter is on the wings at the door edge.

[Goldstar]

Hi Steve, I just got one from Screwfix, ill give it a test run and report back. The other technique I plan to use on my inner sills is a die grinder with a pointy grinding stone - sounds like a decent plan but, again ill report back in a day or 2

Paul

[71Stag]

I got the last one I bought from an ebay trader UK drills (I think) but there's a few of them on there it was cheap and I was very pleased with it.
Cheers
Bruce

[NickA]

I bought the two types Frosts sell; both worked reasonably well for me but I preferred the first type

http://www.frost.co.uk/spot-weld-cutter.html

http://www.frost.co.uk/8mm-cobalt-spot-weld-drill.html

[jakesmig]

See http://www.stag.org.uk/forum/showthr...esterday/page2

picture in #17 shows Frosts item as per NickA above, easy to use, I would suggest using small pilot hole to centre the tool, I found the punch ineffective.

John

[Stagsongas]

I've never had any real success with the cutters, but to be honest I may have tried a bad one, it was years ago. One of the problems is that the weld can harden the metal so that least the centre portion of the tool needs to be of very good quality.

The method I have always used is to cut off the major panel, then grind back the easily visible spot welds with a 4.5" hand grinder to remove the remainder. The metal left around the spot weld soon becomes hot so it is even easier to see the target (the spot weld). When you have taken enough off, the remaining flakes of thin metal fall off or can be pulled off (sharp though!) and you are left with a nice, clean panel mounting.

And no hole in the middle....

NB! Cover all glass before grinding anything! Metal sparks burn the surface and then stick to it, these can destroy wiper blades and weather seals in seconds!

Good Luck

Steve

[SUTTY1]

thanks all for your sugestions.
Done a deal with a bodyshop, i'm doing some mechanical for them and there taking my wings off