Adapting a spool gun to an older Lincoln

[Gremlinxman]

Hi Guys! Great group here. Glad I found it.
I have a Lincoln Pro Mig 175. I picked it up new at a pawn shop for 150.00. Yes I stole it. He got it from Lowe's it was the display. It didnt come with a Mig gun, Gas kit, or a Ground. I have a Pro Mig 135 so i just used the accessories from that welder. I love my 175!
OK my question is I want to start welding aluminum. Is there a spool gun that can work? I have read that an adapter switch can be used by modifing my welder so I can use a spool gun. Anyone do this? is it a simple easy Modification? How well can it weld aluminum like intake manifolds?
am I better off buying the correct aluminum kit with the teflon liner and the .035 roller instead of getting a spool gun?
Thanks for any help with my decisions.
Davis

 

[shenion]

I would not do manifolds with MIG, it would require preheating to reduce cold starts.

You can do aluminum without a spool gun. It is fiddly though. A shorter torch will help. It is real hard to do on my 12' torch.

0.030 4043 wire is near impossible on a regular gun. 0.035 is easier. 5356 can feed easily as it is stiff (but not appropriate for manifolds.)

If I remember right, the spool gun plugs into the gun port. That provides, the welding power, gas and wire. You would then need to route the wire feed motor wires out of the welder to the gun.

Some aftermarket spool guns are self-powered so don't need the wire feed wires.

Welcome to the forums

 

[Gremlinxman]

Thanks for the reply! I plan to use a spool gun. I found out with some modification I can add a switch to my machine to adapt it to use with a spool gun. I plan to heat up the intakes prior to welding.I have a couple with cracks near bolt holes and I want to weld plugs into the heat crossover. I also plan to weld smaller aluminum brackets and make an aluminum battery box.
I was not sure of how easy it is to modify my machine for the spool gun. I know I have to get an argon tank too. How much do they run? I have mog gas now. Im thinking I could dedicate my 175 to just welding aluminum and go back to using my 135 for metal.
Does anyone have one of these machines that they converted to a spool gun?
Thanks again
Davis