Hitbox MT2000II opinions and Absolute Minimum Setup for Automotive Welding?

[Jelly_Sheffield]

My mate who I have done a bunch of work for, and who helps me with my own stuff wants to dip a toe into welding.

He's not got a huge budget, so I am trying to help him work out the absolute minimum gear requirement for welding on vehicles...

But as my workshop is rather "Maximalist" it's hard for me to know if I am going overboard, or missing stuff I take for granted being around.

My thoughts are:
- MIG welder, Regulator, Bottle of 5% CO2 in Ar
- Welding Hood, Monkey Mask, Decent Gloves, Goggles/Glasses, Ear Protection
- 4½" Angle Grinder
- Drill
- Little Welding Magnets
- Butt-Welding Clamps
- Normal vehicle repair hand tools, jacks, stands.

Then as nice to haves:
- Second Angle Grinder
- Die Grinder with some carbide burrs,
- Battery Cut-Off Grinder,
- Occillating Multi Tool and/or Recip Saw,
- Tin Snips or Bench Shear,
- A vice and something to mount it on,
- DA Sander,
- more and taller axle stands,
- Lidl Plasma Cutter with built in compressor,
- Joggle Tool and Punch,
- Clico Clamp starter set,
- more clamps of every size and type.

Is there anything you thing should make its way into the necessary or nice to have camp?

I think I can probably gift him more than half of the stuff he doesn't currently have, including quite a few nice to haves, which will help.



Welder wise he was initially thinking of a SIP or Draper Gassless type, but had his eye caught by the Hitbox MT2000 II which I think probably represents much better value for money...

The downsides are obvious:
- It won't actually be 200A, but that doesn't really matter for cars,
- it won't have the best support network, but at that price it's basically a consumable, and you can warranty them, albeit not easily, especially if buying through Amazon.

But the upsides of:
- Option to run Gas or Gassless, or Stick if he needs to do something thicker is a lot more adaptable,
- it's synergic, which has it's issues but assuming the program isn't total junk should be a lot less challenging for a total newbie,
- it's so damn cheap.

Seem to win out to me.

I know a couple of people on the forum have had Hitbox stuff and found it better than it had any right to be, but I would welcome their honest opinions on if they would do it again.

 

[skotl]

I've reviewed a couple of Hitbox welders for Amazon and, bearing in mind they're a generic Chinese import with one of dozens of badges on it, they were fine.

And, given that Hitbox appear to do nothing but welders (compared to generic shippers who flog nappies, fake lego, dodgy supplements and welders), you probably would get better support compared to generic box shippers (that's an assumption and not based on any experience).

Edit: Just remembered that my current plasma cutter is a Hitbox! Prefer it to the original Cut50.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I have a hitbox 200 amp ACDC tig that has impressed me so much im looking at replacing my 195 transformer mig with a 250amp hitbox inverter mig, and will be buying the hitbox plasma as well.

 

[Misterg]

- MIG welder, Regulator, Bottle of 5% CO2 in Ar
- Welding Hood, Monkey Mask, Decent Gloves, Goggles/Glasses, Ear Protection
- 4½" Angle Grinder
- Drill
- Little Welding Magnets
- Butt-Welding Clamps
- Normal vehicle repair hand tools, jacks, stands.

Cross pein body hammer & heel dolly (or similar)
Finger sander / power file.
2 or 3 welding clamps (mole grip style).
Couple of 18" lengths of 40mm angle for bending sheet (and a couple of G clamps if no vice).

 

[skotl]

I have a hitbox 200 amp ACDC tig that has impressed me so much im looking at replacing my 195 transformer mig with a 250amp hitbox inverter mig, and will be buying the hitbox plasma as well.

Here's my review of the plasma, albeit it effectively only proves that it cuts metal

Amazon Sign In

 

[BrokenBiker]

Here's my review of the plasma, albeit it effectively only proves that it cuts metal

Amazon Sign In

as luck would have it, thats all i want it to do

 

[BrokenBiker]

Cross pein body hammer & heel dolly (or similar)
Finger sander / power file.
2 or 3 welding clamps (mole grip style).
Couple of 18" lengths of 40mm angle for bending sheet (and a couple of G clamps if no vice).

1 decent cold chisel, and a decent centre punch (for popping spot welds and then accurate drilling of new spot weld locations)

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

- Welding Hood, Monkey Mask, Decent Gloves, Goggles/Glasses, Ear Protection

Cross pein body hammer & heel dolly (or similar)
Finger sander / power file.
2 or 3 welding clamps (mole grip style).
Couple of 18" lengths of 40mm angle for bending sheet (and a couple of G clamps if no vice).

I have to disagree in the most strenuous terms on deleting the monkey mask...

I would also class the finger sander as a nice to have at most.

Heel dolly and some kind of bending setup are both good calls.

Never used the molegrip style clamps, what are they for?

 

[BrokenBiker]

Never used the molegrip style clamps, what are they for?

Clamping...come in all sorts sof shapes and sizes to fit in and around various things...incredibly handy

 

[Misterg]

Never used the molegrip style clamps, what are they for?

Clamping ?

Finger sander is fantastic for dressing welds and preparing things where the grinder can't reach. It'd be high on my list.

Never felt the need for a monkey mask.

What welding is he planning to do?

If MOT repairs, then forget all the above and go by this list instead:

*Dark glasses
*White stick
*Large tub of underseal

 

[BrokenBiker]

If MOT repairs, then forget all the above and go by this list instead:

*Dark glasses
*White stick
*Large tub of underseal

expanding foam, tub of isopon and a rasp, surely?

 

[harveyp6]

expanding foam, tub of isopon and a rasp, surely?

A bloke I worked with was trying to weld up a box section, cleaning it all up he found that it had been filled and shaped in cement right where he had to weld. When he dug it all out it didn't even have rebar in it......

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

Never used the molegrip style clamps, what are they for?

Clamping...come in all sorts sof shapes and sizes to fit in and around various things...incredibly handy

Clamping ?

Of what though?

Almost all of my repairs have involved letting steel in to the middle of a panel/structural member, or welding a replacement structure to a chassis rail, both cases where you couldn't get a vice grip style clamp on the work.

It's all been Clico's and Butt-Weld Clamps, or big G/F-Clamps.

Finger sander is fantastic for dressing welds and preparing things where the grinder can't reach. It'd be high on my list.

I find mine utterly pants for the most part and tend to use a long-nosed straight die grinder for those purposes instead.

It occasionally can do something with a bit more subtlety than the die grinder, but I wouldn't use it for much more than finishing work.

Maybe I am just too much of a brute, or we are doing quite different types of repairs.

Never felt the need for a monkey mask.

Probably mine used more than either of my regular hoods when it comes to working on cars, it's just so much easier to get yourself close to the action for anything under a vehicle.

If I had a lift, I probably wouldn't use it so much, but under the car, absolute lifesaver.

What welding is he planning to do?

Front Shock Tower, Rear Outriggers and Suspension Mounts on a Renault Trafic.

Major Bulkhead, Shock Tower and Wheel Well repairs to a Citroen C15.

Little bit of work on the NSR quarter panel and boot floor in a Celica MK6.

I am recommending he starts with the Celica, it's probably more difficult from a finish perspective, but it's not as consequential.

If MOT repairs, then forget all the above and go by this list instead:

*Dark glasses
*White stick

As gifts for the tester I presume.

*Large tub of underseal

He's already very handy with the underseal!

expanding foam, tub of isopon and a rasp, surely?

I think that's exactly what he's hoping to get away from...

I present the "washing up scrubber and isopon outrigger" for your delectation... That had passed 4 MOT's in that state too.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Of what though?

I've used them for holding sills in place along the pinch weld, anything that has any sort of overlap that isn't inside another panel, I have long ones to reach over panels, short ones to get in small spaces, ive used them to hold plates onto chassis rails to add stiffeners or extra plates so I can drill and bolt rock sliders on, I have used them to hold other panels in place so I can make sure my panel gaps are relatively OK before welding a panel in place...plus general fabrication at the bench

 

[Cobbler]

A bloke I worked with was trying to weld up a box section, cleaning it all up he found that it had been filled and shaped in cement right where he had to weld. When he dug it all out it didn't even have rebar in it......

Years ago, a mate had an Austin Devon van, full of rust. He patched the chassis up with sand & cement for test, it must have doubled the weight! We were out one night & he was chasing someone in an A35, forgot all about the humpback bridge over the canal, he got it airborne about 4 feet. Hell of a crash when we landed, all the cement fell out & the road looked like a bomb site in the blitz.

 

[Richiew]

Captain Obvious here, but get him lots of sheet steel for practice. Far too many people try practicing on their pride and joy but shouldn't be allowed anywhere near. Enthusiasm is great, but it needs tempering. Walk first before running etc....

 

[Misterg]

Front Shock Tower, Rear Outriggers and Suspension Mounts on a Renault Trafic.

Major Bulkhead, Shock Tower and Wheel Well repairs to a Citroen C15.

Little bit of work on the NSR quarter panel and boot floor in a Celica MK6.

Spot weld drill.

 

[mike 109444]

Fire extingusher

 

[Jelly_Sheffield]

I've used them for holding sills in place along the pinch weld, anything that has any sort of overlap that isn't inside another panel, I have long ones to reach over panels, short ones to get in small spaces, ive used them to hold plates onto chassis rails to add stiffeners or extra plates so I can drill and bolt rock sliders on, I have used them to hold other panels in place so I can make sure my panel gaps are relatively OK before welding a panel in place...plus general fabrication at the bench

I think everything you're describing I do using variations on Clico's or with F-Clamps.

More than one way to skin a cat, I should probably look at the myriad variations of those clamps and see if there's any which would be more convenient.

 

[BrokenBiker]

I think everything you're describing I do using variations on Clico's or with F-Clamps.

More than one way to skin a cat, I should probably look at the myriad variations of those clamps and see if there's any which would be more convenient.

I hate F clamps for working on cars...to much sticking out the back getting in the way