What welder is good?

For doing frame work, body work, and just suspension and stuff... would you use a MIG or Stick?

Home depot has a nice lincoln stick welder for 270...

I have a Hobart 140. Its a 140 amp welder and runs off of 110 volt. It works great for everything Im doing. I paid a little more than $500 after shipping for it then my mig gas cost me another $125 for a 90 cu.ft. tank.

stick welder is messy and too powerful for doing bodywork. Even on the lowest setting,it'll still burn through your body panels like a hot knife through butter. Stick welders are generally used for more heavy duty applications.

A MIG welder is perfect for all your needs. Much easier to use,cleaner,strong welds and won't eat through your metal if you know what you're doing.

I have a MIG welder on my xmas list this year. I hope Santa comes through for me. Or atleast Mother and Father Claus. lol

Are you taking metal shop in school or anything? I took them all through HS. WHen I went in and started in grade 9,I had no clue whatsoever about welding,but I had an awesome teacher and I can use a stick and mig welder,and do brazing. I caught on really fast and when we did our final projects for the year in grade 10,I had the highest mark with 96%. I made a transport truck cab and frame completely out of nails brazed together,with big spikes for axles and some pipe for wheels that actually roll. Then I made a deatchable flatbed trailer out of big spikes and a sheetmetal bed,again with rolling wheels. The project was actually supposed to be something useful,you know,like to make a shelf,or a table or something and I handed it in and my teacher was like "umm...this is a truck,how is this going to be useful?" I looked at him and thought a minute and grabbed the trailer and went back to the welding table and welded a sheetmetal cut to the bed of the trailer and brought it back to him and said "It's a candle holder." LOL

I think he was more impressed with my craftsmanship than what the project was supposed to be,because I had the highest mark in the class after they all got handed back to us. I gave it to my dad for Christmas that year.

hobart 187

Get the Lincoln Wire Feed from the Depot, I think it is the 175 HD Weld Pack!

That's what I have used thoughout my truck. Its sweet cause I can use Flux Core or Gas....

I LOVE IT!!!

what's the biggest difference between a MIG welder that uses gas and one of the cheapo ones that doesn't?

The wire you use.

Entry level welders that do not use gas HAVE to use Flux Core wire. Welders with gas hookups can both use Flux Core wire and regular MIG wire. Obviously, you don't need gas if you use Flux Core.

Flux core burns hotter than MIG, because of the flux. It's harder to weld thin sheetmetal with it (IE fenders), but it's very doable. I shaved my fenders with flux core.