I have a 91 4runner and plan to cut chop the top. I have seen what the others have done but am curious on some of the tools.
What size tubing for cages?
What do I need to bend the pipe? I've seen a hydraulic bender on ebay, will that work?
What kind of welder will I need to weld the cage and sheet metal?

I have used a lincoln welder before purchased from home depot but will that be enough for what I will be doing? Or would i need a stick welder never used one though?
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...ctId=100039229

Money is a concern so be reasonable.

 

OK, first, a cage is a life-saving device. This should NOT be a "welding experiment"/"learning exercise" - I would suggest starting with sliders, bumper, etc.

1-1/2" at the minimum. DOM is HIGHLY recommended. "Structural pipe" is to be avoided for safety-critical structures. The reason why is because it is seamed and it is down-graded pressure pipe - it failed some test, and you don't know how bad or where the defect is. Once again, do you want to risk your life on the cheapest materials?

That hydraulic bender will probably work. You need dies specifically for the size tubing you use. A lot of people use manual-powered benders.

That welder is the right kind, but a bit small at 100A output. I would not use anything smaller than a 135A unit for "structural" welding:
This would be the minimum I would recommend:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...3+90051+527842
This is what I have:
http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/...3+90051+527842
The manufacturers thickest material rating is really pushing it, and generally using flux-core wire, which takes a lot more cleanup than MIG.

 

Yes I understand that the roll cage isn't something to mess around with. I have welded before exhausts, a frame on a gulf cart, yada yada. I am decent but obviously dont what to risk my life with it. I just wanted to know what kind of welder I need so I can get the practice and when ready I have the power to put my cage together.

What is the difference between MIG and flux core wire? And not saying I do but when would the stick welding come in play(what is that called)?

On the pipe what is DOM pipe and where would I find it?

If I don't need the hydraulic then I dont want to waste the money, do you have any recommendations for a manual bender?

Thanks

 

MIG uses a gas (CO2 or Ar/CO2 mix) to protect the weld from oxidation. Technically, the right terminology is GMAW (Gas metal arc welding)

Flux core wire is the same welding process as stick, but using a wire feed welder. The wire is like a tube with the flux in the middle (whereas stick has the flux on the outside). The flux protects the weld, floating away the impurities. It also has an insulating effect, so you get better penetration with flux core than MIG. The official term for this is SMAW (Submerged Metal Arc Welding)

The other kind of welding is TIG, which uses a tungsten electrode to heat the metal then filler rod is applied as necessary. The weld is protected by inert gas (Argon). It is a very similar process to the old-skool oxy-acetylene welding. TIG machines can do stick welding too (but not all stick machines can do TIG). TIG's official name is GTAW (Gas Tungsten Arc Welding)

DOM is "Drawn Over Mandrel". It's a seamless tube with very good metallurgical properties. It is available at most all steel suppliers.

I'm not sure what the name of the benders are. Might even be the Harbor Freight one...

 

Ok thanks for clarifying.
But the flux core should be sufficient for welding the cage? How thick should the DOM 1 1/2" tube be?

 

yes you could use a flux core but not recommended its too hard to clean every weld just use a gass welder and im going to use a .120 thick DoM pipe for my exo cage im going to use a 2inch though

 

i bought the 90 amp mig welder from harbor freight and have welded winch bumpers and the square tube bed on my yota along with other projects and i have had no trouble. i use .035 lincon wire, i just put it on max and burn away. it doesnt make a bad looking weld either just take my time and get good penetration

 

I suggest you research as much as you can there is lots of good information to be found here and on other sites.

Most people end up buying things much to small for there needs even a year down the road

Find out just what DOM means and why it is different