will this welder work?

hey guys A freind of mine is getting rid of this welder and I want it. We dont know anything about it. Can someone help? It has a large spool of .35 flux core in it and it has the inlet for gas.I want to use it to finish the z'ing of my 1/8" stock 34 frame,will it work? Does anybody know the age and worth too?
Hobart handler 120

Welcome to RRR!

Don't take any of this the wrong way, but err on the side of safety.

I wouldn't have critical frame welded with a 110v welder. Your life depends on it, so don't be cheap. I'm sure a pro welder could make it work, but are you that good? I'm not, so I got all my frame pieces tacked up and am having a good welder with a 220v machine come over and do the final welding. 250$ and beer for some good welds, a lot of on the spot fabrication, and my peace of mind. Money well spent in my view.

As far as age goes, they still sell them so it is hard to say.
Hobart has a good product. Sam knows what he is talking about.
The ideal hotorodders welder will be a name brand welder, on mix gas, and will be a 220 unit.

Welcome 34rat, great to have you on board. The guys here are a gold mine of knowledge and tips. As to your question, I'm with Sam Fear on this one. I make my living building specialty cars and I just like to offer some similar advise. Safety should always be your #1 consideration. Particularly when choosing the right welder for the right job. That Hobart is a great hobby welder, good for light work such as sheet metal panels and such. You will need something in the 220 volt machines to confidently build a frame and even at that if you not 100%confident in your welding skills just tack it together and get an experienced welder to finish it up for you. I've heard that is some areas there are actually Bills in the works to make such things mandatory. Usually I'm against anything that interferes with our hobby, but I've seen enough scary frames to change my mind on this one. It's not just your butt on the line but every other car you meet on the road as well. Could be my life your saving.

Any pics of your project? We like pictures and projects. Might wanna start an INTRO thread.

Bonehead said:

Sam knows what he is talking about.

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I deny that! If I made any sense, it was an accident.

Well this sucks because I can get it for dirt cheap but if its not going to work for my frame then why get it right. I know i can use it to finish my half finished chop job, but I think that is probably minor compared to the frame. A 220 machine is what I really want but I got layed off 6 months ago ( 9 f-ing years with the company) we might lose our house and there is no jobs to be had. This economy sucks ass. I cant afford the welder I need but being in my perdicament I should probably sell my project.... sorry for whinning but I got 6 months of frustration and stress.

The welder is good for everything except frames. It would be great for body work, and adding non structural things to the frame. How bout making the deal on it then trading up?

Well 34Rat, keep yer head up - too many guys have that same story lately.

This is what I would do if I had a great project like that and limited funds (and too much time). I'd get the welder and get to work on finishing the chop and anything else I could. As for the frame, I'd either wait on the Z and drive it high-boy style until I got the money together, or I'd cut it and tack it together myself and have someone else do the final welds. If there is no fabrication involved, a hour or two of hired welding is way cheaper than buying a welder. 20$ and a few beers might do ya. Ask around, you'll be surprised how many guys are interested in a cool frame Z - way more fun than welding a gate on a trailer.

Half the fun of rat rodding is making do with what ya got. The other half is driving it!

Well that sounds like a good idea. I do have alot of work to do on the cab. Thanks for all advice guys.

34rat

Take the guys advice and buy the 110 welder and you will be surprised at how much work you can get done with that unit. I am doing this exact thing on my 29 RPU. I have tacked up the full rear end mounts & bones, started on my sub floor bracing and will start on some patch panels in next few weeks.Later I will build the rear Z and get it ready for the big gun welder.[

When I get ready I've got a couple of oil field welders that live nearby with portable units that will finish weld everything nice and clean and SAFE.

Keep your head up and work on your project, it's good for the soul!
Some days I go out to the garage, sit down and just get ideas on how I can make it cooler. Good relief valve, HOT RODS tend to do that.

I agree, keep the 100v and use it for the light stuff, also do some welding for $$$ parley that money into a Lincoln stick welder for the heavy stuff. They're available pretty cheap on craigslist usually

Well my buddy is not selling the welder but I can use it. It has .035 flux core in it now, And an other spool of .030 can I use either one of these on the cab and to tac my z's in my frame together? If not I need to get solid wire,a hose,regulator,and tank with the dough I dont have.

Sure, you could tac your frame together with it. Just an opinion here, but I would use the .030 in the 110 machine.

thanks but what about the cab

It can be done with that machine as is, however, ideally you want mix gas, and .025, or .030.

This will be one place pulse welding is okay. And practice quite a bit on similar metals first.