Welding your way through car repairs

When it comes to repairs at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, you can bet welding is a part of the process.

A variety of welders are used behind the scenes, fabricating track equipment, as well as on the track's grandstands, signs and fences and for repairs on the SAFER barrier.

You can also find welding equipment in many race shop fabricating departments.

But aside from racing, the skill of welding is valuable in a wide range of tasks for the do-it-yourselfer alike.

Are you driving an older car? Do you notice some rust on the body panels?

According to Steve Waltenbaugh, a Lincoln Electric Welding School Instructor, if you would like to do automotive body panel work or exhaust system work (in other words, light gauge material), then an SP-135 Plus, which works well on material thickness of 22 gauge-12 gauge, would be your best choice.

This user-friendly wire feeder/welder is ready to help you make short work of many around-the-home jobs, hobby projects, auto body repairs or farm chores. The SP-135 Plus handles MIG welds on a wide range of materials including mild steel, stainless steel and aluminum.

If you become a serious welding hobbyist, you might want to opt for a more versatile machine, like the a Precision TIG 185, that lets you make repairs on aluminum intakes, heads, suspension parts, stainless exhausts, and turbo chargers.

Consider the Precision TIG 185 for extensive fabrication, automotive/motorsports, and vocational school usage. Professional features like patented Micro-Start Technology ensure a soft start throughout the amperage range. Standard Pulse control makes it easy to gain even greater heat control on thin materials.