Spot weld driller Shoot out! - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

MARTINSR · 05-29-2005, 01:29 PM

Spot weld driller Shoot out.

Spot weld drilling comes up on the forums quite often. Being I had the opportunity to use a couple of the best tools for the job I thought it would be a good thing to report on.

I have a very nice tool, the “Dentfix” Spitznagle spot annihilator, but it is out of the average hobbyists price range at about $400.00, with the two optional “clamps” it is about $540.00.
I have seen a cheaper version of the tool under the Astro name and had wondered if it did the job. Well, today one of my co-workers came to work with one. I had a pair of quarters to replace on a 2002 Chevy pickup. So, I used the Astro on one side and the Spitznagle on the other.

Astro

http://search.cartserver.com/search/...ords=AP%201756

Spitznagle

http://www.toolsource.com/ost/produc...ASVVDEQCBEDSL3

(I have no affiliation and do not recommend these companies, use at your own risk, posted for example only)

I found that the Astro is a pretty good tool for the money. It works very similar to the Spiznagle and will “do the job”.

The first thing you have to understand is that using one of these tools is SOOOOOOOO much better than any other way to remove spot welds you are floored the first time you use one. So either tool will seem REALLY nice the first use, you will be very surprised how valuable a tool it is if you do this for a living. After a few jobs you want to bend over and let someone kick you in the butt for being so cheap and not buying one the first time you saw it. It is nearly effortless to use. It is sort of like a hand held drill press. Only the drill press requires you to pull down on the handle to apply pressure for the drill to go into the metal. These spot weld drills actually apply the pressure for you. Just place the tool into position and pull the trigger, the bit goes forward while it is spinning and applies the pressure needed to send it into the metal. Not only that, the depth of the hole is determined by how deep you told it to drill! This is a very cool tool. It is not “needed” as a regular hand drill will to do the job, but it is very welcome that I will tell you.

I have to say the Astro is miles from the Spitznagle in ease and quality of operation. One of the good things about the Spitznagle is that the bit turns very slowly with lots of torque. This really lets the bits last a long time. The Astro spins almost as fast as a high speed drill, it will likely burn up bits. It didn’t cut nearly as fast, not even close. It seemed that the bit would burn up before it would get the cut done. However, it did seem to cut about as well at the last weld as the first, so that may be more illusion than anything. I did put the more expensive Spitznagle bit in the Astro to see if that would improve the cutting, it didn’t.

The biggest draw back to the Astro is that it only came with one medium sized clamp. I do not know of the others are available, if they are not, this is a problem. I use the three different clamps (the tool only comes with one just as the Astro) I have for my Spiznagle on most all big jobs. You need the different depths of access for the different welds all the time. The bigger clamps are too clumsy for many places and you can’t even get in there. The smaller ones are of course too short to get the bit back to the weld to drill it without hitting on something preventing you from reaching the weld. Without the clamps the Astro has a serious disadvantage, if the clamps are available it would be a fair replacement for the higher priced Spiznagle for someone on a budget. Remember with the Spiznagle the clamps are extra, about $60.00 and $80.00 apiece as I remember. So the price for everything I used in the test was about $540.00, quite a jump from the $200.00 for the Astro. It wasn’t fair that I had the extra clamps for the Spitznagle while doing the test. But I wasn’t going to torture myself for this test and not use them. The point is the clamps make a BIG difference. If they are available for the Astro that would move the Astro up quite a bit.
Understand, you don’t have to use the clamps, you can remove them and use the tool like a normal drill. That is how I removed the welds with the Astro that I couldn’t do with the clamp in place.

The Astro also has a strange way they hold the clamp on, it is a pin sticking out of the drill and a slot in the clamp. You slide the clamp over the end of the drill and then rotate it to lock in behind the pin. The Spitznagle has a spring loaded clamp that clips over a ring on the tool. You can rotate it anywhere you want at any time to position the drill over the weld. This is the problem with the Astro; You need to rotate this clamp all over to gain access to different welds. The Astro clamp would fall off once in a while as I was rotating it into position. Now, if I was using the tool every day, I am certain I would get use to where this would happen and avoid it. But I think it would limit where you may be able to put the clamp and that of course means the tool is limited.

Ok, that is an unbiased observation of my test. By the way, I not only did the test myself, I asked others who tried the tool for their feedback. One in particular thought nothing of my complaints with the Astro and felt it to be nearly equal to the Spitznagle.
However, this is my opinion; you don’t have to have one of these tools. If you are a home hobbyist it is a pure out and out luxury. Don’t buy either, save the money for more needed tools. If you are a pro, for goodness sakes buy the Spiznagle, it is well worth the money. By the way, I started writing this about three weeks ago. Since that time, the guy who brought the Astro has found it unsatisfactory and returned it in exchange for a Spitznagle.

>X< · 05-29-2005, 04:17 PM

great info! thanks for taking the time to write it down

MARTINSR · 05-29-2005, 06:02 PM

Thanks Sean, here is a little more on the subject.

I often get asked "How to you get welds in a floor or other place with where the clamp can't reach"?

I use my Spitznagle with one of the three clamps on about 95% of my welds. You would be surprised at how many you can get access to by simply cutting away the junk you are removing anyway with the air chisel.

I do floors all the time on late model cars. I run a cut with the air chisel about an inch from the frame rail (unibody cars) and remove the whole center of the floor. Then I will cut a portion out on the out side of the rail to the quarter lip, even if it is only an inch of metal I am cutting out, it is enough to stick the clamp around the back of the spot weld.

In the photo below you can see where I have cut out the majority of the forward inner fender on this car. I then can reach all the spot welds. Some times I will drill them from the back when I can't get the tool in to drill from the correct side. On this very inner fender I remember on the lower rail I couldn't get it from the side of the panel being removed because of engine componants. I pulled the wheel off and drilled the spot weld out thru the rail. I then put the new part up there with no hole to plug weld (as at the other points) and plug welded the whole from the frame rail side INTO the new panel, worked like a charm.

The photo below is an example of now nice the spot welds look once drilled. I call it "unbolting" the panel it leaves such a nice base for reinstalling a part.

Brian

Gyva · 05-29-2005, 07:49 PM

So the cool thing about these is you dont punch through the sheet metal under the spot weld? Is that why they are better than a drill?

Mike...

krue · 05-29-2005, 08:55 PM

Feel like posting this on the Review board for us?

>X< · 05-29-2005, 09:57 PM

they dont punch through because you can adjust the depth that the bit goes in, this is why the bits last so long too.

MARTINSR · 05-29-2005, 09:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gyva

So the cool thing about these is you dont punch through the sheet metal under the spot weld? Is that why they are better than a drill?

Mike...

Mike, that is exactly right. I will drill the spot welds out, clean up the pinch weld of any irregularities with my little 3" angle grinder with a 50 grit disc, apply weld thru primer, lay a new part with no holes in it, and spot weld it with a STRSW (Squeeze Type Resistance Spot Welder) and it will look JUST as original.

But even when plug welding with a MIG, drilling the welds out like this is soooooo clean.

Krue, where the heck is this "review"? I looked on the regular forum list and saw nothing.

Brian

MARTINSR · 05-29-2005, 09:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by >X<

they dont punch through because you can adjust the depth that the bit goes in, this is why the bits last so long too.

The biggest reason the bits last so long is that it goes PERFECTLY straight in. Every single time (unless you screw up on uneven metal) like a drill press, no wobbling, just straight in. Plus, as I mentioned it turns slower, just cutting away without overheating.

Brian

>X< · 05-29-2005, 10:00 PM

brian, top of the page, under General Discussion Engine and Drivetrain
Review Board

krue · 05-29-2005, 10:39 PM

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/f...?s=&forumid=26
It's in the quick links up top. Thanks.

05-29-2005, 01:29 PM	#1
MARTINSR Registered User Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 6,001	Spot weld driller Shoot out! Spot weld driller Shoot out. Spot weld drilling comes up on the forums quite often. Being I had the opportunity to use a couple of the best tools for the job I thought it would be a good thing to report on. I have a very nice tool, the “Dentfix” Spitznagle spot annihilator, but it is out of the average hobbyists price range at about $400.00, with the two optional “clamps” it is about $540.00. I have seen a cheaper version of the tool under the Astro name and had wondered if it did the job. Well, today one of my co-workers came to work with one. I had a pair of quarters to replace on a 2002 Chevy pickup. So, I used the Astro on one side and the Spitznagle on the other. Astro http://search.cartserver.com/search/...ords=AP%201756 Spitznagle http://www.toolsource.com/ost/produc...ASVVDEQCBEDSL3 (I have no affiliation and do not recommend these companies, use at your own risk, posted for example only) I found that the Astro is a pretty good tool for the money. It works very similar to the Spiznagle and will “do the job”. The first thing you have to understand is that using one of these tools is SOOOOOOOO much better than any other way to remove spot welds you are floored the first time you use one. So either tool will seem REALLY nice the first use, you will be very surprised how valuable a tool it is if you do this for a living. After a few jobs you want to bend over and let someone kick you in the butt for being so cheap and not buying one the first time you saw it. It is nearly effortless to use. It is sort of like a hand held drill press. Only the drill press requires you to pull down on the handle to apply pressure for the drill to go into the metal. These spot weld drills actually apply the pressure for you. Just place the tool into position and pull the trigger, the bit goes forward while it is spinning and applies the pressure needed to send it into the metal. Not only that, the depth of the hole is determined by how deep you told it to drill! This is a very cool tool. It is not “needed” as a regular hand drill will to do the job, but it is very welcome that I will tell you. I have to say the Astro is miles from the Spitznagle in ease and quality of operation. One of the good things about the Spitznagle is that the bit turns very slowly with lots of torque. This really lets the bits last a long time. The Astro spins almost as fast as a high speed drill, it will likely burn up bits. It didn’t cut nearly as fast, not even close. It seemed that the bit would burn up before it would get the cut done. However, it did seem to cut about as well at the last weld as the first, so that may be more illusion than anything. I did put the more expensive Spitznagle bit in the Astro to see if that would improve the cutting, it didn’t. The biggest draw back to the Astro is that it only came with one medium sized clamp. I do not know of the others are available, if they are not, this is a problem. I use the three different clamps (the tool only comes with one just as the Astro) I have for my Spiznagle on most all big jobs. You need the different depths of access for the different welds all the time. The bigger clamps are too clumsy for many places and you can’t even get in there. The smaller ones are of course too short to get the bit back to the weld to drill it without hitting on something preventing you from reaching the weld. Without the clamps the Astro has a serious disadvantage, if the clamps are available it would be a fair replacement for the higher priced Spiznagle for someone on a budget. Remember with the Spiznagle the clamps are extra, about $60.00 and $80.00 apiece as I remember. So the price for everything I used in the test was about $540.00, quite a jump from the $200.00 for the Astro. It wasn’t fair that I had the extra clamps for the Spitznagle while doing the test. But I wasn’t going to torture myself for this test and not use them. The point is the clamps make a BIG difference. If they are available for the Astro that would move the Astro up quite a bit. Understand, you don’t have to use the clamps, you can remove them and use the tool like a normal drill. That is how I removed the welds with the Astro that I couldn’t do with the clamp in place. The Astro also has a strange way they hold the clamp on, it is a pin sticking out of the drill and a slot in the clamp. You slide the clamp over the end of the drill and then rotate it to lock in behind the pin. The Spitznagle has a spring loaded clamp that clips over a ring on the tool. You can rotate it anywhere you want at any time to position the drill over the weld. This is the problem with the Astro; You need to rotate this clamp all over to gain access to different welds. The Astro clamp would fall off once in a while as I was rotating it into position. Now, if I was using the tool every day, I am certain I would get use to where this would happen and avoid it. But I think it would limit where you may be able to put the clamp and that of course means the tool is limited. Ok, that is an unbiased observation of my test. By the way, I not only did the test myself, I asked others who tried the tool for their feedback. One in particular thought nothing of my complaints with the Astro and felt it to be nearly equal to the Spitznagle. However, this is my opinion; you don’t have to have one of these tools. If you are a home hobbyist it is a pure out and out luxury. Don’t buy either, save the money for more needed tools. If you are a pro, for goodness sakes buy the Spiznagle, it is well worth the money. By the way, I started writing this about three weeks ago. Since that time, the guy who brought the Astro has found it unsatisfactory and returned it in exchange for a Spitznagle. __________________ 1948 Chevy pickup Chopped, Sectioned, 1953 Corvette 235 powered. Once was even 401 Buick mid engined with the carburetor right between the seats! Bought with paper route money in 1973 when I was 15. "Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

05-29-2005, 04:17 PM	#2
>X< registered IWATA user Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 4,483	great info! thanks for taking the time to write it down __________________ -'63 Ford Fairlane 500 coupe, v8, auto, faded and rusty. awaiting built roller 302 and some flat black -'99 Honda Prelude. vtech/5spd. no pipe, no intake, bone stock. awaiting new top end. -01 GMC Yukon SLT 5.3 dented and scratched with a noisy tranny. Take off that Von Dutch hat before i stab you with a 000 Mack.

05-29-2005, 06:02 PM	#3
MARTINSR Registered User Join Date: Dec 2000 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 6,001	More on the use of the tool. Thanks Sean, here is a little more on the subject. I often get asked "How to you get welds in a floor or other place with where the clamp can't reach"? I use my Spitznagle with one of the three clamps on about 95% of my welds. You would be surprised at how many you can get access to by simply cutting away the junk you are removing anyway with the air chisel. I do floors all the time on late model cars. I run a cut with the air chisel about an inch from the frame rail (unibody cars) and remove the whole center of the floor. Then I will cut a portion out on the out side of the rail to the quarter lip, even if it is only an inch of metal I am cutting out, it is enough to stick the clamp around the back of the spot weld. In the photo below you can see where I have cut out the majority of the forward inner fender on this car. I then can reach all the spot welds. Some times I will drill them from the back when I can't get the tool in to drill from the correct side. On this very inner fender I remember on the lower rail I couldn't get it from the side of the panel being removed because of engine componants. I pulled the wheel off and drilled the spot weld out thru the rail. I then put the new part up there with no hole to plug weld (as at the other points) and plug welded the whole from the frame rail side INTO the new panel, worked like a charm. The photo below is an example of now nice the spot welds look once drilled. I call it "unbolting" the panel it leaves such a nice base for reinstalling a part. Brian __________________ 1948 Chevy pickup Chopped, Sectioned, 1953 Corvette 235 powered. Once was even 401 Buick mid engined with the carburetor right between the seats! Bought with paper route money in 1973 when I was 15. "Fan of most anything that moves human beings"

05-29-2005, 08:55 PM	#5
krue Designated A-hole! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: South Mississippi Posts: 36,450	Feel like posting this on the Review board for us? __________________ "If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is!" Being stupid ain't illegal. We're Still Debt Free Except for the House!!! www.daveramsey.com 70 GMC SWB Stepside project "Green Booger" soon to be 6.0l/4l80e 93 S-10 "Poppaw's Truck"

05-29-2005, 09:57 PM	#6
>X< registered IWATA user Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 4,483	they dont punch through because you can adjust the depth that the bit goes in, this is why the bits last so long too. __________________ -'63 Ford Fairlane 500 coupe, v8, auto, faded and rusty. awaiting built roller 302 and some flat black -'99 Honda Prelude. vtech/5spd. no pipe, no intake, bone stock. awaiting new top end. -01 GMC Yukon SLT 5.3 dented and scratched with a noisy tranny. Take off that Von Dutch hat before i stab you with a 000 Mack.

05-29-2005, 07:49 PM	#4
Gyva Registered User Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Mountain Home Idaho Posts: 544	So the cool thing about these is you dont punch through the sheet metal under the spot weld? Is that why they are better than a drill? Mike...

05-29-2005, 10:00 PM	#9
>X< registered IWATA user Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: Baton Rouge Posts: 4,483	brian, top of the page, under General Discussion Engine and Drivetrain Review Board __________________ -'63 Ford Fairlane 500 coupe, v8, auto, faded and rusty. awaiting built roller 302 and some flat black -'99 Honda Prelude. vtech/5spd. no pipe, no intake, bone stock. awaiting new top end. -01 GMC Yukon SLT 5.3 dented and scratched with a noisy tranny. Take off that Von Dutch hat before i stab you with a 000 Mack.

05-29-2005, 10:39 PM	#10
krue Designated A-hole! Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: South Mississippi Posts: 36,450	http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/f...?s=&forumid=26 It's in the quick links up top. Thanks. __________________ "If it ain't broke, fix it 'til it is!" Being stupid ain't illegal. We're Still Debt Free Except for the House!!! www.daveramsey.com 70 GMC SWB Stepside project "Green Booger" soon to be 6.0l/4l80e 93 S-10 "Poppaw's Truck"



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