You will need an angle grinder, there is no way around it.
The ol' grinder has been my go-to tool for cutting since day one.
As proof, here is a photo of us taking a full two coils off the front springs of the Camaro back in the stance nation era. Yes, I know what you are thinking. Shorts, short sleeves, no safety glasses. A perfect example of what not to do. The ol' grinder doesn't care what its cutting, it just cuts. That same tool pictured above has sent both my father and I to the emergency room to get stitches in a finger. Be smart, wear your safety glasses, wear some gloves and put on long sleeves and pants.
Anyway, you've got two main options when purchasing the tool, corded of cordless. Both have their pros and cons. Both will use a 4.5" disk and have a 7/8" arbor. If you already have Milwaukee batteries or plan on doing work where an outlet isn't nearby, I recommend the Milwaukee. If not, the Dewalt is one hell of a machine for the money.
The Best Angle Grinders
Cordless
You probably already know I'm team Milwaukee. This tool lives up to the name and I have nothing but positive things to say about it after three years of consistent use.
A bit more money than the corded option, but you know my opinions on that. Also, you're able to rotate the guard by pushing on a tab, no tools required.
Corded
Absolute beast of a tool. Never let me down in over 10 years of use.
If you're balling on a budget this is the way to go.
The Best Cutting & Grinding Wheels for your Angle Grinder
At this point, everything I buy for the grinder is from Benchmark Abrasives on Amazon. I buy them in bulk because they are constantly being used and you just really don't want to run out in the middle of a project.
I cannot stress this enough, use the correct wheels for the correct metal you are working with.
It took me a long time to learn that cutting aluminum doesn't have to be such a pain in the a**. The Aluminum cutting wheels work amazing. They actually cut instead of just immediately gumming up and ruining the wheel while spraying you with melted aluminum.
I never use grinding wheels. I definitely would not recommend using them for automotive purposes. They get the metal too hot and take off too much material too fast.
Use a flap disk, pay attention to the grit you are purchasing and take a little bit of material off at a time.
For Metal & Stainless Steel
4.5" Cutting Wheels -
4.5" Flap Disks -
For Aluminum
4.5 Cutting Wheels
4.5 Flap Disks
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