Reciprocating Saw

[gmagilla]

I'm going to be cutting through the C-Pillars and roof of a Suburban , there is a brace or center section inside the pillar . I want to make a clean cut and do it in one cut . Will a reciprocting saw do this ? And how long are the blades ?

[cjbiagi]

Yes, a reciprocating saw will do the job. Blades come in different lengths and tooth count so just get one long enough with a proper tooth count and go for it.

[gmagilla]

Thanks Clyde , I've never used one and thought it would work and we all need more tools . I turned my Suburban into a pickup a few years back but it's got to much rust to finish , quarters , rockers and nearly all the bed supports are gone so I found another one , 1990 , that has only a couple spots of rust so here I go again , I call it Avaburb , the back of the cab comes apart like an Avalanche so I can still load 8' lumber and close the tailgate . This one has barn doors so it will take a little more work to chop them down to size .

[spencerforhire]

I use these Dewalt "fire & rescue" or "demolition" blades; they're available up to about 14" long. Not cheap, but they will cut through just about anything and they last for a long time.
http://www.m4040.com/Survival/KIT%20PICS/DeWalt.gif

[gmagilla]

Thanks Spencer , where I'm wanting to cut is about 5" thick and I want to make one nice straight cut . Do these saws jump all over the place trying to get the cut started , I could start the cut with my cutoff wheel then slide the blade in . I got an old hood I can try it out on . Here's a pic. of the pillar I gotta go through.

[Kev442]

Yes, the recip is going to want to move around on you. If you look on youtube, there are probably dozens of how to's by now, but the best I've seen involves using several layers of masking tape, drawing the line you want and using a 3" air cutoff tool on the outside sheet metal. The 3" disk is pretty narrow and will match up with the recip blade almost exactly as you slice the inner structure.
HF has a 3" air cutoff for about $10.
I second getting a demolition blade, I use Morse.

[1100kaw2]

Saw will do the job. Will want to jump around, small starter cut will help. Blade will want to bow and bend, making un even cut. Will have to concentrate on keeping it out of a bind. The heavy demo blades helps stop the bending thou.
You might want to throw a jack up inside truck and use a 2x4 or something on it to put upward pressure at every pillar you cut. take weight off the blade will help.

Oh, and don't forget your safety contact lens'. so you can see your marks and protect the eyes.