Jay Leno's Garage has turned to plasma cutting torches for cutting metal that it needs during an auto restoration.

Leno has a famously impressive collection of vintage automobiles that he keeps at his “Big Dog Garage, and his Big Dog Race Team has turned to the Hypertherm Powermax 30 plasma torch to help it with restorations and repairs.

“The Powermax30 is impressive. I have to admit I was a little skeptical when I first saw it because the unit is so small. I thought there is no way that thing's going to cut through the metal on our cars. But it did with no problem,” Bernard Juchli, head mechanic and race car driver for the Big Dog team, said.

You can see what Leno and Juchli have to say about the cutting torch in the garage's latest “Under the Hood” video. The segment available at (http://www.jaylenosgarage.com/video/video_player.shtml?vid=248323).

The Powermax 30 weighs in at 20 lbs., and is one of the smallest plasma cutters on the market.

It is designed to cut through metal to ⅜-in. thick, and to sever metal to ½-in. thick. And, it requires 110V or 220V power and compressed shop air.

The torch is designed to be used on a variety of automotive and other applications, including the replacement of exhaust systems, the removal of a bent or crushed bracket, the replacement of corroded and rusted body panels, and the repair of automotive floors or frames.

It is designed to cut with a standoff that can be useful for odd-shaped pieces or when trying to access a tight location, or to make high quality, narrow cuts on thin material with a minimum of warping and a small heat affected zone.

In addition to cutting, the plasma torch can be used in place of carbon arc gouging to remove metal for weld preparation or for gouging out worn or cracked parts for repair or replacement, or for piercing.

Hypertherm said plasma combines speed, superior cut quality, and low cost of operation.

Leno's Big Dog Garage is home to one of the world's greatest car collections, and it is one of the world's best equipped garages. The 17,000-sq-ft facility was custom-built from the ground up and is run by a team of mechanical wizards adept at fixing, restoring, and customizing just about every type of vehicle imaginable.

Since you can't exactly go down to the local auto shop for parts for cars built 100 years ago, the garage is geared up to fabricate parts and do just about all required work in house. Its tools include a CNC mill, a water jet cutter, sheet metal equipment, a lathe, a regular mill, welding equipment and the plasma cutting torch.