Thread: Body work

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Shawnlee28, I like that site a ton man. I haven't barely read ANYTHING on it yet but I looked around at all the topics and it looks to be very helpful.

http://www.rustrepair.com/ Here is a another site with some good reading and repair panel info and some installation tips. No prob FMX

O.K., so I was thinking that since all of the rust is on the bottom half of the panels I could just buy replacement panels for them. What do you think???

You can do that but it depends on a few things. Do you have a welder or someone that can weld in patch panels on your existing fenders?

If not then you need to factor in paying someone to cut and weld in the repair panels for you into the cost.

Also since it looks like there might have been some prior repair to the panel you would need to see how far up the old filler goes. Once you strip it you might find that the rusted area actually goes farther than a repair panel would cover.

BG

Originally posted by BlownGoat
You can do that but it depends on a few things. Do you have a welder or someone that can weld in patch panels on your existing fenders?

If not then you need to factor in paying someone to cut and weld in the repair panels for you into the cost.

Also since it looks like there might have been some prior repair to the panel you would need to see how far up the old filler goes. Once you strip it you might find that the rusted area actually goes farther than a repair panel would cover.

BG

I guess I just need to strip it down and get some more pics of what I'm dealin' with. But lets say I get lucky and the bad spots will be taken care of with the panels. The patch panels come pre-cut from Classic Industries, so what steps would I take to achieve my mission? I will be borrowing/renting a welderand my step-dad is pretty damn handy, lol! Please run me through the process.....

Yup striping it down to bare metal will tell you for sure what you have to work with. If all looks good and a patch panel will take care of the prob then this is the basics of doing it. Sure if you do a search you'll find some info but i'll run ya through it real quick anyways.

Strip all the paint down to bare metal and put the patch panel up to the fender and mark the outline of the new panel on the old one. Then cut out the old metal along the line where the new patch panel will fit. make sure not to cut out too much of the old metal you want it to fit properly with the patch panel.
Once you have the new patch panel held in the right position "tack" the new patch in a few spots. With it tacked in place make sure its where it needs to be and go ahead and weld it in. DONT weld in a continuious bead though because you will warp the metal from the heat, just form a bead by conecting a bunch of tacks and let it cool for a few seconds in between each tack. once its all welded then you can grind down the welds and smooth the whole thing out with some filler if you need any.

After its welded in you can treat the back of the panel with a rust inhibitor to prevent any more rust from forming.

BG

Or use weld through primer in the spots you are welding, in front and behind the panel. That is the best and easiest thing in my oppinion.

Originally posted by BlownGoat
Yup striping it down to bare metal will tell you for sure what you have to work with. If all looks good and a patch panel will take care of the prob then this is the basics of doing it. Sure if you do a search you'll find some info but i'll run ya through it real quick anyways.

Strip all the paint down to bare metal and put the patch panel up to the fender and mark the outline of the new panel on the old one. Then cut out the old metal along the line where the new patch panel will fit. make sure not to cut out too much of the old metal you want it to fit properly with the patch panel.
Once you have the new patch panel held in the right position "tack" the new patch in a few spots. With it tacked in place make sure its where it needs to be and go ahead and weld it in. DONT weld in a continuious bead though because you will warp the metal from the heat, just form a bead by conecting a bunch of tacks and let it cool for a few seconds in between each tack. once its all welded then you can grind down the welds and smooth the whole thing out with some filler if you need any.

After its welded in you can treat the back of the panel with a rust inhibitor to prevent any more rust from forming.

BG

Excellent! I will begin the process in the next two weeks and keep you all updated regularly.


FMXhellraiser: What is a weld through primer??

http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...yword=WELDABLE

Originally posted by BlownGoat
http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/p...yword=WELDABLE

Let me remind you that I'm an ameature, lol! So I take it this stuff goes on before the welds are made??

Yup you can put it on the flanged portion of the patch panel before you weld it in. Which actually now that i just said that I realized that in my earlier reply I didnt even make mention of the flange that will be on the patch panels edge.

When you buy a patch panel it will have a small flange on the edges that will fit up under the old panel. You will actually have the flanged part of the patch panel slide under the old metal on the fender so that it sits tight against the back side of the old fender. so that "weldable primer" will be sandwiched between the old fender and the new metal on the flanged part of the patch panel.

Man I dont even know if that makes any sence to you the way i explained it if not maybe someone else can explain it a little better then I

BG

Originally posted by BlownGoat
Yup you can put it on the flanged portion of the patch panel before you weld it in. Which actually now that i just said that I realized that in my earlier reply I didnt even make mention of the flange that will be on the patch panels edge.

When you buy a patch panel it will have a small flange on the edges that will fit up under the old panel. You will actually have the flanged part of the patch panel slide under the old metal on the fender so that it sits tight against the back side of the old fender. so that "weldable primer" will be sandwiched between the old fender and the new metal on the flanged part of the patch panel.

Man I dont even know if that makes any sence to you the way i explained it if not maybe someone else can explain it a little better then I

BG

No, it makes perfect sense, lol! Now instead of buyin the panels pre made for big $$$, couldn't I make them out of sheet metal? And last but not least, what all supplies am I going to need to Git Er' Done, lol??


P.S.- I have been examining this link for awhile now!


http://www.rustrepair.com/11_steps.htm

You can make some patch panels yourself but its really hard to do a nice one if the area you having to replace has a body line or contour to it without the proper meatal shapeing equipment. Patch panels are usually pretty cheap so you'd probably be better off just buying one.

You'll need

The patch panel
some way to cut out the old section
Welder
Body filler
weldable primer

Then small air grinder or something to smooth out the weld before you apply the filler. And the basic stuff for doing the filler work such as sanding block or board and sand paper and such.

BG

Originally posted by BlownGoat
You can make some patch panels yourself but its really hard to do a nice one if the area you having to replace has a body line or contour to it without the proper meatal shapeing equipment. Patch panels are usually pretty cheap so you'd probably be better off just buying one.

You'll need

The patch panel
some way to cut out the old section
Welder
Body filler
weldable primer

Then small air grinder or something to smooth out the weld before you apply the filler. And the basic stuff for doing the filler work such as sanding block or board and sand paper and such.

BG

Great, thanks man! I will be starting this in a couple weeks so I'm mentally preparing now, lol! I'll keep everyone posted with pics of my progress!

Looks like Blowngoat answered everything. Also to add in case he didn't, make sure you put weld through primer in between any over lapping metal or else moisture get's in there and it will RUST. You can make your own too, that is what I would do but that is only because I love welding and forming metal but if you wan't no hassles then buy a replacement. Get cardboard like from a cereal box and first make a template and then copy that straight to metal like if you have90 degree bends you make them tape them with card board and then lay them flat on the sheetmetal and cut the shape out a little bigger than needed and fit/cut what you need. I just wanted to add a bit onto what everyone has put so far, hope this helps some.