Patch panel

[tpierce]

I have a 2005 Dodge Dakota. As you can see in the photo, I have a bad rust problem over one wheel well on the bed. I'm looking for advice on whether I should use the entire patch panel, or just cut out what I need to back to good metal, and cut the patch panel to fit. I don't think I'll have access to behind the repair to back up with a dolly, so I'll have to be very careful when I weld the new patch in. I'll be welding with a MIG and Co2/Ar mix. Any advice on how best to accomplish this I would appreciate. Incidentally, I'll be removing the bed to make the repair.

Current condition:


Patch panel in place:

 

[ng8264723]

Thedges have to be curved. Do not have sharp corners. I would tack every 1 inch and then go back and grind. I will be difficult without planishing but doable. Just tack and then grind tack and then grind.

 

[readhead]

You don't need to use the whole panel. Find the limits of the rust, cut it out and cut the repair panel to fit.

 

[yaidunno]

Been there before. I trimmed mine down slightly so as to not interfere with the tank door. Leaving it large allowed me to plannish 80% of the weld, and its a larger area to blend in using a skim coat of mud.

You will either be re making, or buying the inner fender well. Plan on doing the other side now, or else you will be doing it the same time next year. You will be shocked at how bad the panel is on the inside once you get it cut off. Keep the gap as tight as possible and dress the welds properly.

 

[Zeke]

Actually you don't want to keep the gaps that tight. MIG welding draws the parts together. Too tight a fit up and it will buckle. I suppose planishing helps but MIG wire is hard and doesn't respond to the hammer and dolly well.

I gas weld these repairs.

 

[rsanter]

Do not use the whole panel
Use only what you need.
Try to do the welding up above the fender lip where it gets a bit flatter

Bob

 

[fastleft]

Very timely question..... about to do the same thing on my 2003 F-250. Looking forward to others responses!

 

[yaidunno]

Actually you don't want to keep the gaps that tight. MIG welding draws the parts together. Too tight a fit up and it will buckle. I suppose planishing helps but MIG wire is hard and doesn't respond to the hammer and dolly well.

I gas weld these repairs.

By tight, i should have specified .01-.02" was roughly what i ended up with for gap. Just trying to prevent the OP from opening up the box side too far. I had very little buckle with a gap of this size. Planishing the MIG weld was quite easy as well and pulled out any minor buckle caused by the welding. Different strokes for different folks on this debatable subject. Certainly cant argue with gas welding though. I'd like to pick up some proper torch nozzles and try my hand at it.

 

[HMCFab9]

Trim the panel down, but cut out the rust spot first.
You don't want to cut the panel down so far that it doesn't cover up the rusted area.
Have you ever considered panel bonding the repair piece in?
I did that to my truck & just tacked the corners & it looks good & I had a lot less warpage & less filler needed.
Also, if you weld it, the welded area is always going to rust, that's why panel bonding can sometimes be better.

 

[tpierce]

I hadn't thought about bonding. Do you have to flange the the surrounding area to make things flush, or did you just lap the patch panel over the cut-out?

 

[brownbagg]

i know you already bought the patch panel but how much would a whole side from junkyard cost. around here you can buy whole mint beds for about $300.

what the other side look like

 

[tpierce]

I've looked for a year to find a bed. If you can find one, they are over 1000.00 plus shipping. A whole new bedside is available from the dealer for 1000.00. So I decided to buy a patch panel.
The other side has no sign of rust or corrosion. I believe when the truck was built, they neglected to properly seal the inner lip seam where the bedside meets the inner wheel house.

 

[Kevin54]

i know you already bought the patch panel but how much would a whole side from junkyard cost. around here you can buy whole mint beds for about $300.

what the other side look like

I've looked for a year to find a bed. If you can find one, they are over 1000.00 plus shipping. A whole new bedside is available from the dealer for 1000.00. So I decided to buy a patch panel.
The other side has no sign of rust or corrosion. I believe when the truck was built, they neglected to properly seal the inner lip seam where the bedside meets the inner wheel house.

Same here. I gave up on finding a bed. Around here, I can get a rust free southern take off, but it's close to $2000 for a bed, so I have two patch panels sitting in the garage waiting on me to get to them.

tpierce.......get another patch panel. Trust me!!!!! I have an '02 Ram. Shortly after I bought it (used) the passenger side started bubbling. I investigated and saw where it was bondo'd in. The driver side was pristine. But seeing that I had some things to do in the garage, the truck set out. Now the driver side is bubbling. So I bought two patch panels. Yours will do the same thing. If you only fix one side, in another year, you will be doing the other side, so you may as well bite the bullet now.

Along with that.....keep your eye out for a good tailgate, because that will be the next thing to go. Chrysler has done a real **** job on their design of their trucks, because they all rust in the same place. I've seen truck that are well taken care of and maybe 4 years old that are starting to bubble on the back fenders. As soon as the weather breaks, and we get the Christmas stuff out of the house garage, and I get the wife's Olds back together from sitting in my garage, then I can get on my truck and get it fixed.

 

[MP&C]

Very likely, given the sandwich of metal at the wheel opening, you will have some rust on the inner wheelwell to repair as well. This can be a replacement, as was suggested, or a repair of the lip as needed. Here are a couple threads that show a quarter panel replacement, which is not at all close to what you are doing here, but also shows an awesome method of repairing the inner. If repairing the inner, you'll find it much easier to accomplish while you have the quarter opened up and all that access from a big gaping hole.


wheelwell fit & fab

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9601731&postcount=356

welding in place

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=9603565&postcount=359


If sheet metal welding and planishing are new to you, this may be a good read to get you on your way...


Welding in Patch Panels

 

[countryroad82]

When I cut a patch, I run Tek screws in the bed after I align the panel as best I can to hold it. I then like to use a die grinder with a thin wheel to make my cut. I try to use as little of the patch as possible and I run my Tek screws close to where my cuts are going to be, that way I can weld up my holes as I weld in the patch. It's worked for me for years and beats the He$$ out of cutting out the rust, and hoping you can keep the piece together while trying to figure out where to make your cuts. But yeah, go ahead and do the other side, I make good money off those Dodges!!