Sheet metal/body guys, I need some input.

[4EyedTurd]

I might have gotten overzealous but I started patching rust then decided to strip the entire quarter panel. I figure I’ll work a panel at a time, patching, learning to shrink and when to do it and some hammer and dolly work. The area of concern is one I discovered while stripping the bondo, it appears the car has had a quarter panel put on it. The quarter panel was overlapped maybe 1.5”-2” and to me looks spot welded. My thought was use a body saw on the left side of the seam, remove the extra material that’ll be on the inside of the panel. At that point I could use clamps to hold the panel while welding it. Now, for you more experienced guys does this sound like a good plan?

 

[Sliceddeuce]

Yes.

 

[HMCFab9]

Zero overlap on a seam is best.
If you are a good welder you should be able to get it back together without any issues.
If you get it too hot welding it.... It's going to warp pretty bad & be hard to fix.

I use a thin wheel in a pneumatic cutoff tool.

 

[MP&C]

Normally I would be concerned that the blade width would allow for panel movement, but in your case it appears to be needed. The lower left gap to the fuel door appears tight, the complete right side gap appears wide. Perhaps by the time the panel is pulled left, nice and tight, the gaps will be more consistent.


If I use the **** weld clamps it is typically for fit up only, pull them out and allow the metal to **** together tightly as you do your tacks. Make sure to use a nice damp cloth over the gas fill to keep fumes away from your welding.

 

[4EyedTurd]

I didn’t catch the gap differences till you pointed it out. After I cut it, I’ll try the clamps to get it into position. Thanks for the damp rag idea.

 

[MP&C]

In case the fuel cap gasket is questionable, the damp rag should keep things less exciting

 

[gofastwclass]

Less exciting is always good when cutting and welding.

They sure chose an interesting place to make the cut. I would love to be able to chat with some of these old cars and hear their stories.

 

[4EyedTurd]

Less exciting is always good when cutting and welding.

They sure chose an interesting place to make the cut. I would love to be able to chat with some of these old cars and hear their stories.

For sure, about 6 inches to the right of the photo is a bullet hole (I believe)that was filled in with bondo. Oh the stories this car could...

I’m finding out when welding in patch panels, just when you think you’ve cut out all the rust just cut 2-3” more just because you can’t see how thin the surrounding metal is.

 

[4EyedTurd]

It appears as tho I’m suffering from a little project ADD, which may help me not get impatient and rush a certain spot. I’ve got to work on patiently taking the weld down with the edge of a cutoff wheel and maybe pickup some less abrasive 3” sanding discs, the 36g are mean.

 

[MP&C]

grinding plug welds, same concept should apply

.

 

[gofastwclass]

Wow! Apparently your car lived in a rough area for a while.

When I replaced the floors in my 61 I found all sorts of interesting botched attempts at repairs.

Follow what Robert is showing and you'll come out fine. I've been following his work for years and he has probably forgotten more than I'll ever know.

 

[chaosracing]

What car is it your working on? I have never seen anyone do a patch panel through something like the gas filler door like that. Much more work involved in it.

And I would not be to concerned with ADD at this stage. The better your metal work, the less filler needed, the better the job will be overall. I have seen some sketchy repair jobs in the past (My old neighbor had a shop till he died, I worked with him for over 12 years)

The important thing to remember is to keep the metal cool when you reweld. Jump around and keep a bucket of water and a rag nearby to help cool. You should also have a hammer and dolly on standby to hammer and dolly the welds right way to.

 

[4EyedTurd]

64 Belair, I’m just assuming but I think it might have been done that way to ensure the good placement on the patch. The quarter was cut that way left the gas filler pocket attached to what was left of the quarter and both filler door screw locations intact making one less variable.