Thanks to MP&C

[dnroe]

I wanted to take a few minutes to put a thread on here to thank Robert for taking the time to do his how to sheet metal thread as well as his personal help with suggestions and comments on my project. I have respectable amateur fab/welder/sheet metal skills for someone that works at a desk all day. However reading his posts and adopting his process of weld, grind, planish, repeat along with proper fitment, correct tools & equipment for the job and overall mental approach in general have really transformed my work.

I want to recommend to anyone wanting to improve their skills in this area to take their time and read through the MP&C shop projects thread and then practice the process. For me it is really difficult because I wanted to just keep welding and then to try to grind it all at once and the results are lots of pin holes, damage to the adjacent material and poor weld penetration. After giving the process an honest try with lots of patience, close gaps, hot tacks and careful grinding of each weld dot prior to proceeding the final blending and sanding resulted in results I am extremely happy with.

Attached are a few pics of my Camaro's trunk lock opening which had been damaged in the past. A donor piece from a scrap tail panel was cut out, the existing tail panel scribed then cut to fit and welded in place saved me from having to purchase a reproduction panel and having to replace the original.

Thanks for the help Robert!

 

[8man]

Congrats on completing the challenge. Nice work too. Feels good doesn't it.

 

[Stooge]

nice job on the panel repair!
i can not imagine the time i have spent reading through Robert's thread in the fabrication section, nor can i imagine the amount of time he must spend thoroughly documenting and coherently sharing his works, and providing answers to the endless questions he must receive, as well as just making for an entertaining read. i can say, not only i have i learned alot from his thread and adopted some of his tricks and tips, but i also might say, it has also made me a little more "adventurous" in my own projects and inevitably having to "learn my way" through something.

 

[MP&C]

Nice job on the Camaro repairs! Glad the welding process worked for you.. Lord knows I've screwed up enough while I was learning this stuff, more than glad to help others get rid of some of the learning curve. It's one reason I still post my screw ups, so others can learn from them and hopefully not make the same mistakes..