I am just about done with the quarter skin. Take a look.

I'm not happy with the door gaps. I'm considering elongating the fender mounting hole to move the fender forward a bit. has anyone done that before?



http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0156.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0156.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0172.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0172.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0180.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0180.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0183.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0183.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0182.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0182.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0185.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0185.jpg)
http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0185.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0185.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0186.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0186.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0188.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0188.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0187.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0187.jpg)

This is the first body panel that I've ever done. Does the body filler fix all the imperfections in the welds (tiny holes, etc) or do I have to go back and fill those holes with more weld?


http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0178.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0178.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0177.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0177.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0175.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0175.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0192.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0192.jpg)http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/th_IMG_0193.jpg (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0193.jpg)

This is the first body panel that I've ever done. Does the body filler fix all the imperfections in the welds (tiny holes, etc) or do I have to go back and fill those holes with more weld?


[/URL] (http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0178.jpg)[URL="http://s272.photobucket.com/albums/jj178/Norcoastal/?action=view&current=IMG_0193.jpg"] Body filler will take care of all the pin holes, just make sure the first pass is with a water proof filler, such as a fine hair fiberglass or all metal. As it will bubble down the road on you if you do not. Just my 2 cents worth.

Thanks Don

First you need to invest in a sand blaster to remove any rust and also it helps to sand blast the welds when you are finished, this shows up any holes and also gives a clean surface for filler.
I, myself like to weld up as many, if not all the holes and pinholes insuring a lasting repair. I always coat the welded area with a waterproof filler such as mar-glass short stand filler, the green stuff with no hair in it. I have also used the metal filler such as Alumafill. I don't like to rely on filler to keep the welds from blistering through any holes so this is why I like to weld as many pinholes as I can. I grind it down, sand blast the welds to check for any holes and reweld any pinholes, grind these areas, sand blast again to check and I continue doing this until I am satisfied that there are no holes and I still use a water proof filler to make sure.
I notice a lot of "hot" areas in your grinding, you must be using an electric grinder with a grinding stone on it, these turn so fast that it doesn't give you much control and they tend to remove too much material. You should only be grinding the welds and not the sheet metal, if you use a grinding stone on an air grinder it gives you a lot more control and it is easier to grind only the weld as they turn a lot slower than an electric grinder. I always start with this method to take the bulk of the weld down and then I finish with an air cut-off wheel, the 2 1/2 inch kind and this gives you a lot of control when taking down the edges of the weld. Sheet metal is quite thin and running an electric grinder with a stone over it likely is removing half the thickness of the metal, and you don't want that.
Looks like you have a lot of sand blasting to do also...

I would have practiced the welding a bit first but for a first shot not bad. I think like most guys you are scared to use more power dialed into your welder as you are scared of burn through? This results in the heavy bubble gum type welds that are a killer to grind down.

Next time try screwing the 1/4 on top of the other and cut both at the same time for a perfect 1/16 gap between the 2 panels. Use a hammer and dolly to assure both panels are perfectly aligned and not higher or lower in spots. Use panel clamps which also help in keeping all aligned. If you do the above you can use a hotter weld to lay flatter. You will then have about zero porosity problem as you hit another weld right as the previous is turning from red. It creates a nice clean seam.

As far as grinding not sure why a electric vs an air would be better but I guess worth a shot? Your first grinds should be with the tip of the wheel going against the weld. Then use a fiber backed wheel which creates less burn through. Start with 40 and then 80. They sell the wheels at Home Depot fairly cheap. Remember grinding creates quite a bit of heat also. Where you over ground the surrounding metal could cause cracks. You can take a cheap dolly and grind a groove in it to hammer the welds into the groove creating a flatter surface. Yes the rear will show the weld more but that is why most pros use a tig. Tig welds are softer.

Looking at your sanding pattern you also have quite a bit of warp so invest in a shrinking wheel to shrink the high spots. As far as the filler as everyone else said make sure it is waterproof. The all metal is hard to mix. When you are done with the front make sure the rear is sealed. That is where moisture will enter and cause rust and possible ghost lines in your finish.

Good luck!!

Shane, you are exactly right. I'm using an electric angle grinder with a flap disc. I was using an air grinder but it did'nt seem to get the job done.

I think I'm going to take your advice and fill all the weld holes again and grind them down.

I did take too much material off of the quarter skin. I'm going to have to fill that in.

This is my first try at a body panel. As rough as it is, I'm pretty proud of myself for attempting such a difficult task.

NYBRIAN, I overlapped the quarter and the existing panel using Cleco's, then I cut through both going about 6 inches at a time and welded the panels together.

I am afraid of using too much power, my strength is on 1 and the wire feed is on 5.

What's the best technique for higher power? I tend to burn through metal a lot.

I found a lot of bad metal when I was welding, I actually had to go back this afternoon and patch where it was very very thing.

Like I said above, I'm pretty pleased with my first try, the biggest mistake I made was grinding the sheet metal too much which created a wave where I welded.

Will this cover ok with filler? I don't want problems in the future.

If you hit bad metal it will burn through quick no matter what setting you have it on. Try to cut back to good metal before welding and if you lap weld anything( not recommended) be sure to use weld thru primer to at least slow down corrosion. I also used some Picklex if I thought there was any rust pits left before welding. Angle your tip towards one side of the weld to start it...especially if burning through

If you hit bad metal it will burn through quick no matter what setting you have it on. Try to cut back to good metal before welding and if you lap weld anything( not recommended) be sure to use weld thru primer to at least slow down corrosion.

I can attest to that. Definitely keep cutting until you're back to solid steel.

Not only that, make sure the steel is CLEAN. Remove all EDP coating from the new panel, and take the old steel down to bare. Any contaminants will cause big time blowthrough, especially EDP. Remove it from both sides. It absorbs heat, and causes nice little holes to form before you know it.

Would ya'll go on the backside of the quarterskin and weld along that line too? Or is just one side good enough?