Does anyone have any advice on welding the thin metal at the front of the dash? One of the previous owners of my car installed two (2) round gauges (each about 1-1/2" in diameter) in the area just above the ash tray in my 69 camaro. I have some similar metal that I cut for another 69 dash and I'm thinking of using this with a butt weld but I'm not sure about heat issues. Is it best to gas weld it or is there some other method that would work better? I will most likely take it to a professional body shop, but would like to educate myself first, so that I know what questions to ask before I determine which body shop has the best tools and experience to deal specifically with this issue.

I'm not sure if MIG welding will warp the dash, but if you can find someone that TIG welds, then it will work. With TIG, the temperature is much cooler and less likely to cause heat warp. TIG machines can be expensive & slow though, that's why you don't find them in many shops.

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67 Camaro LS6 454/TH400/12bolt 3.73
1989 TransAm 5.7L WS6 W/all the options

If you take it to a body shop, they are just going to weld it in with a mig welder. You might even consider using some dura mix panel bonding adhesive. The only problem that I have run into it with is that it shows an outline of the patch later. Other than that, when I weld sheet metal, I take my time and can usually get the job done with very minimal warping. Start with a practice piece of steel to find your heat settings and go from there.

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67 Camaro SS Conv.
70 Challenger R/T Conv.

Hard for me to visualize this, but I'd suggest using JB Weld to put the plate on the inside (?) and use a thin layer of filler on the outside, sand and paint. The epoxy is incredible stuff. Body shops use a similiar material to put on non stressed body panels today.

Thanks for the all the info. I'll probably use the mig welding technique and take it from there.

Actually, I don't totally agree with the TIG verses MIG info. A small wire mig, one with an .022" SOLID wire with shielding gas will be cooler than a tig in my experience.You can do spot welds of very short bursts with long pauses in between and that will keep the area very cool 'cause you don't have to wait for the puddle to form and you are instantly adding filler metal. Just a different point of view.

One of our welding representatives from Rockmount Metals deals with situations like this all the time, so he has a demonstration he puts on. He takes an aluminum soda pop can, cut's it apart and welds it back together again with TIG with no major signs of heat warpage or burnthrough.
Most wire feed machines lowest amperage setting is around 25amps, TIG machines have a low amperage setting of 8amps on most machines and go as low as 2amps on your higher end machines.

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67 Camaro LS6 454/TH400/12bolt 3.73
1989 TransAm 5.7L WS6 W/all the options

How about letting hbrucker know via e-mail where he can find Rockmount Metals outlet near Aspen or a business that has been able to afford that kind of equipment.I'm sure he'd appreciate it.