72 duster Build progress
took a couple days off because I was busy with other stuff.
but had a chance to work on the duster for a little bit today and made some progress!.
first, I stuck the new panel over the factory panel,then I positioned it where I wanted it and I clamped it down with vise clamps. Then since my factory body line was pretty weak looking towards the middle of the wheel well all the way back due to getting side swiped or something and then having poor body work done once upon a time.....I decided to use as much of the new panel as I could, so I took masking tape and masked off the panel so that I would only be cutting off roughly a 1/4" around the perimeter of the new panel ( I also scribed the tape line just incase the tape pealed up during cutting so I would not lose the line I decided on cutting on).
once I had that straightened out I then took self tapping screws and drilled them BELOW my cut line so that the new panel would stay put as I cut it so my lines would be exactly the same ( Ill weld the holes over where the self tappers went later on).
doing it this way insures that the new panel will be a direct fit to the factory panel I cut out....since I cut them both at the exact same time rather than cutting the replacement panel and then laying it on the car and then scribing a cutline into the factory panel and cutting it seperate.
you can see by the pictures that I cut through both panels at the same time so the new panel will fit right in where the old one comes out. I used cut off wheels that were about 1/16th" thick .....so I have a good gap all the way around the panel to prevent any warping from expansion/contraction during the heating and cooling process of welding.
I also brought my cut line down below the filler neck because when utilizing almost the hole panel like I am...the panel came right across the filler opening.
you can see the fitment here.
sorry I forgot to take a picture while the panel is off but I will get one ( still have to fab up a trunk extension panel before I can start on welding in the new panel anyhow.
more pictures to come as I make progress!
took a couple days off because I was busy with other stuff.
but had a chance to work on the duster for a little bit today and made some progress!.
first, I stuck the new panel over the factory panel,then I positioned it where I wanted it and I clamped it down with vise clamps. Then since my factory body line was pretty weak looking towards the middle of the wheel well all the way back due to getting side swiped or something and then having poor body work done once upon a time.....I decided to use as much of the new panel as I could, so I took masking tape and masked off the panel so that I would only be cutting off roughly a 1/4" around the perimeter of the new panel ( I also scribed the tape line just incase the tape pealed up during cutting so I would not lose the line I decided on cutting on).
once I had that straightened out I then took self tapping screws and drilled them BELOW my cut line so that the new panel would stay put as I cut it so my lines would be exactly the same ( Ill weld the holes over where the self tappers went later on).
doing it this way insures that the new panel will be a direct fit to the factory panel I cut out....since I cut them both at the exact same time rather than cutting the replacement panel and then laying it on the car and then scribing a cutline into the factory panel and cutting it seperate.
you can see by the pictures that I cut through both panels at the same time so the new panel will fit right in where the old one comes out. I used cut off wheels that were about 1/16th" thick .....so I have a good gap all the way around the panel to prevent any warping from expansion/contraction during the heating and cooling process of welding.
I also brought my cut line down below the filler neck because when utilizing almost the hole panel like I am...the panel came right across the filler opening.
you can see the fitment here.
sorry I forgot to take a picture while the panel is off but I will get one ( still have to fab up a trunk extension panel before I can start on welding in the new panel anyhow.
more pictures to come as I make progress!