Welding body seams

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howco4

howco4

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I,ve just secured my new qtr panels to side of the Dart with small sheet metal screws. Does anyone have any techniques for welding around the fender well and lower body seams. The rest of the welding seems fairly generic. Tnx: Howard (received a lot of good help from this site to date, great resource).
 
I always punch 1/4 inch holes in the wheel lip and the bottom lip before hanging the sheet metal then put clamps to hold the two together and weld each hole. How are you doing it?
 
So far, I haven't put the Mig to anything yet. I had thought of cutting a small wedge in the attachment panel lip. The hole method sounds like it might be a better way to go. Tnx: Howard

Edit: added some pic's

panel 1.jpg


panel 2.jpg


panel 3.jpg
 
If you are planning on fenderwell moulding,watch where you weld it is near impossible to drill threw a mig weld.
 
You'll want to make a LOT of SPOT welds using a MIG. I also used holes on the outside to attach the overlap points. Also, if your making a lap joint I reccomend a panel flanging tool. You'll use much less filler later. On a 3rd note the preferred way is to TIG weld it, reason being that you can hammer on the welds with a body hammer. MIG welding makes the metal Hard.

I MIG'ed mine 1000 little spots.
 
TIG process also gives a much much greater control over the amount of heat put into a weld and thus a smaller weld affected area, BUT also requires a great level of skill because you are using both hands and a foot (if you use a foot throtle) mig will work fine but as stated a flanger will provide for the best joint and weld in a spot weld fashion, do not, I repeat DO NOT weld in a continious seam fashion or your panel will wave at everyone from a mile away.
 
yeah id love to tig weld my pannel in ive been practicing but man i dunno if i could do that, i'll definatly having to pick up a flanaging tool for my house shop. where did you get your body pannel(qt pannel) from? it looks like the exact same metal as my fender patch and it didnt fit for ****, also anyone know who carrys the black (finish) qt pannal, my dad had one of these for his challenger and i believe it fit pretty well?
 
Well, for starters, I don't have a tig setup, (wish I did). I've done this type of welding on my street rods with good results. I decides to leave a inner lip on my fender well joints to give me a little room to weld to. I use low heat with very small weld puddles, and lots of them. I do hate welding overhead however. Should have called my brother in law, a professional welder, but not my favorite person, to do the job right.... ( panels were from JC Whitney, and they are a poor fit). If this were a high dollar car, I would get the best full panel I could get.
 
Now.. If you use the flanging tool , lap joint AND you want to do the job once. I suggest leading the welded area then applying filler over that. Leading as it's called, is pretty similar to sweat soldering a copper pipe. When you lead the seam it will wick behind the flange basically eliminating corrosion in the joint. All the metal you welding is clean and there no other way I know of getting better rust protection.Then apply seam sealer inside and filler outside. And for gosh sakes dont use Bondo (it shrinks over time, creating cracks) Use a Quality filler like Evercoat Rage. The lead and filler can be found at www.eastwood.com . That's where I got my materials. It's not exactly cheap but it's the best way I have found to make a lasting repair. I didnt use lead on my 1/4's but thinking I should have. I used lead on the a-pillar/cowl repair area. Everywhere else, I sprayed with self etch primer, then a high build primer. Epoxy Primer over the fill n sand will seal out just about any moisture, though expensive @ about $50 a Quart. I just keep my sheetmetal indoors and air conditioned with the zinc primer it works. I have the luxury of keepin parts indoors with no wife..lol I hope this will help a few.. Ask.., I'm not a pro but sure there's more input to this post.
 
If your going to do any kinda lead work use a resperator with the proper cartridges for the job, the fumes are deadly. I guess I didn't even realize anyone sold lead for that or any other purpose anymore because of environmental concerns but he is right, it would make a better seam.
 
I don't think I will try the lead process, as I'm not equiped to do it. On the filler, I like to let my cars sit in primer for a time, to allow the filler to shrink and cure. (especially out in the sun). I will not put any color on this car for maybe a year or so. I drove my Willys for 2 years before paint. A few things showed up in that time, which I was able to fix. I still have to do suspension, motor, wiring etc..., which will use up most of that time. (should have had my head examined for ording panels from JC Whitney).
Howard
 
spot welder...rather than a mig...puts less heat, therefore less warpage and less body fill
 
Been down the warpage road with another car I did, so I'm extra careful. I like the spot weld idea. Don't know if I want to spend the bucks right now. I would have to justify it with another project. Don't think my wife would appreciate my logic either. (I've got one side welded in, and it came out pretty flat. My next side should be better, as I will change a few things that I did).
Howard.

Added a pic of the welded in panel.

Welded panel.jpg
 
Nice job Howard. I love this site. All you guys and girls are a great place for info. I am still in the planning process for my build. Keep us posted for the other side Howard.
Jeff
 
Looks good. But I think I would have put on a whole quarter. It would be less work in the long run geting it straight afterwards. Good luck with that.
 
That's looking pretty good Howard ! Keep up the good work!

Tonight's Tip: Spot weld, skip about an inch, Spot weld, Skip an inch... work your way down the repair. Go back where you started, spot weld in the center of the 1st two welds, again working your way down the repair, Keep spot welding the centers working your way down and restarting, till your done. Doing it this way keeps heat to a minimum. Also on a MIG setup it's best to use .025 wire on thinner sheet metal.
 
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