Thanks for that Phil, it has been a worry. I may augment the spot welds with welds to the top and inside where they can't be seen. I used a sharpy marker to mark the channels on the inside face of the new skin and will use that to match the spot weld spacing on still visible on the channel. With that marked I can drill 1/4" holes for my 'spot welds'. In most places I think I can get a c-clamp (two would be better, one on each side) very close to the spot weld location to make sure I have close contact between the metal surfaces. I've considered 1/8" pop rivets if necessary to hold things together then removing them and patching the holes. I share your concern about having as much rust proof coating between the body channels and the skin as possible.
What's causing me a little bit of grief is I chose to keep the two upper rear panels where they go around the back corners. I'm having to slide the lower panel under the lip which I'm sure wasn't how they did it in 1944.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Waterman
Hi Bruce
How are you welding panels in position? Spot or plug weld?
If you are spot welding the problem I had get good welds of new sheet metal to the rusted and pitted angle iron frame was getting a good contact and hence good consistent welds. Cleaning up the angle iron at all the way along and treating it so that it will not start rusting again was my concern.
Couple of thoughts to duplicate the original welding.
- I put paint dots out to the side of the original weld locations
- Ground the angle iron surface to remove all rust
- At each weld location mig welded a 1/4 to 1/2 inch dot to bring the metal back smooth. The ground it flush to the surface of the angle iron this gives a really good surface to spot weld to.
- Paint the whole thing (both sides) with welding primer.
- Check your welding primer first to see how it spot welds some work really good and others not so good. (I'll find the name of the one that I've found that works.)
- Then using your paint dots out to the side weld the panel back in position. Yes the first time I did this I'd just primed over the dots and could not see them. Learned and put masking tape on before using the welding primer the next time.
When plug welding panels I've found that the same process works pretty good but adding 1/4 holes in the sheet metal edge.
Cheers Phil |