Bodywork

[tonkadoctor]

Looking good Alex

Hmmmmmm..........Access to the tech center........Looks like a great project for the Welding Instructor to teach his students how to shape and TIG weld sheetmetal and then the Autobody instructor could give a class on how to shape body filler on curves, primer and paint. Good luck.

I'm still working on my frame.

[Alex]

OUCH !!!

I started grinding on the dripline of the WC-54 to get it down to bare metal in order to repair the places where it had rusted through. Turns out almost the entire length of the roofline on both sides has rust damage. I could see where the paint had bubbled and figured it was just some light rusting... Turns out my metal is literaly paper thin in many places, not rusted through but not very solid. The top of the roof is just fine.

Should I just reskin the entire roof of the box ?
I don't want to have to mess with the end corners, Thank God they are in perfect condition.

Or would you suggest I just do a patch on both sides down the length of the box?

[tonkadoctor]

Patch it

Alex I would patch it down the sides if the top of the roof is OK. Skinning an entire roof is a difficult job, and almost impossible to not warp.

I did one on my 73 torino that the entire roof was rusted through (love vinal tops) and if I ever had a car like that again I would rather replace the entire roof instead of the skin.

I would cut out the entire rusted area with a plasma torch, air chisel or die grinder (watch the heat with the grinder) and then flange it and make a new patch to fit.

Time to enlist the help of the weld shop teacher and collect on any favors he owes you. Plasma and TIG are the best tools to use here and he could probably have you patched up in a couple of hours with tools like this.

[RickL]

CAB repair

Ok, looks like I am going to start working on the cab. A couple months off and I have regained my patience to try again.

I have been reading some other forums and sites getting some ideas together.

First, cutting out the old patch. I have a air cutoff tool but it never seems to cut as well as my 4" grinder with a cutting wheel. I have tried different wheels but in the end I usually grab my 4" grinder.

Is this normal or just me.

I will probably start by laying out the project and taking photographs, Might help someone else down the line.

Stay tuned,

Rick

[tonkadoctor]

Cut Off Wheels

Alot of variables between the 4" grinder and the cut off tool, ie...thickness of disc, speed, air or electric, etc...

Thin discs (1/16") work best for cutting but burn up fast. If you're using a grinder with a 1/4" thick wheel be very carefull with heat build up which is what caused the warpage in the first place. Patience is needed here to correct this problem not speed.

I myself use an air angle die grinder with rear exhaust for cutting and I hate and always remove the safety gaurds on straight cutoff tools if I'm using them (I know I shouldn't but I hate them because they are always in the way and I can't see what I'm doing)

Good luck Rick

[RickL]

air cutoff

Thanks for the advice. Another thing about the aircutoff is that my hands get frozen from holding it. Have to wear a welding glove due to the rear exhaust.

Rick

[JimmieD]

RE: "I myself use an air angle die grinder with rear exhaust for cutting and I hate and always remove the safety gaurds on straight cutoff tools if I'm using them (I know I shouldn't but I hate them because they are always in the way and I can't see what I'm doing)"

I remove the safety guards also, but a loud and gentle reminder: PLEASE GUYS, DON'T FORGET THE SAFETY GLASSES EVEN FOR A QUICK CUT OR SOMETHING! That way you'll be able to see what you're doing next time, too.... : )
JimmieD

[tonkadoctor]

Safety First

Absolutly Right Jimmy !!!

Wear Gloves handeling metal, eye protection while working it and leathers while welding or cutting.

I worked in metal shops for many years and can tell you from experience that a red hot piece of metal in the eyes hurts like H#$@!!!!!!!! for several days.

And I WAS wearing my glasses and goggles at the time, just a rouge spark that got through the ventilation hole just right and stuck in my cornea.

Molten Metal that slips down your laced up boots or lands on the back of your neck and then slides down your back to it's final resting place in your underwear when you stand up quickly doesn't feel good either and I have the scars to prove it.

I now own a leather welding coat, leather apron, and leather shin gaurds as well as the gloves.

[JimmieD]

Ya TD, many times in the shops I've seen even an experienced old boy suddenly break into a wild Irish jig at the most unexpected times ha haha!

[tonkadoctor]

Irish Jig

That "Wild Irish Jig" is absolutly Hilarious in the shop when it isn't you.

Also, bored production line welders are a particularly cruel bunch, especially around the guy that has a bad case of plumbers crack, seen many guys shake the slag out of the tips of their MIG welders in the direction of the offending crack.

Sure is funny to watch and it solves the problem really quickly

[RickL]

safety gear

I always wear safety glasses in the shop, just bought a new pair the other day.

How does one keep them from becoming scratched up? I hang mine up when I am done in the shop but they still seem to collect scratches.

What are prefered brands of safety glasses. I don't like the MSC brand they sell at HD as they scratch too easily. Last pair I bought I picked up at a welding supply house.

Don't forget hearing protection, want to be able to hear our trucks when we are done working on them.

Rick

[RickL]

weld through primer\temp crayons

I have to weld the windshield holddown brackets back onto my windshield. Is it ok to use Weld-Thru primer underneath the welds to give some corrosion protection? If I understand it right I apply the weld thru let dry then weld?

Also concerning the patch to the cab would temp indicating crayons help prevent overheat? If so what heat range crayon should I get?

Thanks,
Rick

[tonkadoctor]

Overheating Metal

I havn't used either product Rick and I think you're starting to read into this problem a little too much

As far as watching temps, just cut a little and let it air cool to the touch and then cut a little more. You can reverse this when you TACK (and I mean 1/4" tacks max) weld it back in.

Patience young Grasshopper, Patience !!!

Once you get past this sticky spot, things will smooth out for you but you must take your time here to learn and get a "feel" for thin metal work

Patience..........Repeat 3 times , take deep breath in..........let deep breath out..........breath in.........breath out..........Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh......Now try a little cut and repeat.

I get an email every time you post here Rick so please feel free to continue to ask and I'll try to help you as much as I can

[creinemann]

If I can do it...

As a newbie to this whole restoration venue, I was able to take tips from this forum, online body shop tips, and believe it or not, watching shows like Orange County Choppers, and tv 'Garage' shows and work on my m37. After getting a quote from a body shop to have my front fenders repaired (OUCH!) I decided to take the plunge.

For cutting the metal as cool as possible, I relied on my jigsaw, with fine tooth metal cutting blades (bulk pack). I cut my patches from stock steel and then finessed them in with as close as possible tolerances.
For fixing round or odd shaped pieces, I shaped templates out of thin cardboard (like shoe box) paper, cut them to fit, then smoothed it out and traced the template on steel, cut it out and formed it to shape. My forming tools consist of an assortment of hammers, ball peen, flat, pinking, and a 15 lbs sledge, and 4 inches of railroad track, The piece of railroad tie has curved surfaces, flat surface, and is good for the hammer on hammer off technique.

For welding I have a Lincoln Electric wire feed welder, I weld about an inch, then move opposite of where i was, sort of going around the patch like a star shape. If there were gaps or burn throughs, I used a homemade copper paddle behind the weld to fill it in.
I finished with the grinder and sander. So far it is cooming along nicely.

I have some more pictures on my site if you would like to see "before, during and afters"

Carl

[tonkadoctor]

Nice work Carl

Good Job Carl, and good tips too with the copper backing, cardboard templates and I never even thought about using my jig saw, I'll have to try it on my cab when I get around to it. I bet it works really good for something like this.

Proof positive you Can do it Rick!!!

I too have a piece of RR track about 12" long and it's the best anvil I've ever used (please everybody, don't go cut a piece of track out of the local tracks because I said this) Personnally I preffer my short handeled 2 lb sledge to do most of my work.

As you can see a little by the Pic of my cab I've got a lot delicate work to do in curved areas, it's really bad at both windshied hinges, hood hinges, vent (Oh how I dread fixing that area) and the passenger floorboard. Thankfully the rest of the trucks body has no rust through at all.