81 Oldsmopile ( G-body rust repair )
- Thread starter EME_Mack
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this is really nice work, congrats on staying with this build. also cool chevy truck, I really like those late 80s early 90s box looking chevys
Awesome work as always. I'd be surprised if there's more than one company pressing those door skins.
Glen at Highway Stars is a good guy. Brian and G-body Parts is a hot mess.
https://www.crosscanadaparts.com/ should be able to set you up with a lower panel; IIRC the Regals use the same door.
You are doing great work, the CAF doesn't recognize this kind of ability enough. Next time I am in Gagetown I may just drop you a line to come marvel at this thing.
https://www.crosscanadaparts.com/ should be able to set you up with a lower panel; IIRC the Regals use the same door.
You are doing great work, the CAF doesn't recognize this kind of ability enough. Next time I am in Gagetown I may just drop you a line to come marvel at this thing.
Well I called Highway stars today to see what it would cost to get a skin shipped to a depot on the other side of the boarder about an 1hr away. So on monday Ill find out if its in the budget or not. I used Cross Canada for all the other sheet metal and they had no real issue getting them other then waiting for them to ship. They don't seam to have the passenger side lower repair patch only drivers side. I think they are made by Sherman so maybe i'll give them a call and see if they still make them if I don't go the full skin route. I wanna stay as cheap as possible to keep the "theme" of the build but also want it to look good and straight once its done.
And Mike next time your in Gagetown I'd be more then happy to let you marvel at my madness.
And Mike next time your in Gagetown I'd be more then happy to let you marvel at my madness.
So with the passenger door set aside, I started to fix up the driver door. First I stripped the area to be repaired didn't want to be surprised again only found a little filler over some pitted areas but nothin to bad.
Same as before cut out the inner bottom and welded in the other piece I had bent up.
There was some rust poking thru the back of the door that would need some attention. I used a piece from the door I cut up that had the same curve and some fresh metal to fix up the bottom to make a patch. Used a hack saw to cut little slits in the areas to be bent, then clamped it on the existing part and used a hammer with a pick end to shape the metal.
And all welded up, didn't bother grinding them down yet as I need to finish the bottom patch aswell.
Same as before cut out the inner bottom and welded in the other piece I had bent up.
There was some rust poking thru the back of the door that would need some attention. I used a piece from the door I cut up that had the same curve and some fresh metal to fix up the bottom to make a patch. Used a hack saw to cut little slits in the areas to be bent, then clamped it on the existing part and used a hammer with a pick end to shape the metal.
And all welded up, didn't bother grinding them down yet as I need to finish the bottom patch aswell.
After getting the back side tacked in I started around to the front. I cut a panel out of the parts door to make a patch for the pitted area near the rear edge of the door
Painted the spots that are getting covered up.
Then welded my patch in that I forgot to take pictures of. I did take pictures of the distortion I was trying to avoid. I fitted the patch with zero gap and it butted together and moved down.
Not so bad, but I thought I could do better so I tried to "shrink" it. Seen it done with a torch and cool wet rag how hard could it be?
....Well Its dicked now. Cant fit a hammer in behind to dolly it out and I spent about 2hrs with a torch in one hand and rag in the other trying every different way to shrink it and move it out. But It looks like Ill have to try again tomorrow and run home with my tail between my legs.
Painted the spots that are getting covered up.
Then welded my patch in that I forgot to take pictures of. I did take pictures of the distortion I was trying to avoid. I fitted the patch with zero gap and it butted together and moved down.
Not so bad, but I thought I could do better so I tried to "shrink" it. Seen it done with a torch and cool wet rag how hard could it be?
....Well Its dicked now. Cant fit a hammer in behind to dolly it out and I spent about 2hrs with a torch in one hand and rag in the other trying every different way to shrink it and move it out. But It looks like Ill have to try again tomorrow and run home with my tail between my legs.
Don't take this the wrong way but it makes me feel a little better to see a bas *ss welder like you fight the distortion out on the panel skin too. I'm nowhere near as accomplished as you but I'm the 'welder' in the family so I'm the guy welding the patch panels on my dad's car. None of it has turned out how I want it to. Seeing someone who is really good at welding have some of the same trouble makes me feel a little less incompetent.
As always. Your work on the car is awesome. Sorry you had a bad time with that door skin. Just get back up on the horse. I have every confidence you will get it where you want it.
As always. Your work on the car is awesome. Sorry you had a bad time with that door skin. Just get back up on the horse. I have every confidence you will get it where you want it.
liquidh8
Comic Book Super Hero
When you are butt welding a panel with the MIG, you need to leave a gap. If you didn't that may have screwed you.
For shrinking, I use my stud welder with the shrinking tip, not everyone has one I know. I never could master the torch process. I've always made it worse. Hopefully you can figure something out.
For shrinking, I use my stud welder with the shrinking tip, not everyone has one I know. I never could master the torch process. I've always made it worse. Hopefully you can figure something out.
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I weld a lot but this is the first project where I was actually concerned about fit and finish, usually I just grind the welds down and cover it in some paint.
Im going to leave a gap from now on. When I was researching about welding the quarter skin on, I was seeing a lot of people saying that you need to have zero gap. Some people might be able to do it this way but I'll just stick to what works for me. I was reading your post and wondering what a student welder is, so I googled it and it corrected it to Stud welder lol. Every post I make on here I have to check because the auto correct same to have a mind of its own.
Got back Into the shop today and the first thing I did was cut out yesterdays debacle. Started with a new piece cut from the parts door and fitted it to the door with a small gap. I also tacked the back side to the inner door so that it wouldn't move. Got some tacks around the patch and it started to move in a bit again. so I figured the best thing to do was make the door complete and finish welding it up after.
When I first tacked this piece in it was sitting flat against the file after a few more tacks it started to move down a bit.
I decided to add the strip of metal missing from along the bottom before I finish welding. So I tacked that on and flipped it over and added som tacks along the bottom edge so nothing can move. Also drilled the missing drain holes .
Cleaned up the welds from the patch at the rear of the door from earlier in preparation for the edged to be rolled over. I forgot to take a pic of the rolled edge. Did that for both sides. the started on the bottom
Before I completely hammered the edge down along the bottom I had the bright Idea to ooze some of the body adhesive from the patch I glued over the rear body mounts.
And after about 30 solid minutes of swinging a hammer I got it smashed down flat. It made a mess but hopefully will seal up the bottom edge from moisture. I just wish I had one of those skin zipper tools to make it faster the slowly hardening panel bond felt like it made the task harder. After I felt it was sufficiently flattened I wiped away the excess goop, tomorrow after it cures ill have to clean up the rest.
Looking down the edge Its pretty straight this way
And has some curves this way, but should be fixable with some metal rod when I match it up to the rocker panel to get those sweet gaps.
Tomorrow I think I will finish the outside. The metal is pushing up near the welds so I'll get some new blades for the body saw and run it along the gap to make them a perfect gap apart. I tried to get a picture off the rise, the 3rd tack from the left pushed up.
Heres a shot of the new patch at the rear. I successfully used the heat and quench method to bring down a high spot above the body line that was effected from yesterday.
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