hey guys, i'm no welder, but i want to learn this stuff and learn it right. im gonna cut out the rusted cab corners and weld in patch panels (inside and out) and my friends at work are throwing all kinds of crazy ideas at me. wondered what you guys would do. flush butt weld? overlapping to the inside? brazing? rivets? i got some weird ones. thanks!! jon
Welding The Cab Corners I'm -not- welder but I've seen this done time after time : Butt welding is the way to go , less surface area to finish up , hides the weld better and is strong . You must remove or neutralize ALL the riust before you begin welding else it WILL come back . Rivets ? only on a junker you don't care about . NO BRAZING ! that contaminates the metal so when it cracks later (it always cracks later) you'll not be able to properly weld it . One of my several Model 'A's , the DPO had brazed a fender crown crack and of course , it cracked again , I had my Salvadoranian body guy gas weld it and it was something to watch as the brass sputtered and sparked like crazy and prevented the proper flow of steel , he kept at it though and actually did weld it back up , said it wasn't gauranteed not to crack again but it never did .
Depends ....on how good a welder you are. A flush butt weld is best if you're up to it. It's really easy to burn through that thin sheet metal, even using .024 wire. I did both my cab corners this way and they came out pretty good, even though I'm not a great welder. An overlapping weld is also a good option. I used an air-powered crimping tool from Harbor Freight on some other panels. You must get the two panels flush before you spotweld them, though, and one of mine was always a little higher than the other one. It's also tough to get the crimp even on a curved surface like those cab corners. I think crimping the thicker piece of metal (if they are not exactly the same thickness) first, and then laying the thinner piece onto the crimped area makes it a little better. Hope this helps.
Jon, Butt weld with MIG and gas, no flux core (too messy and not as nice a result). Tack the ends and tack along leaving space between the tacks to prevent warping. 1 to 2 inches apart. Once you "stitch" it into place like this, you can tack it in between the spaces getting progressively smaller until the entire seam is fused with new metal. Use a sanding "flap disc" on your grinder to smooth out the weld. It is less aggressive than a grinding wheel and offers more control and less heat buildup. You will be very happy with the results. Get some 18 gauge sheet metal and practice first to get the hang of it. It really isn't that hard to do, but then I have been welding most of my life. Andy
Great advice guys! Jon, Only use what is needed of the patch panel. Cut the panel slightly larger than needed and use the flap wheel to slowly fit it to your cab. The tighter the gaps the better. Use compressed air to cool your welds as you go. When your useing the flap wheel to grind, use the compressed air to cool that as well. Chris
I use small holding clamps for patches,they give a small gap to fill, it holds the patch in place leaving your hands free. You can get them from welding suppliers over here or on line from http://www.frost.co.uk/item_Detail....ID=33&frostCat=Welding&frostSubCat=&subCatID= I dont know who supplies them in the States but should be freely avalibale Gerald
I found them @ Eastwoods http://www.eastwoodco.com/shopping/...?itemID=1159&itemType=PRODUCT&iProductID=1159
Ooooohhhh!!! I like those. Never seen them before, but I haven't done too much welding of sheet steel patch panels in many years. Gonna hafta get some of those for sure. Used to just hold them in place with my free hand or have a helper do it (Okay, watch your eyes. I'm gonna strike the arc on "three". Ready? Okay...THREE!!!) Andy
