It's the Hobart 230V Handler 190 or very similar from Tractor Supply. Has been working well for years now. I'm using .023" wire for everything 1/8" or thinner. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Same treatment for the wheel opening on this fender. I am using the same tubing piece like I used on the other side, but had to reshape to its mirror image. After trimming the edge, slowly working it around the tubing. Before welding and addition of the reinforcement pieces. Her are both fenders on top of each other for comparison. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Just read this whole thread. Thank you for the great tips! I was wondering how I could make a one piece trunk for my coupe. Do to the fact that my bead roller does not have enough throat. Now I know what to do! I am definitely going to lift some of your tech points. Thanks again.
Very nice I was wondering cause your heat distortion looks to be a minimum. (I thought tig[emoji38] ). But no just perfecting simple tools and and having patience like me and others. Great job. Mainly weld new to old is what caught my eye. It's looks terrific, no more than 8th of an inch of lead or putty might be needed. Takes patience and wherewithal achieve that. Ya you jab it in, warp it. Pff. Lots of bondo can cover. But ya, take the time. And there you go!. The real deal. Sent from my SM-G360T1 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Good stuff swissmike. I'm motivated to replace the floor in my "A" coupe using your male/female/die and hammer method. A question..what gauge material are you using.
18 gauge; Ford used 19, but it's not readily available from most metal supply places. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Welding new to old, especially rusted metal such as the fenders is a little tricky. I place tacks about 2" apart the start doing 1/4 -1/2" welds from each tack and moving to the next tack. A lot of times even the short beads are more a series of weld spots rather than a continuous weld. Even gaps are a must to keep distortion down. I usually run the thinnest cut off wheel (3/64") between the panels to even the gap before welding. I try to keep the wire directed a little more to the new metal side to reduce burning through. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Finished welding the fender lip and added reinforcement pieces in the area of the pie cuts. I fitted the skirts... Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The patches still needed a little bit of attention from the mallet and sandbag, followed by the English wheel. Wheeling a big, heavy object like an entire fender is tricky. The metal always has to be horizontal between the wheels in order not to introduce new dents or waves. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Dusted off the '49 331 that will go into the car and turned it by hand a couple of times. I have had this motor for around 10 years. It came from a restoration project where the owner wanted a new Northstar drivetrain shortly after having the Caddy rebuilt. Also have the original Hydromatic. Anybody have any use for a 49 Cad Hydro? Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Working on the front fender. Only having a few bolts to attach the fender to the cowl makes it important to have a way to prop up the fender while fitting it. I found the cherry picker to be very practical. Once the fender is balanced, there is practically no force on it when putting the bolts in. The fender had the usual rot where it joins the running board and had a spot welded backing piece, where water got in between. Again, fiberglass mat and epoxy .... First thing was to bend a piece of tubing to match the lower edge, as this whole section was rotted. The patch was bent to match the fender, then the tubing piece was spotted, allowing the rolled edge to be formed. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I cut of the old edge to better fit the new patch on the outside and scribe the outline before cutting. Welded solid. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Corner facing the grill is rusted out and needs replaced. I ended up making the flange separately out of 16 ga and cutting off the piece from the patch. As before, a curved rolled edge has to be shaped over a curved tube. Once the rolled edge is shaped, it almost impossible to change the shape. The new 16 ga flange Here is the cut off piece. The culprit again was the factory reinforcement piece which was spotted on the inside and where rust formed between the layers. The rust increased the thickness to about 1/2" Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Lower edge replacement. This was probably not really necessary, but decided to extend the patch for the split all the way to the just finished patch. Forming the patch over the tubing. Welded in place. I had to separate the short piece from the long leg to get it where it needed to be. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
More split repairs. This split was so mangled the I made a short insert. After welding in the insert, I made a reinforcement piece to extend the patch, the spot weld it in place. Completed. I will use seam sealer around all spot welded reinforcement pieces to prevent moisture and rust formation in the future. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Finishing the front fender. Welding in the factory reinforcement piece. The HF flanger/punch works great for plug weld holes. I used some weld through copper primer to prevent rust between the pieces, but will follow up with seam sealer. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Dent was filled with bondo. Fortunately unmolested... Carefully pushing the metal out. Starting from the outside. "First in - last out". This was as far as I could go with the mallet. The metal at the edge was kinked and work hardened from the impact. I used a torch to anneal the area by heating to a dull cherry red. This allowed the metal to be worked more using wood and finally metal tools. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
The fender tab was thin and split, so I welded in a backer On to the other fender! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Wow, that was allot of bondo/filler But, I guess that was not uncommon back in the day. Once again, nice job salvaging that vintage tin.
Never thought to anneal a dent to make it workable. Great walk through! Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
I'm enjoying following a long as you do these metal repairs. Thanks for showing us your process and progress.
Its a good thing you don't post all day or I would never get anything done. Great work. Really enjoying this.
The Jalopy Journal
