I'm interested in having some body work done on my car this winter and since my experience is limited I'm going to be smart and leave this to a professional. With that in mind I think that having some knowledge as to how to do things properly might help me choose the right person for the job. I'm planning on installing some door poppers on my Impala and I'm wondering what is the best method to fill those holes from the empty handle and lock openings. I'd also like to shave off some of the smaller pieces of trim like the chevrolet lettering across the hood and the narrow bands across the front quarters. I'm ***uming there are one or two correct methods to fill these openings and a lot more that are incorrect. I'd like to have some knowledge under my belt so I might be able to spot someone who does not have long lasting quality in mind when giving me a quote. So to the body guys out there. How is this work best handled?
Weld em closed. Should be a piece of cake with a MIG welder. Just keep the settings low so the sheet metal doesn't warp.
Sounds like I was making more of this than necessary. Maybe I need to approach this from a different direction. Are there specific questions I should be asking that might indicate what caliber of work the shop does?
Whatever questions you ask the shop, they'll probably answer correctly. Such as "do you **** weld the metal patches in?" "Do you weld it solid, or just tack weld it?" "do you hammer and dolly the area after welding to straighten out the weld shrinkage?" But that DOESN'T mean they actually do the work right! Bondo hides a LOT of sins. I do lots of repairs on cars that were supposed to be done the right way, and weren't!
for the money your going to spend, go get a decent mig welder and do it yourself. You may pay more initially but the experience you'll gain will be priceless. Then you'l have a welder to do future body mods with. For the door holes just trace the opening on a piece of cardboard, cut it out and trace it onto a piece of sheetmetal. If you need to match a simple curve bend it over your knee or around a pipe or something like that. Clamp it in and tack it in spacing the tacks far enough away to not over heat the material. Then slowly tack in between the previous tacks allowing them to cool before moving on. It helps if you work on different spots on the vehicle at the same time so that you keep busy.. For the trim holes, get a piece of copper pipe, slice it like a hot dog bun and open it up. Tap it flat with a hammer. If you can get to the back of the hole, clamp the copper piece behind the hole, or hold it in place with a screwdriver handle or something, and tack in the hole until no more light shines through. If your worried about it, cut a few holes in a s**** piece of sheetmetal, a door or hood or something like that and practice, practice, practice. It really isn't that hard. Like I said when you're done you'll still have a welder to work with in the future. Eventually it will pay for itself. When you get good at it, then you can charge people to do the work and save them from getting it done by a hack. Other than that I guess I can't tell you anything to ask someone.
If I can do it, anyone can. just don't go after it with flux core- buy a good mig (you won't find one at Lowes or Homo Depot) and don't look back. then, prepare for the amazing amount of welding you will find yourself doing...reguardless of the opinions of some, the Mig welder is one of the most versitile tools you can own. and yes- the copper trick works very well, and the holes in the doors will need patches. patience is the key here. but you will be pretty good after you build...about 3 bar be cue grills, fix someones swingset, repair a bit of lawn furniture, and weld that damned exhaust leak up.
Small holes grind area clean and just blip them a little at a time with the mig, kind of like on the edges till you can close the hole, take your time keep the heat down don't want to warp it. Larger holes , clean em good then hold your sheetmetal behind the hole, if you can, trace the opening with a thin felt tip pen, cut her out. I use one of them triangular welding magnet positioner thingys behind it to hold the patch in place. then little tacks, don't let it get too hot, take a break, have a beer then little more welding , have a beer then go to another hole to fill, have a beer , then another few tacks , have a beer. Where was I ?
Well I suppose that it is time for me to learn to weld. I don't have a workable storage space so I'd have to move my plans forward a little so this takes place outside before the snow flies. The thought of this is a little scary but I'll try to use that to my advantage. I know I may be starting a fight here, but could you guys recommend a couple decent Mig welders that I should consider?
...you're gonna want to find an indoor spot if you're planning on welding. welding outside ****s if there is any breeze. it blows that gas around and makes it harder to weld. but if you absolutley have to weld outside, set up something to help minimize the breeze (wind block). -marty
Can't beat a Miller 140. They have a new "Autoset" feature. havent tried the new model yet but i've used several 140's in the past. One of the best 110v's. IMHO
Miller or Lincoln are premium but I have a Hobart Handler that cost considerably less then the other and works great. Hobart is a subsidiary of Miller and uses a lot of the Miller parts. Kind of like buying the Chevy instead of the Cadillac.
i have a lincoln sp175 plus that i got a couple years ago and i love it, it was reasonably priced and it will weld decently thick metal. like everyone else says get the gas or dont get one at all, the flux will only make more work. matt
I use a Hobart Handler and it works pretty well. We bought it used so thats an option that'll save ya a few bucks.
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