but you can't lead the seams on a glued panel...Production shops like to glue stuff on its fast and lets face it how long does this new junk last anyway..But personally I think if you are chopping tops etc its a rookie fabricators move......I would take a welded and leaded car over a glued and mudded one every time......
You guy can ignore physics all you want. Go ahead, I make a good portion of my income restoring cars that amateurs and hacks **** up. For you guys that are thinking about patching you car this way. Take a look at a few profiles. Get an Idea what people do for a living, before you take advise. What a bunch of ******** misinformation from the uninformed
It all has its place and maybe gluing panels is not really suited to a bare bones trad hot rod. However, I needed to repair the 1921 Model T grille shell I am using on my 27T Modified. The triangular panel above the radiator opening was dented and damaged and when I tried to straighten it out and weld some of the randomly drilled holes I found that the metal was as thin as a soda pop can with about as much strength. I had no problems making a suitable replacement panel but I couldn't MIG weld it in without blowing away the old metal. As the grille shell is really only a cosmetic piece I cut the centre out of the panel and left a lip of about a 15mm and then used an automotive panel adhesive to fix the new panel over the top - because it ****s against the surrounding metal there are no real issues around shadow lines etc and I didn't need to use any filler because I cut the insert to fit accurately in the first place. Perhaps I could have soldered this panel in but I'm thinking that it would have loosed the existing soldered joints or even distorted everything. Hell, the dried glue at the back of the panel even looks like the solder used to put it together originally - when it's painted you won't be able to tell the difference between them. All in all using glue saved this original panel - this sort of stuff is simply not available at any sensible price in the UK. My only realistic alternative would have been a fibregl*** grille shell.
This is because you don't know how to weld. There is no reason or excuse to end up with pin holes. Even with a MIG.
I'm a body and painter guy by trade and panel bonding is a great and very effective tool in my trade. Stronger than welds on long seams and less body work needed for the refinish end.Like other stated on this topic, proper use and prep of the product is key for it to last. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
We had a job, dude wanted a 58 Chev rear roof scoop put in his 48 Chev. problem was interior was finished & he didn't want the headliner removed or damaged so no welding. We carefully cut out a huge hole maybe 1 1/2 ft by 3 ft with a thin cut off wheel, made a depressed tray all around it, with an air flanger. Glued the roof scoop in with 3M , 2 part and ran small sheet metal screws in it to get it tight for it to set up. Removed the screws did the finish body work and paint. That was about 5 years ago still looks good.
A couple months ago I panel bonded some sheet metal on a 33 Ford. Ok, it's not a "real" 33, but I actually had to bond these parts to avoid serious labor hours. The hood sides are 1 piece and are under a notable amount of surface tension. I welded the 1st part and even with heat sinks, hammer welding and every other trick in the book, it warped. Fixed it alright but that was an hour and a 1/2 of my life I'll never get back. The others got bonded and no problems of any kind. It was a 2nd layer of sheet metal for one of those street roddy 3pc hoods where you pull the lever to tip up the top. The cut outs for the hinge/hook deal made the hood side prone to bending in that spot so reinforcement was required. You can't see the parts, the bond didn't shrink, the sides are now good and strong there. Again, there's a time and place for newer tech. As a way to avoid proper repair/restoration, it's actually wrong and borders on cheating IMO. Using it re-bond a hood or decklid to it's framework seems like a good alternative, but even there I've often nailed the sheet metal back on to it's structure. Yes nails, like in hammer and nail. If it was good enough for the OEM it's usually good enough for me.
most new cars are bonded with glues...FUSOR...Stronger then weld..corrosion inhibitors...seals..strong..but perfect fit is key..lots of clamps...weve screwed on quarters...makes great repair...just takes little prep and knowledge...many paint supply shops offer a one day course on using product...id ask your local shop..
I like it when people glue parts on cars less ****py welds to fix and the part comes off easier. But seriously a lot of car manufactures recommend gluing structural replacement parts, this is mostly due to ultra high strength and boron materials being used. This glue is almost always used with rivets and or resistance spot welds that replace original spot welds in factory locations. Boron steel does not like mig welding.As far as hot rods are concerned I weld all of mine. My experience with people saying glue saves time usually means they don't want to spend time properly fitting parts together.
Eastwood offers a kit for doing this. I used it to put a couple of panels on. It comes with a panel edge crimper and a dimpling tool for the rivets. To me, on paper it looks and sounds great. In practice not so much. If I had a hydraulic press to do the edge lip instead of a hand held modified vice grip that comes with the set, I think I would have had better results. The dimpler worked well though. The set also includes some Kleeko? clamps to help hold it all while you add the rivets. Mike
K13 . Has it right. You dont use it on external (face) panels. Use it on door jambs, wheel house, inside trunk jamb.. use the 3m product...called panel bond
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