Model A, bolt or weld body panels???

Hey all

Veteran bodyman/painter , worked on Vets, Ferrari, muscle cars and your fathers Oldsmobile. I'm lost here though on my model A, there are panels bolted together with the welting i think its called. What are most of you doing or done, sticking with bolts or welding? I'm leaning heavily on spot welding with paintable seam sealer...
The ch***is and sub floor will be well made, going with a flattie so it not like a big block with a blower or anything that will rip a car apart. pros/cons? experiences? photos are worth a thousand words...

 

im welding some of mine,31 sedan... welcome to the hamb!!

 

Are you talking aroind the gas tank, and cowl?? The fenders? If you start welding the gastank and the trim above it to the cowl, it starts to look like a gl*** car. Smoooothed out. You can make the panels fit nice and not use welting...bolt em together.

Its up to you. What type of look do you want?

Rob

 

I've used the welting around the tank/cowl, and the stock clamps from Snyder Antique Auto. Around the fenders you can bond or seal the joint and skip the welting.

 

Although my Coupe is now gone, I welded (spot welded) all of the metal floors, the front top cowl (old gas tank cut out) and the firewall along with filling the roof. I put this body on a rotisory and the body didn't flex more than 1/16 of an inch............kind of like a unibody car. Not the seams were not filled in, but I have too many "A"'s on non boxed frames/partical boxed frames that after a few years the bondo/paint started to crack because of flexing of the body/frame...............IMHO

 

Dont mean welding the seam up, but on the pinch weld(on the inside) like were the bolts are

 

I wouldn't weld, I would bolt it like original. Especially with gas tank, or panels it bolts to, that's (to me)a no-brainer.

 

This how I welded mine together.

If I started with a complete good body I might bolt but I started with bits and pieces.

Pete

 

I usually just bolt them back together.

 

Really good question 1930roadster!!!!! I was pondering the same thing for my '30 A roadster. looking forward to more advice!!!

 

Thanks for the imputs. I might have to make a call to Brooksville... I wonder what Foose does??

 

I haven't gotten that far with my '28 Tudor, but am planning to do the same thing- small tacks on the bolted flanges, spaced about the same as the bolts that attach the gas tank, rear body panel, etc.

Short tack welds should add a fair amount of rigidity and if I need to dis***emble the body, the tacks could be removed with a few minutes of grinding.

 

If you weld it dont plan on takin it off. I've got my fuse box & wiring in places I may need to pull panels off to get to. It's a damn site easer than grindin' welds! And it bolts right back on. Use 1/4 X what ever length you need and use nyloc nuts so they won't back off.

 

Be careful on welding body panels into permanent places, especially if it is a roadster. Those bodies have a lot of flex to them that aid in obtaining door alignment and gaps. If you weld it up before you have it bolted to a frame nothing will fit and door gaps will be a mess. Always have the body bolted down on the frame you intent to use, and door gaps where you need them then weld. That way it should go back together with out to many headaches.

 

What size bolts are best to use?Any idea how many you will use