Every time I work on the Mav and find new rust or dents or anything else depressing, I ask myself why I'm even trying to save this heap? Anywho, here are some crappy phone pics of my latest find. As for why I'm trying to save it? I still dont really know, but I hope all the effort is worth it
I say fix it. Thats nothing compared to my 57 Ranchero that I'm currently working on. Is that galvanized metal you making your patch panel out of? If so, I wouldnt recomend it because paint has a hard time staying attached to it. Also when you weld, the fumes created by the galvanized coating are toxic.
Yeah its galvanized. So I need to buy some regular mild steel or what? I have already used this stuff for a floorpan patch, but I coated it with Eastwood rust encapsulator and its not an exposed body section so I think that one will be fine...
Don't feel bad,my comet needs both quarters,both front floors,trunk pan,and cowl vent repair.My Maverick needs both front floors and cowl vent repair.Happyhappy,joyjoy.
Man, you guys sure know how to cheer a guy up I feel alot better now... Frank, thanks again for truckin' those doors up, and to all, Happy New Year
BTW, I thought I should add that I just bought a respirator to wear while welding. Even if youre not welding galvanized, the fumes cant be great for you...
Unless its an air fed respirator, it wount do much good. Around here I can buy a 4x8 sheet of 20ga metal for around $30. Thats alot of patch panels.
the thicker the metal is when you weld, the hotter it needs to get to melt.. the hotter the metal gets when welding, the more chances there are for the original metal to warp... and once the metal warps it is a PAIN in the a@@ to straighten out galvanized metal is only to be used in HVAC ducting.. do not use it on a car.... 1.. it is not strong, 2. it gives off toxic fumes when welding and you can get blood poisoning (i think) from the fumes.. 3. paint will flake off real easy, a lot more so than regualr metal. regular steel metal is cheap as mavaholic has stated. its your car... but i would suggest using regular steel.. 20 gauge is fine for patches.. good luck
I allways use an old hood or trunk lid to cut patches from. It's cheap, often free, only requires a little surface prep, grinding off paint, and is factory style sheet metal.
Well, I just ended up making some patch panels out of the side of an old truck bed I guess I will save the galvanized for some other project. BTW, I bought the galvanized from Eastwood, and it is for the specific purpose of making patch panels for cars. I just decided not to use it due to the toxic fumes...
Most exterior sheet metal on our cars is 20 ga. Welding on thicker metal wont really hurt anything although in some places the difference might make it harder to blend it in.
