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  • 55 Wagon Progress

    This is a customer car, the owner and I discussed shaving the fender seams quite a while back, and she asked about it again last week, so I guess we're on the hook..





    The bolting plates are cut out of the way, and the folded flange is trimmed, leaving a bit of extra to allow for fine tuning the weld joint.











    Bottom of the fender is cut loose from the bolting plate using the cutoff wheel. Then sanding the face of the fender leaves a contrast at the bend of the flange for a good guide for trimming with snips....











    Planishing out the fold to fill the gap....








    Clamps used to test fit. Still needs some fine tuning for zero gaps, but we'll finish that another day..








    Robert



    Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


    MP&C Youtube Channel

  • #2
    This is cool stuff. Thanks for posting the sheetmetal work in detail. I'm a hack when it comes to sheetmetal work, so I love seeing the experts do it so I can learn how to do it right.
    Still plays with trucks....

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    • #3
      Great stuff indeed - thanks for the education.
      There's always something new to learn.

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      • #4
        Me three....thanks.
        Ed, Mary, & 'Earl'
        HRPT LongHaulers, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.


        Inside every old person is a young person wondering, "what the hell happened?"

        The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there. -Vince Lombardi

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        • #5
          Nice metal fabrication
          Glenn

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          • #6
            Thanks for the comments guys, hope to get it welded up this weekend..
            Robert



            Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


            MP&C Youtube Channel

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            • #7
              Got to trimming today, little to no gaps....





              Used the new ER70S-7 wire. Looks to me like it lays out a bit flatter...








              Used the crowned hammer to planish the welds. This stuff appears to planish out a bit easier as well.





              After planishing, 1/16" wide cutoff wheel used perpendicular to the weld for grinding the welds with minimal contact patch and less heat buildup. Ground welds just proud of the metal surface, front and back, to make room for planishing the next set of weld dots. Then rather than weld the next dots in the middle, I overlapped each of the previous welds to help eliminate missed spots and pinholes. Weld, planish, grind, repeat.











              Then I got on a roll and missed some in process pics, but here is the result after dressing out all the welds...





              Back side....








              Yeah, I like this much better....








              Robert



              Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


              MP&C Youtube Channel

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              • #8
                Very clean looking!

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                • #9
                  what kind of welder are you using ? wire speed ? heat setting ?
                  Charles W - BS Photographer at large

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                  • #10
                    L-Tec migmaster 250, which is the predecessor to Esab. (tells you how old it is ) I typically weld sheet metal at the next higher settings from what the machine calls for and do any tweaks from there. For example, The machine's suggested settings for sheetmetal (or otherwise) are based upon a full weld pass. If you inspect the weld afterward, however, the start of the weld would be cold, another inch along and it would be about right, and another inch along (if you kept the weld going) once the heat starts to build up it would be borderline of blowing out the weld. For this reason, most people using a Mig on auto sheet metal will weld one tack at a time, or what I refer to as "dot welding". So since this is done with a short "zap", it needs more heat to provide a full penetration weld with the one dot we just welded. Since there is more heat than the metal requires, there may be a tendency to blow a hole. But before backing off the heat, try increasing the wire feed first. Think of it this way, if you are applying enough heat to perform the weld but not enough wire filler that said heat is looking for, then it will burn away at the surrounding panel, hence the blowout. You want the happy medium that has the heat needed for full penetration weld and enough wire speed that it doesn't blow holes, all in welding one dot. Here's a sample, front and back sides showing the full penetration welds on a Fairlane trunk opening repair...








                    This was close enough to the adjacent bend detail that it held most of the weld shrinking issues in check, so I waited until after all welding complete to planish the welds...


                    But the settings on my machine will likely not apply to what you have. So if you are performing similar methods in your welding, I would recommend following your machine's recommendations for 16 ga metal (if welding 19 or 18 ga panels) and do some test welds. If you don't get full weld penetration in the one dot, then go the next higher heat. If it's blowing holes, more wire feed speed. I will add that most use .023 or .030 wire on sheet metal, but for whatever reason my machine and the setup I'm using seem to do better with .035 wire. But as pricey as wire is, I would say to try adjustment changes first (cheaper) before allowing anyone to talk you into changing wire size because it's what they are using in a different machine... That's the method to my madness, hope it helps.




                    My Mig welder is here on the bottom, the Miller Econotig has been replaced...


                    Last edited by MP&C; January 13, 2013, 08:24 PM. Reason: details, it's all in the details.
                    Robert



                    Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                    MP&C Youtube Channel

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                    • #11
                      THANKS! That's the best explanation of dialing in welder adjustments I've ever read. Unfortunately I have 2 different welders (a Lincoln 100 amp and an Eastwood 175) so what I learn on one won't likely apply to the other but using your method I have a starting point and a way to proceed.

                      I LOVE this place!

                      Dan

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                      • #12
                        Yep, I'm gonna go out and try that today!
                        Ed, Mary, & 'Earl'
                        HRPT LongHaulers, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.


                        Inside every old person is a young person wondering, "what the hell happened?"

                        The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there. -Vince Lombardi

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          thanks for the description of how you do 'dot' welding and control/ set your machine. I really like the idea of overlapping rather than just bouncing back and forth with the tacks. I find myself spending too much time looking for and finding little gaps because of the more random method. I'll be trying the overlap style on the next panel I do.
                          Rich

                          Drag Week Survivor 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013 - 2nd Place - Pro Street N/A, 2017

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                          • #14
                            Glad to help guys, hope it helps out..

                            Had a few minutes this evening so I hung the fender on the car to have a better look-see...











                            Robert



                            Instagram @ mccartney_paint_and_custom


                            MP&C Youtube Channel

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                            • #15
                              Never noticed before...is that another seam between the headlight and grill??
                              This looks fantastic, btw!
                              Ed, Mary, & 'Earl'
                              HRPT LongHaulers, 08, 09, 10, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19.


                              Inside every old person is a young person wondering, "what the hell happened?"

                              The man at the top of the mountain didn't fall there. -Vince Lombardi

                              Comment

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