Welds???

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

Did a video to discuss the warpage/distortion you see after welding a patch panel in place...

Thanks. So a question: if I make the weld with mig, it's typically hard. Should we plan on reheating the weld with O/A to anneal it?

[MP&C]

With MIG, do one weld dot (tack) at a time, ensuring each is a full penetration weld. space them out, then planish while they are all by their lonesome. Now grind them down flush so they are out of the way for the next set of tacks.. Yes, it's a harder weld, but much more manageable when it's by itself.

[dave.g.in.gansevoort]

With MIG, do one weld dot (tack) at a time, ensuring each is a full penetration weld. space them out, then planish while they are all by their lonesome. Now grind them down flush so they are out of the way for the next set of tacks.. Yes, it's a harder weld, but much more manageable when it's by itself.

Nice thanks. I'll be splicing 2 sets of Mini front fenders together in the next few months and give it a try. Being that I'm in no hurry, I'll use it to justify being in the garage an hour or two every day...

[gconnsr]

The easy way out is to tack whatever in then apply duraglass over the seam. Duraglass is waterproof then you can fill over it with bondo.

[anotheridiot]

The easy way out is to tack whatever in then apply duraglass over the seam. Duraglass is waterproof then you can fill over it with bondo.

well, at least you did not suggest panel bond.

[gconnsr]

well, at least you did not suggest panel bond.

I've seen guys use it but I trust the tack welds. As long as the filler can't get moisture under it you're good to go.

[gconnsr]

Here's a 69 I was working on. You don't have to be a perfectionist with your welding. You hit it with duraglass to fill the seams but make sure you sand it before you apply the filler. Nobody will ever know the difference when you're done and it'll last forever.

[DanStokes]

Nothing wrong with panel bonding - it's haw many new cars are put together and is the approved method for a lot of insurance repairs as it replicates whet was done at the factory. The thing is that everything has to be CLEAN and properly fit up as it won't span much of a gap.

Dan

[anotheridiot]

Nothing wrong with panel bonding - it's haw many new cars are put together and is the approved method for a lot of insurance repairs as it replicates whet was done at the factory. The thing is that everything has to be CLEAN and properly fit up as it won't span much of a gap.

Dan

well, its probably the only option on the aluminum foil thick panels they have out there now as reproductions and mismatched materials. Most of us want to fix the car the way it was done at the factory at the time it was built at the factory.

[SuperBuickGuy]

I don't get the epoxy hate. It works very well in a number of situations.... it's certainly not a cure all - but hating on it doesn't seem rational.

[oletrux4evr]

I don't get the epoxy hate. It works very well in a number of situations.... it's certainly not a cure all - but hating on it doesn't seem rational.

You're biased. You drive plastic fantastic...........

[Loren]

Long ago I came up with an idea for a dent removal system that epoxied a metal tab onto the dented area then after curing you used a slide hammer to pull on it and heat or grinding to remove the tab later. It could have sold for $20 at the auto parts store minus hammer. No way, whatever epoxy I tried including some exotic stuff popped right off with minimal force. The issue was peel strength, the adhesive's ability to handle concentrated load at the edge of the bond area, something that adhesives in general don't perform well at. That the sheetmetal was deforming as it was pulled on caused that to be a problem.

Get something like a stud welder, or otherwise weld a tab onto the panel, and you can pull about as hard as you want for as long as you want.

Welding is forever, epoxy (or any such two-part material including Bondo or kitty hair) you have to trust the mfr. claims. Glue works when you have a large bond area that is shaped and stressed on in a way that specifically works within its' properties and as Dan says when you follow the developed procedures, then still it's possible that degradation over time could be a problem.

(Photo of utterly degraded custom Corvette body deleted as while I took it, it wasn't by permission)

(Points for anybody who can find a picture of above car in its' pre-degradation heyday, I do remember it from somewhere)

[SuperBuickGuy]

You're biased. You drive plastic fantastic...........

It is hard to weld fiberglass. That said, 4115 and 4116 is stronger then metal and what holds the flares on....

[SuperBuickGuy]

Welding is forever, epoxy (or any such two-part material including Bondo or kitty hair) you have to trust the mfr. claims. Glue works when you have a large bond area that is shaped and stressed on in a way that specifically works within its' properties and as Dan says when you follow the developed procedures, then still it's possible that degradation over time could be a problem.

Hmmm.... as I said before, there's a space and place for them all. That said, unless there's a welding process that prevents oxidation, then there's at least one situation where the the epoxy will remain long after the metal has washed away...

To me, it's like this. You can weld stuff together with a $20 Amazon-bought chinese welder, or glue it together with stuff from China. It may work, but, at best, that's 50/50 (being really generous today) chance of failure - worse, with the weld - it may be pretty, but since the machine can't maintain its amps, it's pretty weak. OR, you can properly prepare the surfaces, and bond it together in a manner that will last longer then communism by using a quality welder or quality bonding adhesive.... ymmv. With that said, the lazy factor (aka the 'fudge factor') in either will net results that are not optimal. Often times I see people raging against adhesive but who didn't properly prepare the surface, or worse, didn't follow the temperature limits.... in that case, it ain't the adhesive that's the problem. I swear most think adhesive is like silicone, just fill up the space and call it good.... it is most decidedly not, it takes more prep then a custom paint job - but will reward you with a bond that will never fail.

[gconnsr]

I was reading up on how to convert a mig to tig and it can be done but in reality I don't really need it. I'm just a hobbyist.