How To Weld And Patch Auto Sheet Metal

After cutting and fitting the new panel you are now ready to weld the patch panel in place.

How to weld and patch auto sheet metal. To obtain the best results while mig welding sheet metal proper fitment and cleanliness of the metal are essential. This will hold it in place and allow you to weld it properly. After slicing the patches out with a cutoff wheel next came the bending hammer and dolly session until the patches matched the holes and fit snug and flush into the flanged seat. 840 2570 l 840 2570 r 129 99 each from auto metal direct will replace the rotted out sections on our e body project.

Once complete the welds will be ground flush being careful not to thin the metal on either side of the weld. Ideally there should be a 1 32 gap between the patch and the body panel. Take some time to make your patch a perfect fit. I used a piece of pvc pipe a vice mount miniature metal break and body hammer kit.

Mig or metal inert gas welding aka gas metal arc welding or gmaw also uses a gas shield and filler material however in this case the filler is a wire fed directly through the welder. The proper way to do this is to do a series of tack. Tack welding is the best way to hold the metal in place before you fully weld it to the original metal. Learn how to mig weld automotive sheet metal in about 5 minutes or less.

These left and right trunk floor extensions part no. Tack welds are simply small welds that barely penetrate the metal and aren t pushed or pulled to form a bead. Second never stitch weld you ll warp the panels beyond repair. I then used the templates to trace out the patch panels on some sheet metal.

See all 13 photos with the bottom layer welded the next patch can be tack welded in. The best two electrodes for welding auto body sheet metal is either ceriated tungsten or thoriated tungsten. So you can keep the other hand free for manipulating your materials and other tools. First off never overlap seams always butt weld.

That makes this a one handed process. Tack weld different areas of the joint about an inch apart. Because it will have you a lot more control over the whole process and it is more forgiving in case you do anything wrong.