How To Weld And Patch Auto Sheet Metal

Ditch a 1 8 inch tungsten electrode for something much smaller like 1 16 inch tungsten.

How to weld and patch auto sheet metal.

Once complete the welds will be ground flush being careful not to thin the metal on either side of the weld. See all 13 photos with the bottom layer welded the next patch can be tack welded in. Tack weld different areas of the joint about an inch apart. The best two electrodes for welding auto body sheet metal is either ceriated tungsten or thoriated tungsten.

These left and right trunk floor extensions part no. That makes this a one handed process. Take some time to make your patch a perfect fit. I keep it short and to the point in this welding instructional video and show how ve.

I then used the templates to trace out the patch panels on some sheet metal. Learn how to mig weld automotive sheet metal in about 5 minutes or less. The proper way to do this is to do a series of tack. 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.

Ideally there should be a 1 32 gap between the patch and the body panel. This will hold it in place and allow you to weld it properly. Second never stitch weld you ll warp the panels beyond repair. 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.

After cutting and fitting the new panel you are now ready to weld the patch panel in place. I used a piece of pvc pipe a vice mount miniature metal break and body hammer kit. So you can keep the other hand free for manipulating your materials and other tools. Because it will have you a lot more control over the whole process and it is more forgiving in case you do anything wrong.

Tack welding is the best way to hold the metal in place before you fully weld it to the original metal. Every restoration that passes through mcr needs some sort of sheet metal work that involves welding in new pieces so we thought we would show you how we join body panels together. First off never overlap seams always butt weld.