Progress Thread 2nd Fox Body - some window trim work!

[Steel1]

I'm a hack welder myself but I have learned one important welding rule.
Don't weld in shorts with sneakers and no-see-um socks, especially when laying
on your back installing jacking rails on a 93 Mustang, I still have the scars on
my ankles as a reminder..lol

 

[bird_dog0347]

Also don't leave any open containers of flammable cleaning fluid directly in the path of the sparks, and make sure your fire extinguisher is handy.

 

[Rdub6]

So my welds look slightly better (maybe, a little bit) now that they’re covered in primer and seam sealer!

 

[Rdub6]

And some POR15 on both sides, and I think I’m calling this portion done.

 

[Rdub6]

My inspection is due by the end of the month. I don’t even remember when I put it up on stands, but it’s definitely been two months, and I never treated the fuel.
Im debating throwing the front seat in, and the belts, and taking it for a ride to get my safety done. At that point I’ll fill the tank, throw some Stabil in, bring it home and get it up in the air for another few months and get the rest of this floor pan sorted out.
Lots of surface rust that needs a wire wheel, and there’s a spot right under the clutch pedal that will need about a 6x8 patch. Then I’ll POR15 the rest, get some sort of insulation/ sound deadener, and have my interior back together by spring. That’s the plan at least. I’ve heard of this self adhesive “mat” stuff at Lowe’s and HD. I think it’s for the HVAC guys. Anybody have success with that over the Dynamat?

 

[Olivethefet]

If you're not driving it do you have to get the inspection done? When I lived in Louisiana they only cared if you got caught.

 

[Rdub6]

If you're not driving it do you have to get the inspection done? When I lived in Louisiana they only cared if you got caught.

I still have it registered and insured, so technically I should have it done. I’ve gone months overdue on my dailies at times, but in January, they know that everyone with a certain color (2019 was yellow) is overdue. It’s easy for them to spot once they know the color is no good, and I don’t need any BS tickets.
Honestly, for the mustang, it’s just an excuse to get out and drive it.

 

[Mstng93SSP]

I have used the stick on insulation on several cars. The one I used from Lowes is Frost King. Cut down on a lot of noise and heat. Price was reasonable.

 

[stanglx2002]

I used the Self Adhering Flashing that is same type of stuff as Dynamat. It comes in a roll in the flashing section of Home Depot/Lowes.

 

[bird_dog0347]

I used the Self Adhering Flashing that is same type of stuff as Dynamat. It comes in a roll in the flashing section of Home Depot/Lowes.

Same here, in the roofing section, think it is called Quick Seal, yellow label at HD.

 

[Rdub6]

I started to get it prepped to fix the small hole in the front pan, and when I ripped up the sound deadener, I found a second hole (on the right). It was underneath the glob of seam sealer right where it attaches to the firewall steel. I’ll go a little deeper with my wire wheel and grinder and then decide how I want to tackle the repair.

 

[Davedacarpainter]

Lap joints are for hacks (jmo) and leave a place for future rust.

We have all sorts of factory lap joints in our cars JR.

Just from replacing my floor pan, every side was a lap joint. Some offset ones as well in other key visible areas.

It’s a floor pan, a lap joint won’t hurt. It’ll be seam sealed on both sides (I assume).

Unless your building a concours correct car, even then, lots of factory lap joints to copy.

I will say though, on a visible panel (like when I finally patch my lower front right quarter) a butt weld really helps with keeping a patch panel hidden. Even then it’s no guarantee. I’ve seen butt welds show through even with a mud coating over the weld area.

Various issues like metal thickness and types of sheet metal come in to play in butt welding.

Its important to consider if you can adequately access the back of the panel after the weld to seal and protect the surface.

Like the spot welds I did along the inner rocker panel when I welded in my floor pan. How do you protect the interior of the rocker? (Between the inner and outer rocker). There is a spray sealer you can buy, btw that you spray inside the rocker.

Lots of talk on my part to say that lap welds aren’t a terrible thing. You just need to be able to seal the weld area up sufficiently after you’re done welding.

 

[General karthief]

You are right Dave, and you know all I'm say'n is a butt weld can be made to look like it's not there.
and a lot of the lap welds that are done look like crap because they don't care to do it right.
And the factory lap joints in old cars are where most of the rust starts.
just to be clear before the lap joint debate gets out of hand, a properly done lap joint is just fine.

 

[Rdub6]

Speaking of where the rust starts..... the pic of my front driver pan shows a hole on the left.... it’s where three different layers of steel come together. I guess that Ford engineer wasn’t expecting we’d be trying to save these cars 30 years later. Three layers, seal it with bubble gum..... call it good!

 

[General karthief]

And tree leaf and other junk will not find it's way into the cowl area through that plastic cover with slots big enough to stuff a small cat causing rust because that area is not coated and drip onto the carpet leaving it damp and muddy so that three layer lap joint rusts.
It's a never ending cycle of car life.

 

[Rdub6]

As annoying as these holes are, I’m having fun figuring out how to fix it. Learning to weld, making this car better than it was before...... wish I had done this years ago!

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

As annoying as these holes are, I’m having fun figuring out how to fix it. Learning to weld, making this car better than it was before...... wish I had done this years ago!

And I just gotta say, Kudos. Anybody willing to jump in and learn the hard way while trying to do it right will always get my attention vs some guy that just pays to have it done. Having fun working on the car is why most of us became car guys. The rest that can’t be bothered are only playing one for a while.

I don’t think I even know what a new GT350 looks like up close

 

[Rdub6]

And I just gotta say, Kudos. Anybody willing to jump in and learn the hard way while trying to do it right will always get my attention vs some guy that just pays to have it done. Having fun working on the car is why most of us became car guys. The rest that can’t be bothered are only playing one for a while.

I don’t think I even know what a new GT350 looks like up close

Doing it the right way makes me think of what the hell I was doing when I was 17, and patching my ‘65 coupe floors with fiberglass mat.

 

[Rdub6]

And as if learning this welding gig on the fly wasn’t hard enough, try it stuffed in under the pedals on the front pan.
Again, nothing pretty about my welds, but I’m confident it’s solid.

 

[CarMichael Angelo]

Doing it the right way makes me think of what the hell I was doing when I was 17, and patching my ‘65 coupe floors with fiberglass mat.

See...the majority of you guys hide your age..so it's hard to make a judgement from that statement.
When I was 17, I did plenty of pop-rivet-Kitty hair, bondo and window screen patch jobs to the Nebraska/Iowa OMG surprises I found in the cars I owned.

But they didn't have Chinee mig welders selling for 299 on EBay in 1975 either.

When I was 17. 1969 mach 1's were sitting on used car lots for under 2 grand.
Mine cost me 1750.00, my brothers 68 302 FB cost 1450.00
When I was 17, My welding choices were a stick welder, or a Oxy-Acetalyine torch combo.
Both of which had "I gonna fck this up sure as sht" written all over them.

So...you can see how "when I was 17" may or may not carry any water if you were born in 1980.