Progress Thread The "grátis" 1966 Coupe - final sheet metal repairs

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smaller wire = less heat= not as happy trying to burn weld thru primer off.. Used mostly for butt welding thin sheetmetal.
But if your burning thru a lot then ya got to find what works for you, your welder and application.
 
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I’m pretty much following y’all’s advice on the weld thru primer and just doing bare metal now. Almost done welding in the outer torque box. @horse sence ’s sheet metal screw advice was right on the money. Pictures will follow. Gonna get started on the passenger side and will hopefully get that done today. Then it’s floor pan time.
 
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I use 030 wire every where ,but i am used to it .
Clean the rockers well where the floor will be welded ,it is galvinized and will not weld easily ,only need to clean where the welds will be . A few screws will hold the floor to the rockers ,toe board and rear floor ,just put them right through your plug weld holes and fill in after the rest is welded
 
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I finished welding in the driver's side outer torque box in the morning. The stitch welds turned out better this time.
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With that out of the way, I got started on the passenger toe board and torque box. The floor support moved a bit when I cut the spot welds from the original toe board, so I double checked to make sure that everything was still level. It's a good thing I did because the jack stand supporting the front right frame rail had shifted. I re-leveled everything before starting any welding.

The sheet metal screw trick is awesome.
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I decided to cut out a larger section on this side than I did on the other. It was easier to cut out the patch.
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I'm usually a quick learner. I'm glad for that.
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I had to call it a night before getting the passenger torque box welded in completely. I started having issues with the stitch welds. Tons of pop and spatter with thin, ugly welds. It was getting dark, so I decided to stop rather than try to fight the welder in the dark. I'll double check my settings and finish up tomorrow. The rest of tomorrow will be devoted to prepping the floor pan and welding that in if I have time. If not I'll get that done over the weekend or next week.
 
last batch look much improved, good job. youll be just like horse sence in no time now.:rolleyes:



I started having issues with the stitch welds.

Welders have a duty cycle,
small budget ones have a duty cycle of 25% or less
This means it needs 75% of its time on ~ not welding to cool of the coil. This is usually based on 10 minute periods
Your probably welding faster than the machine is up to.. so 3 min of welding in 10 min and you have exceeded the 25% duty cycle.
Heat soak will lower the duty cycle even more.
Let her cool down.
It will run better beads


Keep the nice pictures coming!:)
 
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Another welding question: how often should I change out the nozzle and tip?

Also, @horse sence I’ve seen you use an air punch like the one I have from Harbor Freight. Mine punches 3/16” holes. Is that a good size for plug welds on the floor pan? I’ve used it already, but the holes it punches seem small. Is it possible to get larger dies for tips like this one?
 
Another welding question: how often should I change out the nozzle and tip?

Also, @horse sence I’ve seen you use an air punch like the one I have from Harbor Freight. Mine punches 3/16” holes. Is that a good size for plug welds on the floor pan? I’ve used it already, but the holes it punches seem small. Is it possible to get larger dies for tips like this one?
If you keep the nozzle cleaned out,it will let a long time-the one on my welders is a few years old lol-the tips are an as needed item as well
 
I would go back and drill the holes to 1/4 ,i do like that punch ,already wore mine out .
My welder still has the original cone but i have used a couple of tips because of burn back ,you will have this happen sometime . It is usually when the wire binds in the welder or you have a twist in the cable . About all you can do is remove the tip ,cut the wire and toss the tip and replace
 
If you keep the nozzle cleaned out,it will let a long time-the one on my welders is a few years old lol-the tips are an as needed item as well
I would go back and drill the holes to 1/4 ,i do like that punch ,already wore mine out .
My welder still has the original cone but i have used a couple of tips because of burn back ,you will have this happen sometime . It is usually when the wire binds in the welder or you have a twist in the cable . About all you can do is remove the tip ,cut the wire and toss the tip and replace
Thanks for the tips, no pun intended.

Torque boxes and toe board patches are done. I was still having issues with ugly welds on the outer torque box to frame rail. I ended up moving the ground and got better welds that way. Not sure if that was my only issue, but it worked. I wasn't getting any penetration of the frame rail before.
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I know the car looks tweaked in this picture. However, I swear it's level. I double and triple-checked.
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It's floor pan time. Turns out this pan DOES come with the seat platforms. I assumed it didn't since they weren't in the picture on Summit.
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Floor pan is sitting in the car at the moment so I can trace out where I'll need to drill. There are some fitment issues, all on the passenger side. This is the off-roading damage side.
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@horse sence Do you have a recommendation? Do I have larger issues to address, or should I just do what I need to make it fit? Should I fix the dented rocker before taking care of the floor pan?
 
Floor pan is sitting in the car at the moment so I can trace out where I'll need to drill. There are some fitment issues, all on the passenger side. This is the off-roading damage side.
9PyPIoV.jpg

eWGBBCZ.jpg

6icFTv7.jpg

GA1z6sr.jpg

a8ootoL.jpg


@horse sence Do you have a recommendation? Do I have larger issues to address, or should I just do what I need to make it fit?
You will have to knock it around a bit ,a few screws will pull it in place